519 days. That's how long it has been since Nintendo uploaded a Genesis game to the Nintendo Switch Online. Now, after a year and a half, the long wait is finally over and three classic Genesis games have been added to the Expansion Pack. I'm talking about games like Mercs, Vectorman and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. That's genuinely exciting (and unexpected) news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Die Hard Game Fan, Mean Machines Sega and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. Try to contain your excitement for another episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


After failing to make much of a dent in the 8-bit war, Sega regrouped and came up with a new plan for their 16-bit Genesis – rely on accurate recreations of arcade hits. And not just Sega's own heavy-hitters, but also recreations of some of Capcom's top games. Obviously, this led to the massive success with the release of Strider and Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, but Sega also adapted other (smaller) Capcom classics that don't get mention much these days. One of those games was Mercs, the action-packed sequel to Commando. First released in arcades in 1990, it only took Sega a year to the bring run ‘n gun shoot ‘em up to their Genesis. This port is most notable for not only including the original plot and levels from the arcade game, but also including a brand-new mode with different levels and a unique story. Sadly, the trade-off was that this Genesis version didn't support two-player co-op, a core feature from the arcade version. Let's see if that kept the critics from falling in love with Mercs.

When it comes to the reviews, the critics were all over the place. The average is around 80%, but what I want to do is start at the bottom. The very bottom. That distinction belongs to Sega Power, who absolutely hated the game, giving it a score of 45%. “If you have nothing better to do, and are feeling unhappy with the world, then Mercs should suit you down to the ground. Mindless violence with the emphasis on mindless and, er, violence. It's still tedious and repetitive bunkum though. Try to beat a mate if you want any kind of challenge.”

To be fair, Sega Power was the absolute outlier here, as the next lowest score was a 7 out of 10 from Mega Play. That's right in line with the 74% we saw from Sega Pro and the 78% from Game Zone. With a score of 4 out of 5, GamePro finds itself right smack dab in the middle of the average. They argued that “Mercs won't go down as the biggest and Baddest blow ‘em up adventure of them all, though it's good to the last annihilation for sure. For many gamers, it'll be tough to deal the final satisfying death blow, because you get limited continues in Arcade mode and none at all in Original mode. If that doesn't faze you, however, your orders are to lock and load Mercs and save the Prez.”

Further up the scale we see Game Informer give Mercs and average score of 8.8 out of 10, which is the exact same score as the 88% we saw from Mean Machines. Sega Force went one tick higher, giving it an 89%, while MegaTech went even higher, cracking that 90% barrier. However, if you're wanting the highest score, then look no further than Computer & Video Games. Giving it a 92%, Tim Boone ordered you to “strap on your best blasting booties and prepare for some hot stomping action in the best blast I've seen on the Mega Drive in quite a while. Quite simply, Mercs is a magnificent conversion of a pretty spanky coin-op, with the unbelievable bonus of two different games stuffed onto one cart. Controlling your Merc is a joy as he stomps around the scrolling playfield packed full of bad guys to blow away at the touch of a trigger, and those end of level bosses blow everything else out of the water. Mercs is mega – the best blast I've seen in ages. Buy it, turn the lights down low and turn your bedroom into an arcade – ‘cos that's how good it is.”

Look, that CVG review is setting your expectations a little too high. While far from the best run ‘n gun shooter on the Genesis, this is another solid addition to the Nintendo Switch Online. With an average score of 79%, I say give it a play. You could do a lot worse.

While it certainly didn't look as good as Sonic or hit as hard as Streets of Rage, you have to hand it to the 1991 release of ToeJam & Earl – it definitely left an impression. Here's a weird little co-op game that could have very easily been overshadowed by Sega's surprisingly strong line-up, yet it was just quirky enough to stand-out from the crowd, becoming an unexpected success. Two years later, the funky duo returned with a side-scrolling sequel. Sure, the gameplay and style was completely different, but it still managed to keep the same spirit and sense of humor of the original. Plus, it has a lot of content and a shockingly long ending. No joke, you'll need to set aside the better part of an hour if you want to see how this game concludes. Let's go ahead and see how the critics reacted to all of these changes.

When it comes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, they liked it about as much as the original, which is to say that thought it was an okay adventure game. They gave this sequel an average score of 7 out of 10, down slightly from the 7.25 they gave the original. They explained that “They're back and in an entirely new adventure. Fans of the original ToeJam & Earl will probably not be able to live without this game, and rightly so – there is more to explore this time around. The second time is a charm.”

