Nintendo has been making all of its retail titles available in their respective eShops for a few months now. You can find the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS eShop while New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land both reside in the Wii U equivalent.
It won't come as a surprise then to hear that Fire Emblem: Awakening will be available to download from the 3DS eShop upon its release on 4th February in North America. There was some doubt that it would be on the North American platform due to the title still not being available on the Japanese virtual store.
Fire Emblem: Awakening will also be available to download from the European eShop when the game launches in April.
If you're unfamiliar with the series, Nintendo has released an introductory video that gives you a bit of a feel of what the game is like.
Are you looking forward to the latest game in the Fire Emblem series, and will you consider downloading instead of seeking out a boxed copy?
[source nintendoeverything.com, via serenesforest.net]
Comments 43
You know, in-case you wanted to be ripped off. XD
I wanna get physical physical, lets get physical physical
I'm preordering so, physical, though it is nice having Scared Stones everywhere I go on my system. This one might be nice in that form as well, but I'll stick to my preorder.
Will probably get it week one as a boxed copy. It looks gorgeous.
They will probably charge 59.99 in retail then 49.99 in the Eshop and say hey we gave you a price break Pre-ordered already
Awesome, definitely getting this now.
i'll go for the physical one CAN'T WAIT TO GET my HANDS on this game and the box D
I already knew it was going to be downloadable
I'm DLing it as it would be safer for me that way
I pre-ordered this with a discount voucher a while ago.
It's Fire Emblem. It HAS to be physical.
This is great that games are available as downloads but you won't find me downloading any until they drop the price.
I'm still livid that downloads sometimes cost double (and often even more) than their retail counterparts. It's completely backwards...
I know Iwata said that digital games have no less value than retail games which is true if you consider only the value of the game.
What he is conveniently forgetting to mention is that they incurred zero costs for the game case, sleeve, instruction booklet, the game itself, distribution, wages and other costs involved with packed goods.
Further insult is added when you consider that there is no cut of profit taken from the retailers themselves. I would therefore expect at least a partial part of this cost reduction to be passed on to the consumer. Instead what do we get? Increased prices!
This is corporate greed at it's worst and frankly it's so disgraceful, it's funny!
/rant
Digital all the way for me, likes the idea of having everything with me =]
I'll still go retail thankful.
Even if I hadn't preordered this yet, I'd get a physical copy. I really looking forward th opening the box and holding the cartridge in my hands for the first time.
I'm getting it, but as the retail version.
This is definitely one I'll want with me all the time, download for me.
Hmm $40 on eShop now or $25 at the store in a few months and then some other price to have as a retro title in 10 years because everyone wants 3DS titles on VC at that point
Who didn't know this??
@X-Factor Apparently Japan didn't get the digital option when it first came out.
@datamonkey What's your point? You don't HAVE to buy it digitally. They're just giving you another option in case you don't want the physical version. Believe it or not, there are users here who prefer digital.
Since it's Fire Emblem, I want the copy to be physical, but if there are any special benefits to downloading, I will consider it.... such as bonuses towards the DLC...
@datamonkey Agreed. We only have two good options to express that sentiment in this case, though: Buy a physical copy, or build up a resume to work for Nintendo.
Already have preordered. Won't download.
Dear Nintendo,
You would get lots of money from me, would you make the older Fire Emblem titles available. I, and many others, have enjoyed the retro GB/C titles very much. But please...move on to GBA titles now.
Download for me since my brother won't play it, so there's no need to be able to share. Also I'm too lazy to go preorder it now so I'll just reserve myself a copy by using the eshop!
I want the Physical version, however I AM tempted by the download one! I only want to download a retail game that I know I'm going to love and won't trade, but I love the box art etc. Then again, the convenience of not having to change the cartridge.......dammit Nintendo give me a free digital copy of the game with my retail purchase!!!!
Downloading for me. Bring on the data storage!
Nuice
I download from the US store, where games cost HALF of what I'd have to pay at retail in my country.
Got a big fat 32 gb class 10 waiting for this and Animal Crossing.
Does anyone actually get digital downloads like this? They take forever to download, you don't get the preorder bonus, instruction booklet, box, or game card, AND you only can trade it 5 times before it' useless.
AND it's for the same price, it'd be different if it was $5 less or even $2 less, but no same price.
/rant
@2Sang
I have a 128GB SDXC, owns all of the Eshop and VC and about 100dsiwares most Downloadable retail as well =] as for your Question my larges DL currently is Code of Princess at over 9000 blocks took almost 30mins, you could always use the "download later" option and do RL things in the DL process
Just preordered a boxed copy, can't wait to get the game and that character art book.
Still waiting for Kid Icarus Uprising to become digital...
You can't use a 128GB SD card on a 3ds without hacking it, the maximum size is 32GB which is what I have. DSiware isn't playable on the SD card, although you can have them on, as I have several as well.
You still haven't answered the biggest 2 points: what about the preorder bonus and the 5 times trading rule.
Sounds good but I'll be buying physical.
@SanderEvers aw, that sucks I would've bought a 128gb then instead of the 32gb then.
The retail download discounts should be handled with to not piss the retail stores off. I agree that older title could have been discounted, and there be a bit more focus on the 3ds eShop pricing. But with a company of trying to slowly ease it way into download games it's understandable and feel the physical retail is more important at the moment.
@LZBirdboi
My point is as I wrote above. Re-read the post.
I know I don't HAVE to buy digitally and I don't because of the prices. What you should understand is that I would buy digitally if the pricing was fairer...
I never said I was against the idea of buying digitally, rather I am opposed to the pricing structure which does not reflect any of the savings that Nintendo makes by going digital over retail. Furthermore I disagree with Iwata's comments on the subject because he conveniently misses some rather important points in his response which I pointed out earlier.
Believe it or not I am quite happy buying digitally and I do exactly that on many devices already. I will leave retail games on the eshop though until it moves in line with literally ALL other digital channels (steam, XBL etc etc) with fairer pricing.
Digital. If I can download every game I want for the 3DS even better. A lot more convenient for a portable. Then again I won't be buying an older game that you can get cheap like Pilot Wings Resort for full price.
I use to be digital all the way but for some reason I'm starting to re-think my stance! I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point but I do know I'm going to need a bigger card soon as my 8 gig only has about 25k left on it!
I like having it with me all the time but in say 5 years my 3ds xl goes bad and I can't replace it or transfer that would suck. Of course by then we would have accounts but who know and what happens if Nintendo somehow keeps going in the direction it is and somehow drops out of the console making market. Digital is cool and all but it might not always be there in the future!
Awesome that it's coming but there's no way I'm downloading this. I'll just buy the physical copy instead.
Downloadable games is the route of all evil lol...physical copy for me...SUPPORT PHYSICAL COPIES EVERYONE!
@Rargon I dont think Kid Icarus will ever become downloadable because Nintendo wants it to be included with the 3ds Stand
Download all the way. May never buy a box again, outside of the occasional DS game.
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