The Nintendo Direct aired online yesterday, and in it was announced some pretty amazing new stuff! The big kicker for me was an article we posted yesterday evening about Cloud from Final Fantasy VII joining the battle in Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS! So crazy! Well, bellow I've listed out all the details of what you need to know from the livestream. If you just want to watch the whole 45-minute presentation yourself, I've embedded the video at the bottom of the page.
The Legned of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and New Wolf Link Amiibo
The show kicked off with the announcement of Twilight Princess being re-released on the Wii U in HD. While this transition worked really well on Wind Waker, I'm not totally convinced that this will be worth the re-purchase. While I'm not one of the Twilight Princess haters out there (I actually quite liked the game), I don't feel like the face-lift on this one is all that impressive. It just doesn't look that much more improved from the Wii counterpart that came out almost 10 years ago.
On the plus side, we're getting a totally rad new Amiibo of Midna riding on the back of Wolf Link! I really want this figure to adorn my desk. A bundle with the game and the new Amiibo will be available on March 4th, 2016.
Reggie also touched on the 5 original Super Smash Bros. Amiibos from the Zelda series being compatible with the game, but no specifics were mentioned.
New 30-Stage Dungeon Coming to Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes
A new bit of free DLC is coming to The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes which will add a new dungeon called the Den of Trials. The area will have 30+ stages, as opposed to the usual 4 or so. The Den of Trials will be a tough challenge for hardcore players.
Also being added are two new outfits: Linebeck's Uniform and the Fierce Deity Armor. Linebeck's Uniform will allow you to see inside chests before you open them. The Fierce Deity Armor, other than just looking bad-ass as hell, increases your attack power and shoots beams of magic in four directions. (Sounds almost as OP as the real deal from Majora's Mask.)
The update will release on December 2nd.
The Pokemon Dungeon Crawler Games Make a Return with Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games became popular early on in the release of the Nintendo DS. Rather than the traditional games in the series, these take place where only Pokemon exist. You build a three member party out of a choice of 20 different Pokemon to explore randomly generated dungeons. In this new installment you will encounter all 720 of the current Pokemon. You will also get to battle along side Legendary Pokemon and accept quests on the fly with the new Connection Orb system.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon is available on November 20th.
New Gear and Stages Coming to Splatoon
Splatoon was definitely one of this year's unexpected hits. The gameplay is so freakin' unique and fun! Well a new update that started yesterday and rounds out this evening at 6:00 PT will include some new winter themed gear and two new levels: Museum d'Alfonsino and Mahi-Mahi Resort.
The Museum d'Alfonsino has five revolving platforms in the center of the stage. The layout is pretty hectic looking, and the fun Splatoon twist on familiar pop art throughout the stage is really interesting to see. I can see this becoming one of my new favorite stages.
Mahi-Mahi Resort is a poolside at a fancy, tropical hotel. That means it is littered with water hazards. Halfway through the match things change up quite drastically, as the water level lowers, making it safer to traverse the stage but also adds a lot more ground to cover with ink. There will be a lot of very close calls on this stage!
All of the new pieces of winter themed gear are live now, but the Museum d'Alfonsino will be available after 6:00 PM PT this evening. Updates will continue to come out until January.
To round out the Splatoon news, Nintendo announced the official Treehouse Splatournament this December. It looks like Splatoon is aiming to be a real contender in the eSports community and I'm excited to hear that. The bright colors and atmosphere of this game make me grin from ear-to-ear, so I can dig watching this being played competitively.
Super Mario Maker Adds New Search Functions with Web Portal
In a very brief update, Nintendo announced their new Web Portal. The site features a more in-depth search engine for user built Super Mario Maker levels. Using your computer or smart phone you can narrow down levels you want to play and bookmark them for the next time you sit down at your Wii U.
This new feature will be available some time next month.
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Bundle and New Game Mode Revealed
At E3 this year, Nintendo announced their weird new Animal Crossing themed game that felt more like a Mario Party game than the neighborhood simulation that the series is known for. Players use their Amiibos to unlock different characters to play as on a virtual game board, living out a month in that character's life and trying to collect "Happy Points". During the Nintendo Direct they showed off some new features as well as our first look at the Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival bundle with two Amiibos included.
