A few months ago, Nintendo made the expected announcement that it would begin the process of shuttering the Wii Shop Channel, following on from the DSi shoppe which met a similar end. Now that all other online applications for the Wii have been discontinued, those who still purchase games on the Wii Shop have until January 31st, 2019 to download games from the storefront.
Of course, this can’t be done directly—Wii Shop Points must be purchased first—and Nintendo recently put out a blog post reminding fans of the impending cutoff date for the digital currency. At 1:00 PM PST on March 26, Nintendo will be removing the ability to buy Wii Shop Points, bringing the storefront to a soft close. So, if you’re still interested in picking up a Virtual Console or WiiWare game, now’s the time to do it.
What do you think? What was your favorite WiiWare game? Will you be buying any more Wii Shop Points? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source nintendo.com]
Comments 96
I loved WiiWare and VC. Even if it was rough around the edges. I really enjoyed FFCC: MLAAK. I really wish the Lost Winds franchise was still around but the developers seem focused more on their Coaster games than more original content.
Since I never got a clear answer weather I'd overwrite my old Wii data if I tried transferring over LostWinds, I'll probably just pick that one up to still have the game in my collection... and maybe something else that I /really/ want.
I will definitely be getting a bunch of games including And Yet It Moves and the LostWinds games. Oooh and the ArtStyle games, I loved the DSiWare entries in that series.
You have no idea how many points I've been buying monthly since this announcement to get the games I want.... XD
MotoHeroz and Chick Chick Boom are both really fun multiplayer games... if you still have your dusty old Wii (U) sitting around.
I have a Japanese Wii, and there were some digital manga stuff in it, the Courtney Love manga had the unorthodox English subs.
"-Have you read this manga yet?"
"-No, but I did read the sub."
It can't be bought anymore though, it's delisted, along with the DLC. Also...
"-Have you read this manga yet?"
"-No, but I downloaded the DLC for it."
I have to do some research into which VC games are exclusive to Wii and what the top-rated WiiWare games are. Time to complete my Wii library.
I will be buying one last N64 game for the Wii, this is the best way to play them (N64 games) I believe, higher res than the original console and better than on the Wii U which has obvious lag for example on Mario 64
WiiWare was kinda slim pickings. World of Goo was probably the standout so happy to have that on the Switch now.
Kinniku March.
I will miss you...
Buying all those VC and Wiiware games. Good times.
Oh right I still have a game or two I want on my Wii, for posterity
I have enough points to buy one more game. I have no idea which to get. Should I grab light trax to finish out my art style collection, or go with some good game that hasn't seen release in years? Idk
What I would like to know is if anyone out there is compiling the games, apps, and demos for preservation purposes. I know the Homebrew Channel allows you to put ROMs and full Wii games on your system but what about Wii VC games, apps, and the various demos just for preservation sake
Man if only Nintendo let us copy our Wii Ware and VC software for backup via microSD card or hard drive just in case if our Wii or Wii U ever goes kaput that would had been really nice. I don't think all the stuffs I bought and saved on my current SD Card would ever work again if my Wii U ever die on me since they are all tie to that one specific Wii U system. Nintendo you suck at data management and you still do, all it takes to solve this is just one simple account system.
My Top 10:
1. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King
2. MotoHeroz
3. Hydroventure / Fluidity
4. World of Goo (also available on Switch)
5. La-Mulana
6. Art Style-series (Cubello, Rotohex, Orbient, light trax, Penta Tentacles)
7. Phoenix Wright Trilogy
8. Excitebike: World Challenge / World Rally
9. Tetris Party (also available as retail 'Tetris Party Deluxe').
10. FlowerWorks: Follie's Adventure (also available on Wii U)
Close follow-ups: Robox, Driift Mania, Art of Balance, RUSH RUSH RALLY RACING, Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1-5, Bubble Bobble Plus!, TV Show King 2, And Yet It Moves, Bonsai Barber, Cave Story, ToriBash, WarioWare DIY
@SKTTR Here's my top 10
1. Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People: The Series
2. Cave Story
3. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
4. Mega Man 9 & 10
5. Blaster Master Overdrive
6. Contra Rebirth
7. FAST Racing League
8. Onslaught
9. MDK2
10. LostWinds 1 & 2
In terms of Virtual Console: Arcade, NES, Sega Genesis, SMS, SNES, NeoGeo, Turbo Grafx-16/PC Engine, and N64 all the way. The really sad part is we here in North America never got either MSX (Japan exclusive, probably due to Microsoft) or Commodore 64 (PAL exclusives) support.
@Pichuka97 yes, people are, pretty much everything on there has been preserved.
@retro_player_22 that was the entire reason for soft modding my Wii was the so I could backup locked content.
This is one of the sad things about this digital era of gaming. I understand why they are doing it, but I wish there was some way Nintendo could maintain a legacy server of sorts. Also the fact that we haven't gotten VC on Switch means losing the Wii VC is a blow. I wonder how long the Wii U online services have left. I would be shocked if they continue longer than 2020.
@Heavyarms55 Probably a good while. Don't forget for a lot of people, Wii U has been the only way some people could play BOTW. And if they're going to spend 200+ hours playing it, they're bound to pick up more games digitally that the Season Pass. XD
Not to mention you need online for certain patches (Like for a slightly better Sonic Boom) and those shovelware developers that still have games planned and all those kickstarters that promised a Wii U edition as well.....
LostWinds is on Steam.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/447780/LostWinds/
artstyle - light trax
castlevania:rebirth
puzzle bobble plus
driftmania
FF : CC- My life as a Dark Lord
Definitely going to be rehooking up the Wii to pour maybe $60 into it as there are a good few things I don't want gone forever.
I didn't buy any digital stuff back when the Wii was the current console and don't know how exactly works nowadays.
I thought it was impossible to access the internet right now on the Wii, but I see you guys are downloading new games. How do you do it? I thought it must be done through the Wii U, but now you make me doubt.
I think it's a shame they couldn't make it possible to buy them with real money at least on the Wii U. If you buy points it's highly possible that some of them remain unused because you never know the exact amount that you're going to need.
I will be waiting for your answers and then I'll make a decision, but I would like to know what games you recommend that have not been ported to Wii U or Switch. Digital Wii exclusive gems, that is.
@Moroboshi876 https://www.nintendolife.com/wiiware/games/browse?status=released&sort=date
@Moroboshi876 https://www.nintendolife.com/vc/games/browse
Thanks for the reminder!
I'll buy my final Wii Points card.
I'll get TV Show King 2 and... something else with the remaining points. Any suggestions?
I want to pare down my list, as it is I'm looking at a sizeable chunk of my tax refund going to the Wii Shop T_T
We didn't buy much on our Wii Shop Channel. We bought Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64, Super Metroid, and Kirby's Adventure, but that was about it.
Sadly, the Wii that we had those games on was destroyed in August of 2016 due to a bolt of lightning striking our house and frying out several electronic devices, meaning the save data and channels were lost.
While I have been using my Wii U's Wii Chanel feature to play through my old Wii games, I have only bought Super Smash Bros. using the Wii Shop Channel feature.
I do not have the money to purchase funds for the other games, and I may not be able to acquire said funds before the cutoff date.
If only I had unplugged our Wii from it's electrical socket on that fateful night. =(
@TheLobster Thanks, that's a first step and helps. But I'd appreciate people's recommendations, because sometimes a 6 game is just a bad review, and anyway I see games on that list that are definitely not Wii exclusives.
But I still don't know if you can download them on the actual Wii nowadays or it has to be on the Wii U.
