In October 2021, the Nintendo Switch Online paid subscription service added an expansion pack, which included a number of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles. While the expanded library of games contained The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and other enticing titles, Nintendo faced backlash because the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack offered a fairly small selection of games for the price and some N64 titles had performance issues.In the ensuing months, the catalog of games offered with the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack has grown slowly but steadily. Since December 2021, at least one game has been added to the service each month. Nintendo Switch Online now also includes F-Zero X, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Banjo-Kazooie, and Paper Mario. A number of other games like Pokemon Snap and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards are already slated to be added in the future, although their release date has not yet been announced.Sega Genesis games have also been regularly added to the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack since its launch in October. Five titles were added in December, including Altered Beast and ToeJam & Earl, and on March 16, Alien Soldier, Light Crusader, and Super Fantasy Zone joined the catalog of Sega Genesis games available through the service.
The first of the three new Sega Genesis games, the side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter Alien Soldier, originally launched in 1995 on the Sega Mega Drive console. It was praised at the time for its advanced graphics, soundtrack, and steep learning curve. Developed by Treasure, Alien Soldier has often been compared to the studio’s previous release in the same genre, Gunstar Heroes, although the newer game focused more on boss fights and did not feature two-player co-op.
Light Crusader was also developed by one of the teams at Treasure and released just a few months after Alien Soldier in 1995. Published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, Light Crusader features an isometric point of view and combines elements of RPGs, platformers, and action-adventure games. Unlike Alien Soldier’s sci-fi theme, Light Crusader takes players into a world of fantasy with swords, spellcasting, and dungeons. For those interested in these two Treasure games but haven’t yet subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack, both Light Crusader and Alien Soldier are available in the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis Classics collection on Steam.
The last Sega game added to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack on March 16 is Sunsoft’s Super Fantasy Zone, which released in 1992 on the Mega Drive and Virtual Console. The side-scrolling shooter is another sci-fi themed game that takes players on a quest to avenge the death of Opa-Opa’s father, who was killed by the invading Menon Empire. Players pilot an egg-shaped spaceship, whose firepower, speed, and bombs can be upgraded as the game progresses.