The Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service has long used a steady drip-feed of NES and SNES games to incentivize subscribers. During the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, the company announced a more expensive "Expansion Pack" for subscribers to access libraries of Nintendo 64 (N64) and Sega Genesis games. For N64, classics such as Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and Ocarina of Time will be available at launch, and Nintendo confirmed more including Pokemon Snap, Banjo-Kazooie, and Paper Mario will arrive later.

NSO is rather notorious for how slow its drip-feed can be, only adding a handful of NES and SNES titles every few weeks - thus far not including some highly requested cult-classics like Earthbound. It isn't clear how long it will take for the extra N64 games to arrive, and they likely won't become available all at once. However, including the original Paper Mario at all is a potentially good sign for fans of the RPG series going forward.

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Paper Mario's Contentious History

Released in 2000 as a follow-up to Square's Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the first Paper Mario is a somewhat revolutionary game. The N64 era saw many franchises dipping their toes into 3D for the first time, but while many games like Super Mario 64 created a then-groundbreaking look for the titular plumber mascot, Paper Mario tried a more unique art style. The fun, papercraft diorama look of Paper Mario has arguably aged better than anything else on the console, and its combat that pushed Super Mario RPG's action command system solidified a formula still replicated by AAA and indie games.

However, 2004's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door surpassed its predecessor in nearly every way. It is often considered one of the best titles on the GameCube, and many would argue it to be the best entry in its franchise. There are frequently calls for Nintendo to re-release The Thousand-Year Door, largely because its Wii follow-up Super Paper Mario radically changed things in 2007. Instead of a turn-based RPG with action commands, Super Paper Mario is more of a platformer with RPG elements - though its rich story and world design captures much of what fans love about the game's predecessors.

From there, Paper Mario fans are well aware of the franchise's rocky reception. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012) on 3DS is decried for returning Mario to a more simplified world with controversial combat mechanics involving limited-use stickers and "Things" based on real-world objects. Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016) on Wii U continued this trend, and while Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020) on Switch got more love for its grid-based puzzle combat and world design, it is still far from the original games that many fell for.

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Paper Mario: Returning to the 'Good-Old Days'

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Even though The Origami King saw a more favorable reception at launch, there was added controversy surrounding its development. Series producer Kensuke Tanabe said Paper Mario may keep moving away from its RPG roots, with comments speaking about interest in trying new mechanics or mandates about not straying as far from the core Super Mario cast as earlier titles.

Some fans believed the shift in design philosophy for Paper Mario games pointed to it being less likely those earlier titles would re-release in any form. After all, with so many demanding to see the classic games they feel are "better" than modern offerings, it may be in Nintendo's best interest to hide those adventures in favor of things like The Origami King. Paper Mario coming to NSO's N64 library, whether it's shortly after launch or not, is evidence to the contrary.

Nintendo is a company built on a legacy of beloved games and seemingly eternal franchises. While it isn't always great about making that legacy accessible for newcomers, Paper Mario returning is hopefully a good sign of things to come. It's unclear whether GameCube or Wii games will get Switch libraries too, but even if not there have been re-releases through Super Mario 3D All-Stars and remakes like Link's Awakening that suggest anything is possible. The Thousand-Year Door and more Paper Mario games could still have a comeback with NSO's N64 offerings leading the way.

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