The time is almost here, as, on March 27th, the Wii U and 3DS eShops will officially shut down. The ability to add funds on the eShop via credit card and gift cards was disabled last year, and on March 27th of this year, eShop games and DLC will no longer be accessible for purchase. Console and handheld owners will still be able to download games they have already purchased for a time, though.
The eShop will be sorely missed by both Wii U and 3DS eShop owners. It not only offered great value in terms of games, but also provided a unique retail experience not found on other systems. Here are some things that will always be remembered.
7 The eShop Exclusives
The greatest loss from the closure of the 3DS/Wii U eShops will likely be the number of games exclusive to the platform. Titles exist on these shops in a number of genres and for a variety of tastes, including not only third party and indie titles, but also several Nintendo titles.
While the Nintendo Switch has thousands of games on its online shop, some 3DS/Wii U eShop games will not make the jump. This may be due to not enough demand, or the fact that these games rely heavily on the hardware for which they were developed. Indie game Affordable Space Adventures on the Wii U makes the gamepad the control center of a small ship, requiring a number of systems to be juggled on the touch screen. Some platformers and puzzle games for the 3DS require paying attention to what is happening on both screens at once and choosing actions around both of them.
6 Cheaper Alternatives To Buying Physical Games
While some games on the 3DS and Wii U do have physical counterparts, digital downloads offer a cheaper alternative in some cases. Several games for the Wii U and 3DS have dramatically increased in price. For instance, Devil’s Third, an ultraviolent shooter/brawler, goes for at least $400 easily physically, while the eShop version is a much cheaper $30.
Once the eShop is gone, expensive physical games will not be as readily accessible. Also, many physical versions of games on the eShop that are currently at a reasonable price may very well start selling for much higher once the eShop closes.
5 DLC
Close to 170 physical games exist for the Wii U, and many more exist for the 3DS. These games will be available in the wild after the eShop shuts down. With that said, some of these games have DLC that will disappear when the eShops shut down.
One example is the performance patches for Xenoblade Chronicles X, a spinoff of the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise. It is already a great Wii U game on its own, but Monolith Soft released some downloadable patches to improve game performance. On the 3DS, several games, including New Super Mario Bros. 2, have downloadable levels, which are only accessible on the eShop.
4 The Virtual Console Library
Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console on the Nintendo Wii. This was a way to purchase and download classic games from a number of retro consoles made by Nintendo and other companies. It is essentially a museum of video game history. The Nintendo Wii U and 3DS continued that tradition with Nintendo and Sega Consoles, as well as the TurboGrafx-16.
While the Switch does have an online retro games library, it is accessible only through Nintendo Switch Online, and a subscription fee must be paid. Players will not be able to actually own the eShop games in Nintendo Switch Online, so the Virtual Console is one of the easiest, not to mention legal, ways to access these titles.
3 The Free-To-Play Games
Many games on mobile platforms offer a “free to play” model, with optional items being accessible through virtual currency that is acquired with real money. Nintendo experimented with this model in several games.
One noteworthy example is Nintendo Badge Arcade, in which 3DS/2DS owners could play crane games to acquire decorative badges for their home screen. Two free plays are available each day, and more can be earned in the practice crane game. If one wanted to play some more, they can do so for one dollar for five plays, which feels fair, being that it is like playing a regular crane game at an arcade.
2 The Jingle
One of the surprising legacies of the Nintendo Wii is its music. Tunes from the menu screen and the Wii Shop channel are covered on YouTube, and they gave the console a personality.
The Wii U and 3DS’s eShop have their own clever jingle. It is one that sounds right at home in a department store, as players browse the eShop in search of deals and their favorite games. This tune helps give the Wii U and 3DS eShops a distinct identity all their own. As the saying goes, “Retail is detail.”
1 The Wii U eShop Minigame
While the Wii U eShop does have a few notable games on it, getting on the eShop can be a little bit of a grind. Loading it takes a few moments, which is an eternity to anyone in an instant gratification society.
Accompanying the loading screen is a minigame that echoes the tile-matching minigame from Super Mario Bros. 3. A box is divided into three horizontal sections, in which segments of the player’s game icons slide by. Matching up the segments with well-timed button presses is a good distraction from the load times.