Unless you've been living off the gaming grid for the past few days/weeks /months, you'll no doubt already know that the 3DS and Wii U eShops are now closed for new business. You can still currently redownload any previous purchases from the online stores, but the window has closed on your last legal opportunity to get hold of many eShop exclusives on those consoles, and fans have been taking to social media to pay tribute to the shuttered stores.
Much of the colourful artwork features the little orange eShop bag from the 3DS eShop who would peep around the back of the game icon before those little coloured data cubes dropping and filling the icon with delicious orange... er, game data juice? Nothing so drab as a progress bar for Nintendo!
The lovely people over at Press Start highlighted a handful, but there are loads of brilliant efforts online today. Let's take a look at some of the best 3DS and Wii U eShop tributes we've seen:
First up, @benmrhall's sad Kirby:
@eto2d has the little orange guy ascending with wings, as does @graylure:
@DumbBubbers goes for something a little more cheery, and also has an amazing larger work-in-progress featuring a host of eShop stars:
@starozoa showcases those little juicy data cubes that look so tasty:
@bozosart, @datenshiluka, @DingityDingus, and @Shamaboy11 all go with thanks-filled, celebratory pieces:
And having been expertly manipulated by 'Crafty' Joe Capitalism and getting all weepy over the closure of a shop, @MicahTheBrave is hitting us square in the feels, too:
There are even some 'In Memoriam'-style musical tributes, including one from the lovely folks over at Vooks and @MasterSwordRemix:
While it might be easy to smirk at people getting emotional when a shop closes, anyone who remembers frequenting a particular store in their youth probably knows the feeling of disappointment when it closes down. [Shout out to Our Price and Volume One — one for our maturing British readers, there!] Certain stores are tied to memories of excitement around a particular game, or that tingle of anticipation at finding a discounted treasure on the shelves. Ultimately, that feeling is the same whether it's a brick-and-mortar establishment or a digital store.
Nintendo's eShops, in particular, are notorious for having a little more character than your average digital store (Switch notwithstanding) and many people have great memories of these ones. We have to admit we're sad that we won't be seeing that cheerful orange bag-chap anymore.
Feel free to share any other cool tributes you see in the comments below — we may well update the article and add them in.
[source press-start.com.au]
Comments (33)
The 3DS really was a wonderful era I'll be nostalgic for forever, there was just so much charm oozing out of every nook and cranny that's been completely absent with the Switch which has left me yearning for a console with more character again. I know it's not "dead" just because the eshop closed but it sure feels like it now more than ever. I'll be babying my N3DSXL with 300 games and all the DLC until I have kids who are old enough to play through it all, if they want to.
I would easily take a 3DS2 before a Switch 2, no question. Maybe we'll meet again someday little orange shopping bag.
Why am I crying over the closure of a shop 🥺
I'm gonna miss the little orange scrimblo
I saw someone say that they were going to put him in their indie game. Nice to keep the character alive.
I really think there should be an amiibo made for the 3DS eShop bag.
Shopping bag for smash
3DS is probably my favorite console I've ever owned, so sad to see most of it's library out the window forever.
These really are precious.
That Vooks video started and I first thought, “Are we really still doing Pachelbel’s Canon in D in 2023?” and then half a minute later, “Are we REALLY still doing Vitamin C in 2023?!?!?!”
Regardless, it was very nice and I’m sad about the shop closing, but we’ll all just have to soldier on in our own way.
I do love my 3DS, probably even more than I did DS, because of the ease of access of all those great games on the eshop.
If Nintendo Life isn’t going to do it, and I suspect they will, let’s do it here in the comment section: FAVORITE 3DS MEMORY. For me, honestly, while seeing that first bonus room in 3D Land that used the 3D really well sticks out, and just how great FE: Awakening was from start to finish, it’ll probably be for me StreetPass and all the trips to Best Buy just so I can finish my dang Pikmin 3D picture I’ll look at for a full 15 seconds. I know it’s a joke to some now, but StreetPass was really a great way to casually feel connected with your community. Sorely missed.
3DS was a magical console. So many great games. The console reveal with Kid Icarus still gives me goosebumps. I was blown away by the graphics and so excited to play such good looking games on the go, and in stereoscopic 3D at that.
@SpaceboyScreams one of the things I like about the Switch is that it is both a handheld and not a handheld. As much as I loved all of Nintendo's handhelds (GBA SP will forever be my favorite) I'm enjoying this era even more.
I think after the Wii U's huge failure Nintendo was walking on eggshells back in 2017. I think they will come out swinging in 2024.
@Cashews I like the Switch too but even just the lack of Streetpass or themes or a truly portable design (I've never walked around with a Lite in my pocket) makes it such a drab system in comparison even if it has tons of amazing games. Obviously they struck gold with it and I'm happy for them but I'll always miss a true portable Nintendo console, which they spent decades perfecting then promptly killed off after their best one yet.
If they could shrink the Lite down without reducing the screen size, perhaps make it clamshell or something like the PSP GO (I know those sticks would never fly with people anymore) and make it dockable/stream to your TV it would be nearly perfect IMO although I'd still be missing the second screen. I'm excited to see what they do with it regardless.
