Sunday Scoops 02/20/22
Wii U and 3DS eShop discontinuation. Nintendo in a blog post, stated that the Wii U and 3DS eShops will be discontinued because "This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." This shutdown will be done in multiple stages. Starting on May 23rd, 2022, you will be unable to add funds using a credit card to a 3DS/Wii U eShop account. Then on August 29th, 2022, you will be unable to use an eShop gift card to add funds. However, you can still use download codes at his time. Finally, sometime in late March 2023, you will be unable to make purchases, download demos or themes, redeem download codes, or add funds. You will, however, be able to re-download purchased content after the closing of the eShop. This discontinuation will sadly remove access to over 1700 games across the 3DS and Wii U systems. I knew this news would be coming, but it still hurts as an owner of both platforms. Nintendo put together a site where you can look at your stats and (hopefully) relive memories of both platforms. You can check out this site here.
Cyberpunk 2077's new-gen version and free trial are available now. After a long wait, the new-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 is here. These new versions add features such as better visuals and more immersive audio. Players who own the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 versions of the game can upgrade to the new versions of the game for free. A new update for the game is now available for all systems. This update adds new weapons, additional apartments for V, a rebalancing of systems, and more. The free trial of the game, which is only available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, lets you play Cyberpunk 2077 for five hours from the start of the game. I don't think I'll play Cyberpunk 2077 due to too many other games releasing soon, but I might check out the free trial.
A BioShock film is coming soon to Netflix. Netflix, along with 2K and Take-Two Interactive, is partnering to make a movie adaptation of the video game franchise BioShock. While it isn't fully clear what part of the BioShock universe is coming to the big screen, according to all messaging from Netflix on this project, it'll be an adaption of the first game. I recently finished the first BioShock and I can't wait to see the game (or one of its sequels/spinoffs) get a film adaption.
A new Sonic the Hedgehog movie and show were announced. The third movie in the Sonic the Hedgehog series is officially in development by Paramount Pictures and Sega. Also, sometime next year, a new original series starring Idris Elba as Knuckles will be coming to Paramount Plus. The second Sonic movie in this trilogy of films, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, will be released in theaters on April 8th, 2022.
Horizon Forbidden West is getting a Lego set. The Lego Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck set contains 1222 bricks and includes a Lego version of the Tallneck, a Minifigure of Aloy, and a stand made of Lego bricks for the finished build. This set, which is set number 76989, will be released on May 1st, 2022 for a retail price of $80.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is coming to Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is coming to the Nintendo Switch through its Online + Expansion Pack subscription service. This game will be added to the service this Friday, February 25th, 2022. I won't be checking out this game, but it's good to see more games getting added to the service.
That's all the big news this week. I’ll see you all next week for another gaming news recap. Did I miss any big news? Please let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading and Game On!!