StarTopic Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console Essential Purchases and Discussion Thread - (Update: Wii U /3DS eShops Officially Closed)

[Barely Able]

Nintendo will be shutting down the Wii U and 3DS eshops in March of 2023. This thread will be a place to list essential purchases and recommendations and have discussion about the games. I will keep it somewhat trim so that we can get some actual discussion (and spread it out over 3 or so posts). First off is important dates:

• May 23, 2022 - Last day to reload with a credit card
• August 29, 2022 - Last day to add eshop credit
• March 27, 2023 - Purchasing ending for WiiU and 3DS eshops

Systems linked to a Nintendo account used on Switch can still share that balance and add money that way. The dates for adding credit above are specific to adding to those systems with the old Nintendo Network ID.

Nintendo website on the eshop discontinuation

The list will be organized by Virtual Console system since there might be overlap on each system. I will try my best to indicate what system the games are available for next to the titles. I will also list pricing in USD since that’s where I live, so keep that in mind when pricing things out. I am also going to leave out anything available on Switch NSO. With the background info out of the way let’s get to some of my essential purchases:

Zoda’s Revenge: Star Tropics II (Wii U - $4.99)

Sequel to Star Tropics that takes Mike Jones into space. Who knows if this will make it to Switch, but was not released on 3DS.

US eshop
UK eshop link

Duck Hunt (Wii U - $4.99)
This game is an outright classic and probably many of your first game since it was in the double pack with SMB. This uses the IR pointer in the Wii Remote, so it’s pretty faithful. Doubt these come to NSO. Other games similar to this include Wild Gunman and Hogan’s Alley.

US eshop link
UK eshop link

Ufouria: The Saga (Wii U - $5.99? I bought this so can’t see the price)
Import title that is an early Metroidvania. Probably not coming to NSO so think about picking this up if you are interested.

US eshop link

Summer Carnival ‘92: Recca (3DS - $4.99)

This was actually developed for a shooting game competition and saw this as the first Western release. Tough vertical shmup.

US eshop
UK eshop

The Mysterious Murasme Castle (3DS - $4.99)

Oddly, this was only released on 3DS. I suggest everyone find the NontendoLife video @Jonneh made for this, as I can’t do it the same justice.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mentions: Ninja Gaiden 2/3 - not on NSO. I find these too hard to be enjoyable, but I know people like them. Pinball - this one was added for @Raccoon

Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Wii U/3DS - $7.99)

I’m baffled this hasn’t come to NSO, but it has not. This is an all time classic and needs to be played by everyone.

US Wii U eshop
UK Wii U eshop
US 3DS eshop

Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars (Wii U - $7.99)

Who knows if this will ever come to NSO, but this might be your last time to get this game. Mallow is better than Geno.

US eshop
UK eshop

Axelay (Wii U - $7.99)

Another Konami game, so who knows its NSO status. It’s a vertical shooter with some amazing mode 7 graphics and a bopping sound track.

US eshop

Honorable Mention: Pac-Man 2 - a weird side scrolling point and click game that’s worth checking out; Earthbound - I only add this because we never know we’re it’s status lies in the future. Available on both systems; MegaMan X, X2, X3 - added these because they don’t have the input issues the collections have. If you were sensitive to that, then this is your best option.

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Wii U - $9.99)

An honest to god console RTS (StarCraft also was on N64 and better come to NSO) with interesting story and multiple endings based on choices.

US eshop
UK eshop

Donkey Kong 64 (Wii U - $9.99)

I assume this will come to NSO, but who knows. This is the epitome of collect-a-thon. Fun but a slog collecting all the different banana types.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: Honestly, we don’t know what’s coming to NSO, so I didn’t want to add a bunch of stuff here. N64 was pretty weak on Wii U (the dark filter is really noticeable on this one), and Bomberman 64 and Harvest Moon 64 are the only games I don’t see coming to NSO at some point.

This list could go on forever with these since we don’t really know if Konami will bring them back. They did just release the mini, but that seems out of print already. I’ll list a couple and then the comments can take over.

Bomberman ‘94 (Wii U - $6.99)
This is the best Bomberman and has 5 player functionality. Import so price is higher.

US eshop
UK eshop

Devil’s Crush (Wii U - $5.99)
Probably the best virtual pinball game ever made. Also not on the mini console. Alien Crush is also good.

US eshop
UK eshop

This is technically cheating since it’s not listed as VC since it runs of the Wii hardware, but need to include it as there are a ton of great games that have lesser odds of making it over to the Switch.

Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii U - $19.99)
aA more classic adventure game that used the Wii remote pretty well. This was one of the first games that really showed that the control input was special.

US eshop
UK eshop

Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii U - $19.99)
I know there are rumors of a Prime remake, but this is an insane value anyway and control scheme works amazingly well. Get it!

