Nintendo Switch Online Adds 5 Classic Rare Games

Blast Corps and Killer Instinct highlight a big group of favorites.

By Marc Deschamps

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can play five more classic games originally released on the NES, SNES, and N64. The five games all have one thing in common: they were originally developed by Rare. The Microsoft owned studio previously released fan favorites like Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye, and Jet Force Gemini, and that number will be greatly increasing. The best part is, the new games will all be available starting today, and they include fan favorites such as:  

  • R.C. Pro-Am (NES)
  • Snake Rattle 'n' Roll (NES)
  • Killer Instinct (SNES)
  • BattleToads in Battlemaniacs (SNES)
  • Blast Corps (N64)

Of these five games, Blast Corps might be the biggest deal. Debuting on the N64 in 1997, the game is often considered one of the platform's best. The game was previously re-released through Rare Replay on Xbox One, but this marks the first time it has been made available again on another Nintendo system. As with all N64 releases on Nintendo Switch Online, Blast Corps is only available to those that have the Expansion Pack tier. However, the other four games can be enjoyed by all subscribers. A trailer for the five games can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

Hope for More Rare Games

Today's releases show that Microsoft won't be shy about making classic Rare games available through Nintendo Switch Online. While the number of games has greatly increased today, there are still a lot of fan favorites that are missing. Most notably, Banjo-Tooie still isn't available, despite the fact that subscribers can play the first one. There's also Killer Instinct Gold, which would seem to be a lot more likely now that the original Killer Instinct is available. Conker's Bad Fur Day would seem like a possibility, but it might require a special section for M-rated games. 

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Two of the most notable absences include Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64. The latter game was made available through the Wii U Virtual Console, but the original version of Diddy Kong Racing has never gotten another release. A modified port of the game was released on Nintendo DS in 2007, though several changes were made, including the removal of Rare owned characters like Banjo and Conker. 

N64 Games on Nintendo Switch Online

Blast Corps marks the 30th N64 game available on the N64 app. Since the app's arrival, Nintendo has supported it with a steady stream of favorites. Microsoft has been one of the biggest third-party supporters of Nintendo Switch Online, and it will be interesting to see what else the company adds. In addition to owning Rare, Microsoft also owns Activision Blizzard now, which means we could conceivably see N64 games like StarCraft 64 and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater released. Hopefully Microsoft will continue to support the service in a big way! 

Are you happy to see these classics on Nintendo Switch? Do you plan on playing any of these games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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