The Nintendo 3DS Direct has come and gone, and we’ve received several updates on existing titles as well as information on a few new ones. As tends to be the case when a Direct comes around, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on what was shown.
I’ll start by sharing the video – this is the European presentation, by the way.
Now, I’ll guess I’ll just work my way through it, sharing my thoughts on each title as they come up.
First up was Pokémon Sun & Moon news, in which Alolan Rattata was revealed. It’s a Dark and Normal type, which was forced to adapt in Alola after Yungoos was introduced to cull its numbers. That probably means there’s an Alolan Raticate as well, but I’m not really bothered either way by these particular Pokémon.
We were also told about Z Moves, and a distribution of Munchlax that holds an item required for Snorlax’s unique Z Move.
There’ll be a New Nintendo 3DS XL and 2DS with Pokémon designs released around the same time as the games, which is November 23rd for Europe.
Next was Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. This will come with 100 original courses created by Nintendo, which include extra challenges such as collecting coins or defeating all enemies.
Whilst you’ll be able to play course made on the Wii U on this version, there won’t be a search feature. Stages can be shared via local wireless and StreetPass, and you can even collaborate on making a stage with the former. Due for release on December 2nd.
Since I already have Super Mario Maker on the Wii U, I’ll probably not pick this one up. I can see the appeal of being able to create courses on the go though – would probably work well as a distraction for those who have a long commute to work or something like that.
Mario Party: Star Rush followed that. It has plenty of new modes to try out, and is compatible with the Super Mario series amiibo. There are also some new amiibo launching for that series, including a glow in the dark Boo. 7th October is the release date for this one.
I don’t really have much to say about this title, but I will admit that the glow in the dark Boo amiibo is pretty cool.
For The Legend of Zelda‘s 30th anniversary, Nintendo will be releasing Classic Zelda amiibo figures, which will work as normal whilst also having special functionality with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The amiibo will be released on December 2nd.
Also available right now is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Wii U eShop. I’d say it’s well worth looking into if you haven’t already.
A brief bit about the Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System followed on from that. It will have 30 NES games and launches on 11th November. If I have some spare funds, I may look into getting this.
New Hyrule Warriors Legends DLC adds the Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks pack, which brings a new character and a new weapon along with it, in addition to more equipment for My Fairy Mode.
The new character is Toon Zelda, who comes from Spirit Tracks, hence her ghostly form. Toon Link gains a new weapon in the form of the Sand Rod, which uses blocks of sand to attack enemies and can also summon the Spirit Train.
This stuff comes along with a new Adventure Mode map as well, and is available right now.
I just recently got back into playing Hyrule Warriors Legends, and I look forward to testing out Toon Zelda and the Sand Wand. I still have loads to do in that game, so I suspect it’ll keep me occupied until a certain RPG drops later this month – more on that one later.
Going back to a game that was released in 2013, Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be getting a free update to integrate amiibo functionality. There will also be new Animal Crossing amiibo cards, which are due for release in November. If you don’t own the game, then you’ll be able to buy a packaged version called Animal Crossing: Welcome amiibo from 25th November.
There will be an Animal Crossing direct during Autumn that will have more information.
I haven’t touched Animal Crossing: New Leaf for a long while. I dread to think the state that my town is in – weeds everywhere, I suspect. Animal Crossing games feel like they demand a lot of attention, and I don’t feel that I’ve had the time to properly enjoy one lately. I’ll probably get the update and take a look at the state of my town, but I don’t know if I’ll pick it up again beyond that…
Rhythm Paradise Megamix will feature a story mode for the first time in the Ryhthm Paradise series, which naturally involves completing rhythm games to help people out.
Both English and Japanese audio will be available. Release date for this one is October 21st.
A demo is available for download from the eShop right now.
I enjoy rhythm games, and Rhythm Paradise is easily one of the quirkiest. Whilst it does feature rhythm games from previous entries in the series, there are also new ones that I very much look forward to playing.
Now, the RPG I mentioned before was Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. A new feature in this game is ‘Traveller’s Tablets’. Making use of this feature allows you to access new dungeons with rare monsters and equipment, and they’ll be distributed through wi-fi from launch and beyond. Of course, you can also share Tablets through StreetPass.
