Finally, explore the floating castle

NCSoft has announced that their long-lasting MMORPG Guild Wars 2 will be receiving a fourth expansion. Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will see players soaring through new maps high above the skies of Tyria with new updates to flight masteries. Veteran players will recognize the setting of this expansion: the Wizard's Tower. This tower has been floating in the sky since Guild Wars 2 was releas??ed and players wi??ll finally get to explore it.

Alongside the normal expansion updates such as new story content, quests, dungeons, and more, Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will feature some exciting new combat options. Players will gain additional flexibility and playstyle diversity by equipping weapons that were previously exclusive to elite specializations. Furthermore, a new relic and rune system allows you to augment your build with special effects. Finally, all nine professions will gain access to a new weapon from the Guild Wars 2 arm?ory. This will grant new skills and fighting styles to accompany the other combat system changes coming with the expansion. Fans anxious to try out the new combat changes will get a chance to do so this weekend during a co?mbat beta test.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc4rcnC5ECM

Continual updates after release

Guild Wars 2 players have been disappointed with the lack of love their game has gotten recently. With the new expansion, NCSoft has planned new major content releases every few months. These updates will introduce new locations and rewards as the expansion continues to grow. Each update will expand its features and the story of Secrets of the Obscure.

While I have played Guild Wars 2, it's never stuck with me like Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft. That being said, I know the game has a huge devout player base that I'm sure is beyond ecstatic about this news. At the end of the day, no one likes to see their MMORPG die out like Wildstar or Sword of Legends Online (the latter of which is closing its servers for good on June 30, 2023). A big expansion is great news for the future of Guild Wars 2.

Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will launch on PC on August 22.

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Sims fans rejoice

The Sims is one of the most prolific series in gaming, and has managed to stay at the forefront of the games space for over twenty years. The Sims community is especially known for their mods, with the most recent entry Sims 4 being incredibly robust in that regard. Now, as a thank you to fans for making the game the success that it is, EA has announced that the base game of The Sims 4 will be free to download on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One starting on Octo?ber 18, 2022.

"EA and Maxis have welcomed millions of The Sims players over the years, and have watched in awe as they unleashed their imaginations, discovered and connected with ideas, experiences, and versions of themselves, both in-game and real life," EA said in a press release. "With The Sims 4 base game going free, the team is more dedicated than ever to developing new and meaningful experience??s for players, and will continue to develop and release packs, Kits, and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFkqTSU9tSo

As if that's not good enough, players who have already purchased The Sims 4 by October 17 will get the Desert Luxe Kit as a free gift. EA Play and EA Play Pro members will also get a special treat on October 18 �with The Sims 4 EA Play Edition, players will get The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion Pack, and the EA Play Pro Edition come with both The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion Pack and The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff Pack.

In addition, EA will be hosting a special-edition stream on October 18 at 10 am PDT on The Sims' YouTube and Twitch channels called the "Behind The Sims Summit," which will give players an inside look into what the team has in the works. EA really pulled out?? all the stops for this one, because this has to be one of the coolest events I've seen in gaming in a while.

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Mega Man, Comix Zone, blast-from-the-past memes �what more could you want?

It has taken a while for Nintendo Switch Online to get here with its small-batch, subscription-based rollout, but the Sega Genesis line?up is starting to come into its own. Whereas the N64 additions for Switch Online + Expansion Pack have been solo drops, Sega fans get a few Genesis games at a time, and this week's lineup is surprisingly good.

As of June 30, Expansion Pack subscribers can play Comix Zone, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Target Earth, and Zero Wing on Nintendo Sw??itch. So what'll it be? Pa??in or pleasure?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTmTXonIRao

If it's been a while, the trailer will catch you up to speed with some stage-setting clips. There are plenty of longplays out there, too. I recently slid into Treasure's Light Crusader knowing next to nothing about it, a??nd that fresh-eyed experience was bewildering yet fun.

Four more Sega Genesis games join the mix

I was always terrible at it, but Comix Zone is a classic Genesis beat-'em-up in many households, and decades later, its comic-book art and animation still hold up well. During times like this, I really apprecia?te the rewind feature in retro re-releases.

Mega Man: The Wily Wars is another big one �it's three spruced-up games in one, and this Switch arrival is one of those "kinda never thought I'd see the day" modern digital releases. If you've only experienced the original three Mega Man games on NES, you should check this out. And after clearing the trilogy, there's a Wily Tower to topple.

If you're a run-and-gun fan, Target Earth (also known as Assault Suit Leynos), will test your mettle. While I lack personal experience with it, I do own the prequel, Cybernator, on Super Nintendo. Cool. Tough, but cool. I think it'll be hard for m??e to go back, but that's one benefit of the sub??scription model �once you're in, everything can be an impulse play.

Rounding out the bunch, we've got Zero Wing from Toaplan. While the iconic tran??slations ("Somebody set up us the bomb"; "How are you gentlemen"; "All your base are belong to us") have taken on a life of their own, it's worth laughing again for old times' sake and sticking around to actually play this side-scrolling shooter. It's more than a meme!

Altogethe?r, th?is is one of the more interesting groups in recent Switch Online history.

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Rare's jolly 3D platformer returns on January 20

Ever since Nintendo teased that Banjo-Kazooie was coming to Nintendo Switch in January, I have been counting the days for one of those kinda sorta out-of-nowhere "here's the release date!" tweets. We got exactly that tonight, and the date is set for this Thursday, January 20. Rare's classic Jiggy-collecting adventure is one of my most anticipated Switch Online additions, at least in terms of the confirmed N64 roster. I mean, the music alone!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWrWuXE6RHw

I know myself well enough to know that I can't just peek around Grunty's Lair and pick up a few Jinjos in Mumbo's Mountain and call it a day. Nah, I'm gonna need to play Banjo-Kazooie until I find every last collectible trinket and face ?that quiz show, which is still nerve-wracking to this day. So much of this game holds up. ??And the best bits �especially the layered hub-based exploration and timeless tunes �are a one-of-a-kind vibe.