US eshop
UK eshop

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii U - $19.99)
Sequel to the great Sin and Punishment. The best on rails shooter Nintendo has published. RIP to the time when Treasure still made games.

US eshop

Honorable Mention: I could list most of the games, that’s how great the Wii was (minus PokePark). New Play Pikmin 1 and 2, Wario Land Shake It, and Pandora’s Tower come to mind as games everyone should get.

 

[Barely Able]

Metroid Fusion/Metroid Zero Mission (Wii U - $7.99)

Both of these games are essentials. I consider Zero Mission to be the best 2D Metroid game. Fusion is a little more linear but has a darker tone with Samus being stocked most of the game.

Fusion US eshop
Fusion UK eshop
Zero Mission US eshop
Zero Mission UK eshop

Golden Sun/Golden Sun: The Lost Age (Wii U - $7.99)

These are really two parts of one story, and game data from the first can be transferred to the second. I think they are great and we probably won’t get anymore with Camelot not being as prolific and the DS game poisoning the franchise. Might as well check them out.

GS US eshop
GS UK eshop
GSLA US eshop
GSLA UK eshop

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Wii U - $7.99)
Bizarre that Square Enix made this their only Westerm GBA release, but loaded Japan’s VC with basically every FF game. Since this year is now the year of the STPG, might as well add another to your backlog.

US eshop
UK eshop

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 (Wii U - $7.99)
Why would you get yet another version of this game (and potentially your 5th version of the Mario Bros game added onto these releases and Mario and Luigi)? Because this game has all of the e-reader levels added in from the start. This was basically Super Mario Maker before that was even a concept. You aren’t going to get those levels without this, so I call Thai the lost essential purchase out of the whole list. Shoutout to @Gabev for refreshing my memory before making this thread.

US eshop
UK eshop

Drill Dozer (Wii U - $7.99)
GameFreak made this game, and it is just downright fun. Love the drill mechanic and the giant bosses. What was cool about this release was the force feedback was included, so your gamepad will rumble when playing it.

US eshop
UK eshop

Mario and Donkey Kong (Wii U - $7.99)
Not as good as DK 94 (that will make the GB list for sure), but still a good continuation of that too bad they moved this series in the direction of a Lemmings clone.

US eshop

Kuru Kuru Kururin (Wii U - $6.99)
Import title where you basically turn a stick to navigate it through levels. Sounds dumb but is so fun.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: i left some big names off the list to promote mostly other big names. The GBA was chock full of great games. I would also pick up Minish Cap, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, and the Fire Emblem games. I’m completely in the dark about the Mega Man Battle Network Games, so some others will have to drop their suggestions.

DK Jungle Climber (Wii U - $9.99)
I’ll admit this isn’t amazing, but it’s an interesting game. It’s like a touch screen Clu Clu Land set in the DK Country universe. There was also a GBA game that’s similar called DK King of Swing.

(Can’t seem to find this on the websites)

Kirby Canvas Curse (Wii U - $9.99).
This was the game that really helped propel the DS into popularity. Has a sequel on Wii U that is also good and has beautiful visuals. I prefer weird Kirby games, so this and Mass Attack are great choices.

US eshop


Picross 3D (Wii U - $9.99)
Amazing game and should be easy to translate to the Wii U interface for DS games.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: Spirit Tracks is the better Zelda for DS (plus has the amazing overworld theme) since you don’t have to repeat all of the dungeon floors when you get to those parts of the game. Star Fox Command has some ridiculous storylines that might be fun for fans of the series.

Not gonna lie. Most of these suck (M2 emulation is fantastic as always). I had a game gear growing up and mostly played NHL 94, which was amazing. If I had to pick 3 they would be Defenders of Oasis, Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya, and Sonic Triple Trouble.

Sega 3D Classics Collection (3DS - unclear on current price)
This is the best bang for your buck as you get some games that were not available separately. This has Puyo Puyo 2, Powerdrift, and a Master System version of Fantasy Zone II. Also get Sonic 1, Galaxy Force II, and Thunderblade. Unfortunately you have to own Altered Beast.

US eshop
UK eshop

Out Run (3DS - $5.99)
Available on Switch, but the 3D on this is what makes it the best version in my opinion.

US eshop
UK eshop

Super Hang-On (3DS - $5.99)
This might be the best release for the 3D Classics. You can adjust the display setting to simulate being on top of the actual arcade bike and activate gyro to allow for a decent mimic of the special cabinets.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: Almost all of these are worth having. Even Ecco the Dolphin added an easy mode to not make it so punishing. These are crafted by M2 to keep the feeling of the originals but also provide tons of Quality of Life improvement s. If you like the 3D functionality, then Space Harrier is also an essential pick up.

