I’m not going to start with too much fluff, because the first Nintendo Direct of the new year speaks for itself. Mixing some great announcements and huge surprises with some painfully stupid reveals, Nintendo was all over my emotional spectrum. Read below for the highlights of this morning’s presentation, and keep an eye out for more details on the following announcements throughout the day.
-New Title in The Fire Emblem Series. No details yet.
– Puzzle and Dragon Z/Super Mario Bros Edition double pack coming in May. Combines puzzle and RPG elements.
– Pokemon Shuffle? Pretty much just like Trozei. Will be free. Now limited to the number of moves you can make. Each Pokemon has a level and ability, can level up and mega evolve. Can only play for a certain amount of time, which can be extended with items through street pass, game play, and microtransactions. Dated for February
– Some Wii games will be playable with game pad and classic control pro if they supported the classic controller. Can download. Mario Galaxy 2 now! Punch Out Coming Jan 22, Metroid for Jan 29th on the eShop.
– Kirby and the Rainbow Curse: February 20th with Kirby Amiibo support.
– Wave 4 Amiibo: Robin, Lucina, Pac-Man, Ness, Charizard, and Wario coming in Spring.
– Super Mario Bros. branded Amiibo coming March 20th. Will be compatible with Mario Party 10. As if we didn’t already have a surplus of Mario Amiibo.
– Mario Party will work with 9 Amiibo. Rosalina is playable in addition to the regular cast. Special bundles will include new Mario amiibo. Must erase smash data to use Smash amiibo, (Donkey Kong, Rosalina, Wario,) in Mario Party? Well that’s dumb.
– Captain Toad will add hidden Toad with Toad amiibo. Update coming March 20th.
– Splatoon gains central hub. In game money can be spent on helmets, clothes, shoes and weapons to customize your character. 3 weapons at a time. Including special, sub and main weapons. Stats can be altered based on clothing. “Inklings.” Coming in May.
– Tingle coming to Hyrule Warriors. Fights with baloons, rupees, and a kiss of death. Young Link gets Fierce Diety mask. Coming Feb 5th, includes adventure pack and three new costumes.
– Xenoblade Chronicles X gets a new trailer with breathtaking environments. Coming 2015
– Mario vs Donkey Kong Tipping Stars. Coming to Wii U and 3DS. Allows you to tip players who make stages you like with stars that you unlock by doing well in stages. Cross Buy if you buy Wii U version. Available March 5th.
– From creators of Tekken, a free to download, 4 player treasure hunting game coming exclusively to Nintendo. Tentatively titled “Project Treasure”
– Elliot Quest is an 8 bit side scrolling platformer. Releasing in February
– Blek is a puzzle game using our imaginations. Coming in February.
– Citizens of Earth, an RPG staring the Vice President of Earth. Coming January.
– Gunman Clive 2 adds 4 playable characters. Coming January.
– Moon Chronicles episodes 2, 3, and 4. coming in January. Can be bought in episodes, or a full season. That’s surprising, the original was an underrated gem.
– Sega 3D Classics from January-March. Starting with Afterburner, Fantasy Zone, Outrun, Fantasy Zone 2 and Thunder Blade.
– Etrian Mystery Dungeon coming soon. Can create your own party and explore dungeons.
– Story of Seasons, a life/farming sim. Coming March 2015 to eShop.
– Fossil Fighters Frontier. Can team up online, battle, and hunt for fossils together. Arena area can be used to battle. Coming March 20th.
– New 3DS incoming. Amiibo support, improved web and download speed, faster processing power. Face Tracking 3D. C Stick. Can be used with Circle Pad Pro compatible games. Smash Bros 3DS will be the first Amiibo compatible game. Extended battery. Automatically adjusts lighting based on battery. Uses micro SD cards. Comes with 4 GB card. Will be able to transfer data. Info coming soon. No standard new 3DS side? Will not include an A/C adapter? That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long while. And I guess we’re not good enough for the small console with the interchangable face plates. Coming February 13th.
– Codename: Steam will use Fire Emblem amiibo to add characters to your team. They cannot be revived, like in Fire Emblem, and need to be re-loaded after the stage is completed. Marth can heal and wield his Falchion, Ike uses power and long range moves along with Aether. Lucina and Robin were not explained. More Marth’s coming. March 13th.
– Ace Combat uses C-Stick and shoulder buttons. Amiibo unlocks skins for planes. Launching Feb 13th.
– Xenoblade Chronicles allows you to view 3D models. Monster Games of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3DS porting the game. Coming in April and exclusive to New 3DS.
– 6 player local and online 3rd person shooter. Includes online and single player campaign. Titled Ironfall Invasion and developed by a small team at V.D. Dev. Uses C-Stick or touch screen for aiming. Coming Soon
– Monster Hunter 4 getting New 3DS Bundle!!!! Coming February 13th exclusively Gamestop! Can team up with up to 4 people in single player campaign. Exclusive demo coming soon, will include all 14 weapon classes, multiplayer local and online and an in depth tutorial. Monster Hunter 4 puzzle swap puzzle coming soon.
– Majoras Mask gets full 3D rotatable camera. Will receive Majoras Mask pin if you pre order Project STEAM at Pick-Up from GameStop. Coming February 13th.
– Majoras Mask New 3DS is launching as well!!! I went from not wanting it to wanting two within 15 minutes. To paraphrase the wise words of Rebecca Black, which one shall I take!?
So… the relief I felt from being able to save money post holidays as all but disappeared considering nearly everything shown was announced between now and May. Which New 3DS will you pre-order today? Which games will you pick up? Where are you planning to sell your body to afford all of this, and can I join you? My body will have to be ready.