Amiibo Character Cards will unlock new game modes, the one they showed off is called Desert Island Escape. You pick three characters using these cards who are then stranded on a desert island. You have seven days to build a raft and escape the island using the supplies available to you. The island is a small version of the game board with various mini-games you complete to collect supplies to survive and build your raft. Each character has unique strengths and weaknesses as well, which means playing with the right character for the island is crucial. This mixed with some pretty basic combat and resource collecting makes me think this is the gamemode worth buying the title over. It seems very Don't Starve-esque.
The Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is available starting today!
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash Includes Various Game Modes and Amiibo Support
The latest entry in the Mario Tennis games has bumped up some pretty awesome super powered tennis moves. With the introduction of the jump shot you can quickly return your opponent's serve with some precision timing. On top of that, Nintendo has introduced the new Ultra Smash, which allows you to really hammer down your jump shot and really secure your point.
Also being added to the game is Mega Battle Mode. During this mode of play, Toad stands by the edge of the court and tosses in Mega Mushrooms, granting characters the ability to temporarily become gigantic. Also available is Simple Mode, where there are no added items or abilities. Just good, ol' fashioned tennis.
Added Amiibo support for Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash includes a survival mode style challenge called Knockout Challenge. As you beat each character you can add new stats and multipliers to your Amiibo partner. The Amiibo partner can also be used to play doubles online.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is available November 20th.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Gets a Brief Look and New Improved Load Time Content
Nintendo touched very briefly on their huge, open world RPG epic coming out, Xenoblade Chronicles X. We see a quick glimpse at the exploration, combat, and mech customization. The big announcement was the new DLC that will allow physical copies of the game to load faster from data already loaded on the console. You can also pre-load the game now if you've already bought it on the Nintendo eShop.
Xenoblade Chronicles X releases on December 4th.
Pokemon Picross Combines Number Puzzles with Pixel Art
Pokemon Picross is a free-to-start game available on the Nintendo 3DS that combines a grid-style number puzzle game with some simplistic, adorable pixel art. You complete each puzzle to capture a new Pokemon. That new Pokemon can then be added to your party to help with special abilities when solving the next puzzle. I'm not particularly fond of number puzzles, but Sudoku fans will totally dig this game.
Pokemon Picross will be available through the Nintendo eShop in early December.
Indie Titles Coming to Nintendo eShop
A collection of new indie titles are coming to the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS through the eShop. The Nintendo Direct showed off a few little snippets of these new titles. Steam World Heist, the strategy RPG shooter on the 3DS. FAST Racing Neo, the F-Zero inspired multiplayer racer game on the Wii U running at 60 FPS. TypoMan is a unique puzzle-platformer in a world made out of words where you manipulate letters to beat different puzzles.
Smash Splat Wii U Bundle will Include Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon Pre-Installed
After a weird video about Yo-Kai Watch that will basically make you not want to eat donuts for awhile, Reggie announced the Smash Splat Wii U Bundle for the Holidays. The Bundle will include a 32 GB Wii U system with Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon pre-installed.
The Smash Splat Wii U Bundle will be available starting Black Friday.
Short New Pokken Tournament Trailer and Shadow Mewtwo Amiibo Card
Nintendo and Bandai Namco revealed a very short Pokken Tournament trailer that shows off the new Shadow Mewtwo in action. Nintendo then revealed the new Shadow Mewtwo Amiibo card that will only be available with the first print of the game. The card will unlock the character in-game immediately, as opposed to having to unlock him through challenges.
Star Fox Zero Gets a New Release Date and Trailer Showing Off Characters and Vehicles
When Nintendo revealed a new, fully fledged Star Fox game at E3 this year, I about lost my damn mind! Star Fox on the SNES is one of my favorite games from my childhood. My hands on with the game at E3 made me even more excited, as the unique use of the Wii U Gamepad is part of what makes this game awesome. Nintendo released a new trailer that shows off the team and the vehicles they will use.
There are three vehicles, each with two different modes of play. The classic Arwing can transform into the Walker, making it easier to deal with enemies on the ground. The Groundmaster can switch into a slow-moving, low flying artillery ship called the Gravmaster. The new Gyrowing can deploy a small robot to navigate narrow puzzles and plant explosives.
Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Adds New Battle Card System with Amiibo Support
The Mario & Luigi games have always been a bit of a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG, and have done a great job of preserving the fun of that very unique SNES title. Now with its crossover with Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi Paper Jam adds a new layer of combat and puzzle solving. With 2-D Puzzles that only Paper Mario can solve, and a giant Papercraft Mario that your team can use to rampage through certain stages there are some cool new overworld options added.