Ahhh, Wiiware. World of Goo was the best though I think without Water Warfare, there would have been no Splatoon. I seem to recall finding this site back in those days when it was just a Wiiware news and review site
Megaman 9 and 10 are must haves, although thise will be in the Switch soon anyway. Lostwinds 1 and 2 are great. Strong Bad is great, if you can only pick one of the 5 I'd definitely say go for Episode 4 on that. I know a lot of people dislike Pokemon Rumble, but I had a great time playing that game with friends. It's just a mindlessly fun beat 'em up. There are a few others, but I feel like those were my favorites.
When Nintendo takes away my right to redownload games, I will research how to hack the console.
Because Nintendo does this with old consoles, I’ve stopped buying games on Switch available elsewhere.
This is why retail physical purchases is my preference! Someday, this will happen with the other consoles as well!! The industry must try to arrive at a solution!
@BornInNorway81
Its glorious when you learn how. Wads were hard to find for me at first, but when you find them....YEEEE!
I would download some games as I am sure there are a few I would want but do I want to drag my Wii out of the closet and hook it back up....
Doubt I have enough to buy any more, quick question tho, do we get anything back if there are points still left in the shop after the cutoff?
I loved many Virtual Console games. I'm sad that this service will be discontinued, I hope that from now on Nintendo will just make new versions of the Switch keeping them retrocompatible and not shutting down services and games. If one would buy now a digital game for Wii he will not be able to download it again if he has problems in the future. Unfortunately it makes no sense at all downloading those games now because the risk to lose them soon is too high. If consoles were made with more continuity between them Switch would use the same eShop that Wii did, the service would not be discontinued and buying games for Wii would be a lot safer even now. I hope things will change from now on.
I barely used it,even during the Wii Era.I bought less than then games,the majority of which are VC titles.
Sigh The first VC game I got on Wii, over ten years ago, was Sim City (SNES). That title screen and its music have been favorites of mine ever since I was a kid. It was the perfect, comforting way for me to spring into the Wii Shop Channel. But! Times change. I'll give the Channel one final visit to see if I'm missing anything from my cluttered checklist.
@AlienX Oh, whoa. I don't think I ever knew about that! That's curious, but as you said, way too late for me to check out. Also, great avatar. Betty!
Where can I download from the DSi shoppe? Never heard of it till now.
I hope Nintendo Life or some other site writes a piece with extensive lists of both VC and WiiWare games with recommendations of which games to buy and covers at least the more important games that will probably be lost for good now (a good list of all Rebirth games and other remakes/sequels that aren't available in any other platform would be good to see).
I'd actually love to see an easy to browse list of ALL games that are available on Wii Shop Channel, but that might be too much work.
@astrofan1993 I’ve heard that in these instances you can contact Nintendo Customer Support and they will transfer your account to a new Wii so that you can redownload your previously purchased games. I think you would just need to know the information for the account you used on the dead Wii. I’m not 100% certain they could do the transfer to a Wii U but it’d be worth calling them up.
If you’re in the US and you haven’t memorized it yet 1-800-255-3700 is the phone number.
You still won’t have your saves but at least your not out of luck on the money you spent on the games.
@Anti-Matter
Bought that one as a birthday present to my just few weeks ago.
Between this and Microsoft announcing the whole Game Pass thing... Jut further proof that companies run by bankers and cold business people will find ways to consolidate control and take ownership of products away from you unless YOU fight for control over the products you buy, and support vendors who support your right to ownership. Gaming as a service instead of as a product/purchase is spreading beyond MMO's, and will engulf the industry if consumers allow it.
Hmm, better check to see if i got any points hanging around and download the games i've already bought but arent on my system
Oh I remember making a suggestion in the original post about this that it would be a great idea to make of a video of the essential VC and WiiWare games before closing down, shame you never followed up with that, guess @AlexOlney is too busy arguing about Micro SD cards
Muscle March of course.
The cards unfortunately only contain the 1.0 version. I don’t think a single first-party Switch game is at version 1.0 now.
