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[rjc571]

What games on Wiiware are worth preserving.

Good North American Wiiware games that cannot be purchased anywhere else AFAIK:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Dr. Mario Online RX
Art Style: Orbient
Bomberman Blast (although apparently had a retail release in Japan???)
Art Style: Cubello
Art Style: Rotohex
Alien Crush Returns
Space Invaders Get Even
Maboshi's Arcade
LIT (PC version appears to be a different game)
Onslaught
Gradius Rebirth
Bonsai Barber
Adventure Island: The Beginning
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
Overturn
Mr. Driller W
Contra Rebirth
Driift Mania
Excitebike: World Rally
Pokemon Rumble
Eco Shooter: Plant 530
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Muscle March
Blaster Master: Overdrive
Art Style: Light Trax
Art Style: Rotozoa
Jett Rocket
Dive: The Medes Island Secret
And Yet It Moves (Game exists on other platforms but Wiiware version AFAIK is only one that allows the level to be rotated dynamically rather than in 90 degree angles, which fundamentally changes the gameplay)
ThruSpace
Snowpack Park
Fluidity
Liight
FAST Racing League
Vampire Crystals

Also Bit Trip Beat and Flux are best played on Wii due to tilt controls. Other games like NyxQuest and Lost Winds 1/2 were designed around joystick + pointer controls and play best on Wii (though the PC versions are still good).

 

[Owari]

Oh man we only have 2 years to use a service that was dead to everyone half a decade ago.

 

[jwhit28]

This is sad. The Wii was as much a Turbo Grafx and Neo Geo machine to me as it was a Nintendo system.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Good North American Wiiware games that cannot be purchased anywhere else AFAIK:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Dr. Mario Online RX
Art Style: Orbient
Bomberman Blast (although apparently had a retail release in Japan???)
Art Style: Cubello
Art Style: Rotohex
Alien Crush Returns
Space Invaders Get Even
Maboshi's Arcade
LIT (PC version appears to be a different game)
Onslaught
Gradius Rebirth
Bonsai Barber
Adventure Island: The Beginning
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
Overturn
Mr. Driller W
Contra Rebirth
Driift Mania
Excitebike: World Rally
Pokemon Rumble
Eco Shooter: Plant 530
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Muscle March
Blaster Master: Overdrive
Art Style: Light Trax
Art Style: Rotozoa
Jett Rocket
Dive: The Medes Island Secret
And Yet It Moves (Game exists on other platforms but Wiiware version AFAIK is only one that allows the level to be rotated dynamically rather than in 90 degree angles, which fundamentally changes the gameplay)
ThruSpace
Snowpack Park
Fluidity
Liight
FAST Racing League
Vampire Crystals

Also Bit Trip Beat and Flux are best played on Wii due to tilt controls. Other games like NyxQuest and Lost Winds 1/2 were designed around joystick + pointer controls and play best on Wii (though the PC versions are still good).

There was a BIT.TRIP compilation disc for Wii.

 

[Version 3.0]

12 years is a long time? Get out of here. I can, and do, purchase 20, 30 or even 40 year old games several times a year. Somebody will mention an old game I never took notice of, and I'll buy it and check it out. That's happened a few times for WiiWare games. Guess not any more.

Digital-only sucks.

 

[Curler]

12 years is a long time? Get out of here.

Yes, 12 years is a long time for a digital service of an OOP console 2 gens behind the current one, with the servers still up up and running.

 

[megarockexe]

So has Wii Rock Band DLC been downloadable this whole time, or is this what kills it? I remember it surviving the WFC shut-off.

 

[jwhit28]

I don't know if this was already posted but Gamexplain went through the trouble of listing all the Virtual Console games that are stranded on the Wii Shop and never made it to another Nintendo system's Virtual Console.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ91uR4KGd8

 

[SmokedMeat]

This is sad. The Wii was as much a Turbo Grafx and Neo Geo machine to me as it was a Nintendo system.

Neo Geo games get regurgitated on everything. Turbografx is the major loss. It's such a shame we don't see Turbografx games ported to everything.

 

[Red Devil]

Honestly, that's a longer time frame than I would've expected.

Glad we got the warning way in advance, though -- the Wii shop channel had a lot of really good games that are absolutely worth owning.

Yeah, there're a bunch of NeoGeo classics in there and some TG-16 games that didn't make it to Wii U.

This does spill worry for those going all digital on Nintendo platforms.

