
Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack is now live, adding various Nintendo 64 and SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis games into the mix. There are a small number of regional differences at the moment, and perhaps the most notable is that Super Mario 64 has rumble in Japan and not North America and Europe.
Before those pitchforks are sharpened, there's actually an interesting reason for this. In Japan the version on the Expansion Pack app is the “Shindou Pak Taiou” edition, which was a re-release of the game only in Japan that added Rumble Pak support. So, as it goes, it was the most recent and best version of the game in Japan, and that's the one that's been emulated to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack in the country. If you're using the North American or European app, however, you get the original version without rumble.
Ideally, Nintendo would have implemented rumble on Switch across all territories, there's no getting around the fact it's disappointing that no effort was made to implement the feature for global users.
All is not lost if you want to do a workaround, though. You need to create a Japanese account on your system, which is relatively easy to do, then access the country's eShop, find the N64 app and download it. Then you simply open the Japanese version of the app with your normal NSO Expansion Pack-enabled account and you can play those alternative versions. At the moment Super Mario 64 is the only 'bonus', though we've seen examples of interesting Japan-only releases on the NES and SNES apps in the past.
If you want to know how to setup a Japanese account there's a guide for that below. It's not as easy as we'd like, but it's better than nothing.
Are you planning to try out this version of Super Mario 64 in the N64 app? Let us know in the comments.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 27
There’s nothing disappointing here, probably most people interested got a hold of 3D-All Stars and doesn’t have to worry about playing an inferior port of Mario 64 on Switch. At least westerners can get both the hi-res textures and rumble revision, or the original “So Long Gay Bowser” version
So what you're saying is that the EU/US versions of SM64 on NSO Expansion Pass, are the original PAL/NTSC-U releases with the backwards long jump glitch intact?
I hope that's true because I'm sure there are a lot of players who'd rather have that glitch than the rumble feature!
And also "So Long 'ay Bowser".
Doesn’t this make the North American version the speedrunning capable one?
@RupeeClock the blj lives!
I have many versions of this game (N64 PAL, Wii PAL, Wii U PAL, unofficial (and fantastic) 3DS port, Super Mario 3D All-Stars (UK/EU). It was a ground-breaking game at the time for several reasons, especially Mario's movement, but the level design leaves a lot to be desired. I wonder, what version is included in Super Mario 3D All-Stars (in UK/EU)? I played it on Nintendo Switch Lite (no rumble) and I noticed the higher-resolution sprites of this "remaster" but I'm not sure if it's the Shindou Pak Taiou version because the PAL version already removed that long jump glitch. Can somebody confirm?
EDIT: Oh, I remember that Mario says bye-bye when throwing Bowser so it must be the Shindou Pak Taiou version. I prefer the "So Long, King Bowser!" line although it sounds like anything in French
With 3D All-Stars having this version already (And a lot of cleaned up 2D assets like the HUD elements that the NSO version lacks), I can't picture many people going to this bother.
If they care, like Flashlink99 says, they most likely already have the definitive official version of Super Mario 64 on the Switch via 3D All-Stars.
@thiz The Shindou Pak Taiou revision of the game removes the Backwards Long Jump glitch, so it's not really possible to speedrun using the Japanese version that NSO is offering, as all speedrun categories use BLJ, unless it's one of the less popular side categories which ban it. The EU/NA ones will still allow it though.
So long as it has the original voice clips and not that higher pitch crap, I feel that is a fair trade.
Also "So long 'ay Bowser!" is a nice welcome.
The USA version of Yoshi Story had a lot of fixes improved from the Japan version. Plus the Japanese language option is there. So Japan users may want to get the USA N64 App to play the better version. 😀
Yeah, I’d rather have the US one though because of BLJ. It’s more fun to play the version with the speedrunning tricks.
There's no need to create a new account. You can just change the country of your regular account, download from the eshop and immediately change back the country if you want
Man, Nintendo really is just phoning it in.
Go look at Xbox One's Rare Replay compilation from 2015 . . . and see if you can find a single compilation Nintendo has done in recent times that even comes close to the overall sheer quality and polish of that collection. . . .
And imagine how special all of this stuff could be if Nintendo put even half of that kind of effort into its Switch Online games and collections. . . .
Nintendo should be ashamed.
Do you know the real reason I think there's not a new F-Zero on Switch--because the amount of time, money and effort Nintendo would need to put into just making it even match the old GC F-Zero GX game is more than it's willing to invest in this franchise in 2021. Not because there's nothing more great to be done with that franchise but because Nintendo can't think of a way to do it with less time, money and effort and not just look shamefully under-par. Sad, but I think very true.
Not sure if it’s worth replaying Mario 64 for the rumble. I actually own the Shindou Pak Taiou cartridge but not a Rumble Pak so never got to try the feature out, aha. Will probably still download the Japanese N64 app for Custom Robo etc in the future.
What about the Wii U Virtual Console version? Does that include Rumble Pak for the Western release?
I'm pretty sure western fans prefer BLJ over rumble for Mario 64. And if they want rumble, there's Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which despite its limited run you can still find pretty easily.
Regardless, I also downloaded the Japanese versions of both systems, but unfortunately I don't have money right now to get the Expansion Pack. If not, I might go and get both Japanese versions of Super Mario 64, a guy in my city has them for sale.
Yes, the Z easter egg does work (only in Japanese NSO). I always thought this was a bad thing (but also not apparently).
Speaking of regional differences, remember that Lylat Wars also has the Lylat language option, which other versions of the game do not have.
I've been wanting to learn how to speedrun the game, so the original NA version is the superior option for me.
I never really understood why the Speedrun scene relies on an older buggy version. Does that mean it is the same with other games? Only up to update 1.1 but not with 1.2. In motorsport, rules and specifications are changed and adapted every year, so a motorsport stable cannot arrive and say we drive with specifications from 1995 because there is an advantage. But that's the way it is when there are no official rules for competitions, an organization that determines them. So all just show to achieve more impressive times with Mario 64. Speedrunners shouldn't live in the past but always use the officially most recent version of a game. Even if the times don't look so impressive anymore.
so that's why I couldn't do BLJ
@TheStormGL It depends on the category for speed running. If it’s a glitchless category, then BLJ isn’t allowed.
@ValZ Specifically the Shindou Pack Taiou version being bad from a nostalgia/speedrunning standpoint, not the title screen easter egg.
These articles (or forum posts) always frustrate me because you do not need to create a new dummy account, you can just change the region of your own, and change it back after.
So wasteful.
Nobody honestly cares about this version of the game.
Does this version have the reverse lives “M” trick?
And I think the purple Yoshi in Story was not real in any region, right?
They should just add in rumble or this ROM into the other Switch Online apps so we don't have to do this... Also reduce the price or something cuz it's a little nuts to pay over twice as much for a handful of old N64 and Genesis games, some or many of which we might already have other ways.
Don’t change region of account ever. Easier and safer to create a new account
@Gwynbleidd I think you're right. I always pay with credit card, so I don't have any funds on the account.
I change my country constantly to buy on the cheaper eshop. I agree, sometimes I get a little scared that I'll be banned or something, but I've been doing it for about three years and I've never had any problems. I think Nintendo see the switch as the console you're supposed to carry when you travel, so I guess it kind of makes sense that you can change regions constantly. They even show people on their ads teavelling by plane. If I'm in a new country, shouldn't I change the location?
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...