 

[Barely Able]

Donkey Kong (94) (3DS - $3.99)
This is the best Game Boy game hands down. Was interesting as the only release at the time that included all of the arcade levels (an NES version of this was a pre order bonus for Kid Icarus Uprising of all things). Then you beat it and get to play a hundred total levels. If I’m not mistaken, this is allow here Mario (was he still jumpman here?) got his jumping abilities he would have in 64.

US eshop
UK eshop

Gargoyle’s Quest (3DS - $3.99)
This was the original spinoff starring Firebrand that received NED/SNES sequels. If you like Demon’s Crest on NSO, then this is worth a pick up.

US eshop
UK eshop

Kirby’s Pinball Land/Revenge of the Gator (3DS - $3.99)
This is just a fun pinball game that stars everyone favorite monochrome puffball. It comes complete with boss fights. Return of the Gator was the original HAL GB pinball game and is also fun.

US eshop
UK eshop

Mole Mania (3DS - $3.99)
Miyamoto developed puzzle game has you playing as a mole trying to get a ball to the end of a level. Sounds simple, but things can get complicated with obstacles and needing to dig around things. Probably my second favorite GB game on here.

US eshop
UK eshop

Donkey Kong Land 1/2/3 (3DS - $3.99)
These aren’t as good as the Country versions, but I’m adding them because we have no idea if they will get released again. Soundtracks are also pretty great with that GB chip tune sound. Hopefully Nintendo announces the rumored GB NSO service and we don’t have to worry about losing these ones.

DKL 1 US eshop
DKL 2 US eshop
DKL 3 US eshop

Balloon Kid (3DS - $3.99)
Sequel of sorts to Balloon Fight from NES, but this includes a more robust single player campaign. It’s basically a multilevel Balloon Trip mode and is pretty fun. We won’t get a new game in this series, so worth playing this one.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: most Game Boy games don’t hold up like you remember, but I do think there are lots of good games. I left off obvious titles like SML 2 and Wario Land 1/2, but get those. Mega Man V was an all new game whereas th earlier ones were just chopped up versions of the NES games (and not good really). Before anyone says anything, I’ll include Red and Blue under the GBC section.

Mario Golf (3DS - $4.99)
I think this is the best pure Mario Golf game. Has the RPG elements but also that classic NES gameplay. Tennis is also good but not as fun in my opinion. There are GBA sequels as well that are also worth owning if you want that RPG style since it likely is not coming back.

US eshop
UK eshop

Pokémon Yellow (3DS - $9.99)
I never had nostalgia for the originals, so opted for yellow. Red and Blue are also available if those were your childhood games. Personally I think this game is too Grundy for me and hard to know what is going on, but this is where it all started. I won’t add links because there are multiple languages that are separate purchases, so make sure to grab the one you actually want.

Pokémon Crystal (3DS - $9.99)
As with the originals, Gold and Silver are also available. Went with the 3rd version. It looks like Pokémon Bank will be free once this shutdown happens so the transfer process appears to be safe still.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (3DS - $5.99)
Adding this because it’s a decent Bionic Commando game and we aren’t getting the original due to the ending scene. Hopefully rearmed 1/2 get rereleased.

US eshop
UK eshop

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (3DS - $5.99)
I’m sure everyone knows about these and to get them, but adding it simply because you need to get these if you haven’t. Original 2D Zelda games made by Capcom with data transfer to unlock a true ending. Hopefully these get the Link’s Awakening treatment (or better yet, 2DHD.

OA US eshop
OA UK eshop
OS US eshop
OS UK eshop

Honorable Mention: Too bad the two player doesn’t work in Super Mario Bros DX, since that race mode was so entertaining in the Nintendo World Championship that one E3. If you can get used to the shrunken screen, this is probably the best version on 3DS and has that boo mini game and Thea challenge mode. Let’s hope this comes to NSO with online. The other Wario Land games are also great, so make sure to grab those.

3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure (3DS - $6.99)
The best way to play one of Kirby’s best games. Not much else to say other than grab this one.

US eshop
UK eshop

3D Classics: Kid Icarus (3DS - $6.99)
This is the definitive version of the game. Backgrounds have been changed so it’s not just black backgrounds the entire game. They also added another control option that makes the game less painful to play. It also has save slots this time rather than passwords.

US eshop
UK eshop

3D Classics: Excitebike (3DS - $5.99)
It’s mainly just a stereoscopic version of Excitebike, but I love the 3D effect.

US eshop
UK eshop

Honorable Mention: There were only 6 games in total for this series, with the others being Urban Champion, Xevious, and TwinBee. The 3D effect actually ads to those games, but not sure they are essential unless you really like them.

 

[Squiddo]

Wha the!?
Are they out of their freaking mind!

