F-Zero Maximum Velocity races onto the NSO Expansion Pack on March 29

Nintendo is bolstering its library on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack by adding an absolute treasure of a Game Boy Advance game to its roster. 

F-Zero Maximum Velocity arrives on the NSO Expansion Pack on Friday, March 29, and it’s bringing some much needed variety to the pack. Sega Genesis titles aside, so far we’ve mostly gotten adventure and role-playing games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I could play Metroid Fusion and Fire Emblem on the GBA until my thumbs fall off. But it will be nice to take a break from those comparatively long games by blasting through some F-Zero races.

Maximum Zero originally came out in 2001 and immediately became my favorite game on the GBA. That’s partly due to the fact that it has 20 tracks and a slew of vehicles that all look and feel fantastic, and partly due to the fact that it doesn’t require much reading, a skill I was admittedly still developing on at the time.

The Grand Prix and Championship single-player modes offer all the fast-paced, and occasionally explosive, excitement you’d expect from an F-Zero game. It’s unclear whether this re-release will have the multiplayer mode that used to be accessible with a link cable, but Nintendo Online already has F-Zero 99 for scratching that particular itch. 

I’d be surprised if scores of new subscribers are willing to pay the NSO Expansion Pack’s $49.99 yearly subscription fee for Maximum Velocity itself, but this is a great addition for current subscribers. I, for one, will be speeding through some nostalgia come Friday.