Last Orders: The Wii U and 3DS eShop is closing today
Today’s your last chance to buy any digital games for the Nintendo Wii U or Nintendo 3DS, as the Nintendo eShop is being shut down for both of these consoles tonight – something which was announced over a year ago. The specific shut down times are all derived to midnight UTC, which translated to the following times for Europeans and Americans:
- PDT – 5PM 27th March
- EDT – 8PM 27th March
- BST – 1AM 28th March
- CEST – 2AM 28th March
After this point, you will still be able to re-download games and DLC that have been previously purchased, receive software updates and play online Wii U and 3DS games. So, this is your final reminder to make any last minute purchases you want to on either Wii U or 3DS, because after this point the only legal options to buy games for them will be to trawl through second hand stores and marketplaces.
Even then, that will limit you to a subset of the full library of games that were released on both platforms, with the 2010s seeing Nintendo really embrace ‘Nindie’ developers making games for their platforms, a handful of which such as the excellent Affordable Space Adventures and Pullblox are fully exclusive and digital-only game releases. Additionally, Nintendo’s Virtual Console offered up emulated games from NES through to the N64. Many of these will now only available through the Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion Pack subscription services, though there’s a bunch of edge cases as well.
The Nintendo Switch is thankfully also home to a whole host of Wii U ports by Nintendo, so great games like Bayonetta 2, Pikmin 3 and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze aren’t trapped on the older machine. However, the Wii U’s unique gamepad led to a bunch of experimental games that were only possible on that console, with asymmetrical games like Nintendo Land, and bonus modes in games like New Super Mario Bros. U where the gamepad player had different abilities that couldn’t be ported over to Switch.
The same can be said for the 3DS, which experimented with various stereoscopic 3D visual effects, though these were always optional. If you were hoping for a last-minute fire sale, it seems as though Nintendo has prevented developers for doing that, though there are a handful of discounts and offers to be found. Yacht Club Games – 3DS & Wii U
Shovel Knight Treasure Trove – (3DS) GBP4.04
Shovel Knight Treasure Trove – (Wii U) GBP5.39 Four Horses – 3DS Digger Dan – Free
Kid Tripp – Free
Atlus – 3DS Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers – GBP3.59
Persona Q – GBP3.59
Etrian Odyssey IV – GBP3.59
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker – GBP3.49
Stella Glow – GBP3.49
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl – GBP3.59
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight – GBP3.49
Culdcept Revolt – GBP7.99 Image & Form – 3DS & Wii U
SteamWorld Dig – (3DS/Wii U) GBP1.39
SteamWorld Dig 2 – (3DS) GBP2.99
SteamWorld Heist – (3DS/Wii U) GBP2.19 From Rising Star Games – 3DS & Wii U Beyblade Evolution – (3DS) GBP3.99
Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop – (3DS) GBP5.99
Harvest Moon: Skytree Village – (3DS) GBP5.99
Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns – (3DS) GBP3.59
Hello Kitty: Apron of Magic – (3DS) GBP4.99
Hello Kitty: Around the World – (3DS) GBP5.99
Hello Kitty Kruisers – (Wii U) GBP4.99
Hello Kitty: Rockin’ World Tour – (3DS) GBP4.99
Sadame – (3DS) GBP2.59
Virtue’s Last Reward – (3DS) GBP3.99
WayForward – 3DS & Wii U
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse – (3DS/Wii U) GBP7.99
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – (Wii U) GBP7.99
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut – (Wii U) GBP3.49
Mighty Switch Force! – (3DS/Wii U) GBP2.69
Mighty Switch Force!