Of course, Banjo-Kazooie isn't getting a direct port that you can go out and buy on the eShop �it's arriving on Switch by way of the pricey, annual-only Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service, which seemingly all of us have many thoughts about, more bad than good. For as much mileage as I'm getting out of it with bangers like Paper Mario, the slow release schedule is needlessly grating. And again, that price.

Then again, I don't ne??ed to open that can of worms every time. The famed bird and bear duo is back on a Nintendo platform after way too long. It feels strange. Good, but strange.

I know it's going to be hard for fans of 4J Studios' excellent Xbox version to adjust to the less-than-ideal emulation tha??t Nintendo is using for these Switch Online offerings, but I am pumped to rev?isit one of my all-time favorite games either way. It's gonna get so cozy.

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Sword of Vermilion, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, and Thunder Force II round out the list

Nintendo is on a long and potentially never-ending road to warm people up to the idea of the Expansion Pack costing as much as it does, and after the recent Paper Mario drop for the N64 library, it's off to a slow start. But the pricey Switch Online service has added its first wave of Sega Genesis titles to help pad out the launch list, and it's, well, a start.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXJPxi2wopM

There are five newly-available Genesis games, and given Sega's prior digital releases and compilations, it was simply a matter of time before Altered Beast stumbled in. Aside from that chaotic beat-'em-up, Expansion Pack subscribers now have access to ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II, the latter of which is a pleasant surprise for scrolling shooter fans. Last night, I booted up ToeJam to soak in the music.

If you've never played Dynamite Headdy �or if it's been a while �that's my go-to pick. I mean, you can't really go wrong with Treasure. It was the era of strange mascots and even stranger abilities, and as a vibrant action-platformer, one that definitely s??till comes to mind when I think of Genesis greats, I think it'll hold up either way. Give it a shot!

Personally, I'm most curious to check out Sword of Vermilion �my expectations are set, and I fully expect ????to bounce off it before too long, but I've always wanted to at least try it.

Even if this all coming later than expected, I do appreciate having some okay-to-great retro games to play on the plane during the holidays. These Sega Genesis titles probably won't hold my attention for too long �I've had ample opportunity to revisit many of 'em over the years �but the Switch Online N64 selection is still calling me, flaws and all. It's a shame Nintendo is holding Banjo-Kazooie until January, though. The Jinjos need me.

A??t the current pace, I'll be shocked if Nintendo can get me on the hook for another year-long commitment to the Expansion Pack. It's not impossible, but it sure looks dicey.

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Paper Mario will be playable on December 10 with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack

As someone who has gotten decent mileage out of the Nintendo 64 launch lineup for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, I've been wondering when the next content drop would be and how many games we might get. As it turns out, my expectations were too high �again. Nintendo is bringing Paper Mario to Switch Online on December 10.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZU9sbtU0mc

That's all well and good �Paper Mario is one of the better N64 titles to this day and it'll suit the RPG crowd well on Switch �but I'm once again worried about Nintendo's glacial rollouts for its Switch Online retro libraries. We've gone from infreque??nt groups of out-of-nowhere oddball picks from the SNES days to now having a solo N64 addition.

Maybe it'll ramp up, though. We know for sure that Banjo-Kazooie, F-Zero X, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Mario Golf, Pokemon Snap, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are coming to the Expansion Pack lineup �but there's also well-founded data-mined evidence suggesting at least 30 more N64 games are in the Switch Online pipeline.

Of the known-about games, Paper Mario would probably be my preferred pick for Nintendo Switch Online �and these visuals look pretty good �but I feel you if you were banking on Majora's Mask, F-Zero X, or Banjo-Kazooie. As a frequent renter in the N64 age, I ??never owned my own cartridge, so I'm excited to repl??ay this game. The aesthetic was always so awesome, and I have a soft spot for those timed button presses during battles.

Speaking of which, I haven't felt too burned by the NSO's emulation latency, but I hope those timings ?aren't too tough. I don't want to keep lowering my expectations, y'know? Things could be so much better, and while I'm having fun with these old games for the time being, it's absolutely fair to expect better from Nintendo in this day and age.

All that said, if you've only played The Thousand-Year Door or the newer entries (and, big caveat, you're signed up for the Expansion Pack tier), don't skip the original Paper Mario.

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Individual sub comes out to $49.99 a year, and family plan at $79.99

Nintendo has set the date and price for its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack update. The new addition to the Switch Online offering? will go live on Oct. 25, 2021.

For pricing, Nintendo confirmed that a 12-month individual membership for the Expansion Pack will run $49.99, while a family membership sits at $79.99. That's a step up from $19.99 for the standard individual and $34.99 for standar?d family membe??rship.

Those who already have an active Switch Onlin??e subsc??ription will be able to upgrade to Expansion Pack at a prorated discounted rate, depending on how much time is left on your plan.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNsGXJ6Cl00

As for what you get in the Expansion Pack? It will include all the benefits of a base subscription, as well as the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis libraries for Switch Online. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC announced today, Happy Home Paradise, is available with the Expansion Pack, too. (It can be purchased separately as well.) Nintendo told Eurogamer that you'll lose access to the archipelago and home requests if your subscription lapses, but some content unlocked while playing Happy Home Paradise—like counters??, partition walls, and a??mbient lighting—will still be available.

?The previously confirmed list of games will be on the N64 and Genesis libraries, and Nintendo says there will be more to come in the future.

??The Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online goes live on Oct. 25, 2021.

This story has been updated with additional details about Happy Home Paradise content access.

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