Nintendo Direct Valentine’s Day was a hit as Nintendo revealed lots of new information and release dates for upcoming games for WiiU, 3DS, and their digital services.
Although there were no megaton announcements, there is a lot to get excited about from Nintendo. And we have a very exciting E3 2013 to look forward too, where hopefully Nintendo will make waves with the first footage of the new WiiU Zelda, WiiU Metroid, WiiU and 3DS Smash Bros., and whatever else they have under their sleeves!
For now enjoy these Nintendo Direct full video presentations!
NINTENDO DIRECT VALENTINE’S DAY AMERICAN PRESENTATION FULL VIDEO
NINTENDO DIRECT VALENTINE’S DAY EUROPE PRESENTATION FULL VIDEO
NINTENDO DIRECT VALENTINE’S DAY JAPAN PRESENTATION FULL VIDEO
Customize the outside of your house for the first time in Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS will be released on June 9th 2013 in America and June 14th in Europe, surely other territories will follow soon after! This is another one of Nintendo’s big titles for the year, and is the highly anticipated 4th entry in the beloved series.
Here is the American Nintendo Direct Valentine’s Day Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS video with new footage of the game in action; and new details! All narrated by Shigeru Miyamoto’s translator, Bill Trinen of the Tree House Nintendo Translation studio.
Previous games in the Animal Crossing series include the debut Animal Crossing for GameCube in 2002 (released for N64 in Japan as “Animal Forest” in 2001), Animal Crossing: Wild World was the 2nd installment released for DS in 2005. And Animal Crossing: City Folk was the third game, released for Wii in 2008. The original game allowed you to unlock hidden NES games that you could play, although this feature was removed in all future installments. The DS version was the first to feature online support, allowing you to exchange items with friends online and even visit their towns online (instead of using Passwords like the GCN version), meanwhile the Wii City Folk version expanded on that by allowing multiple players to visit each other’s towns at once, and the ability to speak to each other via Voice Chat using the Wii Speak Accessory when playing online with friends.
Here is the European Nintendo Direct Valentine’s Day Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS video. Narrated by Animal Crossing: New Leaf producer and series creator Katsuya Eguchi.
Watch both videos to learn as much as possible about Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS, both videos feature completely different presentations and gameplay footage.
The main hook of Animal Crossing has always been the fact that it syncs with the system’s clock, making it so that time passes in the game corresponding exactly with the real world (from Seasons to Holidays to day and night) and certain events only happen on certain days, be them Holiday Celebrations or new Animal neighbors and characters for you to meet (for example a guitarist dog named KK Slider who only plays songs on Saturday Evenings). All future Animal Crossing games kept these time elements.
Take over duties as mayor of your town in Animal Crossing 3DS!
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, players will finally get to be Mayor of their own town. This means that the debt you have to pay off is low, the ability to start collecting items to decorate your house comes fast, and all of the residents are subservient to YOU! Additionally, player’s will finally be able to customize the actual look of the outside of their homes!
What a beautiful house!
Animal Crossing: New Leaf introduces all-new features and greatly expands on the amount of things you can do in your town, thanks to being mayor. You can now pass laws to customize the town to your liking, for example making it so that everyone wakes up early (Early Bird Town), everyone stays up all night (Night Owl Town), everyone focuses on making the town look good (Beautiful Town), or everyone is rich (Wealthy Town). You can even change the actual painting and patterns on furniture yourself, making for way more customization than before.
Now you can customize the actual look and pattern of furniture!
Another really cool feature is Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s StreetPass Happy Home Showcase play. By walking by someone who has the game, you’re 3DS systems will exchange data, and their House will be added to a special lot where you can view their house along with the homes of all the other people you’ve met! You’ll even get their custom Animal Crossing character added to your lot so you can compare what they look like, what they are wearing, what accessories and clothing they have, to what your character looks like!
See the houses of people you’ve walked by in real life and their character. AWESOME!
This Happy Home Showcase mode will even allow you to check out the exterior design they’ve used to customize their house, and go inside to check out what unique items the have that you may not have! This is an extremely welcome and VERY cool feature.
Seasons change like autumn here. You can also see a beanie hate accessory on this girl.
Customization of your character has also been expanded, allowing you to collect not just new shirts, but other pieces of clothing including new shoes, hats, and accessories (like the token Umbrella’s) as well as hang certain pieces of furniture on the Walls! This further expands on the indoor customization that includes the ability to place and move around different pieces of furniture available to collect, and the ability to change or create different patterns of floor tile, carpet and wallpaper to give your house a unique look inside.