Internet is a beautiful thing, sometimes.
it's enough to make a grown man cry
may he rest in peace
*sobs 😭🤧
Hopefully the switch eshop will have some bag mascot
Thank you Gavin for this article
Thank you, eShop, for many sweet memories, go home and rest now, empress, you deserve it.
really is the end of an era 🥺
all of the artwork featured is incredible, I'll really miss that lil guy 🧡
Most of these graphics are cute. I'll miss that adorbs little personified bag. The 3DS download animations were always fun to watch.
Edit: 3DS, not 3DD. My phone is a troll. XD
Eshop shopping bag for next Smash Bros, you read it here first.
@SpaceboyScreams I'm not in Nintendo's books but maybe they looked at the columns and decided not enough people cared about the themes.
I haven't bought a theme since the X360. Personally, I get embarrassed I paid for any of them. I would never buy one again. I doubt I'm alone. Maybe Tendy decided they didn't want to put that on parents of kids who might beg for random crap they don't need.
I would support free or promotional ones though. shrug I'm not really disagreeing with you - I think the os on the switch is particularly drab too.
@SpaceboyScreams I feel the same! a 3DS 2 would be something I want more than a Switch 2 / Pro
Farewell eShops! I couldn't have been the only person to want to eat the candy-looking data gem things.
@TotalHenshin
Getting one and discovering the AR games, getting the first streetpass hits...
Hearing about an exclusive Resident Evil (two actually), and the entire hype building, from a pilot of Revelations on the physical cartridge of Mercenaries, to the real demo, to the actual game being released and still at times being among the best RE games in my opinion (the 3ds version).
Phoenix Wright and Layton in one game.
A Project Zero game with an AR booklet and AR camera ghost battles.
Ambassador program games.
All the Zelda.
Luigi's Mansion sequel.
An updated model with face tracking 3d, and an early special edition for select ambassador program members. After reading that and thinking oh well, no mail, I'll get one when they release... Getting a notification for a new mail from Nintendo.
Honestly, I think few systems have this many varied special memories for me. And it has a ton of great games, I still love playing after many years, it is backwards compatible, and it had more fun built in right out of the box than any other system. The only handheld I always had with me, always on standby when not playing it. For steps and coins, streetpass hits,...
I was doing well holding my tears until I saw Mii Iwata in the center of the "group photo"
There is some very nice artwork in this article. All good things come to an end, we just have to treasure the memories/moments we made before the end arrives.
This song is unofficial ending theme to the 3DS lifecycle. The 3DS has seen me through adolescence, my first job, college, and it still provides me a much needed relief from the realities of adult life. To me it is the best console in the world and nothing will ever change that.
https://youtu.be/35OQr6JabOM
I have no nostalgia for the 3DS - before I got my first Switch in 2020 I was not a "Nintendo guy", and I hadn't owned one of their handhelds since the original Gameboy with the pea-soup-green screen. I just got my very first "new" 3DS XL last year for around 130 dollars (with a nice case included), promptly jailbroke it and filled a 128gb Micro SD card with .CIAs so I could resell it for 400 dollars on ebay.
But something stopped me from selling it. I chalked it up to really wanting to play Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology, the first Bravely Default, Stella Glow, and a few other games the way they were intended to be played. I normally love emulators, but even though I've got a sweet gaming laptop, it can't replicate that glorious stereoscopic 3D. And you don't even need glasses for it!
I've still got that 128gb SD card in it, filled with games I'll never want to play (such as nearly a double digit number of Pokemon titles and some other kiddie games), games that I installed solely because they were/are popular and might convince someone to spend 400 USD on it; but I've realize that I just can't let go. My temptation to keep it has already won against the rational, logical good sense to put it on ebay; I know that soon that temptation to keep it is going to edge out the pragmatic part of my brain, juuust enough to where I delete all the extraneous games on that SD card - "temporarily, until I beat the games I'm playing now" I'll tell myself. But then I'll buy that Okami 3DS XL skin I want, and keep it forever.
On a different note - I very much want a homebrew scene for the 3DS, kind of like what the Vita has, except I want people to take games from other platforms, somehow turn them stereoscopic-style 3D, and then port them over to the 3DS. I also want a gaming laptop so I can play games with the same kind of glasses-free stereoscopic 3D, and watch movies and shows that use that effect (either filmed that way by studios, or converted to 3D by pirate groups using deep fake technology). But those are just dreams.
Love that little orange shopping bag. You will be missed.
Y’know I never realized how much I like that little orange shopping bag till now, gonna miss the little guy
No one cared 2 years ago. People don’t care about something until you tell them they can’t have it anymore. That said, hypocrite time. I’m gonna miss the Virtual Console so much. So freaking much.
@NTDO89 Oh, I wouldn't say "no one". Having gone through it before with DS online features shutting down, I realized in advance just how much of a loss this was gonna be.
But yes, there will always be people who think, "Oh, two years? That's forever. Plenty of time still to go." Until it isn't anymore.
Maybe the shopping bag character can find a new home on the Switch ehop...and bring some music...
It's strangely sad seeing it go away. The fan art is lovely. Maybe we'll see the little shopping bag again someday.
i am literaly going to code a story mode game based on this guy.
Man, I was fine and happy before seeing this, but now I'm heartbroken and sad...thanks a lot T.T
Tap here to load 33 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...