Nintendo Switch Online has been a topic of debate among Nintendo Switch owners ever since its release. Some fans have not thought that the service provided enough value for its admittedly reasonable asking price, but Nintendo has been continuously–if slowly–adding new games to the service over time. The latest addition to Nintendo Switch Online comes in the form of three Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games that can be accessed by anyone who has a subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier. The three new games are Beyond Oasis, Earthworm Jim, and Alisia Dragoon. A new trailer for these games can be seen below.
Beyond Oasis was originally released in Japan and Europe under the name The Story of Thor. It was developed by Ancient and serves as a fun action-adventure title that has seen multiple re-releases on various platforms. These include Nintendo’s own Virtual Console service and some collections from Sega.
Earthworm Jim is probably the most recognizable entry among these three games, and it was originally released in 1994 under the development of Shiny Entertainment. Earthworm Jim is a side-scrolling platformer with an emphasis on guns, and it later turned into a larger franchise with multiple sequels across a range of systems. The original game received a remake in 2009 but this version no longer exists due to some unfortunate licensing issues. With that in mind, its addition to Nintendo Switch Online may be very welcome news for fans of the classic franchise.
Finally, Alisia Dragon is a platformer that was originally released in 1992. It was a Sega Genesis game made by a studio called Game Arts, and despite becoming a cult classic in its own right, it never received the sale success that was wanted by its developer and publisher.
Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct presentation earlier this week. During the showcase, it announced several new additions that would be making their way to the online service. The games were separated by release date and whether they are launching on the service this year or next year. In 2022, Nintendo fans can look forward to the additions of Pilotwings 64, Mario Party, and Mario Party 2. The next year, the service will be updated to include Mario Party 3, 1080 Snowboarding, Excitebike 64, Pokémon Stadium, and Pokémon Stadium 2.
There was also the surprise reveal that GoldenEye 007 would make its way onto the service, complete with online multiplayer. Interestingly, the Nintendo Switch Online version of GoldenEye 007 is the only version listed to include online multiplayer. An Xbox version of the game will also be released soon with updated visuals and improvements, but no release date has been confirmed for either platform yet.