This time you need to pay Tom Nook to buy the land for your town that you’ll mayor over.
As you are the Mayor, you’ll be able to customize the look of other Houses and Buildings around town, as well as place Lamp Posts, Benches, Fences, Bridges, Hedges and other decorations around the actual town, a first for the series. That’s in addition to planting trees, collecting fruit, bugs, fossils, artwork, fishing and all the other things you’ve done in previous Animal Crossing games that you can still do in this one. You can even swim in the ocean bordering the town! That’s new!
Build wells, bridges, lamp posts and more and place them around town!
By leaving across the train tracks of the town, you can access Main Street, which is where you will find all the familiar locations from previous games. This time they are all in one area, making it very easy and very simple to accomplish a lot without having to walk a long distance to various spots in town. This addresses one of the critisms of Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: Wild World, where locations for you to visit, purchase new items, customize clothing and more, were spread out and player’s spent a lot of time simply running from one location to the next. This time things will be much more seamless and easier to accomplish with all the locations in one place, which when combined with the new touchscreen interface, makes playing the game much more painless!
All shops and locations are now in one area at Main Street for easy access.
Nintendo also revealed that Animal Crossing: New Leaf inspired clothing, accessories, etc. will be available in the 3DS eShop title “Style Savvy: Trendsetters”, where you can start downloading them and customizing your girl’s fashion sense with Animal Crossing love right now for the casual female-centric, Nintendo-developed fashion, lifestyle game (the first title of which was released for DS in 2008 as “Style Savvy”. It’s called the “Nintendo presents: Style Boutique” series in Europe).
All in all, the Life Simulation gameplay of Animal Crossing: New Leaf will definitely excite fans of the series, and people who’ve never played it before are in for a world of fun, casual, and expansive content that they are sure to enjoy! Definitely looking forward to this game!
Solve puzzles throughout the Mansion using Luigi’s vacuum in Luigi’s Mansion 3DS!
Luigi’s Mansion 3DS: Dark Moon’s release date is March 24th 2013. The game is a big one for Nintendo and will finally return Luigi to a starring videogame role, in this sequel to his first adventure, 2002’s original Luigi’s Mansion for GameCube.
This game has been in development for a while now, and was delayed into 2013 to give Nintendo and developer Shigeru Miyamoto and his team more time to put lasting polish and replay value into the game, to truly raise it from AA to AAA status, and the game definitely looks it in this all-new Luigi’s Mansion 2 footage from the newest Nintendo Direct presentation.
Get ready to stun lots of ghosts in Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for 3DS! Releasing March 2013.
Luigi’s Mansion 3DS will kick off what Nintendo is calling “The Year of Luigi“, and is the major triple-threat attack with the lil’ bro in the limelight that will be released this year (alongside Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and New Super Luigi U), and the game marks one of Nintendo’s biggest titles for 2013.
Miyamoto himself makes his first Nintendo Direct appearance to discuss the game for fans and reveal all-new gameplay footage and details on the upcoming adventure. Watch the video above to hear all he has to say and see this great looking sequel in action.
Watch out, or the Ghost Dog will steal your gold!
Miyamoto talks about how they are able to use the glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D graphics of the 3DS to really make the levels pop, and add new depth to the same great gameplay from the first game. Players still explore a deep, dark mansion full of ghosts, using their flashlight to light up the environments and their Poltergust Vacuum to suck them up! Many unique ghost characters will be encountered in this game, including a Ghost Dog who loves gold! Each one is unique and will take unique strategies to get discover them and then suck them up.
Certain ghosts will block Luigi’s light to protect themselves, by wearing sunglasses (haha) or using umbrella’s and other items and weapons. Like the first game, Dark Moon is full of puzzles to be saved in the multiple mansion’s many rooms, and you will need to figure out how to make the ghosts appear. One new item is the DarkLight, which can be used to follow the footprints of certain ghosts, like the aforementioned Ghost Dog.
I can’t wait to play Luigi’s Mansion 3DS, as I never got to play the GameCube original, even though I always wanted too! This game looks vastly improved over the original announcement trailer, so I’m glad that Nintendo delayed it. Good move on their part.
Looks very similar to the first game but with HD graphics.
Toki Tori 2 will be released for the WiiU as well as PC this March 2013.
