NEWS RECAP: NINTENDO DIRECT – JANUARY 14th, 2015
It’s a new year, and Nintendo has announced its plans for 2015. From new games and eShop downloads to amiibo figures and a new gaming system, 2015 is looking like a great year for Nintendo.
New Games
To start off, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata debuted the trailer for a new Fire Emblem game for the 3DS. Not much info was given, however we were told that the player’s in-game decisions will affect the game’s world much more drastically than ever before. This new installment is developed by the same team behind Fire Emblem: Awakening along with the same character designer, but a new story writer has been hired for this game.
Next, we learned about two puzzle games: Puzzle & Dragons Z and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. These puzzle games include an RPG aspect, making them seem a lot more fun than your average puzzle game. These two games will be available in a single package for the 3DS this May.
Nintendo of America’s Bill Trinen took over to tell us about more games being released this year. He started out with Kirby and the Rainbow Curse for Wii U. In this game, you use the GamePad to create rainbow paths for Kirby to travel on to avoid danger. However, you don’t have infinite ink so draw wisely. This game also has amiibo compatibility, and will be available February 20th.
Coming March 20th will be the second best game to play at a party (after Smash Bros. of course)–it’s Mario Party 10 for the Wii U. This game contains three modes: classic party mode, Bowser party mode, and amiibo party mode.
A new game coming to Wii U this May is Splatoon, a third person shooter that has squid-like humanoids called “Inklings” using colorful ink to wage war on each other. There are options for a four-on-four matches as well as single player matches. Everything is connected through the central hub where you can meet other players through Miiverse or customize your avatar before going into battle.
One of the biggest announcements during the Direct was The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D being scheduled for release February 13th, and with it comes some DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, including five new warriors and an adventure map.
Coming to the Wii U sometime later this year is Xenoblade Chronicles X,and the trailer we were shown during the Direct showed off some the game world environments on planet Mira, where the game takes place. More information will be released later this year.
Nintendo’s partners at Bandai Namco have announced a new project they’re working on at the moment. It is being developed exclusively for the Wii U and is an action game that offers 4 player co-op. Players will work together to disarm traps, route enemies, and seize mysterious treasure. The game is currently titled, “Project Treasure,” and will have more details revealed by its developers soon.
The last game discussed during Nintendo direct presentation was Fossil Fighters: Frontier. This game reminds me a lot of Spectrobes (anyone remember that game); essentially, players search for fossils that can be revived into dinosaur like monsters called “Vivisaurs”. These monsters can then be used in battle. This installment includes online and local co-op play, and will be released for the 3DS March 20th.
eShop Downloads
We all enjoy free stuff, and we also enjoy apps (whether they’re free or not). Well the Nintendo eShop for both 3DS and Wii U will have just what you’re looking for this year. And, it all starts with a free-to-download puzzle game called Pokémon Shuffle. Like many free apps, there is a limit to how long you can play before you have to stop, but there are items to help you stay in the game longer. Pokémon Shuffle will be available for download from the 3DS eShop in February.
Specific Wii titles will also be available for purchase from the Wii U eShop in the near future. This will allow for gamers to play Wii titles without needing to switch between Wii and Wii U modes on their console. Also, games that were compatible with the Classic Controller will be playable with the Wii U GamePad controller. The first few Wii titles announced for download include Super Mario Galaxy 2 (available now), Punch-Out (available January 22nd), and Metroid Prime Trilogy (available January 29th). As an added bonus, all downloads will be half price the week they are released.
This next download is a treat for people who own both a 3DS and a Wii U: Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Star. The Mario vs Donkey Kong series is most acclaimed for its stage builder, and now you can share your custom stages with other players. If others like them, they can give you stars which will allow you to get cool custom parts and make your stage even better. But the best part of this download is that when you buy the game for one system, you receive a free code to download it on the other system as well. This game will be available for download from both eShops on March 5th.
Other games coming the Wii U and 3DS eShop include: Elliot Quest and Blek in February (Wii U), Gunmen Clive 2 and Moon Chronicles Episodes 1-4 coming in January (3DS), Sega 3D Classics from January through March (3DS), Etrian Mystery Dungeon coming in spring (3DS), Story of Seasons in March (3DS), and Citizens of Earth on January 20th (both).
Amiibo
Eleven new amiibo figures will be coming out in February as part of Nintendo’s fifth amiibo wave: King Dedede, Rosalina and Luma, Bowser, Sonic, Mega Man, Toon Link, Sheik, Ike, Shulk, Lucario, and Meta Knight. There will also be another wave of Smash amiibo coming this spring, including Robin, Lucina, Pac-Man, Wario, Ness, and Charizard.
And to decrease your already limited shelf space, on March 20th a line of Super Mario Bros. amiibo will be released to coincide the launch of Mario Party 10. These amiibo are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Toad. For those of you who bought Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, there will be an update allowing you to use the Toad amiibo in-game. In Mario Party 10, the amiibos can be used in the amiibo party mode similar to pieces in a board game. Mario Party 10 is compatible with any amiibo character that originated from the Mario universe, including the new figures mentioned above. In case you need to check which amiibo works with which Nintendo game, you can check out the chart on Nintendo’s website to keep tabs on which figures apply to which games.
The New 3DS
Reggie Fils-Aime announced during the Direct that the newest addition to the Nintendo 3DS family was arriving in the United States on February 17th. However, the U.S. will only be receiving the XL version of the New Nintendo 3DS. The New 3DS will come with a multitude of new features, including amiibo compatibility which will allow you bring your favorite characters wherever you go. Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS will soon receive an update so amiibo figures can be scanned on the New Nintendo 3DS during gameplay. Reggie also revealed that the new system would switch from using regular sized SD cards to micro SD cards for more compact design. Now, some of you are probably worried that if you get this new system means starting from scratch; thankfully, the kind folks at Nintendo thought of that, and you will be able to transfer the data from your old system to the new one by following a specific set of instructions which Nintendo will post on their website at a later date. The only thing this new system doesn’t come with is a charger, but you can just use your old one or purchase one from your local electronics store. The New 3DS XL will be available in “new red” and “new black” on February 13th.
It looks like Nintendo has a lot planned for this year, with even more exciting announcements on the way. Stay tuned for more news updates on Nintendo games and hardware in the weeks to come.
Go With the Flow
By: Eclipse Phantom
Picture via serenesforest.net
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