 

[Brock Reiher]

3D Urban Champion and the 3D Sega Classics are essentials for 3DS

 

[Barely Able]

3D Urban Champion and the 3D Sega Classics are essentials for 3DS

I will be mention those on some odds and ends when I finish updating things. 3D Kirby and Kid Icarus are the best versions of those games. Too bad that was abandoned so soon

 

[xghost777]

Definitely add Mario Galaxy 2 to the Wii VC. Baffling it wasn’t included in 3D All-Stars. I’ll look at my systems to come up with recommendations. Strongly recommend Xenoblade X to start.

Thank you @Barely Able for the thread!

 

[HockeyBird]

Mario Galaxy 2 is on the eShop. Same with Pandora's Tower (haven't played this one). Judging from Amazon, the physical versions of these are pretty pricey so this may be your best shot at nabbing them for cheap. The original Xenoblade and Skyward Sword also on there if you care.

On the GBA, there's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Fire Emblem and Fire Emblem The Sacred Stones for those looking for tactical RPGs.

 

[xghost777]

Mario Galaxy 2 is on the eShop. Same with Pandora's Tower (haven't played this one). Judging from Amazon, the physical versions of these are pretty pricey so this may be your best shot at nabbing them for cheap. The original Xenoblade and Skyward Sword also on there if you care.

Don’t get the North American version of Pandora’s Tower, it has a widespread glitch that crashes the game regularly on the last level and you cannot complete the game outside of the two bad endings. I literally ran into this first hand last night. European version is fine if it is on there.

 

[zumaddy]

Seconding Galaxy 2 and Xenoblade X (I have big doubts it's being ported)

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

No mention of GBA on Wii U Virtual Console is complete without mention Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. Although the main game is primarily a remake of SMB3, the original release had many bonuses distributed via e-Reader cards, from replay, bonus powers and game modifiers that you could apply to the main adventure to World-e, a set of 38 brand new levels that used enemies and mechanics from other 2D Super Mario games alongside SMB3's own content. Unfortunately, most of these cards were unreleased outside Japan (and PAL regions didn't even get them). While the main game bonuses were not included, SMA4 on VC includes the entirety of World-e, making it worth checking out even if you already own the original Mario 3. It's one of the few examples of Nintendo going above and beyond with a Virtual Console rerelease of one of their titles.

 

[39Subrosia]

For GB/GBC games on 3DS virtual console, my recommendations would be:

• Donkey Kong '94
• Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3
• Game & Watch Gallery 1-3
• Kirby's Dream Land 1 and 2
• Mega Man V (GB version)
• Pokémon Gens 1 and 2
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
• Wario Land 1-3
• Zelda Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

A ton of games to recommend at once, but with individual VC games being relatively cheap and no sign of them coming to NSO anytime soon, I figured I may as well recommend everything I liked.

 

[Symtendo]

Great topic, thank you for putting together.

Purely from a ‘I don’t know when we will ever see them again’ point of view, in addition to Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman and Hogan’s Alley are a historical curiosity

Edit: Sorry, I see you already mentioned them

 

[xghost777]

Here’s my personal Wii U recommendations divided into categories (not necessarily ranked within them). I’ll do 3DS later. I focused on exclusives, but there are probably blind spots in my Virtual Console recommendations since some games I own elsewhere like the Wii and I did not double dip. Keep in mind with anything on NSO you don’t own anything with a subscription service. Also I put a lot of games down to help fill in gaps for people, please do not feel massive FOMO. My absolute top recommendations are Xenoblade X, Paper Mario Color Splash, and the top 4 of the essential virtual console section.

Essential Wii U

Xenoblade Chronicles X (make sure to get the free upgrade packs if you have a physical copy!)
Paper Mario Color Splash
Yoshi’s Wooly World
Splatoon (short 6 hour campaign)
Zelda Twilight Princess HD
Zelda Wind Waker HD

Essential Virtual Console

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Metroid Prime Trilogy
Super Mario RPG
Sin and Punishment Star Successor
Super Paper Mario
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Donkey Kong 64
Zelda Minish Cap
Mario Vs Donkey Kong
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (pretty sure Kirby is there)

Being Thorough

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
The Wonderful 101
Pushmo World
NES Remix
NES Remix 2
Zack and Wiki (I’m playing this now, seems neat)
Kurukuru Kururin (good add OP, I forgot this one)
Super Mario Galaxy (original pointer controls, technically not for sale anymore on Switch, plenty of copies out there still at the time of this posting)

Being Extra Thorough

Game and Wario (Gamer and the Pictionary mode are very fun, but it’s a very slim package otherwise)
Xenoblade Chronicles original version (the definitive version on Switch is definitive. I just really like this game.)
Super Mario Maker (only if you want the original editor for yourself)
Super Smash Bros for Wii U (largely redundant with Smash Ultimate. You can buy combo Wii U / 3DS combo packs of the DLC to save money if you want both versions of Smash 4)
Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga original version (Partners in Time is on here too, if you have a 3DS you can have all five Mario and Luigi games)
Advance Wars 1 and 2 original versions

Last place to own your favorite Virtual Console games - Super Metroid, Mario 64, Link to the Past etc.

