Two Nintendo 64 Classics Coming to Nintendo Switch Online Next Month

By Marc Deschamps

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers will have two new Nintendo 64 games to check out next month: Mario Party and Mario Party 2. The two games are set to release on November 2nd. Since the Expansion Pack's release last year, Nintendo has mostly stuck to one game release per month. That streak ended in September when no new games were released, so this might be a bit of a make-up! Whatever the case might be, fans of the N64 era are sure to be happy to see these two titles return.

Nintendo has released a new trailer for the retro games, which can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

Mario Party 2 has previously been released through the Virtual Console on Wii and Wii U. However, the original Mario Party has not been made available since it first released back in the late '90s. The game was the source of some controversy upon its original release, as some minigames required that players rotate the control stick rapidly. Players that used the palm of their hands ended up with severe blisters (myself included), and many parents raised concerns. Nintendo issued gloves to fans that requested them, and those minigames were left out of subsequent releases. That changed with last year's release of Mario Party Superstars, but a disclaimer was added.

It's unclear if December will see an N64 release, but several additional games have been announced for 2023, including fan favorites like GoldenEye 007, Pokemon Stadium, and 1080 Snowboarding. Harvest Moon 64 has also been announced for Japan, though it's possible the game could skip release in North America. In Japan, the game's rights are owned by Marvelous, but it was published in North America by Natsume, who owns the rights to the Harvest Moon name. Marvelous had to change the name of the series to "Story of Seasons" when it began self-publishing, effectively splitting the franchise into two. Unless the two companies work something out, Harvest Moon 64 will likely remain a Japanese exclusive.

Are you excited to play these Nintendo 64 releases? Which Mario Party are you most looking forward to playing? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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