Nintendo has always been one of the leading players in the console wars and their current focus, the Switch, has proven to be one of their most successful endeavors. The Nintendo Switch has continued the company’s tradition of developing consoles that stray from the norm and prioritize creative and unusual controls and gimmicks that ideally present video games in a rejuvenated light.
The Switch has shown many innovations and changes throughout its lifespan, with the Nintendo Switch Online service being an appreciated way to experience classic Nintendo titles. The recent Expansion Pack for the NSO service brings a handful of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games into the mix, but with them also come a number of issues which some audiences have taken exception towards.
10 Correct The Input Lag & Other Porting Problems
It’s always exciting to have access to a new collection of games, especially when they’re for a console that wasn’t previously available on the Nintendo Switch Online’s service. However, arguably the most important factor in this process is that the games actually play properly.
Audiences have unfortunately realized that a number of the Nintendo 64 games offered in the Expansion Pack suffer from significant input lag. This is absolutely unacceptable for games that are over two decades old. Other avoidable problems also exist, like how the version of Super Mario 64 that’s available for Western audiences is the non-rumble version.
9 Rotate Through New Games More Regularly
North American audiences currently only have access to nine Nintendo 64 games on Nintendo Switch Online, with a few more that have at least been announced for the future. This is a modest start, but there are so many quality N64 games out there, many of which have been available on online services in the past, that it just makes more sense to more frequently rotate through selections.
This is the best way to truly showcase what the Nintendo 64 had to offer and can this Expansion Pack really be considered complete without the original Super Smash Bros. available?
8 Highlight More Of The Nintendo 64’s Obscure Titles
The Nintendo 64 has an exceptional and eclectic library of games. However, Nintendo has a tendency to band behind their various first-party titles, which can sometimes result in tunnel vision where the same dozen games are always present to represent the N64.
Most of these titles are classics for a reason, but Nintendo Switch Online would benefit from showing off more of the console’s lesser known cult classics. The fact that WinBack made the first cut is promising, but there’s a lot more work to be done in this area. Obscure titles like Mischief Makers deserve to reach bigger audiences.
7 Bring Handheld Games Into The Mix
Sometimes older retro releases can be more of a niche interest and modern gamers require something that at least resembles the sprawling 3D world that video games have entered. Nintendo is a unique developer in the sense that they’ve had a healthy history with a series of handheld consoles in addition to their home console hardware.
These handheld titles frequently don’t receive representation on Nintendo’s virtual services, which leaves many hidden away to their original hardware. There are so many strong games here that deserve fresh eyes and to not be restricted to some overlooked chapter of Nintendo’s past.
6 Expand The Genesis Selection To Also Include Sega 32X & Sega CD Titles
A lot of Switch audiences have focused on how the NSO’s Expansion Pack service adds Nintendo 64 games to the console’s library, but the inclusion of Sega Genesis titles shouldn’t go overlooked either.
There are lots of Sega classics that grew out of the Genesis, but it’s also a console that received unusual hardware extensions in the forms of the Sega 32X and Sega CD. Most gamers have a history with the Genesis, but this is less true for its expansion offshoots. Incorporating some titles from these Genesis extensions would go a long way.
5 Use Genesis Games As The Launching Point For More Non-Nintendo Consoles
There are times when certain features can seem perfunctory at the time of their release, but have extra value due to what they indicate about the service’s future. In this respect, the incorporation of Sega Genesis games into Nintendo Switch Online also indicates that Nintendo is willing to include games from non-Nintendo consoles.
Sega feels like the natural fit here, but this could naturally extend to include releases from the WonderSwan Color, Neo Geo, or even the 3DO. It’s in Nintendo’s best interest to allow NSO to embrace these third-party partnerships. Virtual Consoles for various other Nintendo platforms have branched out in this way, so NSO should as well.
4 Lean More Into SP & Exclusive Releases
Nintendo is a company that likes to revise and experiment with what’s worked for them in the past, which has led to a series of “SP” titles, typically restricted to Japanese releases. These SP titles can narrow in on a specific aspect of a game or simplify the experience with the help of extra health and items.
The Nintendo Switch Online already offers a few SP titles, mostly for their original Nintendo Entertainment System titles. These SP releases are some of the NSO’s best surprises and they provide an incentive to experience old games that weren’t previously available.
3 Improve The Resolution & Aspect Ratio
Presentation is an increasingly important topic in the video game industry as consoles reach the point where 4K resolution is just par for the course. The Nintendo 64 games offered on Nintendo Switch Online admittedly receive 720p graphical upgrades from their original versions, but for some gamers this still isn’t enough of a push forward into modern technology.
N64 games are presented in 720p and in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. Most won’t be bothered by this, but it wouldn’t be difficult to provide the option for a widescreen alternative. Nintendo struggles to faithfully present old games in 1080p resolution.
2 Expand The N64’s Library To Include Nintendo 64DD Titles
Services like Nintendo Switch Online can thrive through unexpected surprises that reward their audience with titles that have never previously been available before.
The Nintendo 64DD is an awkward expansion that didn’t meet expectations and never left Japan as a result. Accordingly, there are only nine N64DD games and it’d be a huge gesture to include them all, if not most of them, on the Expansion Pack. Many of these titles are clunky products of their time, but providing access to them would earn Nintendo a lot of good will.
1 Bring In Dreamcast Games
Switch fans are happy to now be able to play Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games on Nintendo Switch Online, but these are perks that have been available before in some context. What would be a serious upgrade is if Nintendo leaned into their relationship with Sega and used NSO as a home to play Sega Dreamcast titles.
Such a move may seem far fetched, but no other console offers this service and it would definitely push sales for the Expansion Pack. It would be significant if there was a library of ten, or even five, Dreamcast games in rotation.
0 Comments