I can’t speak to these

Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros 3 (all the e-reader levels are here, see post 11 above me)
Golden Sun
Golden Sun The Lost Age
Ogre Battle 64
Advance Wars Dual Strike (I never bought a DS virtual console game so no idea how that works, but it’s my second favorite DS game of all time behind The World Ends With You)

 

[Ojoloco]

Pandora's tower on wii u

 

[MisterSpo]

The essential Wii U purchase is Affordable Space Adventures, an indie game built so completely around the gamepad experience that it may never release on another system. Absolutely recommend picking that up while you can - one of the best games on the system.

 

[Rooster]

Useful thread, thanks.

They really should release The Mysterious Murasame Castle on all their retro services that support the NES like they do with S&P and N64. Disappointing that it's only been 3DS.

Also

Mallow is better than Geno.

 

[bayonetta]

some of my picks
wiiu

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

My Nintendo Store – Nintendo Official Site

Shop at the My Nintendo Store for exclusive Nintendo merchandise, video games in digital and physical formats, Nintendo Switch™ systems, and much more.

www.nintendo.com

3ds

7th Dragon III Code: VFD for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p style="margin-top: 0"> The apocalypse is heralded by the appearance of seven dragons. One after another, they have invaded earth and are beginning to ravage the human race. Once the seventh appears, there's no hope for mankind&#823…

www.nintendo.com

Rhythm Heaven Megamix for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p style="margin-top: 0"> Rhythmic gaming bliss, goats eating turnips, and the funkiest tunes you’ve ever bashed a button to? This must be the Rhythm Heaven™ Megamix. With 70+ rhythm games, including new ones, remixed fan-…

www.nintendo.com

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p> In the Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. game, you will launch S.T.E.A.M. (Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace), an elite team of steam-powered special-forces soldiers, to save the world from an alien menace. In this new blend of …

www.nintendo.com

Ultimate NES Remix for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p>Take on a rapid-fire onslaught of challenges and mash-ups from 16 of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games! Test your skills on a gauntlet of quick, tricky challenges and remix stages that combine parts of different games. The best mix of titles from the NES™…

www.nintendo.com

Pokémon Trading Card Game for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p style="margin-top: 0"> The greatest Pokémon™ Trading Card Game players of all time – The Grand Masters – are looking for one player worthy of inheriting the four rare Legendary Pokémon™ Cards! …

www.nintendo.com

THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY CURTAIN CALL for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p> A sequel to the first FINAL FANTASY rhythm action game, THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY CURTAIN CALL™ expands on the original in every way with new gameplay modes, 221 songs, and over 60 playable characters. Featuring music…

www.nintendo.com

Project X Zone for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Game Details

The ultimate cross-over game!

www.nintendo.com

Mario Golf: World Tour for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p>Tee off as your favorite Mario or Mii™ character while challenging players online.* Shoot into warp pipes and dodge piranha plants in Mushroom Kingdom areas or take a shot at the nature-themed courses. The new Castle Club has both naturalistic and Mar…

www.nintendo.com

 

[Deleted member 2484]

I don't have mine to hand at the moment, but as I've just seen someone say on Twitter - don't forget about this little 3DS gem!

 

[DEsteves]

I guess it's time to go on a small shopping spree

Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii U - $19.99)
Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii U - $19.99)
Mario Galaxy 2

Wind Waker HD
Twilight Princess HD

I did not know the zack and wiki was still being sold, I'm also still doubting on the zelda's since there is a chance they might come to the switch

 

[Mekanos]

If you add money to your connected Nintendo account after the credit card deadline, will it still not transfer over to your 3DS?

 

[YoboD]

Rhythm Heaven Fever is absolutely an essential Wii U online purchase. $20 is a steal for one of the best Wii games ever.

Can’t believe I’m now going to rush to buy a bunch of games I know I’m never going to play because of FOMO.

 

[xghost777]

I think I’ve figured out my final purchases at this point. I already ordered physical copies of Pokemon X and Alpha Sapphire (Arceus got me back in) so I’m soon to be set on the physical front.

For 3DS digital purchases barring any Fire Emblem DLC (I have to play Awakening, Fates, and Echoes), I’m at $40 with Pocket Card Jockey, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, Murasame Castle, Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong Land 3, and Summer Carnival Recca.

For Wii U I’m at $87 with Affordable Space Adventures, StarTropics, StarTropics 2, River City Ransom, Blaster Master, Uforia, Klonoa, Klonoa 2, Drill Doser, Mario Golf, and Pokemon Snap.

Haven’t played any of these except Pokemon Snap which is good and I never rebought on Wii for whatever reason. I did just try out River City Ransom, StarTropics, and Blaster Master on NSO and they all seem cool. $5 each isn’t bad to own them.

