Topic: Can't play games from discs anymore: need to rebuy them?

Hi everybody,
I have two nieces who own a WII-U they have a bunch of games for it but apparently discs got damaged and can't play them anymore.
I was wondering: do I need to buy them again or is it possible to download them from the eshop like you do with Steam where you can add to your library a boxed game you already own?
Thanks.

Sorry your going to have to buy them again @Judicator there is no service/program/policy like that for the Wii U. Now if their not damaged to bad you might be able to clean them and get them to work. You could buy or find a CD/DVD/Blu-Ray cleaner. Only places i can think of that might let you use one would be a friend who owns one or works at a Movie Rental Place. And if none of their games work it's probably the Wii U itself not the disks.

Ok I'll try to recover the discs and if it fails then, well, I'm going to buy them again I guess.
Many thanks BacklogBlues for your advice.

Are the discs visibly damaged? Supposedly it's super hard to scratch blu ray discs through normal usage (not to say it can't happen) but all games Vs one Wii u indicates it might be the Wii u itself. It's worth testing the games on another Wii u or perhaps if you have a completely un used game then to test that on the Wii u

I don't have the media with me at the moment. My brother told me that my nieces hardly put the discs back in their case after playing so I suppose that this "malfunctioning" is due to scratches or dirt or whatever happened to them.

I gifted them a bunch of games along the years: Splatoon works, they are playing it still, just dance doesn't work, Mario Kart IIRC doesn't either and another couple of games I can't remember the names of.
I think they have friends owners of WII Us: I'll tell them to try the games on theirs , thank you for the advice I honestly didn't think to test the media on other consoles.

@Judicator If you're prepared to put a bit of time and research in, you can hack your Wii U and install (unofficially) downloaded games onto your Wii U or an external hard drive.

@Judicator If there's a decent game shop anywhere near you in the vicinity, and the discs only have scratched or damaged surfaces, then you can get the discs polished/resurfaced. Might cost them a couple of euros per disc, but at least it's cheaper than having to re-buy all the games.

From the sound of it, you might need to learn these kids how to take better care of their games, though...

I didn't know that was a thing, how does that work? Is that legal?

I definitely have to look into that, @BacklogBlues suggested it as well. I don't mind spending a few euros for a working solution.
And, yeah, my nieces are two little lazy beauties, my brother actually has always told them to take care of that stuff but, you know... kids, I love them.

@Judicator Yeah, they can get away with a lot. Got a couple of adorable nieces and nephews myself. But if they thrash the gift that I gave them, especially if it's games, then I'll sure as hell not give them any more, the next time.

I mean: how much trouble could it be, to learn them to be ever so slightly responsible, and put the toy or disc back in the box that they took it out from?

As for hacking the Wii U: of course that's not legal, but if the system is out of warranty, and you can't get certain games anymore, or only for ridiculously high prices, then it's an option to consider.

Although @ThanosReXXX is correct it's not against the law to mod your system @Judicator i'm pretty sure it is against the law to download the games.

Do keep in mind that while we allow the discussion about wiiu hacks and the people here may be able to guide you, we will not tell you where and how to obtain the games themselves.

If that topic comes up, I will close the thread.

@BacklogBlues Comment remove-oh, presto?

You are absolutely right they need to learn to take care of this stuff: as soon as I get this sorted out I'm gonna keep an eye on them and make sure they understand that things they take care of last longer and lazyness isn't good rule.

[REDACTED]

Edit: To mods: if I'm going against the rules, please let me remove the offending parts of my posts and keep the discussion going, just tell me what to cut off.

Edit 2: I didn't see the @BacklogBlues comment: i'm editing my post, I apologize if I broke the rules, It won't happen again.

Edit 3: For clarification: I never ever asked if, where and how to illegally download games, I read the rules and while my post was following to the rules I just edited to behave like the others well mannered members of this forum.

Update on thew subject:
T talked to my brother and he said that he tried to clean the discs with a soft cloth but with no success.
I still haven't told him to try the games on a different console, I'm going to.

There's no one , as I am aware of, that cleans/resurfaces discs we need to ask Gamestop which is 40 Km form where we live of find someone to ship the media to.

Searching for games in the case of a rebuy I stumbled upon ebay auctions or the gamestop used games section in which you can find the for around 15Euros each which is a way better option than the new ones.

So at least now, in case discs can't be fixed, there're cheaper alternatives.

@Judicator Another vote for resurfacing the discs. I took a copy of Mario Sunshine that my GC wouldn't even read into a shop and, by the time they were done with it, the game played like it was brand new.

If prices in the eshop are lower than what I can find around then yes, why not.

Modding is out of question, first off: the console is not mine. Second off: honestly it isn't worth it, imho, I have no interest in getting games illegally and the added potential benefits that comes with modding really aren't that great since my brother has an HTPC hooked to the TV.

Man I need to find someone who does that near me, I live in a small town thew next bigger city is 40Km far and is actually a crappy one TBH. I need to contact Gamestop if someone does that stuff then could easily be them.

Yeah it would be nice, Steam allows you to add to your library games you own physically, then the game, its serial, is tied to your account forever.

Honestly I like Nintendo, I really love their consoles and them pushing innovation, Splatoon 1 and 2 are among the best multiplayer games if not the best ever made.

Nintendo if you are reading this please take it into consideration.

@ralphdibny : The Wii U discs aren't Blu-rays though, although they appear to be based on the format, though they could possibly be technically superior (with their ability to play games directly from the disc). The Blu-ray Association specifically mandates a scratch-resistant protective layer for Blu-rays, however I cannot say with any certainty whether is also applies to Wii U discs as they are a proprietary format. That would be a question for Nintendo.

Physical has always been like that though... If the CD is broken, then it's broken and you can't play it anymore.

Steam can do it because it gives you serial code and not disc.

@Judicator
Sanding the discs MIGHT help.