Also, Space Harrier II and Shining Force II
I know people have a polarizing relationship with Sonic Spinball, but I was absolutely fascinated by it. You ever have one of those “I [or my group of friends] played this all night games?” That’s what Sonic Spinball was at the time, with my playgroup yelling and cheering at the screen during every mysterious moment that Spinball threw at us. Well, now everyone can relive their respective pain or joy with Sonic Spinball Switch.
3 classic SEGA Genesis games have just been made available for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members!
– Space Harrier II
– Shining Force II
– Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball pic.twitter.com/uhD21PEChk— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 22, 2022
Announced late last night by Nintendo in their traditional “random drop” of retro content for Switch Online, the company confirmed three more games are available:
- Space Harrier II
- Shining Force II
- Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball
Look, I’ll take the other two games. Shining Force II was a huge step up from the original mechanically, and Space Harrier II deserves a spot in the sun as a Genesis launch title. But the oddball Sonic Spinball will always have a special place in my heart. It’s completely unpredictable, and ever since I got my hands on Pinball Quest as a kid, I’ve been searching endlessly for off-the-wall RPGs. It’s hard to believe that Spinball is only four levels, because so many people I know never finished it, not knowing that victory was within their grasp. But with the modern conveniences of playing retro games on the Switch, that might be a thing of the past.
Oh, and it’ll always have this incredible options menu song (also part of Sonic Spinball Switch), which might be the most iconic Sega Genesis sound to date:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGWSijvWxFI
