Rare’s exceptional Nintendo 64 platformer, Banjo-Kazooie, has confirmed its release date for the Nintendo Switch Online service, where it’ll slide in beside other titles from the classic ‘90s console including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the newly released Paper Mario, Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64.
N64 games were recently added to the online subscription service - which also offered NES and SNES games as a handsome bonus for a fairly inexpensive cost - alongside a range of Mega Drive/Genesis titles. A total of nine N64 games rolled out at the Switch Online Expansion’s launch in October 2021 - although the doubling of the cost rather cheesed off some Nintendo fans who felt the nine games were not enough to invest just yet. And then came the performance issues, but that’s a whole other thing.
Check out the Switch Online Expansion trailer, below…
We know there are more N64 games due to be added to Switch Online - and a genuine classic has now locked in its arrival. Banjo-Kazooie, probably the only 3D platformer of the ‘90s to hold a polygonal candle to the majesty of Super Mario 64, is launching in January 2022. The exact day, we don’t know just yet - but as VGC reports, the game’s makers at Rare are excited to see it join the Online service: “It’s a pleasure to be ushering the bear and bird onto Nintendo’s latest console, offering another modern way (alongside @XboxGamePass and Rare Replay) to savour its many collectibles and googly eyes.”
Advert
If datamining is to be believed, the Switch will ultimately receive more N64 games than were ever available on Virtual Console for the Wii and Wii U. Which isn’t saying much given that only 21 N64 games were ever on that buy-and-keep service; but when it comes to this iconic Nintendo console, we’ll take everything we can get (and, yes, eventually we’ll pay to upgrade… probably).
Topics: Nintendo, Retro Gaming, Nintendo Switch