On Wii U, I have one... just one... first-party game on disc that is in version 1.0 out of over 20 games! I don’t remember which right now, but think it might be Donkey King Country: Tropical Freeze.
Because of download-only games and game updates for disc/card games, closed storefronts cause games to disappear.
I loathe the trend and will no longer buy non-exclusive third-party games for Nintendo consoles. Steam has a good track record keeping 20-25 year-old games alive, so my money will be better spent there.
@joey302
“This is why retail physical purchases is my preference! Someday, this will happen with the other consoles as well!! The industry must try to arrive at a solution!”
I'm still considering getting points, so I can buy Orbient. There were a handful of really good WiiWare games, but Orbient stuck with me the most. Too bad a proper VC that keeps these games alive legally in perpetuity has turned out to be a pipe dream, no matter how much success Nintendo is finding.
This is why I don't like digital and physical all the way. I hope Sony don't do something similar to their PS3 Store as I've only recently got a PS3 and there's a few stuff I'd like to get over time. Plus I don't like the idea of losing the games in 20 years time just because you only own a licence to play their games, you never own the game itself. I intend to be playing these games in my retirement. That's why I always get physical where possible.
Luckily the PS3 online store and community still seems more buoyant than WiiWare in 2018, so it should be up and running for the foreseeable future.
I just bought 12.000 Wii Points and went Shop amok, buying all the good stuff right before timeout.
I especially recommend getting all the ArtStyle games.
My top WiiWare game would be: ArtStyle Cubello
Hydroventure was sensational
I had 700 points left, and there was nothing I was really keen on for only 700, so I bought "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord" and Mario Tennis, and spend the remainder on a few addons for FFCC:MLaaDL.
I won't be able to see all FFCC:MLaaDL, because the addons are too expensive for my liking. They don't seem to be that substantial though - just items, rooms or monsters that make it a little easier.
Previously, I had splashed cash on all of the addons for the sister game "My Life as a King", but I can't remember what that totalled.
can we still get Viking Invasion on the 3DS?
the DS shop game?
@retro_player_22 I worry about this also, as do a lot of other people, which is a shame as it's a real detractor from digital downloads. It's why I go for physical whenever possible.
There definitely needs to be some sort of permanent system implemented for these fading gems - because once my Wii (which already whirrs like a helicopter) goes poof! so does my TurboGrafx collection!. Bonk! NOOOOOOOO!
https://youtu.be/8avMLHvLwRQ
<3
@Joey302 As dumb as that sounds you're right. When I first read about this, I thought, "Holy Toledo, this'll happen to Switch one day."
I also prefer to buy physical, my friend. There's something special about having a game right there in your hand.
@MH4 it’s really not dumb at all. It will happen with PS3 & 360 next. Unless the industry figures out how to carry forward our digital purchases, we are all screwed. At least Microsoft is making an effort with 360 and more recently original Xbox games being made available to Xbox one.
Ok, time to steal my Wii back from my ex.
I might grab Chrono Trigger and Pokemon Snap before the shop shuts down. Never really played those two before, but heard they were great.
@joey302 There's been a way to do so for at least 10 years now: DRM-free backup downloads, as done by GOG.com. The method they use ensures all purchases are kept in your account based library, accessible from any PC, and can be downloaded and installed without needing account access. This way, even if some catastrophe happens or the service ends for whatever reason, the consumer can still retain ownership over the digital copies they purchased.
However, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft will never allow this on consoles. They want to maintain control over how you can use your purchases. Physical copies used to be a natural way around this, but the big 3 are exerting further control on newer consoles for that too, now. And Xbox may not even have any physical copies in the future, with the Xbox Game Pass coming...
So the only way left to counter this is modding old systems. For example, downloading everything on your Wii Shop account onto SD while you still can, modding the Wii, and backing everything up. Same thing for Wii U/3DS once the old eShop is inevitably discontinued in the future as well. Unfortunately, however, many games will no longer be available for download from an online shop once the VC closes. Hopefully, NL will make a compilation of all of those...
