Nintendo to bring Paper Mario to the Nintendo Switch next week via Nintendo Switch Online

In September, Nintendo announced that it would be bringing N64 and SEGA Mega Drive games to the Switch via an Online Expansion Pack. At launch, Nintendo introduced nine N64 games, including Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Sega Mega Drive games included Streets of Rage 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Gunstar Heroes among others, for reference.

Now, Nintendo has confirmed that Paper Mario will be arriving this month, although only the RPG-style game. For some reason, Nintendo is remaining quiet on when the other six N64 games will appear on the Switch. The other N64 games are as follows:

• Banjo-Kazooie
• Pokémon Snap
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
• Mario Golf
• F-Zero X

Paper Mario will be available to play from December 10, albeit only if you pay Nintendo's US$49.99 annual fee for its Online Expansion Pack. The expansion pack includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC too, but that also requires you to purchase the game on Nintendo's handheld console.

N64 emulation has had its share of issues as well, including frame rate inconsistencies and input lag. Overall, US$49.99 remains a steep proposition for something that has less than a dozen N64 games, of which 50% are from the Mario universe.

Purchase Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Amazon