Highlights
- Nintendo Switch Online has been successful for Nintendo thanks to its library of classic games and appeals to both older and new gamers.
- Nintendo's slow release of classic titles and lack of GameCube games on the service have been points of critique.
- Adding GameCube games, particularly Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, would be a popular move that could attract more consumers and satisfy fans' demands.
The Switch has been a major win for Nintendo these past few years, with a large part of that being thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. The most notable perk to signing up is being granted access to a solid library of Nintendo's many classic games, ranging from the NES all the way to the N64. This gives older gamers a chance to relive childhood favorites while also introducing new players to a treasure trove of iconic hits.
However, as appealing as Nintendo Switch Online may be, there is always room for improvement. For starters, Nintendo's output of these classic titles has been a slow drip-feed process, with some obvious inclusions taking years to be implemented. Even with persistent fan outcry for this addition, Nintendo still has yet to pull the trigger and finally add this final piece to make the service feel complete.
GameCube Games Being Added To Switch Online
It's been repeated numerous times in online discourse, but the GameCube's extensive lineup of quality games should be brought to Nintendo Switch Online. Physical copies of many of these titles have become rare and expensive, so accessibility is an issue for any modern players wanting to dive back into the past. Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine are already playable thanks to a remaster and an inclusion in a rare 3D All-Stars title, respectively, demonstrating how difficult it is to find classics from that era on Switch nowadays.
Cult classics such as Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem or Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg would find new life on the service, being discovered by an entirely new generation of players. Adding GameCube games would also elevate the value of the service even further, creating a greater deal of incentive for potential consumers. It would be a win-win for all parties involved, both for gamers receiving access to new content and for Nintendo having an avenue to increase its user base even more.
Paper Mario: TTYD Should Lead the GameCube Charge
Adding GameCube titles would require one notable title to lead the pack. After all, Nintendo tends to like to space out batches of additions to its online service, in which there is usually one standout inclusion. With Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine already available on Switch via other means—with Prime's original remaining on GameCube and Sunshine's means being extremely limited now—this means another option will need to serve as the first big heavy hitter for the GameCube lineup.
For this reason, attention turns to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, widely considered the best in the series as well as making it on rankings of the best Mario games of all time. The first installment of the franchise has already been added to the N64 selection of games, so bringing the sequel onboard next only makes sense for those curious as to what happened next. This is without even mentioning how the Paper Mario franchise has a dedicated fanbase, so any bit of love Nintendo shows for the IP would certainly result in goodwill from players.
It's a shame that it has even taken this long for GameCube games to be added to Nintendo Switch Online and there isn't even any confirmation that it will actually happen. All the same, players clearly want it to happen, and it would open the door for a plethora of new titles for Nintendo to add to its service.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door endures as a beloved classic by those who played it years ago, and still holds up as a solid, whimsically enjoyable RPG to experience. If any game were to be chosen as the first heavy hitter of a GameCube lineup on Nintendo Switch Online, this iconic Mario adventure should be right at the top of Nintendo's priorities.