And here I am in a state that can only be described as panic-buying. At least that’s what it feels like. With just a few hours left, I have a wishlist of games wondering how reasonable or unreasonable it is for me to buy them knowing that I will most likely never play them or that I have access to them through other means such as Nintendo Switch Online’s virtual console. Here’s a list of games I’ve either considered buying and bought or punted off the list.
The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Super Mario Bros., you know, the original NES games, were the first ones I put on the wishlist way back in the day when the announcement that the eShop was shutting down. These were the big titles that cemented Nintendo in the minds and hearts of 40+ somethings. I thought it would be great to have the original games available in my trusty handheld 3DS. The conundrum I faced was that these titles are available on the Nintendo Switch Online service, so why bother buy them? There were two questions that I asked myself which are would I ever cancel my online subscription (no) and, realistically, what are the chances I’d ever go play them no matter which platform they appeared on (never). I eventually removed The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. but kept Metroid.
In fact, I put all of the Metroid games on the list. Out of all of the classic franchises, this is the one that is tops for me. So compiling all of the available games in my DS feels logical: Metroid (NES), Metroid II – Return of Samus (GB), and Super Metroid (Super NES). I already bought Metroid – Samus Returns (3DS), so total out-of-pocket cost for these titles was only $17. Yes I know they’re available on the virtual console services, but that doesn’t make me happy. Having all of them on the 3DS makes me happy.
It was tempting to do the same and collect all of the Zelda games, all of the Castlevania ones, and even all the Shantae games by WayForward, but would I really go play those games? Again, realistically speaking, no, and I’m not as big of a fan of those series as Metroid to ignore the rational choice. I’m fairly certain that the Nintendo IP’s are all available through their virtual console services, and WayForward is offering all of the Shantae games natively on the switch, so I’m not really missing out on anything.
The Ace Attorney series was one that I wrestled with for longer than I should have. The price is outrageously low at $2.99 for each game: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Write: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, and Phoenix Write: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Three bucks per game! 90% off the list price! I doubt we’d ever see these games at such a discount ever again. In the end, I did the right thing and passed. And if I really, really want to play them, they’re all available on the Switch.
Steel Empire, a steampunk shoot’em up game, was one that’s been on my wishlist for a long, long time. I love me some shoot’em ups, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on this one. And if it’s been on my wishlist for so long and I haven’t bought it yet, there’s no chance I’d ever play it if I did buy it, so off the list it went. Plus, I feel like the 3DS’s small screens would make playing a shoot’em up more difficult.
Liberation Maiden was also on my list for the longest time, but unlike Steel Empire, I bought this one. Girl in a mecha suit wreaking havoc appeals to the anime fan side of me. And it’s only $8 bucks.
Earthbound was another title that stayed on the list and was bought. And I’ll admit this is 1,000% based on hype. Earthbound Beginnings was not available for the 3DS, but it’s available on the Switch Online Service NES virtual console. And based on my fleeting research, Earthbound is the recommended first game in the series one should play anyway. Only $10 bucks.
And that’s about it. I guess I’m pretty lucky that my wish list wasn’t that long. In the end I only ended up spending about $35 bucks for titles that I actually feel excited about owning on my 3DS. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to buy the games that I really wanted physically and digitally. With that being said, I’ve been wrestling with these wishlist items for a long time. FOMO is a powerful force but I feel like I’ve made mostly smart decisions. The sad truth is that even though I rationalized the spending of money and purchasing these games, I may never actually play them since my 3DS has been pretty much restricted to shiny Pokémon hunting duty these days.
If you’re looking to get some titles from the eShop for your 3DS or Wii U systems, you have until 8pm ET / 5pm PT today to do so. Good luck.