 

[xghost777]

I put together my 3DS recommendations. This was much harder since there are just so many games on the system that are exclusive. I have a giant backlog of 3DS RPGs in particular I can’t speak to. I broke it down into categories like my Wii U post above and none of them are necessarily ranked within. I did not check if all of these are on the eshop. If any aren’t let me know and I’ll make a note. If I noted DLC, I recommend it. Anyway, I hope this list helps you fill in any gaps:

Essential 3DS games

Super Mario 3D Land
Virtue’s Last Reward and Zero Time Dilemma (you’ll have to get the first game 999 elsewhere, ideally the DS version if it doesn’t break the bank)
Metroid Samus Returns
Kid Icarus Uprising
Mario Golf World Tour (DLC)
Ace Attorney Dual Destinies (DLC)
Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice (DLC)
Professor Layton Vs Ace Attorney
Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D
Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D
Box Boy!
Box Box Boy!
Bye-Bye Box Boy!
Flip Note Studio 3D (Free IIRC?)

Essential Virtual Console

Zelda Oracle of Seasons
Zelda Oracle of Ages
Wario Land
Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow
Pokemon Silver/Gold/Crystal
Super Mario Land 2
Donkey Kong 94
Zelda Link’s Awakening Game Boy Color Version (game is too good not to put here, even with the Switch remake)
New 3DS owners have SNES games

Being Thorough

Mario Kart 7
Kirby Planet Robobot
Professor Layton Miracle Mask
Professor Layton Azran Legacy
Resident Evil Revelations (ports elsewhere, but a marvel originally on 3DS)
Kingdom Hearts 3D (not digital, ported elsewhere)
Radiant Historia (I played the DS version)
New Super Mario Bros 2
Zelda Link Between Worlds (not a personal favorite, essential to most I know)
Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon
Pushmo
Metroid II original version
Super Mario Land
Tetris Game Boy version
Cave Story 2D DSi(?) version (Nicalis is scummy…I most recommend the original free PC version. It is great on a handheld)

Being Extra Thorough

Super Mario Maker 3DS (has a great campaign)
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Hatsune Miku Project Mirai Deluxe (the PS4 and Switch Project Diva games are better, but this is unique)
Zelda Tri Force Heroes (you need one game copy, 2 friends, 3 3DS’s)
Liberation Maiden (very short)
Yumi’s Odd Odyssey (aka Sayonara Umihara Kawase on Vita and PC(?), the Vita version runs better)
Super Smash Bros 3DS (Ultimate makes it redundant)
Bit Trip Saga
Paper Mario Sticker Star (the back half is good!)
Final Fantasy Theatrhythm Curtain Call (DLC)
Tomodachi Life
Warioware Gold
Rhythm Heaven Megamix
Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga / Bowser’s Inside Story / Dream Team / Paper Jam (Partners in Time is on Wii U, you can play the full series this way!)
3D Classics Kid Icarus
Photo Dojo

Never Finished But Liked

Ever Oasis
Persona Q
Etrian Odyssey IV
Fire Emblem Awakening
Wario Land 2

 

[Dcubed]

Good luck getting the chance to play Fire Emblem Fates: Revelations once the store closes!

Have fun paying $300+ for the Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition cartridge!

 

[crepuscule]

ATTACK OF THE FRIDAY MONSTERS! A TOKYO TALE™

Step into the life of Sohta, the young son of a family that has just set up a dry cleaners shop in the idyllic town of Fuji no Hana.

www.nintendo.co.uk

 

[TheDok]

Ace Attorney 5, Ace Attorney 6, and the 3DS ports of AA Trilogy and AA4 HD are all digital-only 3DS games. 5 and 6 are absolutely worth picking up considering the only other platform they're on is mobile.

 

[crepuscule]

If you add money to your connected Nintendo account after the credit card deadline, will it still not transfer over to your 3DS?

Debit/Credit cards are already unusable on the UK store but you can still use credit added on Switch as long as you have set your linked Nintendo Account and NNID to have a shared wallet. I assume it'll be this same elsewhere.

 

[Rin-go]

I don't have mine to hand at the moment, but as I've just seen someone say on Twitter - don't forget about this little 3DS gem!

Weren't those games released with an overarching title? I was always interested in those little projects, but didn't get around to buying them.

 

[crepuscule]

Weren't those games released with an overarching title? I was always interested in those little projects, but didn't get around to buying them.

I believe they were in Japan or something but at least in Europe they were released seperately.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_(video_game_series)

 

[Rin-go]

I believe they were in Japan or something but at least in Europe they were released seperately.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_(video_game_series)

Guild it was. Thank you.