@PlywoodStick it’s a shame the big 3 make that practice. With Nintendo I mean how many times do they actually expect a fool like me to buy a classic Mario title?? Meanwhile I’ve been in the practice of buying modded systems for years now cause I’ve grown tired of the whole scenario. I have an original Xbox modded with 48,000 games, a Wii with 7,300 games and more recently, a modded Snes mini with 3500 games. Now...even though I’ve been doing this, I’m still an active buyer of classics/old games when they are released on the current gen systems especially Switch. It’s my way of showing support to Hamster and whoever else reaches back into their back catalogue. I have absolutely no problem buying them legitimately. Still very curious to see what Nintendo reveals down the road with their pending “classic service” will be interesting to see!
I still need my Ogre Battle 64!!! Plus some other WiiWare titles I might facny.
I hope Nintendo plans to release any remaining Virtual Console games on the Wii to either Wii U or Switch. I might email them about it.
@GravyThief: Agreed. Situations like this are why I buy physical when possible.
Time to act is now. I’m loading up points. The Wii has excellent analogue out (to a CRT TV) and really good emulation. I feel Wii VC is as close as you can get without having the original console hooked up.
Wii Virtual Console Games I’ve purchase over the years:
Here are the one’s I still would like before Wii Shop closure:
NES
Castlevania III
Shadow of the Ninja
SNES
Breath of Fire 2
Final Fantasy II
Wild Guns
DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure
Genesis
Beyond Oasis
Monster World IV
Gain Ground
Shining Force
I played the demo of fluidity, and it was fun, but I feel like I would just as soon get Fluidity spin cycle on the 3DS. And the only other game that piqued my interest was World of Goo, and not only is that on the Switch, but it's cheaper there too. I am a little sad that there are a bunch of games I'll never play, but my family got the wii when downloading games right onto your console was unheard of, so we never really used the Wii Shop channel except for some virtual console games. (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Bros. 3, Kirby's adventure, LOZ:OOT, and LOZ:MM. Also, Mario Party 2 from Club Nintendo)
This is disappointing. Really is. I want to have that incredible library forever available. I guess so many people just have hacked Wiis though. They wouldn't care.
Can I transfer my WiiWare titles to the Wii U?
Using the Wii Mode on Wii U, can I still purchase WiiWare games?
Maybe we can ask Nintendo Life to write a quick article or handy guide (FAQ) before March!
@Peppy_Hare In most causes, I agree except for Neo Geo stuff. The emulation quality on Switch ACA releases are miles better, as they do not have display issues, censorship and disabled flashing (worse in Metal Slug and fighting games, when a match is finished.)
At the very least, get Mega Man 9 and 10, and Pokemon Rumble before it dies...not that there aren't...ways to do it even if you do wait...
@astrofan1993
See, this is why I always unplug all my stuff during the rare lightning storm. Better safe than sorry, especially with Nintendo's data management skills around.
I also don't want to know what happens when lightning strikes a workstation carrying a 980W PSU, so I keep that on an APS.
But hey, something I've picked up is that if one of your devices does not turn on after it being plugged in during a storm, try disconnecting both ends of the power cord, and let it sit for 2 hours to 2 days before trying again. In some rare cases, and I've had this happen to myself, 2 weeks might need to be attempted before reaching a conclusion.
Well that sucks. Always wanted to buy Monstecca Corral. Cool Pikmin clone.
@YamAsereht I’m not an emulation expert but I’m 40 years old and have been playing Neo Geo since I was 12. To my eyes, Neo Geo VC titles running through component-out to a CRT TV, look really good. The emulation shell is bare-bones compared to Hamster’s feature-rich Nintendo Switch titles, but Switch is HDMI-out only (making it difficult to plug into a CRT TV).
