WUT?! Our Last Wii U eShop Purchase EVAR?!

In this #YouTube #Shorts video, we discuss what could be our final purchase from the Nintendo Wii U eShop before it shuts down in 2023.

The Nintendo Wii U, what an amazing platform that no one knows about. As people look back with nostalgia now for the Sega Dreamcast, I think in the next 10 years people will have that same attitude towards the Wii U. Following in the footsteps of the original Wii, the Wii U suffered from an identity crisis. Was it just a tablet accessory for the Wii? Was it a new system? Well, this branding confusion, along with other issues caused the Wii U to be one of the shortest-lived consoles in Nintendo's history. Nintendo announced that the eShop would be shutting down soon, so we went shopping to see what we needed to pick up. And boy, did we find a gem.

The original NES Remix for the Wii U and 3DS is an amazing title. Mixing and mashing up original NES titles into something new and unique. While the graphics were without a doubt inspired by the NES, it definitely had a refresh and update of sorts to make them look even better. As such, the original was one I loved on the Wii U and played often. But then I discovered that there was a sequel.

NES Remix 2 is more of the same for the Wii U, and at $9.99 USD it was an easy purchase. I was able to get around the initial issue of not being able to add funds via credit card or eShop gift card by simply adding funds to my Switch account, as it shares a wallet with the 3DS and Wii U. I went ahead and made the purchase, and I am glad I did.

In addition to the titles that have been remixed, there's also a unique title all in itself. Super Luigi Bros is a reimagining of the original Super Mario Bros, where everything is familiar, yet different. In the original Super Mario Bros, Mario, and Luigi in a 2 player game, are continually running to the right to try to rescue the princess and defeat Bowser. In Super Luigi Bros, the world is a mirrored image of that game, so you're running to the LEFT the entire time. If this doesn't throw off your muscle memory, the fact that all the question blocks are mirrored and reversed might distract you visually. It also features Luigi's higher jumping ability which had not been originally introduced until the 1986 Japanese sequel Super Mario Bros. 2.

In addition to the Super Luigi Bros, there is another game that is hidden, but unlockable. If you have the original NES Remix, you can also unlock the Nintendo World Championships Remix, in which players progress through three successive challenges in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Dr. Mario, similar to the original Nintendo World Championship competition.

I am so glad that I picked up NES Remix 2 before it was gone, as I really loved the original and had so much fun with it. With both the Wii U and 3DS eShops going dark, it once again demonstrates why having physical versions of your games are more important than ever. With a physical disk or cartridge, I can grab it from my shelf, put it in my system, and play my game. With Digital Distribution, as long as I have the files on my system I am good, but if I ever need to restore or replace my system, my purchase is lost forever.

#WiiU #Nintendo #wiiugames