When the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription tier was first announced, audiences were skeptical. Nintendo's online connectivity has never been a huge selling point, and the jump for individual buyers from $20/year to $50/year was substantial given it only includes a few extra perks like N64 and Sega Genesis libraries, as well as access to DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While people have concerns with certain ports, it is an inarguably nice perk to see games like F-Zero X come out of the vault.
About one new N64 game has been added to the Expansion Pack each month since it launched in October 2021, including The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and Paper Mario. Friday, March 11 saw F-Zero X added to the service, which is a big deal for fans of the Nintendo racing series that doesn't see a lot of love elsewhere. While many hope this is a sign for things to come, it is admittedly an odd choice for Nintendo given it had the perfect opportunity to advertise its upcoming Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
F-Zero X Returning is Great, But Not Huge
The F-Zero franchise is one of Nintendo's most underutilized, with the last major release being 2004's F-Zero Climax; a Japan-only Game Boy Advance title. Its legacy has been kept alive via Captain Falcon's presence in Super Smash Bros., and a number of tracks available in Mario Kart 8 are adaptations of F-Zero tracks like Mute City. Beyond that, F-Zero X on Nintendo Switch Online and prior Virtual Console launches are the majority of content fans have received in recent years.
The version of F-Zero X that dropped last week does stand out thanks to its inclusion in Nintendo's wider online service. Online multiplayer is available to every user, which wasn't an option back on the original Nintendo 64. F-Zero X additionally comes with modes like Time Attack and Death Race, in which players win by destroying all of their opponents, which makes for better replayability as a more multiplayer-focused "party" game on Switch. Yet the return of F-Zero likely would have been better received if it came alongside a larger franchise revival akin to Metroid Dread. As of this writing, all fans have is a report suggesting an "ultra-realistic" F-Zero game on Switch was rejected by Nintendo.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Would Have Been a Better March 2022 Game
There's nothing to say new games being added to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack have to tie-in with larger promotions; prior additions like Banjo-Kazooie and Paper Mario certainly were not connected to modern releases like Paper Mario: The Origami King. One could say the same thing for Nintendo's NES and SNES libraries, which incorporated fan-favorites like the Donkey Kong Country trilogy without a newer project to advertise.
Yet, the opportunity was there for Nintendo to add Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards as a way for fans to whet their whistles before Kirby and the Forgotten Land launches on March 25. Given the general length of Kirby games it likely would not have run the risk of fans being too busy playing Kirby 64 to buy Forgotten Land, and marketing opportunities go beyond them being of the same franchise. There are deeper connections between Kirby 64 and Forgotten Land, such as the seeming return of copy ability mixtures as new "evolved" abilities and a throwback design for antagonist King Dedede.
Though there was ample opportunity for Nintendo to use Kirby and the Forgotten Land's release as a chance to offer historical context, there's as much of an argument to be made that F-Zero X stands out as a multiplayer offering on the eve of Nintendo's next big 3D platformer. Regardless, F-Zero coming to Switch in any capacity is sure to be good news for fans, especially as 3DS and Wii U eShops are shutting down. Hopefully F-Zero X sparks enough interest to see further developments.
F-Zero X is available now via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
