NSO Expansion Pass Discussion
Credit to: NintendoThis is kind of… unacceptABLE
Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re gonna talk about Nintendo’s brand new expansion pack for Nintendo Switch Online. You know, it’s a mixed bag for me. On one hand, you get a bunch of awesome nostalgic games, but on the other hand… wow, is it expensive. I’ll break it down in sections. We’ll have the content section, pricing section, and my opinion section, and we’ll wrap it up with my final thoughts. With all of that out of the way, let’s just jump right into it.
Content
With this brand new expansion pass, all customers who purchase it will be able to play various Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games. These games include, but aren’t limited to: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Yoshi’s Story, Mario Tennis, and um… Super Mario 64. Yep. If you’re like me and bought the Mario 35th bundle, you’re basically getting screwed out of your money’s worth, because Mario 64 is about to be available yet again… even though they made it seem like it would be lost forever if you didn’t take advantage of the bundle. How sweet of you. On the SEGA Genesis side of things, we’ll have access to games like Strider, Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Golden Axe, and more. On top of this, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be getting a brand new paid DLC expansion called Happy Home Paradise, which introduces a ton of new content to the game. This content comes from a job you can have on another distant island, which rewards you with currency that you can use for items only found at your job. You’ll be able to design homes for vacationers and even your own villagers on your own island, who are looking for a temporary getaway in a home that you can design from scratch. This is paid DLC which is a little expensive, but it is quite a bit of content. However, if you purchase the yearly plan, it’ll come included with the Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games. This is where things get… iffy, but I’ll explain myself in the opinions section.
Pricing
So here’s the worrisome part of this discussion: the prices. This section will be pretty brief, but it does require its own section. So, as we know the normal yearly plan for Nintendo Switch Online is $19.99. Not a bad price, even though it doesn’t provide much in terms of bonuses. We get offers here and there, but those aren’t anything to talk about, and we also get the NES and SNES games as a “free” added bonus. Those games are great, but they don’t really make Nintendo Switch Online worth $20, but I digress. If you’re paying for the family plan, that’s gonna run you a good $34.99 annually. Again, a bit steep, but not the worst. Now, the price for the yearly plan for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass is, drumroll please..! A whopping $49.99. That’s right. About fifty bucks for some Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games. I’ll save my opinions, but WOW. If you’re going to do the family plan, guess what? That’ll cost you $79.99. About eighty dollars.. I mean, come on, man. Come on. Let’s get right into the opinions section.
Opinions
Are you kidding me? $49.99? For a couple of old games that should’ve been included with the regular online plan? Seriously? Here’s what really sucks about it. First of all, as I just said, these games should’ve already been included. Even if they bumped up the regular plan to like $30, maybe even $35. They should’ve been free bonuses, but if they just HAD to bump up the price, then sure, bump it up a little, but to have someone spend about fifty bucks every year for some old games? That’s just gross. The price is already too much for the regular annual plan, considering how little we get. But this? This is wild. Secondly, we’re not even getting all of the games they plan on putting in the service. We need to wait for games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and other classics for at least a month or so, which is like, come on. It’s already annoying that we have to wait on the NES and SNES games, but now we also have to wait for more N64 and Genesis games. Lastly, why is the Animal Crossing DLC here? Literally why? It’s a one-time purchase, what’s the added benefit if after a year, we’ll still have to pay $49.99 or $79.99? I do have another point, but it doesn’t necessarily impact the average consumer. For those of us who review games or film/stream let’s plays, we’re gonna HAVE to take a hit if we’re to provide content for those of you who support us. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely will take the L and pay the price so I can review this service for you all, and hey, whenever The Wolf Den is ready to do gameplays, I’d love to play these games for you. But still, the point is, we literally have to pay this amount of money just to do the things we love, which is play video games. I’ll still pay the money, but come on. This price is just disgusting, and everyone knows it.
Final Thoughts
Ugh. It’s so bittersweet to see this expansion. Everyone expected it, everyone wanted it, but not like this. This is absolutely crazy. There’s no good reason why this is the price we need to pay for a couple of old games we should’ve already gotten as an added bonus for the online service. This is a shame, it really is. But what do you all think? Are you gonna wind up getting this new expansion for your online plan? Let me know on my Instagram and Twitter, and make sure you’re following them both to stay up to date with the latest entertainment news and reviews. That’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den.
