The Nintendo eShop being discontinued for the 3DS and WiiU is a disappointment to many players who still play the consoles. Despite both systems being discontinued long before, both systems offer plenty of games and entertainment. That is especially true for the Nintendo 3DS, being host to plenty of fun titles. Players need to take advantage of the shop they can. There are plenty of games in the 3DS eShop. While I believe most are worth getting, I will list some important games that you should get before 2023.
Fire Emblem Fates Revelation
It was thanks to the 3DS that Fire Emblem saw newfound popularity in the series. It’s thanks to the games on this handheld along with Smash Bros that we continue to get games to this day. Fire Emblem Fates is arguably one of the biggest games within the series, offering three versions of the games offering a different experience in each title. While it isn’t the best series to most fans, I still believe it’s worth playing, especially for newcomers to the series who started with Three Houses.
The Revelation path will be gone forever once the eShop is closed. It can only be bought as DLC from the store and there’s no other way to buy the route physically unless you were lucky to get the special edition. If you’re even slightly interested in playing Fates, I recommend you jump to get this third route while you can.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
With the recent reveal of the sequel to Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, it’s a good time to go back to the first game in the series. Once a Japan-only game for the Sega Saturn and Playstation, it was later ported to the 3DS worldwide. It doesn’t seem like you need to play the first game to enjoy the upcoming sequel, but it’s still worth giving it a try.
There are plenty of SMT games that are rare 3DS exclusives and Soul Hackers is no exception. It may be difficult to find a physical copy as time goes on, making digital a safe bet for players. While it may be a niche within the SMT series, the upcoming release of Soul Hackers 2 will make this title more than worth getting.
Pokémon Virtual Console
Losing out on Virtual Console will be a huge loss after the closure of the 3DS eShop. One of the huge losses is the old Pokemon games. While we still have plenty of new games and remakes to play, it’s still worth preserving the old games as much as we can. The Gameboy Color versions of these titles have yet to be released on the Switch, making the 3DS virtual console the only option beyond the original.
There are plenty of Pokemon games for the Gameboy on the virtual console. All of Generation 1 and 2 are available on the virtual console, including their third variations with Crystal and Yellow. For anyone who wants to play from the beginning, I highly recommend any of these games.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies
Phoenix Wright is a series with entires on most current systems. However, the same cannot be said for Dual Destinies that had a digital-only release for the 3DS. Due to a lack of retail success for the previous games, Capcom opted to make it an Eshop exclusive for the US and Europe. All the more reason for those interested in the visual novel series to grab this game before it’s gone for good.
There are not many other options to acquire Dual Destinies unless you have an android phone for the mobile port. It’s a decent alternative but limiting to people with a non-android phone. The same can be said for many of the other spin-offs and titles within the series that will become even rarer as the eShop closes.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
Another classic Gameboy title from Virtual Console that will be lost forever. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are some of the few Legend of Zelda titles that haven’t seen many rereleases and remakes. It could be possible to see the games remade like Link’s Awakening but as of now, it’s only possible to experience these two gems on the Gameboy and Virtual Console.
The same could be the same for the original Link’s Awakening for fans that wish to play the original. Like with many Gameboy games, they would become difficult to obtain after the eShop has closed. Hopefully, we could be able to see some way to play them on the Switch with Nintendo bringing older games to the system.
Persona Q / Q2
As mentioned before, there are plenty of SMT games on the 3DS, mainly of them being rare and difficult to obtain physically for a good price. While Persona Q and its sequel are too difficult to find copies of, they’re still worth getting for fans of the series. It’s a fun crossover series with cute visuals and interesting gameplay inspired by Etrian Odyssey. Despite being vastly different from the original games, they make up for it by keeping the same Persona flair fans are familiar with.
While the games aren’t as difficult to acquire compared to other Atlus games, they’re still a must-have for Persona fans. It’s one of the few spinoffs on a Nintendo console and will become even rarer as time passes on for physical copies. Given its unique gameplay relying on the dual screens from the 3DS, it’s unlikely to get a port like older spinoffs.
Project X Zone
Speaking of crossovers, Project X Zone and its sequel are underrated gems in the 3DS library. Excluding Smash, it’s one of the few titles where you can see such a large gaming crossover with beloved characters from Namco, Capcom, Sega, and even more companies. It’s not often that you get video games where you can play with Mega Man X, Fire Emblem, and Yakuza characters in the same game. While the gameplay isn’t groundbreaking, it’s still a fun time to be had just from the interactions and dream matchups alone.
Most copies of the Project X Zone duology are expensive and don’t offer a good deal in comparison to the eShop. Just like with Persona Q, I imagine that it will just get even worse once the eShop is gone for good. Just like many 3DS exclusives, it would be difficult to see this becoming a port for modern consoles. If you’re a fan of any of the series represented in these games, it’s worth grabbing the title from the eShop while you still can.
What game do you think is worth grabbing from eShop? There are countless games from the 3DS library that users will miss out on. Check out this article that details digital exclusives that players will miss out on.
