Finally, Nintendo Direct News November 2015

Ever since the passing of Satoru Iwata Nintendo fans have wondered if and when we would see another Nintendo Direct. Iwata always opened the broadcast (“Directly to you”) and played a prominent role more then once, and the fans were wondering if the company would continue doing that. And who would take over Iwata’s role?

Well, finally, the moment we have been waiting for: a new Nintendo Direct, simultaneously in Europe and in America. Has the wait been worth it? Well, check it out for yourself, as I list all the major news:

• Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess returns to WiiU in HD. The last Zelda game on the  GameCube and the first Wii Zelda game, and now a new version on the WiiU. I must say that the Wolf Link Amiibo looks pretty good! This will kick of the celebration of 30 years of Zelda in 2016 nicely. The game will be available on March 4th both in the US as in Europe.
• Europe has some additional Zelda goodies: Both Spirit Tracks as the Phantom Hourglass will be availabe in the virtual console on the WiiU. Buy one before November 19th, and you will get the other one half price.
• Europe ánd America will get more titles on the virtual console, this time in the 3DS eShop: Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow will be available for download. As you can’t use the Gameboy Gamelink cable anymore, you will be able to transfer Pokémon between the games through wireless trading. Nice to go back in time this way!
• Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Bros will be coming to the 3DS soon: Europe will have the game on December 4th, and America has to wait till January 22nd. I won’t join in this game, as you know my feelings towards Mario, but it does look very good. Sort of a cross between a Mario & Luigi game and Paper Mario. Very nice use of the amiibo too: they will transform in the game into cards that you can use in paper craft battles.
• I love Pokémon games, played the main games and the Pokémon Ranger spin-off, but I’ve never played a Mystery Dungeon game. I must say though that visually Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon looks very good. It will be released soon in the US, on November 20, and on February 19 in Europe.
• Pokémon got a lot of attention today: Pokkén Tournament, the fighting game on the WiiU was shown (to be released in Spring 2016) and in both regions Pokémon Picross will be released on the 3DS early December.
• I wasn’t planning on buying Animal Crossing’s Amiibo Festival, but I must say that the addition of the survival island does have me paying attention. It seems there could just be more to this game then just rolling the dice, but I’d have to investigate some more.
• I don’t play Super Mario Maker, but the portal app they showed did catch my eye: one of the first examples of how a mobile app can be used to enhance gaming fun. The app let’s you search for particular courses while you go about your daily business on your mobile phone. You can search by filtering on your specifics, and add the course to your favorite, having it ready to play when you get home. This portal app will be released in December. Nice!
• The Badge Arcade is available for free download both in America as in Europe. I’ve written about it some time ago, as Japanese fans have been able to use it for some time now. It’s a nice way to spruce up your homescreen, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Check out my thoughts from back then here.  
• A title that isn’t my cup of tea but will no doubt interest many of you, Xenoblade Chronicles X will be available for the WiiU on December 4th both in Europe as in America.
• Final Fantasy Explorers is being released in Januari 2016 (Europe 29 and America 26) , and will be getting all Japanese DLC for free!
• Another interesting release for 2016 is Dragon Quest VII, Fragment of the Forgotten Past which will reach us on the 3DS in early Summer. Not only that, we will also get DQ VIII, the Journey of the Cursed Kings in 2016!
• I saved one that I’m particularly interested in for last: Fire Emblem Fates will be coming February 19th. You can buy Birthright or Conquest, reliving the same story through different people, seeing both sides of the same story. Plus, if you’ve played them both, a third game will add even more background info: Revelation. Very, very nice indeed! I’ll tell you more about these games soon.