Absolutely no details on the game were released, but the game looks like it will feature similar gameplay to the original and is sure to satisfy fans of the Game Boy Color puzzler, which has since been ported to iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, PC, PSN, Mac, Steam, Mobile.
As such there are surely a lot of people who will be happy to see a sequel to this underrated gem, which was one of the last Game Boy Color games ever released, to widespread critical acclaim.
I remember when I first read the reviews for Toki Tori in EGM Magazine, I always wanted to play the game but never got around to it. It was developed by Two Tribes and published by Capcom (people often mistake it for a first-party Nintendo title known as The Legend of Starfi, another similar title that I was sad to see never got released in the US on it’s original Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance platforms. We did finally get the 5th DS game in 2008 however) and greatly overlooked by a lot of people, although it has gotten a bit more popular ever since the re-releases starting hitting.
A new music game from the creators of Pokemon? Sign me up!
HarmoKnight for 3DS eShop releases on March 28th 2013 and is an all-new Rhythm Action game by Game Freak, the developers behind Pokemon! This game marks their first original non-Pokemon game since Drill Dozer released for the Game Boy Advance in 2006 (I own a sealed copy :D). Very exciting!
HarmoKnight (as in “Harmony Knight”) is a easy to play but deeply rich, unique experience where the jumping and swatting actions of the main character create the very rhythms and harmonies of the background music! Timing is everything as the game is played with only two buttons, jumping and hitting.
80 levels across 8 Worlds with themed music from Rock to Marching Band!
You’re task is to collect music notes strewn across the courses and defeat enemies with correct timing, which adds richness and depth to the harmony. Beating a level with the proper timing won’t be easy, and will provide lots of replay value to this already massive game, which contains 80 levels across 8 worlds as the player hunts for a symphony of instruments. These worlds will be themed, from Marching Band to Rock Music and everywhere in between. VERY COOL!
At least one Pokemon music level will be featured in the game!
Earn a high enough score in a level and you will unlock new advanced and more challenging modes, like Speed Runs! Additionally, neat Bonus Tracks will be included (and likely downloadable as DLC) that feature theme songs from Pokemon! And hopefully from other Nintendo games as well.
This game looks like a real winner! I love Rhythm Action games like Elite Beat Agents and Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, so this game looks awesome to me! Good to see Game Freak being able to work on something else besides Pokemon for a change!
Mario Golf: World Tour for 3DS will be released this Summer 2013 announced Nintendo via their Nintendo Direct conference. The game will star Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Wario, Donkey Kong, Waluigi and all the Mario friends you know and love (Peach, Toad, Daisy, Shy Guy, Koopa, etc.). New friends are sure to pop up as well, as always, although that list is just conjecture by me.
A range of varying golf courses will be featured, including ones that feature Mario enemies on them (like a giant Goomba) and the like. Traditional courses will also be available as well as powerful and unique SuperShots for each character (you can see Mario grabbing Starman Power-Up for his Supershot). The game is once again being helmed by developer Camelot, who has created all of these games along with the Mario Tennis/Hot Shots Golf franchises.
From the press release:
“The Nintendo 3DS game includes both simple controls and a deeper experience for golf fans, plus courses that range from traditional to those inspired by the Mushroom Kingdom. The game launches this summer.”
It’s that classic Mario Golf gameplay you know and love, this time on 3DS!
It’s always great to see a new Mario sports game! These games never cease to entertain, and I’m glad that they are still being produced. Mario Golf was the originator of the Mario Sports line, and was followed up by Mario Tennis, which became more popular. People still love the Mario Golf series, so it’s great to see a new installment for the 3DS! Especially given that Camelot is developing it once again, just as they have with past titles; which included the original Mario Golf on N64 way back in 1999 alongside Mario Golf GB for Game Boy that same year. The sequel, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and the 2nd game in the series, was released for GameCube in 2003, alongside Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the Game Boy Advance in 2004.
And now, Mario Golf: World Tour for 3DS is the third game in the series. There were also two Golf Sports games made by Nintendo and starring Mario and friends for NES, including 1984’s “Golf” and 1991’s “NES Open Tournament Golf”, both released on the NES.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is hitting the 3DS!
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D has been announced for 3DS with a Summer release date. The title is an enhanced update of the Wii game from 2010.
As you’d expect from a 3DS version of a last-gen console title, the game graphics have been upgraded to fully take advantage of the 3DS’ glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D effects, making the layers of background and foreground Jungle-filled levels pop off the screen!
