An absolute classic is one of two Nintendo 64 games set to join the Nintendo Classics library this month. Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Tonic Trouble, both from Ubisoft, will be available to play for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers starting December 17.
Rayman 2 was originally released in 1999 for Nintendo 64 and PC, with ports on Dreamcast, PlayStation, and other platforms following in subsequent years. It was the first 3D outing for Ubisoft’s mascot and received acclaim from critics, rivaling Crash Bandicoot, Banjo-Kazooie, and even Super Mario 64.
Tonic Trouble is also an Ubisoft original, though decidedly with a lesser reputation compared to Rayman 2. Designed by Rayman creator Michel Ancel, the action-adventure game depicts a mutated Earth with a ton of colorful and quirky character designs.
GameSpot’s Rayman 2: The Great Escape review from 2000 rewarded the title a 9.3 score, citing its “wonderfully humorous story, excellent game mechanics, and perfection in almost all other categories.” Meanwhile, Tonic Trouble received a 3/10 review from GameSpot in 1999, with the reviewer lamenting that it will be remembered as “the game that’s not Rayman 2.”
If these Ubisoft additions aren’t doing it for you, at least the addition of Rayman 2 bodes well for a couple of first-party Nintendo games making it onto the service. Back in July, online sleuths looked at blurry cover-art images from a Nintendo video and deduced that five then-unannounced additions to Nintendo Classics were coming to the service.
Two of those five titles, one being Rayman 2 and the other being Forsaken 64, have made it to Nintendo Switch Online since then, with the remaining games being Glover, Donkey Kong 64, and the original Super Smash Bros. The latter two have been glaring omissions, so Rayman 2’s NSO debut should give hope to those waiting for some certified bangers on the service.
