It’s been over a minute since new Sega Genesis classics hit the Nintendo Switch’s online library, but you can finally get your hands on some today. The Switch Online Expansion Pack brings frenetic platformer VectorMan, run-and-gunner Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS, and the absolutely fantastic ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron to the Switch’s classic games library.
BlueSky Software’s VectorMan is a 2D platformer with impressive graphics for its time, but it’s often overlooked in the long corridor of Sega Genesis heritage. The main character is created when one of the supervisor robots named Warhead is left on a resource-ravaged Earth to clean up the mess humanity caused when it hooks up to a nuclear weapon and takes the planet hostage. It’s a robot. VectorMan must fight his way through waves of enemies to free Earth from WarHead’s clutches. So think of VectorMan as Wally with a death wish. The game’s difficulty is pretty notorious, but the smooth graphics and fast pace of gameplay make VectorMan an underrated gem.
Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS is a top-down military-style shooter that started in arcades before moving to Sega’s Mega Drive and Genesis in the early ’90s. The concept is simple. Run across the screen and shoot everything that moves before it gets shot. MERCS has a huge arsenal of special weapons and some really cool boss battles pitting your little mercenaries against old battleships and Harrier jets.
If you don’t know the name ToeJam & Earl, welcome to one of the greatest joys in gaming history. The most ’90s video game duo of all time got the Panic sequel treatment on Funkotron in 1993. In ToeJam & Earl’s second title, the titular alien hero departed from the unique isometric map that made the first game so memorable for a more traditional 2D platformer. They’re just as vibrant, goofy, and full of life in their second appearance.
This is the first Sega Genesis update for Nintendo Switch in over a year. The previous Genesis pack was released in June 2023 and came with four games including Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, The Revenge of Shinobi, Landstalker, and Crusader of Centy.
