Along with the rather offensive – possibly even controversial, depending on your reception – news of Wii U and 3DS eShop will stop working next year, Nintendo also shared a pretty neat memory ride down. Similar to the year-end Switch site many of us used, you can visit my Nintendo 3DS & Wii U memoriesSign in with your Nintendo account and view lifetime stats for 3DS and Wii U usage.
There are some data provisions (e.g. 3DS data only covers up to February 2020), but nevertheless, it’s a nice little trip down Nostalgia Alley.
We created our ‘Memories’ and share the resulting infographic below for your viewing pleasure, even if some of us disagree with the ‘data’!
Damien McFerran – editorial director
As you can see, StreetPass has been a BIG part of my 3DS life and one of the main reasons I carry my console with me. Mule is also a company favorite, as I imagine is the case with most 3DS owners. I tried to jailbreak Monster Hunter on the 3DS – mainly because Tom said how awesome it was – but as you can see, I probably didn’t go into it as deeply as I should.
As for the Wii U, I have to admit that my stats are skewed due to the fact that my son played Minecraft and Splatoon on it non-stop.
Gavin Lane – editor
Unfortunately my Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account are from different regions and I can’t link them to get my Wii U and 3DS stats in an attractive infographic format. However, I can fire up my trusty 3DS (New Edition, XL, Super NES, he said smugly) and check my Activity Log for some hard stats. I could do the same for the Wii U (White, 8GB version), but that means putting it on top of the closet.
At the time of writing I’ve played 172 titles on my 3DS and registered 7,455,756 steps – ha, they don’t put that in your fancy pants infographic, do they?! Number 1 is Animal Crossing: New Leaf, with 239.42 hours of gameplay. StreetPass Mii Plaza 2nd place with 207.39 hours (lots of meet and greets in that framework!), and Fire Symbol: Awakening also topped with 106.38 hours.
Furthermore, I pumped over 88 hours into GB Tetrisspent 76 hours trying to get digital ‘badges’ in Nintendo badge video gameand indulge in 53.40 hours of racing in Pocket Card Jockey.
Most surprisingly (or not), I spent over 44 hours making purchases on the eShop, making it the 9th most played software on the console. Maybe it’s a sign I need to reevaluate my financial life options, but I’d like to see it as a fitting tribute to the awesomeness of the 3DS eShop and it’s just going to be missed. how much when it disappears.
Tom Whitehead – deputy editor
Oh, how I fell in love with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the 3DS; I have fond memories of tossing around with Insect Glaive and doing mount attacks every now and then. I still play Monster Hunter Rise that way, to be honest. Fire symbol fate there because it has 3 campaigns (!) and the truth is I didn’t gain credit in all of them. What’s most notable, however, is the presence of StreetPass, a feature I still feel is greatly missed on the Switch. The old StreetPass was excellent for community and social elements, even if you’re merely meeting the Mii character and not the real person.
I have some fond memories of StreetPass, but what I like best is when I actually passed a former NL contributor who is also one of my favorites. He lives in America, but we through people in Edinburgh, Scotland without realizing it while he was on holiday. Our surprise about that is something.
As for the Wii U, the funny thing is I don’t remember using Netflix on it that much; what’s more interesting is that we still don’t have Netflix on Switch! Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate yes of course (the last MH game on Nintendo hardware that supports voice chat natively, cool), as well as Mario Kart 8. I love the Wii U and enjoy experiencing many of its smaller eShop games, but even with the relatively high numbers, they’re still inferior to the 3DS – the Wii U just doesn’t connect with the gaming community and its impact It’s sad the result is to be endured.
Kate Gray – staff writer
The 3DS may still be my all-time favorite console, so I’m not surprised to see so many hours! I used to play it on the hour-long bus ride to work, as well as pretty much every night before bed – and I live in London, so StreetPass has always been poppin’. It’s also not surprising that the three games I play the most are Animal Crossing and Story of Seasons, because those kinds of games reward everyday play and process their content very, very slowly. I don’t think it necessarily reflects which of my favorite games on the 3DS – Ace Attorney doesn’t even have one! – but I’m happy to see Fantasy life hang there. It’s a real gem.
I’m a bit embarrassed by my Wii U count, but to be honest, when I was at ONM (Official Nintendo Magazine), we mostly reviewed games on shared, in-office Wii U. … and who knows where that is now .
Alex Olney – senior video producer
The biggest surprise was seeing the Wii U have a lot higher numbers than the 3DS, but Splatoon alone essentially confirms that it could be accurate. Of course, Smash doesn’t hurt everything, but the nice surprise that stood out for my Wii U times was the inclusion of SteamWorld Heisticon in the bottom right corner. Can’t beat that.
At first, I was surprised that Pokémon Y comes out on top for the 3DS because my memories of that game are the fewest, but it’s probably because my partner played it on my account before she got her own 3DS. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is nothing short of surprising, except for the fact that it’s classified as an RPG. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate? I think most of that time was spent trying to understand the tutorial, and I have yet to beat Deviljho.
Ollie Reynolds – reviewer
So, a little note on my memory… Neither screenshots adequately represent my time with the 3DS and Wii U, because I’ve been through multiple consoles and accounts ! I used to sell things to buy new things, then sell new things to buy back old things… It was a complete affair.
Anyway, I’m pretty confident that even though Twilight Princess HD At the beginning of my Wii U playtime, I actually played Metroid Prime trilogy much longer, just on a separate profile. Similarly, I’ve played a lot of Fantasy Life games on the 3DS, but you wouldn’t know from looking at the screenshots! I’m actually quite surprised that I spent so much time on Pokémon Ultra Sunactually – I don’t really like that one…
Gonçalo Lopes – reviewer
Looking at these pictures brings me back to a very happy period in my life. The 3DS is by far the best portable console I’ve ever owned, with more gaming time than both my PSP and Vita. That image doesn’t really show the whole picture as the 3DS is still home to some of my all-time favorite franchises that still aren’t on the Switch: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Tekken 3D Prime Edition, Ridge Racer 3D and the most important Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + are all present and counted on the 3DS.
More shocking might be the top three games I spent the most hours on on the Wii U. Xenoblade Chronicles X always number one obviously because I didn’t just finish the game, I lived it for three months. Now Third Devil and Call of Duty: Black Ops II might make you a bit odd but the reason is exactly the same: the online mode is fun, for sure. The Wii U was my first HD console so there are some titles absent from that screenshot. It made me a fan of Block effect, Assassin’s Creed, Darksiders among many others that I have never experienced before. Also not recognized as hours on both Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition and Tank! Tank! Tank!
Austin Voigt – contributor
I remember thinking how amazing it was when I watched Netflix on my TV, then picked up the GamePad and watched that same show everywhere around the house! Within 25 feet. Strictly speaking, the Wii U might be considered a failure, but that’s what I love about Nintendo – something unique, weird, and different.
3DS is easily my most played console ever – though somehow the numbers have disappeared from my account? (I’ve got three different systems, so it might have something to do with it). I remember the first time I experienced stereoscopic 3D without glasses, it blew my teenage mind. It was literal technological magic, and to this day nothing else has had such an impact. I also know I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on themes for that – our Switch theme, Where’s Nintendo?! And I still remember sneaking that thing to work at my first adult job, and somehow StreetPassing with the professional adults in my office building who were also playing Pokémon and Animal Crossing? I love the Switch so much – but it can still learn a thing or two from the 3DS.
Those are our official memories, be sure to share some of yours in the comments!