 

[Barely Able]

Ok, updated the posts with all of the consoles/series available. Might add games to the posts but tried to just make this more of a general thread for VC games and my thoughts on what is good/likely lost after this shutdown). I’m thinking of making a DSiWare thread also since there is a lot in that which will be lost for good.

 

[Deleted member 2484]

If you have access to the Japanese eshop (and either read Japanese or know how to apply a fan translation patch) I'd highly recommend grabbing Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D, and DQM2: Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious Key. Both great remakes, especially the latter. I think they were ported to mobile at some point, but naturally they're more at home on the 3DS.

 

[Barely Able]

If you have access to the Japanese eshop (and either read Japanese or know how to apply a fan translation patch) I'd highly recommend grabbing Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D, and DQM2: Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious Key. Both great remakes, especially the latter. I think they were ported to mobile at some point, but naturally they're more at home on the 3DS.

When I have some more downtime I’ll add a list of Japan only games to the end of my lists. Probably will be a more of a list, but some people might want to know what’s out there if they behave those systems. So dumb these wree region locked.

 

[Barely Able]

And Nintendo just killed all the fucking Wii U links! Ugh.

 

[Deleted member 2349]

And Nintendo just killed all the fucking Wii U links! Ugh.

lmao, of course. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this

I think at this point purchasing these games from the company that refuses to surface its back catalogue while simultaneously C&Ding anyone that looks at them funny is not something that I'm I'm interested in doing, but a comprehensive list of the interesting shit on these platforms is helpful nonetheless

 

[DistractedByPixels]

I would remind people, and probably this is dumb, that it might be a good idea to use up those silver coins on all the free 3DS items that you can get. There are not only a lot of themes there, but the 1000 coin TLoZ: Twilight Princess Picross that Jupiter developed. There's Flipnote Studio, too. They are worth grabbing if you haven't already done so. Sorry if someone's already mentioned those.

I would also say that (and this is something that I have to do) getting Rusty's Real Deal Baseball and all of its minigames is worth a shout. I've got all but four, so I need to make sure I pull up a guide and get them at their lowest possible costs.

 

[Barely Able]

I would remind people, and probably this is dumb, that it might be a good idea to use up those silver coins on all the free 3DS items that you can get. There are not only a lot of themes there, but the 1000 coin TLoZ: Twilight Princess Picross that Jupiter developed. There's Flipnote Studio, too. They are worth grabbing if you haven't already done so. Sorry if someone's already mentioned those.

I would also say that (and this is something that I have to do) getting Rusty's Real Deal Baseball and all of its minigames is worth a shout. I've got all but four, so I need to make sure I pull up a guide and get them at their lowest possible costs.

Yeah. Maybe I’ll make some posts about DsiWare, 3DS DLC, and my Nintendo stuff and thread mark them.

 

[jnWake]

As much as I like having a list like this to use as reference it's also important to remind people that no game is truly "essential" and that no one should go crazy and spend thousands of dollars just because of FOMO. Worst thing that can happen is missing one opportunity of playing a game, which is honestly not that important.

Of course, if you are ridiculously rich then go nuts.

 

[Clix]

As much as I like having a list like this to use as reference it's also important to remind people that no game is truly "essential" and that no one should go crazy and spend thousands of dollars just because of FOMO. Worst thing that can happen is missing one opportunity of playing a game, which is honestly not that important.

Of course, if you are ridiculously rich then go nuts.

A game you will never play except maybe boot up the title screen, name your character, and quit out as soon as you can hit "jump".

I am GUILTY of that. Buy what you really want or your favorite classic games that you want to always have even if you do not subscribe to NSO (and yes, I will be anyone here a $20 eShop code that GB/GBC and GBA will come - GB/GBC sometime this year. $20 buck eshop credit. Will not promise GBA will hit this year, but I am confident GB/GBC hits, even if January 31st)

 

[Barely Able]

As much as I like having a list like this to use as reference it's also important to remind people that no game is truly "essential" and that no one should go crazy and spend thousands of dollars just because of FOMO. Worst thing that can happen is missing one opportunity of playing a game, which is honestly not that important.

Of course, if you are ridiculously rich then go nuts.

This is a good reminder. I guess I just meant if you were going to buy I would consider these as they are the most interesting or unlikely to come back. Certainly not advocating for anyone to go into debt for some roms.

 

[Clix]

FYI Sticker Star is going for 60 physical on Amazon lol wtf

 

[Barely Able]

FYI Sticker Star is going for 60 physical on Amazon lol wtf

Yeesh

 

[jnWake]

This is a good reminder. I guess I just meant if you were going to buy I would consider these as they are the most interesting or unlikely to come back. Certainly not advocating for anyone to go into debt for some roms.

I know, I really appreciate the list but I think it's a healthy reminder.

