Last month, Nintendo announced Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online via a premium subscription. Set to be released by late October, the new subscription service will already give access to nine Nintendo 64 games right from the start, with more titles set to be added as months go by. While we get ready for the arrival of Nintendo 64 games on the Nintendo Switch Online, we’ve ranked every title you’ll be able to play right away when the new subscription becomes available. So get ready to lose some good nights of sleep because many great classics are becoming available this month.
9) WinBack: Covert Operations
WinBack: Covert Operations was not a commercial success when it was first released back in 1999, which means many players are hearing about it for the first time as it comes to the Nintendo Switch Online. The third-person shooter came out only a year after Metal Gear Solid hit the PlayStation One, and the game feels pretty much like a consolation prize. Levels feel uninspired, and action is repetitive, but WinBack is responsible for several mechanics that became essential in shooters. First, while Metal Gear Solid made covering behind all popular, WinBack added an exclusive button to take cover instantly and the possibility to shoot from corners. The game also added a laser line to help player’s aim with the N64 stick control, a resource that would inspire Metal Gear Solid 2 and Resident Evil 4. While not the best shooter to ever come to the Nintendo 64, WinBack is a vital piece of videogame history, and it’s excellent Nintendo is preserving it for future generations.
8) Dr. Mario 64
Let’s be honest: Dr. Mario is basically Tetris with a new coat of paint. It does a great job by adding a story and puzzle elements coming straight from the world of Super Mario, but at its core, the game is all about controlling falling pieces to fill up an ever-changing puzzle board. Dr. Mario 64 is also just an enhanced remake of the same Dr. Mario first launched on the NES and then on the Game Boy. However, what makes the game incredibly amusing is its four-player mode that’ll add some lovely mayhem to the expanded Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Dr. Mario 64 offers six different game modes, three of them available for couch competition, making it an excellent addition to the release collection for those who love playing with their friends.
7) Yoshi’s Story
Yoshi’s Story is a sidescroller platformer featuring Mario’s loyal steed that didn’t get a great reception on the Nintendo 64. Nevertheless, it could still be enjoyable when it comes out on Nintendo Switch Online. The game was criticized for being too easy and too short, and while the new release won’t change that, it can at least make you busy for a couple of hours if you are looking for a relaxing gaming experience. Yoshi’s Story was also made with children in mind, perfect for keeping the small family members busy while still giving them some sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, Yoshi’s Story didn’t have enough content to justify the price of a Nintendo 64 cartridge, but as part of a collection, it’s a nice game to try out.
6) Mario Tennis
Believe it or not, Nintendo 64’s Mario Tennis still holds as one of the best Mario sports games ever. Besides making a complex sport intuitive to play, Mario Tennis uses all the charm of the Super Mario franchise to make a game that’s easy to pick and very hard to drop. Mario Tennis is also historically relevant, as this is the game that introduced Waluigi, a character that would become an essential part of the franchise. There are also three silly arcade modes included with Mario Tennis, allowing for more multiplayer mayhem. Even though the game was released in 2000, Mario Tennis aged well, and its inclusion on the Nintendo Switch is a welcomed one.
5) Sin and Punishment
Sin and Punishment was not initially released in the West, which means the Nintendo Switch Online premium subscription will give many players the first opportunity to play a fantastic bullet hell shooter. While most Nintendo 64 games use the central and right grips of the control, Sin and Punished was developed with the central and left grips in mind. This brilliant design decision allows players to move the character on the screen with the D-pad while aiming with the stick. Sin and Punished’s control scheme gave players a high level of precision, which in turn allowed developers to fill up the screen with projectiles and explosions. Sin and Punished is highly recommended for anyone looking for an adrenaline-infused experience.
4) Super Mario 64
There’s nothing really bad to say about Super Mario 64, as it still holds as one of the best 3D platformers ever. Super Mario 64 helped define both a generation and a whole gaming genre with polished controls, diverse levels, and tons of secrets. Why put it so low on this ranking, then? Well, because Nintendo already released an enhanced version of Super Mario 64 as part of its Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. Although both versions of the game are almost identical, Super Mario 3D All-Stars has improved audio channels and a 720p resolution bump, making it look better than the emulated version of Super Mario 64. It’s also weird that Nintendo already has an enhanced version of the classic but decides not to make it available with the premium subscription.
3) Mario Kart 64
We can never get enough of Mario Kart, and with Mario Kart 64, players will be able to visit tracks that became classics in other games, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While Mario Kart 64 is not the best franchise game available on the market, it’s still a great successor to Super Mario Kart, capable of translating the franchise to 3D. It has many imaginative courses and the same chaotic multiplayer experience that we love so much in the franchise. While the graphics might be outdated — especially since we have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch — Mario Kart 64 is still fun to play and can offer players new courses to try out when the more recent games start to get repetitive.
2) Star Fox 64
Rejoice! One of the greatest games ever launched on the Nintendo 64 is coming to the Nintendo Switch Online premium subscription. Star Fox 64 did much more than taking the franchise to a full-3D environment as it also introduced a branching paths system that highly increased replayability. While your adventure’s starting and ending points remain the same, what you do on a level determines which path you’ll take next. So, Star Fox 64 evaluates if you found a secret exit or if your performance was good enough to take you to a more challenging level. Also, the game keeps track of every path you already took, giving the player the visual feedback they need to keep exploring space and finding out how to get better. The way Star Fox 64 deals with difficulty should be praised for eternity, as it never blocks the player from finishing the game but instead rewards those who improve their skills with even more content.
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
There’s no other way to wrap this ranking than praising The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time is still considered one of the best games on the franchise, for much more than nostalgia, as it has excellent temple design, a complex plot, layered characters, and so much content. While Ocarina of Time was the first adventure of Link in 3D, the game gave new meaning to the temples by making them organically part of the world, introduced a music system that would echo forever on the franchise, and rewarded players’ exploration with secrets hidden in every corner of the map. All this while trying to understand how the 3D technology worked and coming up with solutions that would become a staple in the whole industry — just as an example, Ocarina of Time invented aim-targeting enemies. Ocarina of Time is an essential The Legend of Zelda game, and with it coming to the Nintendo Switch Online, we get closer to having the whole series in a single system.