A lot of Switch users may think Nintendo Switch Online needs stronger connectivity, but the service has a substantial library of games to make up for it. Because of Nintendo Switch Online, tons of classic games from the NES and SNES can be played on the Switch in a time where these games are hard to find elsewhere. NSO is a great way to experience gaming history, and because fan reception to NSO's game library is generally positive, it's no surprise that Nintendo announced plans to add an N64 expansion pack.
However, the NSO N64 expansion does raise questions about one of Nintendo's recent projects. About a year ago, Nintendo released Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of classic 3D Mario games meant to celebrate the franchise's 35th anniversary. Six months later, Nintendo stopped producing copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, making Super Mario 64 and its companions inaccessible again. Now fans know that Super Mario 64 will return to Switch via NSO, and the door seems open for future NSO expansions that could add Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. If so people may wonder what the point of Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection was.
Looking Back on Super Mario 3D All-Stars
When Super Mario 3D All-Stars got announced, fans were delighted. It's not every day that old entries in any franchise get remakes or remasters for a current console, but Nintendo arranged for three influential Mario games to arrive on Switch. Mario veterans could experience these games again on a new console, meanwhile younger Switch fans could play these games for the first time.
However, Super Mario 3D All-Stars came with a significant drawback. Nintendo told fans in no uncertain terms that it would only produce copies of 3D All-Stars for the duration of Super Mario's anniversary celebration. Even though fans immediately expressed frustration and disappointment, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is no longer on the market - save for copies bought ahead of time that now circulate physical and online sales.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars became more valuable thanks to its rarity, but fans also foresaw a worrisome opportunity. Even if 3D All-Stars was no longer in production, Nintendo still had Switch versions of Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy on hand. It could release permanent versions of these games on Switch, making Super Mario 3D All-Stars something of a pointless celebration in retrospect. The last thing fans want is to feel like they wasted their time and money scrambling to get a copy of 3D All-Stars. Unfortunately, the advent of the N64 Expansion Pack might mean that fear will come true.
Nintendo Switch Online Clashes with 3D All-Stars
Fans already know that Super Mario 64 will be a part of the N64 pack for NSO. Although there's no proof that Nintendo plans on adding GameCube or Wii games next, if the N64 and Sega Genesis expansion for NSO sell well, a GameCube and Wii expansion only seems logical. It's hard to imagine that Nintendo wouldn't include Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy in such an expansion, especially since it already has Switch versions ready to go.
If all three games come to Switch Online, Super Mario 3D All-Stars was ultimately pointless. Super Mario 3D All-Stars was meant to be the core of the Super Mario 35th anniversary celebration, but if it becomes obsolete and Super Mario Bros. 35 remains offline, Nintendo did little to celebrate Mario's anniversary in the end. Re-releasing All-Stars' contents through NSO flies in the face of Nintendo's stance that All-Stars had a limited run to celebrate the anniversary. After all, it was little more than a collection of the three games, so making them available on NSO would be equivalent to Nintendo never taking All-Stars off the market.
Fans don't want to feel like they made fools of themselves for rushing to get Super Mario 3D All-Stars, but that feeling could be exacerbated based on how much the N64 expansion of NSO costs, as well as any theoretical GameCube and Wii expansions. If fans ultimately could've gotten all three games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, as well as a ton of other games, for something like half than the anniversary collection's $60 price tag, All-Stars seems like a bad deal in retrospect.
Fans Should Watch Nintendo Switch Online Closely
Nintendo hasn't confirmed more expansions beyond N64 and Genesis games, but it seems like a logical step if Nintendo is going to stick with the Switch as its home console for a few more years. The new Switch OLED model suggests that Nintendo doesn't want to come out with a new console yet, so further expansions to Nintendo Switch Online would be unsurprising. There's certainly a lot of GameCube, Wii, Game Boy, and DS games that could make good use out of Switch Online's multiplayer service.
That does make it look like Super Mario 3D All-Stars may be obsolete one day. If Nintendo keeps working with the Switch, it'll be tending to NSO for years, meaning it'll probably put the rest of its Super Mario games and others on the service. They're too significant to Nintendo's history to keep out of NSO's library, after all. While it's a shame that Super Mario 3D All-Stars has a dubious future, there is a bright side. Not everyone managed to get a copy of All-Stars, so bringing its games to Nintendo Switch Online would be a great way to put them in the hands of all fans. If Nintendo does spiritually release Super Mario 3D All-Stars piece-by-piece in the coming years, at least the games will be here to stay as long as the Switch does.
