Nintendo Direct announces new titles and features for the 3DS and Wii U this morning, as well as some anticipated release dates. Shigeru Miyamoto also made his first appearance on the Nintendo Direct stage to discuss what he calls “the year of Luigi” and some new instalments to the Mario bros. franchise.
The year of Luigi
With a bit of Mario thrown in of course.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon: Will be out Mar.24 for the 3DS, and will feature a four player co-op mode that allows players to work together or against one another and will also support online play. Some unique aspects of the game will include different mansions to explore, each with its own distinct ghosts and challenges.
New Super Luigi U: Luigi is getting a Wii U centred game that will include a lot of downloadable content. The iconic “bros.” has been dropped from the title as Mario won’t make an appearance. Super Luigi U has no set release date, but will be available on the Wii U eShop.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team: This new instalment to the bros. franchise will be out for 3DS this summer, and uses Luigi’s dreams as the setting for the game. In section’s shown, Mario is seen fighting his way through his brother’s dreams with mini Luigi’s coming to his aid.
Mario Golf World Tour: Set for a summer launch, Mario Golf Course plays the way most Mario sports games do, with traditional golf courses and Mario themed ones. Miyamoto added that, the Developer Camelot is applying their vast knowledge of golf to the game to make it more realistic.
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move: A puzzle centric game that will make it’s way on to the 3DS eShop. This game will feature multiple modes and unlocakable mini games, along with the ability to create your own puzzles. This title will only be available to download, and does not have a set release date.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D: Nintendo is rebooting the retro SNES platformer set for a summer release as a 3DS title. The game will receive a full 3D face lift, and Players can check out the trailer on the 3DS eShop ‘sometime today’.
Nintendo 3DS/Wii eShop picks
Even though Nintendo said this was going to be a a 3DS centred conference, they couldn’t quite stay away from the Wii titles. So here’s some of the titles announced that caught some interest.
Harmonknight: Finally making its way to North America on Mar.28, and with a demo download for Mar.14. HarmonKnight is brought to us by GameFreak (the Pokemon guys) and is a side scrolling game that allows players to jump or attack to create harmonies throughout the game.
Kersploosh: Available on Mar.7, Kersploosh has players navigate a stone’s decent down a well, while avoiding obstacles in your way.
Dilon’s Rolling Western: The action tower defence game will be out Apr.11, with some new aspects that include recruit allies and protecting a train.
Toki Tori 2: Is set to hit sometime in March on the Wii U eShop, letting players once again control that Chubby Chicken.
Upcoming Wii/3DS titles
Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate 3DS: Set for a Mar.5 release along with a demo version available on Feb.28.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U/3DS: Set for a Mar.19 release and a demo for Feb.21
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Wii U: Set for release with Miiverse capability for Mar.19
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Wii U: Set for a Mar.26 release.
Harvest Moon: Legend of the River King 3DS: Coming soon for the 3DS virtual console.
Disney Infinity Wii/Wii U/3DS: To be released in June.
Lego City Under Cover: Set for a Wii U release Mar.18 and the Lego City: Under Cover the chase begins will be out April 21 for 3DS.
Animal Crossing:New Leaf: Available on June.9.
A little on the technical side
New Miiverse capabilities and some neat technical updates coming for the Wii U
Wii Street U: Now available for a limited time for free on the eShop . This allows users to explore Google’s Street View maps in first-person. There’s no word yet on when this feature will become paid.
Wii U Miiverse Community: Is now getting a dedicated space for The Legend of Zelda, where fans can discuss all things Zelda on the the Miiverse today. Appearance by game designer Eiji Aonuma may also appear on the Miiverse occasionally.
With all that said, are you excited for any of these new titles coming out? Make sure to let us how you really feel in the comments.