 

[Barely Able]

Added a poll for favorite VC moments on WiiU and 3DS

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

Added a poll for favorite VC moments on WiiU and 3DS

God, reading that poll hurt hard. Outside of a few cases, the ball was dropped hard on Virtual Console after the Wii. I'm sure it's part of the reason nobody cared about it anymore, and the emphasis on streaming and subscription services (ugh) just made the decision to drop the program even easier.

 

[Barely Able]

Thought I would add some DSiWare games since most of those are on 3DS. There were a lot of these, so I’ll just put some of my favorites. Leaving things off like Shantae, Cave Story, and Mighty Flip Champs, since those are available elsewhere. People fee free to add their favorites to the thread.

These games can only be played when they are stored on the internal system memory, so this means there aren’t a ton of games from this service that you can keep on the system. It can be moved to and from the SD card though, just has to launch from the internal memory.

With that out of the way, some games:

X-Scape/3D Space Tank (Q Games)
This is a sequel to the Japan only Game Boy game “X”, which was sort of the test case for Star Fox. There are two types of gameplay: and on rails tunnel section and a free roam planet section. I would say the controls are kind of like Kid Icarus Uprising, where the stylus controls the movement. It has a vector-like graphical style with bold colors. Might not be for everyone, but an interesting game and something we don’t get a lot of.

Art Style games (skip Ltd)
With skip seemingly dead (or at least in diapause), we probably won’t get games like these again. I liked Pictobits the best. It’s a falling block game that has you carving out 8-but Nintendo characters. Boxlife is another great game where you’re basically cutting out boxes in a factory. There were a few others release, but these two were my favorite.

Dark Void Zero (Capcom)
This was released with Dark Void, which was a bad character action game. This was sort of a Mighty Gunvolt/Mighty No 9 situation where the tie in game was better than the main one (probably try for Bloodstained as well). It’s a fun run and gun style game that came out before indies of this type were super accessible on Nintendo consoles.

Dragon Quest Wars (Square Enix)
This is basically DQ chess. I don’t think there is much replay value now because the online components no longer work for DS games (I think this is true but correct me if I’m wrong). It was developed by Intelligent Systems, so the strategy elements are top notch. Would be good for DQ fans that want to flesh out their library of spin off games.

Starship Defense (Q Games)
Tower Defense games largely moved to mobile, but the stylus interface works great with this. Think of it as space battles on graph paper.

Photo Dojo (Nintendo)
I’m not going to say this is that great, but it’s unlikely a game like this is getting made again. Basically you take pictures of yourself or other things and then fight them. In a way a proto-Face Raiders without the AR elements. It’s also pretty cheap if I remember correctly.

A Kappa’s Tale (Nintendo)
I would consider this similar to the DS Zelda games. You control it with the stylus and move the character through dungeons. It was worked on by the Mother 3 Developers so has a very Earthbound feel to it.

 

[Barely Able]

God, reading that poll hurt hard. Outside of a few cases, the ball was dropped hard on Virtual Console after the Wii. I'm sure it's part of the reason nobody cared about it anymore, and the emphasis on streaming and subscription services (ugh) just made the decision to drop the program even easier.

Yeah. It was pretty fun to make and I didn’t even have to think very hard about all the issues. Still think it was a good service since we got some games that didn’t make the Wii, but was not as good as the first attempt as a whole.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Drill Dozer (Wii U - $7.99)
GameFreak made this game, and it is just downright fun. Love the drill mechanic and the giant bosses. What was cool about this release was the force feedback was included, so your gamepad will rumble when playing it.

US eshop
UK eshop

Something interesting: the European version of Drill Dozer was only released on Wii U VC. It shares the costumes with the Japanese version and they are different than the ones in the American version and, of course, it is Multi 5.

The Nintendo 3D Classic games are not as good as the Sega ones, mainly because the line-up was... underwhelming, but 3D Classic Kid Icarus is the best version of the game, with nice backgrounds in every levels, better controls than the NES version and the soundtrack based on the Disk System version. 3D Classic Kirby's Adventure is also the best version of the game, removing the slowdowns which plagued the original game.

As for DSiWare, Intelligent Systems released Spotto! (US) / Bird & Bombs (EU) and Link 'n' Launch. They are both good (and cheap! 2$!).

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

The reason why GBA Virtual Console only happened on Wii U is because the 3DS couldn't emulate it, they did try to make one. But it has terrible performance.

The ones they added through the Ambassador program aren't emulated at all, but instead run directly off the leftover GBA hardware (Since the original DS was partially built off it.) included in the system.

Dark Void Zero (Capcom)
This was released with Dark Void, which was a bad character action game. This was sort of a Mighty Gunvolt/Mighty No 9 situation where the tie in game was better than the main one (probably try for Bloodstained as well). It’s a fun run and gun style game that came out before indies of this type were super accessible on Nintendo consoles.

Dark Void Zero got a PC port, actually. Though it's riddled with the notoriously awful Securom DRM for some reason.