It’s been over a minute since we’ve seen some new Sega Genesis classics in the Nintendo Switch online library, but we’re finally getting some today. The Switch Online Expansion Pack brings a crazy platform game Vector Manrun-n-baller Monster of the Battlefield: MERCS and absolutely awesome ToeJam & Earl in Panic at Funkotron to the Switch’s classic game library.
Vector Man From BlueSky Software is a 2D platformer with impressive graphics for its time, often overlooked in the long corridor of Sega Genesis legacy. The protagonist is a robot floating left over a devastated Earth to clean up humanity when one of the controller robots named WarHead goes nuclear and holds the planet hostage. VectorMan must fight his way through waves of enemies to free Earth from WarHead’s clutches. So think of VectorMan as Wall-E with a death wish. The game has a fairly popular difficulty level, but smooth graphics and a fast pace of gameplay Vector Man an underrated gem.
Monster of the Battlefield: MERCS It’s a top-down military-style shooter that started in the arcade in the early 90s before moving to Sega’s Mega Drive and Genesis. The concept is simple: run around the screen and shoot everything that moves before it hits you. MERCS there’s also a huge arsenal of special weapons and some really cool boss battles that pit your puny mercenaries against a massive battleship and even a knight jet.
If you don’t know the names ToeJam & Earl, welcome to one of the greatest pieces of joy in gaming history. The most video game duo of the 90s got the treatment that has been going on ever since Panic at the Funkotron In 1993. The second ToeJam & Earl title moved its alien protagonists away from the unique isometric map that made the first game so memorable for a more traditional 2D platformer, but they’re just as lively, goofy, and animated in their second outing.
This is the first Sega Genesis update for the Nintendo Switch in over a year. It was released in June 2023 and came with four games included Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, The Revenge of Shinobi, Landstalker and Crusader of the Century.