@Peppy_Hare Oh yeah, when you bring CRT TV image quality into it, it does indeed make a drastic difference. Fond memories of playing Wii VC games on my big CRT back in in the day here. Nothing more awesome playing pre-HD era games on a CRT TV.
@thesilverbrick
Take a look here to see the Wii-exclusive Virtual Console games (note that since the video's release, the total amount has dropped from 224 to 216, as several TG16 games were added to the Wii U's VC):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ91uR4KGd8
Currently going through the Wii Shop Channel and making a list. I may need 20,000+ Wii Points!!!
Unless some can be purchased through other means.
@Moroboshi876 I can't help you with what is exclusive, I know there are lists out there though, including one on NL possibly? But I hope NL does an article before March at any rate about what the best WiiWare and VC titles were. A retro-retrospective, if you will.
You can still download to the Wii itself though, not just the Wii U, I know that much though.
I might ad 40 bucks to pick up a couple things like Final Fantasy game that came out on WiiWare and then get a half dozen Pcengine TurboGrafx titles. Other than those there was just so much Shovelware to sift through. A few sega Genesis games would be cool too.
@TheLobster Thanks.
I managed to secure some points at a low price, and this afternoon I'll try to connect my Wii to the internet, because last night it kept giving me an error. I hope I will have more luck today and buy a couple of games. I'll have to decide which ones, because I don't think I'm going to get many more before March.
@Moroboshi876 Good luck!
@Windy Something tells me you might add $40 to pick up a few things like... it's coming in... hold on a second...WiiWare Final Fantasy and then maybe some Turbografx and PC Engine titles? And maybe Sega Genesis? Good call. There was a lot of shovelware to sift through, though, so be careful.
OK, sorry, I know the site must have hiccupped. I just have never seen a 5x post before and it tickled me.
I have milked this pretty good on my Wii U, got just about everything I would want and spent a lot more money than I thought I would have lol. Got a good selection of VC and Wiiware titles.
I've purchased a load of VC games, did get a few WiiWare titles too (Blaster Master Overdrive, Contra Rebirth, Bubble Bobble Plus and Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth).
Got Chrono Trigger as although I have it on DS thought it would be better to play on the big screen and the controller from the SNES Mini can be used with your Wii Remote for VC games. Also got Do Re Mi Fantasy as it's rare and also thinking of purchasing Pokemon Puzzle League and Super Smash Bros. for N64.
For some reason I couldn't get into Lost Winds so didn't bother getting the sequel. Dive: The Medes Island Secret seems to be a hidden gem for WiiWare so might get that.
Anyone with experience playing Wii VC titles on the Wii U via the Wii Channel? Do they offer any advantage?
this place is gonna be a doozy when people say "i forgot the cut date"...its gonna be great reading the comments.
Currently saving money to do a lot of purchases this march. I have a large exclusively wii shop list to buy.
My favorite WiiWare Game is Pokémon Rumble.
It's a very simple Game, but i had tons of fun Multiplayer Rounds with my Friends.
@Peppy_Hare
Castlevania III: excellent and possibly the best in the series.
Shadow of the Ninja: it's well-made but kind of generic.
Breath of Fire 2: Well-made but very generic.
Final Fantasy II: This game is god.
Wild Guns: This game is also god. I'm both polytheist and atheist.
DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure: Very fun, basically what it would look like if they based a game on the Littl' Bits anime.
Monster World IV: This game is god.
Gain Ground: It's fun but not essential by any means.
Shining Force: Go for Shining Force II if you haven't. One of the most charming and engaging strategy RPGs I've ever played (I liked it way better than the Ogre Battle games at least).
@ForegroundMusic thanks for the advice. I only played the Game Gear version of shining Force and it was okay. It’s no Advance Wars, but I’d like to give the console versions a try.
Does this mean cards or online digital points?
Goodbye Wii Shop Channel. We knew ye well.
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