Here is an actual 3DS screenshot of the game (the one below is a Wii screenshot, though they look identical).
Mine Cart action in 3D!
It is unknown if the game will include any other enhancements or additions over the Wii version, but I’d expect that the game will at least include StreetPass play and is likely to include new challenge areas and new levels. We’ll just have to wait and see for more info!
You can imagine how the scenery pops in glasses-free stereoscopic 3D on 3DS!
You can see how the game looks in stereoscopic 3D by checking out a Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D trailer available to view now on the 3DS eShop.
Exciting news! Even though a lot of people complain about ports, I don’t mind ports one bit. Especially when they are greatly enhanced, remastered and improved over previous versions. I didn’t get to play the original Wii game, so DKCR3D is right up my alley!
Gameplay in Dillon’s Rolling Western 2 is just as fast and visceral as the first!
Dillon’s Rolling Western 2: The Last Ranger will be released on April 11th 2013 exclusively for 3DS eShop, and is an all-new sequel to the original 3DS eShop title, a critically acclaimed Action Tower Defense title with great characters and an cool Western theme.
In this new game, players will be able to recruit all-new allies by battling them and defeating them throughout the new adventure. This game also will include extensive new StreetPass features!
Meet Gallow, the Lizard gunman!
Officially entitled “Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger”, like the first Dillon’s Rolling Western (released late last year for 3DS eShop) the game combines the strategy of defeating enemies with Weapon Placements that Dillon can purchase and deploy around the map (Tower of Defense-style); and mixes it with visceral action elements as main character Dillon, a Gun-toting Western Armadillo, rolls into a ball and slams into enemies with flashy attacks and claw swipes!
Protect that train!
Gallow, a strong but greedy Lizard Gunman, Boon, a foolish but powerful Bear, and Nomad, a mysterious Squid Assassin from the East Sea, are all fully-developed characters Dillon will meet and enemies that Dillon can turn into allies. They will join Dillon’s team of Cowboys for this adventure once you defeat them in battle. Like before, the characters are strong, unique, and very likeable!
This is Nomad, the Squid Assassin from the East Sea.
In addition to saving villages from peril and the onslaught of invading forces, Dillon is also tasked with defending a train as it moves throughout the game’s environments, adding a new depth to the strategy gameplay as you both have to wade off incoming foes, and protect the train from being attacked and hijacked!
Additionally, player’s will be able to share tips with others on how to pass the game’s levels, defeat bosses, and better protect their camps via StreetPass!
Meet Boon, a powerful and mysterious Bear.
Those who liked the first game are sure to love the sequel, and even if you didn’t play the first game, be sure to pick this one up. I can already tell it’s a winner! Looks awesome! :D
Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is an all-new game in the acclaimed puzzle action game series previously known as “Mario vs Donkey Kong”!
It features the action puzzle gameplay starring Mario & Donkey Kong that fans love from previous installments (Mario vs Donkey Kong for GBA released in 2004, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis released for DS in 2006, and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again released in 2009 for DSiWare and available to download right now for 3DS eShop).
A new subtitle brings new kinds of puzzle gameplay to this hit portable series.
Mario AND Donkey Kong: Minis On the Move completely re-imagines what you expect from the series, introducing puzzles where you race against the clock to create paths, solve puzzles, and get the Mini Mario Toy’s to the Goal to complete each stage. The game features multiple levels with this concept, as well as lots of unlockable mini-games to play.
A robust Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move Level Editor will be included so that you can create your own ingenious levels filled with devious puzzles. Play through the game and master the puzzles so that you can get adept at creating your own! You can then share this content with your friends online who own the game!
Here is gameplay footage of Mario vs Donkey Kong 4: Minis On the Move!
Look around real world city streets using your WiiU GamePad in Panoramic View! Awesome!
Google Earth comes to WiiU supporting Panoramic View with “WiiStreet Powered By Google” app, which is available to download right now for free! Get in early before the app becomes a feature that you’ll have to pay for!
Skip to 23:20 in the video to see information on the WiiStreet Powered By Google Earth app!
Just as the name suggests, this awesome application allows you to view the streets of the world using Google Earth directly on your Wii U GamePad! But the coolest part is the ability to “see through the eyes of the GamePad” directly at street level, and then pan around to different camera views by physically moving your GamePad, just as if you were looking from street level yourself!
This Panoramic View of real-world locations was shown off as a WiiU demo, it’s great to finally see it in action for real! Good stuff!
Download this interesting Google Earth application now for free!
