Skip to main content

Nintendo Switch Online gets a fan favorite Nintendo 64 racing game

Nintendo has revealed the next Nintendo 64 game coming to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service on August 19 will be Wave Race 64.

Wave Race™ 64 - Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online

Wave Race 64 was one of the earliest N64 titles on the home console. A sequel to a Game Boy title simply called Wave Race, this racer swaps out the traditional cars and race tracks for the far less common jet skis and beaches to race across. Another distinguishing feature was that racers, in addition to trying to simply come in first, also had to make sure they maneuvered correctly around the buoys on the course in order to build up speed.

The next update for Nintendo Switch Online will bring Wave Race 64 to subscribers after last month’s Pokémon Puzzle League. Wave Race 64 has previously been offered for purchase on the Wii Virtual Console as well as on the Wii U. Unlike those re-releases, however, the version coming to the Switch will retain the original Kawasaki branding from the N64 original that was removed when brought to the Wii and Wii U.

Wave Race 64 was a fan favorite racer for the N64, with cutting-edge (at the time) graphics, especially in regards to the water. The game features four racers with different stats, a Championship Mode, Time Trails, Stunt Mode, and a two-player option.

Even though the output of N64 titles coming to the Expansion Pass service has been slow, each addition so far has at least been one of the library’s best. Considering how small the total N64 catalog is, it does make some sense for Nintendo to trickle out releases, despite how frustrating it might be for players to wait for their favorite childhood game to be added.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Super Mario RPG is getting a full Switch remake, and it’s coming this year
Mario, Mallow, and Bowser using lightning attacks in Mario RPG.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is getting a full-on remake for the Nintendo Switch -- and it's  coming this year. The new remake of the game got announced during today's Nintendo Direct, along with its November 17 release date, meaning yet another big title is joining the late 2023 launch party.

Super Mario RPG (Remake) Trailer | Nintendo Direct 2023

Read more
All cross-platform games (PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

Cross-platform support is becoming more important in the world of video games. Multiplayer hits like Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Fortnite have pushed crossplay into the limelight, and now most AAA multiplayer games release with at least partial cross-platform support. Finding every cross-platform game is no easy feat, though, so we did the hard work to bring you a comprehensive list of games that support crossplay.

Unfortunately, there aren't any rules when it comes to crossplay, so each game handles the feature a little differently. To make matters more confusing, certain backward-compatible games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X still support crossplay on the most recent hardware, even if there isn't an official release for that hardware.

Read more
Nintendo Switch’s weirdest launch game is getting a surprise sequel
Key art for Everybody 1-2-Switch!

Nintendo has quietly announced Everybody 1-2-Switch!, a sequel to one of the oddest launch titles for Nintendo Switch.
1-2-Switch! was a Nintendo Switch launch title that served as a tech demo of sorts for the Joy-Con controllers, with players completing minigames based on direction from actors in live-action clips. It's a very quirky and critically divisive Nintendo Switch game, so it's a bit surprising to see a follow-up. According to the eShop listing for Everybody 1-2-Switch!, this game lets players use their Joy-Cons or smartphones to complete a variety of team-based minigames. And that's about all we've seen or know about this $30 game ahead of its June 30 launch alongside some new pastel Joy-Cons.

Everybody 1-2-Switch!'s announcement was quite unorthodox for Nintendo. It simply tweeted about the game's existence and opened up preorders on the eShop. This all happened with no reveal trailer less than a month before the game's launch. It's unknown why Nintendo's taking this approach instead of including the game in a Nintendo Direct or other major showcase, but a 2022 report from Fanbyte may reveal the answer. According to that report, Everybody 1-2-Switch! tested horribly, and Nintendo worried that the game could "damage the company’s reputation as a great software developer." 
Almost a year after that report, it seems that the game has improved enough to release, or maybe Nintendo is just willing to take the hit after the impressive launch and critical reception of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Either way, this is a weird sequel to a weird Nintendo Switch launch game that's being mutedly marketed so it doesn't elicit much hype. We'll just have to wait and play it for ourselves if we want to know whether Everybody 1-2-Switch! is an enjoyable game or not.
Everybody 1-2-Switch! will be released physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch on June 30.

Read more