With the addition of this stuff is the new Battle Card system. This opens up a whole collection of new moves available in combat to Mario and the gang. You can collect cards in game, but certain ones are only unlockable by using Amiibos. Time to bust out that Amiibo collection and start unlocking new powers.
Mario & Luigi Paper Jam will be released on January 22nd on the 3DS.
Final Fantasy Explorers Getting American Release
Final Fantasy Explorers is a super cool action RPG in a similar vein to Monster Hunter. You will traverse dungeons and battle epic monsters and boss characters from the full expanse of Final Fantasy lore. You will unlock classic weapons and armor from traditional FF character classes. The American and International release of the game will also include all of the previously released DLC from the Japanese version. The big thing included will be classic character skins so you can play as some of Final Fantasy's most iconic characters. The game is both single player and 4-player co-op.
Final Fantasy Explorers will release in the Americas on January 26th and a Collector's Edition will be available. This will include the game, the soundtrack, an artbook, and a Nintendo 3DS hardcase.
Fire Emblem Fates Two Ways to Play: Birthright and Conquest
One of the great parts of the Fire Emblem storyline is the division between characters that both have very rich backgrounds. There is no good vs evil in Fire Emblem, just two sides of the same war. The new entry in the series, Fire Emblem Fates, is broken up into two games. Birthright and Conquest both tell opposite sides of an on-going war for control of the kingdom. Well now we know our options available for playing both or either game.
You can buy each game separately for $39.99. If you buy a copy of one game, you can download the other on the Nintendo eShop for $19.99. Or, if you want to go all in, you can get the Special Edition. The Special Edition includes Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Conquest, and the later released DLC Revelation. Also included is an artbook and a Nintendo 3DS XL pouch.
Fire Emblem Fates will be released on February 19th.
Nintendo 3DS Version of Mega Man Legacy Collection Includes Museum Mode and Special Bonus Stages Unlocked with Amiibo
The Nintendo 3DS release of the Mega Man Legacy Collection includes an added Museum Mode that allows you to view old concept art, original box art, and promotional material for the games. The browsing is made easy with the touch screen and dual screens. But more importantly is the addition of new bonus challenge levels exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version of the game. These 10 levels can only be unlocked using the Mega Man Amiibo, or the new Gold Mega Man Amiibo which is only available through the Mega Man Legacy Collection Collector's Edition.
The Mega Man Legacy Collection will be available February 23rd.
Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow Version Coming to Nintendo 3DS from eShop
The classic versions of Pokemon originally released on the Nintendo GameBoy are finally coming to the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS! They will be as close to the original games as possible, and include wireless trading and battling with other players!
The classic ports will be available February 27th.
Hyrule Warriors Legends Adds 4 New Characters
Hyrule Warriors was one of those Wii U titles that you either understood what it was, or you didn't. As a huge fan of both The Legend of Zelda and the Dynasty Warriors games I really enjoyed Hyrule Warroirs. Well Nintendo announced that the new release on the Nintendo 3DS, Hyrule Warriors Legends will include Tetra, Toon Link, and the King of Hyrule from Wind Waker. Plus a brand new character is joining the series named Linkle. Finally we get an aswer the age old question, "What if Zelda was a girl?" Linkle is the female counterpart to Link. She hails from a small Cucco ranching village and wields dual crossbows. Her fighting style is really fast and combines close and far range attacks. I can really see myself digging playing as Linkle. (Not to mention I won't mind seeing some adorable Linkle cosplays in the near future.)
Hyrule Warriors Legends releases March 25th on the Nintendo 3DS.
Dragon Quest VII: Forgotten Past and Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Coming to Nintendo 3DS
The classic Square Enix RPGs, Dragon Quest VII (PS1) and Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) are getting a polished ports on the Nintendo 3DS. They will include some new puzzles and some well improved graphics. These ports will be available in Summer 2016.
Cloud Strife Joins the Fight in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
And finally, the big news. Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII will be joining the roster of characters in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS! This new deal has a lot of speculation behind it. Does this mean the Wii U will be getting the HD Remake? Are we going to see a straight port to Nintendo handhelds like we've seen on the PS Vita and PSP? I guess time will just have to tell. But in the mean time, I can't wait to get my hands on Cloud in Smash!
A special Super Smash Bros. news broadcast is coming next month, so hopefully we will see even more great news! It is going to be tough to top this though...