Eh, got to see for how long it takes them to kill the eShop on 3DS and Wii U, I was expecting this a lot sooner seeing how they killed the WFC over 3 years ago, I guess it wasn't completely related.

 

[-shadow-]

Out of curiosity, but why a complete shutdown? Why not have the absolute bare minimum of servers, even if they take ages to connect, just for the consumers sake? Would that really cost too much?

YeahEh, got to see for how long it takes them to kill the eShop on 3DS and Wii U, I was expecting this a lot sooner seeing how they killed the WFC over 3 years ago, I guess it wasn't completely related.

At least both my Wii and 3DS allow us to back up our games on the PC. For the WiiU, were pretty much screwed since we can't transfer those games onto a PC or another WiiU since it's formatted for that specific system it's connected to. I thankfully don't have too many digital games on the WiiU, about six full retail games at most, but man this will be a gut puncher if those servers go down and that HDD dies.

 

[rjc571]

There was a BIT.TRIP compilation disc for Wii.

Ah yeah I forgot about that, it even had extra content too!

 

[FlyinJ]

Out of curiosity, but why a complete shutdown? Why not have the absolute bare minimum of servers, even if they take ages to connect, just for the consumers sake? Would that really cost too much?

It would still cost them money.

Their options are:

1. Keep it running indefinitely so their customers can continue to use the products they paid for

2. Shut it down, but honor purchases made so if the same game becomes available on a newer platform you still own it

3. Shut it down and then sell the exact same product again to the people who already paid you for it


They, of course, are going with 3

 

[LOLDSFAN]

End of an era.

10+ years is a very long time.

 

[kc44135]

This is so sad, and is the worst aspect of Digital distribution. So many great games will simply be lost to time now. This is especially egregious on Consoles where backwards compatibility is the exception, rather than the rule, and many games are simply left stranded on ancient, obsolete hardware. This will undoubtedly also happen to X360, PS3, Wii U, 3DS, Vita, and any other Console that offers Digital purchases in any form in the near future. What an awful shame.

It would still cost them money.

Their options are:

1. Keep it running indefinitely so their customers can continue to use the products they paid for

2. Shut it down, but honor purchases made so if the same game becomes available on a newer platform you still own it

3. Shut it down and then sell the exact same product again to the people who already paid you for it


They, of course, are going with 3

They aren't though. There's no Virtual Console on Switch, and no indication that there will ever be one. And no, Classic Consoles with their paltry selections of games don't count, not in my book. They can't compare to a real Virtual Console with dozens (if not hundreds) of games on offer, and that you don't need to pay a scalper to play.

 

[boiled goose]

No?
No-one takes them away from you.



You should.

The games would then at least get acknowledged by your Nintendo Account.
If your Wii falls apart there might be no way to get your old games back even if you have stored them on an SD card.

On Wii U it's at least theoretically possible that, as the games are now technically connected to your Nintendo Account (or whatever its name is) they could used if your old Wii U would break. Now, it probably wouldn't still be possible, but at least the chances are better on Wii U than on Wii.

Chances are better? Fuck that. I need to know if it's worth upgrading or not. I don't want to keep my wiiu forever

 

[dcx4610]

According to the FAQ you won't be able to redownload things. It will completely shut down.

LOL digital media.

 

[Triforce141]

I guess I should buy the two Megaman games then? so I can play them using the nes mini controller.

Mega Man 9 & 10 aren't NES games

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

at least port the Nintendo WiiWare games to the eshop?

ArtStyle series, Fluidity, ExciteBike World Rally etc.

Those were some fine games!

 

[foltzie1]

What is the marginal cost of keeping a services online? Especially while they continue to run similar services.

 

[Diabolical]

It would still cost them money.

Their options are:

1. Keep it running indefinitely so their customers can continue to use the products they paid for

2. Shut it down, but honor purchases made so if the same game becomes available on a newer platform you still own it

3. Shut it down and then sell the exact same product again to the people who already paid you for it


They, of course, are going with 3

Number 2 really wouldn't be as ideal either. Technically, forcing people to have to buy a "newer" platform in order to access their previous libraries is still charging them to play the games they already own.

Historically, the millions of people who own a console intend to play the games they've purchased on the console/s they've already bought. That's the reason why they chose their machine/s.

 

[PdotMichael]

Number 2 really wouldn't be as ideal either. Technically, forcing people to have to buy a "newer" platform in order to access their previous libraries is still charging them to play the games they already own.

Historically, the millions of people who own a console intend to play the games they've purchased on the console/s they've already bought. That's the reason why they chose their machine/s.

It's like expecting to get the DVD and BD version of a movie because you once bought it as VHS in the 90s.

 

[Lynd7]

As an aside, is it still possible to transfer DSi stuff to 3DS? Or is that gone now too?

 

[Honey Bunny]

It's like expecting to get the DVD and BD version of a movie because you once bought it as VHS in the 90s.

Nobody can take your VHS copy offline

 

[Sorta Maximus]

Why not keep the store up? It seems too early to shut it down.

 

[-shadow-]

As an aside, is it still possible to transfer DSi stuff to 3DS? Or is that gone now too?

I think that went down with the store. But most (if not all but the shovelware) stuff is downloadable from the 3DS eShop.

 

[Regiruler]

Good North American Wiiware games that cannot be purchased anywhere else AFAIK:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Dr. Mario Online RX
Art Style: Orbient
Bomberman Blast (although apparently had a retail release in Japan???)
Art Style: Cubello
Art Style: Rotohex
Alien Crush Returns
Space Invaders Get Even
Maboshi's Arcade
LIT (PC version appears to be a different game)
Onslaught
Gradius Rebirth
Bonsai Barber
Adventure Island: The Beginning
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
Overturn
Mr. Driller W
Contra Rebirth
Driift Mania
Excitebike: World Rally
Pokemon Rumble
Eco Shooter: Plant 530
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Muscle March
Blaster Master: Overdrive
Art Style: Light Trax
Art Style: Rotozoa
Jett Rocket
Dive: The Medes Island Secret
And Yet It Moves (Game exists on other platforms but Wiiware version AFAIK is only one that allows the level to be rotated dynamically rather than in 90 degree angles, which fundamentally changes the gameplay)
ThruSpace
Snowpack Park
Fluidity
Liight
FAST Racing League
Vampire Crystals

Also Bit Trip Beat and Flux are best played on Wii due to tilt controls. Other games like NyxQuest and Lost Winds 1/2 were designed around joystick + pointer controls and play best on Wii (though the PC versions are still good).

There's Star Soldier R, I've heard it's infamously short but it is Wiiware exclusive.

No.

And don't do this. You cannot play in 240p on Wii U. I found this out the hard way :-(

If he's referring to the upgrade fee to change wii mode vc into native Wii U vc, I could have sworn the wii mode copy remained.

 

[stan423321]

If he's referring to the upgrade fee to change wii mode vc into native Wii U vc, I could have sworn the wii mode copy remained.

It remains on vWii. That post referred to transfer I think which doesn't leave the title on the original Wii, and the point was, Wii U and thus vWii has a more streamlined video encoding system than original Wii, which means it is cheaper to make and more compatible with less compatible TVs, but also has less accurate picture on those TVs which would handle the weirder video modes mimicking the emulated consoles fine. Pick your poison, I guess.

 

[rjc571]

There's Star Soldier R, I've heard it's infamously short but it is Wiiware exclusive.

I'm sure some people may get some enjoyment out of it but I don't consider it a worthy purchase due to its lack of content. (In case anybody is unaware, the entire game consists of 2 score attack stages which are 2 minutes and 5 minutes long respectively, there is no full arcade mode)

 

[Platy]

Obligatory

I expected to be this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWOlXGrPDJA

 

[PdotMichael]

Nobody can take your VHS copy offline

Neither can anyone delete your downloaded games except you.

 

[Meesh]

Good North American Wiiware games that cannot be purchased anywhere else AFAIK:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Dr. Mario Online RX
Art Style: Orbient
Bomberman Blast (although apparently had a retail release in Japan???)
Art Style: Cubello
Art Style: Rotohex
Alien Crush Returns
Space Invaders Get Even
Maboshi's Arcade
LIT (PC version appears to be a different game)
Onslaught
Gradius Rebirth
Bonsai Barber
Adventure Island: The Beginning
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
Overturn
Mr. Driller W
Contra Rebirth
Driift Mania
Excitebike: World Rally
Pokemon Rumble
Eco Shooter: Plant 530
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth
Muscle March
Blaster Master: Overdrive
Art Style: Light Trax
Art Style: Rotozoa
Jett Rocket
Dive: The Medes Island Secret
And Yet It Moves (Game exists on other platforms but Wiiware version AFAIK is only one that allows the level to be rotated dynamically rather than in 90 degree angles, which fundamentally changes the gameplay)
ThruSpace
Snowpack Park
Fluidity
Liight
FAST Racing League
Vampire Crystals

Also Bit Trip Beat and Flux are best played on Wii due to tilt controls. Other games like NyxQuest and Lost Winds 1/2 were designed around joystick + pointer controls and play best on Wii (though the PC versions are still good).

