In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising
Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade
Nintendo has issued a forecast, stating that it expects to sell a staggering 25 million Wii consoles over the next twelvemonths. If true, that will bring the total up to 50 million. Released in November 2006, it’s been a massive success, and is the great driving force behind the company rise in profits. Profits have gone up 50% to $2.5 billion for the Japanese financial year ending March 31, and Nintendo enjoyed total sales of $16.2 billion. “Nintendo’s strategy is to accelerate thecurrent sales momentum from ‘must-have for every family’ to ‘must-have for everyone’,” the company said in a statement, adding that it would reach that stage by “continuously introducingnew and unique software, and new services which take advantage of its expanded installed base.” Ninteno also shipped 30 million DS handheld games last year, although it expects a dip to28 million this year.
