Nintendo recently announced they will no longer be allowing certain payment methods in the 3DS and Wii U eShops in early 2022. The digital storefronts are not closing just yet though. When that eventual full closure will take place is still anyone's guess, but it's clear that things are beginning to move in that direction.
Many Wii U games have not made it to the Switch, especially for fans of some of Nintendo's earlier consoles. The Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and even the original Wii all have fantastic games available on the Wii U eShop but no representation on the Nintendo Switch. Players may wish to experience some games on their Wii U that would be hard, or in some cases impossible, to come by otherwise.
10 Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars Is Already An Elusive Classic
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has always been a highly sought-after title, even back in the 1990s with its original debut on the Super Nintendo. The Wii U eShop release is one of the easiest ways to play the game in modern times. It's also by far the most affordable option available today.
Players looking to experience Mario's debut RPG have limited choices. The original Super Nintendo cartridge is pricey in today's market. It was also one of the 21 games on the Super NES Classic Edition console, which today goes for two to three times its debut price. Once the Wii U eShop closes, unless the game comes to Switch someday, only expensive options will remain.
9 Shin'en Multimedia's Fast Racing Neo Will Disappear, And Most Of Nintendo's F-Zero Franchise Will Fade Into History
Nintendo's F-Zero franchise has gone long forgotten by the company, but the majority of the games from the series are actually available on the Wii U's eShop. It has F-Zero X from the Nintendo 64, and both F-Zero: Maximum Velocity and F-Zero: GP Legend from the Game Boy Advance. None of these are easily playable elsewhere on modern hardware, and the Switch only has the original F-Zero game from the Super Nintendo.
Shin'en Multimedia's Fast Racing franchise is a spiritual successor to the F-Zero games. They have an excellent entry on the Wii U called Fast Racing Neo that will be gone when the eShop closes. Fortunately, at least there's a new entry in the series on Switch called Fast RMX.
8 Players May Want To Experience Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero Mission, And Metroid Prime Trilogy On Wii U While They Can
To play the physical cartridge versions of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission on a TV, players would need a GameCube console and a Game Boy Player adapter, which is expensive on its own. The games are pricey too. The Wii U versions make this a much easier task and are more affordable.
Metroid Prime Trilogy on the Wii has always been somewhat rare. It goes for as much as some older consoles for the physical version now. Losing the relatively affordable digital release from the Wii U eShop will make the physical version even more coveted.
7 Wii Sports Club Has A Physical Version, But The Price Is Already High
There's a physical version of Wii Sports Club that was released, but it already commands a hefty price tag online. When the Wii U eShop closes, the physical version will likely only become more expensive. At least in this case players still have access to the original Wii Sports game, though it has a few drawbacks compared to Wii Sports Club.
For one thing, Wii Sports Club is in HD, and the visual upgrade is a nice improvement. The online features that were included for Wii Sports Club were not available in the original Wii Sports either. The likelihood of any of the Wii Sports franchise games coming to the Switch seems slim.
6 Rhythm Heaven Fever Risks Being Relegated To Obscurity
The Rhythm Heaven franchise is a wacky, niche rhythm game series from Nintendo. The Wii entry, Rhythm Heaven Fever, is available on the Wii U eShop. The game has been expensive for a long time in its physical version due to having a low number of discs printed originally.
When the Wii U eShop eventually closes, losing access to the digital version of Rhythm Heaven Fever will only make the price of the physical version increase further. Unless Nintendo has plans to make a new entry in the franchise for the Switch, the series seems poised to fade quietly into history.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker HD & Twilight Princess HD Still Haven't Made It To The Switch
Both of these celebrated entries in the Zelda franchise have other versions available. There are physical copies of both games on the Wii U in addition to the eShop versions. The original versions of the games are also available in physical form for the GameCube and Wii consoles.
However, only the Wii U versions are in HD, and the improvements made to the HD remasters go beyond just the visuals. While the prices of the physical versions are still reasonable for now, all that may change when the games can no longer be obtained digitally. Zelda games are very popular, and demand will remain high.
4 Pandora's Tower Barely Made It Out Of Japan The First Time Around
Pandora's Tower was part of the fan campaign Operation Rainfall a decade ago in 2011. Along with Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story, these games almost didn't get an English translation and release. It was thanks to the immense fan support that Nintendo was swayed.
Physical copies of the original release on Wii are pricey and not too easy to come by. The likelihood that the game would get any more attention after the Wii U eShop closure is slim. It may be a worthwhile game to consider while it's still affordable and available digitally.
3 The Three Game Boy Advance Entries In The Castlevania Franchise Will Become Scarce
The Nintendo Switch has the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, which does a respectable job of gathering and preserving many of the early Castlevania franchise games. But the Game Boy Advance entries are not included in the bunch. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance are especially pricey in their physical versions these days.
Players will lose easy access to key entries in F-Zero, Metroid, Castlevania, and other popular franchises with the eventual Wii U eShop closure. The only choice for many of these games will be to track down expensive physical copies and old hardware. The Wii U is one of the best ways to enjoy these titles affordably in a modern fashion on larger screens.
2 Sin & Punishment Fans Will Have To Import The Japanese Original
The original Sin & Punishment game for the Nintendo 64 was never released outside of Japan. It wasn't until the Wii that it came to the virtual console of the Wii Shop Channel as a digital download. The Wii U continues to offer it on its eShop today as well.
A sequel was made on the Wii called Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, and it is also available digitally on the Wii U eShop. When the Wii U eShop closes, it will be impossible to play the original game outside of importing a copy of the Japanese version.
1 EarthBound Will Return To Being Extremely Rare And Coveted, And EarthBound Beginnings Will Be Gone
For many fans, losing access to these two games would be the most devastating part of the Wii U eShop closure. EarthBound flew under the radar for many players back on the Super Nintendo, but over time it grew into a cult classic. The original physical cartridge version is one of the most expensive games from the system today.
It was highly requested on the Wii's virtual console, but Nintendo didn't release it digitally until 2013 on the Wii U. Its prequel, EarthBound Beginnings, never made it out of Japan originally. It was also released for the first time worldwide as a Wii U digital title. When the eShop closes, EarthBound returns to being prohibitively expensive, and EarthBound Beginnings will disappear altogether.
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