Nintendo’s classic comedic RPG will appear on the service later this week
The original Paper Mario Nintendo 64 game has been announced to be the first additional content drop to the Nintendo Switch Online +Expansion Pass service when it appears on 10th December.
The classic light-hearted role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo was first released in Japan in 2000 and then 2001 for the US and Europe. Having been re-released several times prior on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, it will be the first time it is playable on Nintendo’s hybrid machine.
The game was a critical success and received overwhelming praise for its clever concept, battle system, graphics and overall charm and has since spawned many sequels over each of Nintendo’s consoles.
When it joins the NSO +Expansion service it will become the tenth N64 game available, joining the likes of Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Yoshi’s Story, Lylat Wars (Star Fox 64 outside of PAL regions), Dr Mario 64, Mario Tennis and Mario Kart 64 as well as the current Sega Mega Drive games (Genesis in the US). Priced at annual £34.99 ($49.99 USD), the service is roughly double the amount of the standard Switch Online service (£17.99 in the UK for annual subscription, $19.99 USD) and was bundled with the Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise expansion DLC (also sold separately) as a sweetener to add more value while the N64 library is still being beefed up.
The price of the additional service drew a wide spectrum of criticism from many gaming publications due to the tiny N64 library announced and the fact that the Sega Mega Drive games have been bundled in previous compilations already over the past few console generations. On release, the problems confounded for Nintendo with many players and critics finding the emulation for the N64 games to be problematic with issues such as poor frame-rate, awkward button mapping which can’t be altered and some audio issues. The stock issues for the newly announced companion retro designed N64 controller have also meant players wanting to play these games with as close to the real thing will need to wait until 2022 when they are next available.
However, the added benefit of the online service does mean that players can play Mario Kart 64 online against fellow Switch owners and this applies to any other games with multiplayer such as Lylat Wars, Mario Tennis and the Sega Mega Drive titles like Streets of Rage 2. The online service also provides save states for these games similar to the save system on the base Nintendo Switch Online Service but unfortunately there is no Rewind feature for the N64 titles.
Nintendo has already announced some of the N64 games planned for the future including F-Zero X, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Mario Golf and Pokémon Snap. The inclusion of the Rare developed Banjo Kazooie also suggests a deal has been struck with Microsoft (current owners of Rare) which could pave the way for other licensed games thought to be too challenging to bring over to the service.
Time will tell, but for now NSO +Expansion pack members can enjoy the current titles and with the addition of Paper Mario, players can once again foil the dastardly plot of the vile Bowser who absconded with the magical Star Rod and lifted Peach’s Castle into the sky with the help of Kammy Koopa.
For more information about all the benefits and services available with the Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack memberships, and to learn about a free seven-day Nintendo Switch Online trial, go to the Nintendo Switch Online section on the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu or visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/.
So, what other games would you like to see added to the NSO +Expansion Pack service? Have you bought into it yet or waiting on a specific game being added before taking the plunge? Sound off on the comments section.
Wave Race 64, Mario Party 2, Donkey Kong 64 and Pilotwings 64 are likely to be strong contenders – but would Nintendo be able to untangle the licensing issues and get the AKI wrestling games, more Rare titles like Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, Conkers Bad Fur Day or Banjo Tooie? Goldeneye 007 would be a significant addition but the remaster deal back in 2007 historically failed at the last hurdle when communication broke down between Nintendo, Microsoft and the James Bond licence owners. We can only dream that events work out differently this time!
