After a few weeks of speculation over what Nintendo was up to, it revealed plans for the NSO Expansion Pack last October. An extension of its subscription service that includes access to libraries of Nintendo 64 and Sega Mega Drive games, as well as additional Animal Crossing and Mario Kart content. Just like the NES and SNES libraries, which are included in a base NSO subscription, Nintendo has continued to add to its Expansion Pack's selection of games since launch.
Today, three more games have been added to the Mega Drive library. Leading the way is Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball. In what has been a very newsworthy week for very old Sonic games, Spinball is one you might have forgotten about, and definitely not one that would have ever made the Origins cut. Unlike Origins, which won't be here until June 23, 2022, Sonic Spinball is available to play on Switch right now if you're subscribed to the Expansion Pack.
Joining Sonic Spinball on Switch are two classic Mega Drive sequels. Space Harrier 2, and Shining Force 2. Shining Force is a tactical RPG, and Space Harrier was one of the very first games to launch on the Mega Drive. Nintendo digging deep into the console's back catalog for that one. If you're unfamiliar with either of them, you can check out previews below and play the entire games on NSO right now.
It hasn't just been a big news week for Sonic. There has also been some interesting news about the future of libraries and back catalogs that might be coming to NSO in the future. Emulators for Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, along with a list of 40 titles, leaked earlier this week, suggesting those will be the next consoles to get the NSO treatment. The Game Boy was one of the consoles rumored to be a part of the Expansion Pack last year, so it stands to reason its games will soon be made playable on Switch.
Nothing official from Nintendo on that front just yet. Confirmation that the N64 and Mega Drive libraries came very late in the day, so it could be just days before the Game Boy and GBA games join them before Nintendo decides to tell us all about it. It's also unclear whether you will need the Expansion Pack or just a regular NSO subscription to play the Switch's Game Boy library if and when it eventually does launch.