For what it's worth, EGM is the outlier here, with every other magazine giving Panic on Funkatron a much higher score. Sega magazine went with an 88%, while Sega Power gave it a 90%. In fact, that's the same score we saw over at Game Fan, who did not disappoint when it came to their opinions. Take Skid as just one example: “I don't find these characters, or the funk premise, desirable at all. I think a Heavy Metal premise would sell better in the 90s, not that I'm a headbanger dude. However, this is a great game. The play mechanics, graphics, layout, eye-popping color and length of the game put it in a category with the best in the action genre, and the injected humor is excellent. The level of creativity is amazing.” K. Lee liked it slightly more, calling ToeJam & Earl 2 a “big step up from the original. One of the things that made the original ToeJam and Earl so successful was its funky humor and originality, and the same can be said here. The sound and music is great, and the voice is excellent, but what stuck in my mind was how fun the game was to play. Bring on the third.”

Moving up the list, we see that Mean Machine Sega gave this sequel a 91%, while Mega went with a 92%. That's the same score we saw in the Australian magazine Hyper. For the highest score, we're once again going to need to check in with GamePro, who gave ToeJam & Earl 2 a perfect 5 out of 5 in their 53rd issue. They concluded that “those radical rap masters, ToeJam & Earl, are back in a very cool new adventure. Bigger sprites, bigger levels, and big Earl combine to make this one happenin' cart.”

With an average score of 89%, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkatron actually improves on the 84% average of the first game. This series had some real momentum. Too bad it took Sega a decade to count to three. Give this one a play, but be ready for a really long ending.

Transitioning from one generation to the next can be tricky. Ideally, you want to get people excited enough to buy your expensive new console, but you also need to have enough games for the old system, so that it doesn't look like you're abandoning the millions of people who made the last generation so successful. Nintendo accomplished this goal by releasing the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, side-scrolling platformers using 3D models that was designed to whet your appetite for the high-tech effects they could do with the Nintendo 64. To counter, Sega released Vectorman, a run ‘n gun shooter that also employed 3D models to prove that the Genesis might be old, but it can still hold its own. While Donkey Kong Country is better remembered these days, Vectorman was a fun and engaging shooter that reminded gamers why they fell in love with the Genesis all those years ago – the fast-paced, arcade-style action. Let's see what the critics thought of Sega's response to Donkey Kong Country.

We're going to once again start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, whose critics were mostly impressed with the action game. On the low end, you had Mike, who said that “the clean graphics and animation are the first thing I noticed about this game. It might just be me, but I found the levels and enemies can get boring after playing for some time. Overall, Vectorman is definitely a game to check out if you're looking for an addition to your Sega library.” On the more positive side, Andrew proclaimed that “Sega has a new mascot. Vectorman offers graphics that make it look like it's on a system other than the Genesis. The animation is really smooth. Surprisingly, Vectorman excels in the control department. It doesn't have anything really new, but it plays well. The game play is fast, and the action generally is intense, but not frustrating. Think Strider with a gun.” EGM gave Vectorman an average score of 8.25 out of 10.

For what it's worth, that score was on the low side, with only Hyper going lower with a 79%. Sega Power liked Vectorman much more than either of those two magazines, giving it a 90%. That's the same score you saw over at Mean Machines Sega, where Marcus concludes that “This is pretty smart in just about every sense. Visually, it has a detail and fluidity unusual to Mega Drive games, while gameplay is satisfyingly fast and explosive. Vectorman himself is one of the most impressive aspects of the whole caboodle – a constantly moving collection of spheres loosely assembled into a humanoid shape. Gasp as he maneuvers himself into any firing position. Marvel at his multi-jointed limbs which can adapt to any terrain. This is top quality stuff with just the right blend of fiddly platform fun and mindless violence. All of which goes to show that writing off 16-bit gaming is very short-sighted indeed.”

Another magazines that didn't write-off the 16-bit generation was Game Fan, which gave the game a 91%. Computer & Video Games went even higher, giving it a 96%. That's one of the top scores of that year. However, if you're looking for the highest score, we once again need to visit GamePro, who gave it a 5 out of 5. Despite the perfect score, they did complain that the techno music was annoying and that the action would have been more fun with a second player. “These few inconsistencies don't even make a dent in this otherwise awesome game. If you're looking for fast action and fantastic scenery, Vectorman has the balls you're looking for.”

While I've never been as big a fan of Vectorman as some of these glowing reviews, I do like it and can understand how it could average a score of 86%. It's still a lot of fun to this day and definitely worth checking out on the Switch.