Man... so many good times there.
I'd better make sure to dl everything for Dark Lord and My life as a King, the Contra and Castlevania remakes were so awesome. Seriously Wiiware had good shit!!! I really want some of these games on Switch...
When I look back, it'll be like losing an old chum.

 

[entremet]

While this sucks, DD is still very young. I hope the console makers develop personal archiving tools.

DD is the best thing to ever happen to modern gaming. You would not have the robust indie community in a standard retail marketplace.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Neither can anyone delete your downloaded games except you.

Your system can break however.

 

[Andyliini]

Your system can break however.

So can your VHS tape.

 

[Nosgotham]

Man... so many good times there.
I'd better make sure to dl everything for Dark Lord and My life as a King, the Contra and Castlevania remakes were so awesome. Seriously Wiiware had good shit!!! I really want some of these games on Switch...
When I look back, it'll be like losing an old chum.

came in here to say this. My Life as a Dark Lord is my favorite Wiiware game and My Life as a King is so charming and peaceful.

why the hell us Dark Lord not on any other platform yet???

 

[ibrahima]

Castlevania Rebirth (and Muscle March, ha ha ha) cannot be missed, I really hope a re-release eventually happens.

I'd like to think that eShop doesn't end up this way since it's a much more "modern" service, whereas the Wii Shop Channel relied on what are probably best described as a couple of pieces of string holding your purchases on your machine.

It's a big shame that the Wii U has such bad video output and only allowed gamepad / pro controller support for Wii VC titles on the eshop.

 

[RRockman]

So can your VHS tape.

Your system can break however.

Guys, let's not derail the thread for this. It's an important enough topic to make your own.



Was that Pheonix Wright port any good? I remember hearing you could scream objection to trigger it?

 

[daegan]

Now I'm debating getting another original Wii just to capture the rest of the VC and Art Style games I don't already have transferred to my Wii U.

 

[PdotMichael]

Your system can break however.

Nothing exists for all eternity. Your collection of physical media will stop working at some point.

 

[Teknoman]

This sucks, i'm trying to download Gradius Rebirth on my WiiU, but i keep getting an error code. Its already deducted my points too, and is in my downloadable games list...

 

[dose]

So can your VHS tape.

Totally not the same thing and you know it. If your Wii stops working you are screwed and you'll access to all your purchased games. If your VHS player stops working you could buy an old player off eBay or something and still play your tapes.

 

[Proc]

This seems shitty.

 

[The Main Event]

Had 1000 points that's been sitting there forever. Spent it on MDK2 last week.

WiiWare had a good run.

 

[Javier]

I'll probably browse the Wii Shop in the next few weeks to see if I can buy anything extra before the shutdown. I'll definitely miss that quirky elevator music.

The thing that I find most surprising is that Miiverse is shutting down first.

 

[xir]

Fluidity is the secret best game. It has Mario64 DNA.

 

[Nosgotham]

lilt line and light trax should not be slept on

 

[Honey Bunny]

Nothing exists for all eternity. Your collection of physical media will stop working at some point.

Nothing exists for all eternity so who cares how long anything lasts. Incredible argument.

So can your VHS tape.

So you buy another VHS. Can't redownload the game. That's the whole point.

 

[i-Jest]

This sucks, i'm trying to download Gradius Rebirth on my WiiU, but i keep getting an error code. Its already deducted my points too, and is in my downloadable games list...

What's the error code, do you have enough internal memory space?


Does the WiiU recognize any SD cards in Wii Mode?

https://m.costco.ca/Kingston-64-GB-Class-10-SDXC-UHS-I-Card,-2-pack.product.100364614.html

https://m.costco.ca/Kingston-128-GB-Class-10-SDXC-UHS-I-U3-Card.product.100364629.html

 

[Professor Beef]

They probably noticed how little those games were selling, which would explain the shutdown. Damn shame. At least there's plenty of time to grab some stuff.

Funny enough, this reminds me of the number of times I would have to answer calls about Club Nintendo shutting down.

Why not keep the store up? It seems too early to shut it down.

A decade+ is hardly "too soon."