This will be released on 16th September, and I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into some classic JRPG action. I’m always up for a Dragon Quest game – I have the DS remakes of 4 to 6.
We also had a release window revealed for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King – early 2017.
Picross 3D: Round 2 followed that, which features more than 200 puzzles, and difficulty settings which have differing solutions. Also compatible with amiibo. This game will be released on December 2nd, but if you want to try your hand at some 3D picross, then Picross 3D is available right now on the Wii U’s Virtual Console service.
I love me some picross, so this is something I have a strong interest in. I’m also considering picking up Picross 3D, as that’s one game that I don’t have in my fairly sizable collection of DS games.
The StreetPass Plaza stuff is getting an update, including a ‘Swift Play Plaza’ that makes getting through things much quicker. There’ll also be five new Street Pass games. Out of them, you can choose to download either Slot Racer or Trader for free, and get a discount for the others if you do. This stuff is available right now.
I’m not particularly bothered by the StreetPass games – I’m still collecting pieces for puzzle swap, but that’s about it.
We were then shown a new 3DS game in development called Tank Troopers. You control a tank and blast enemy tanks. The ‘troopers’ from the title give you different abilities. This is due for release in 2017.
Looks quite interesting, but might be too early to judge its’ potential currently. I’m sure we’ll be told more about it as the release date draws closer.
The next part showcased some 3rd party titles. There were:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, due for release on September 8th.
Sonic Boom: Ice & Fire, due for release on September 30th.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, due out in winter.
7th Dragon III Code: VFD, also due out in winter.
I definitely plan to pick up Ace Attorney at some point, and I’m also particularly interesting 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. I have to admit the other two games here actually look quite interesting, too, though whether I’ll pick them up or not I don’t know yet.
Nindie titles followed that, all available through eShop:
Axiom Verge, due out today (September 1st) on Wii U.
Jotun: Valhalla Edition, due out September 8th on Wii U.
Noitu Love: Devolution, due out in September on both 3DS and Wii U.
Severed due out on 22nd September on Wii U.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, due out on September 29th on 3DS.
The above games will all have a 10% discount during their launch week.
There are some rather interesting looking Nindie titles coming our way, on both Wii U and 3DS – in fact, I’m fairly sure I’ll be relying on the Wii U Nindie titles for my games of month until the end of the year. I should also probably go back and finish the first Azure Striker Gunvolt.
Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World brings the Wii U’s Yoshi’s Woolly world to the 3DS, adding new stages that focus on Poochy. You can also get helpers in the form of Poochy Pups that will indicate where there may be hidden stuff. There will also be a series of animated shorts created by a studio called Dwarf and a Yarn Poochy amiibo. This is all due for release on 3rd February 2017.
Some information about Ever Oasis followed on from that, including some of the games a couple of people currently working on it were involved with in the past. There’s an item crafting system, and you can also help travellers by giving them items they seek.
You also gain allies with unique skills, which will be required to progress the various dungeons you can find.
Due for release in 2017.
I really like the look of this game, and very much look forward to learning more about it in the future.
Mario Sports Superstars has Mario and other Mushroom Kingdom characters competing in five different sports: football, baseball, tennis, golf and horse racing. It seems these sports will be fully featured, if the 11-a-side football is anything to go by.
There will also be single player tournaments for all of them, as well as local and online multiplayer.
Due for release in spring 2017.
The Mario sports games tend to be pretty good, and the fact we have five bundled together here definitely catches my interest. Not the first time Mario’s played tennis and golf on the 3DS… Still, I could see myself buying this.
Finally, the 3DS is getting a new Pikmin game. It’s not what you might expect; the game is a side-scrolling platformer, as opposed to the strategy games the other entries in the series have been.
You control Olimar, who still commands Pikmin. The touch screen is used to throw Pikmin at obstacles to overcome them, whether that be building bridges or battling throws.
Again, another game that looks interesting. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more information in the future.
Well, that’s it for the Nintendo 3DS Direct. There was some pretty interesting stuff in there, some things holding more appeal for more than others – though that’s probably the case for everyone.
Well, that’s my thoughts on the Direct. I’m off to go and play some Hyrule Warriors Legends now.
Rory Muses 