Nintendo Direct: 3DS news

Yesterday the first Nintendo Direct of 2015 was broadcasted. Expectations were high, after the select few getting the chance last week to buy the Ambassador version of the 3DS, we all expected some news on the release of the New 3DS.

Nintendo didn’t disappoint. The New 3DS got the releasedate of February 13th in both Europe as the US. What is surprising though is that the US will only get a New 3DS XL, while Europe does get both versions, faceplates for the smaller ones included. Now I love my XL, so I wouldn’t consider buying the smaller model as I already stated when I told you about the Ambassador offer, but this move does surprise me. Nintendo states something along the lines of that it would be best suited for their market in the US, but still, a surprising move.

We got a lot of news about upcoming game releases for the 3DS too. I’ll mention tell you a bit more about the games that I think are interesting, and the others only in passing.

Zelda, Majora’s Mask We had already heard about Majora’s Mask at the last Nintendo Direct, and now it’s confirmed: to be released at February 13th too, and it comes with a special edition New 3DS XL too.

Story of the Seasons from Marvelous USA and XSEED Games: I don’t know about you, but I’ve looked forward to this game for some time. It’s the true successor to Harvest Moon A New Beginning, but they had to drop the name Harvest Moon in the West. This time Story of Seasons connects players with other lands across the in-game world and with other players online. And aside from the usual animals you’d expect in a harvest moon, you can get animals from the Safari Zone too! The game launches in March.

Fire Emblem, new FE game, Nintendo direct, january 2015New Fire Emblem Game: The latest game in the Fire Emblem series will be developed by the same team that created Fire Emblem Awakening. If you’ve played that one you are already used to making decisions in your game, from which place to move to in the battle field, to what to say in conversations between your characters. And these decisions influence the storyline. This new game promises to even add more ways in which to influence the game’s world.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate : Yesterday I wrote about the special demo codes being distributed to give the game a try, and I intend to do that, though I must admit I’m skeptical. This game makes it possible to join up to three other players locally or, for the first time on a portable system, play online using a wireless broadband Internet connection. There will be a special-edition New Nintendo 3DS XL bundle, which includes a custom-designed system and a copy of the game. It launches on Feb. 13 alongside the game’s release.

N3DS, PuzzleandDragons, Mario edition, 2015Puzzle & Dragons Z / Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition: I’ve tried a bit of Puzzle & Dragons on my Japanese 3DS. I’m not really into three in a row puzzle games, but this one really has potential. It reminded me of an old title that you may not know, Henry Hatsworth & The Puzzle Adventure. Just like in that game the three in a row influences what happens on the top screen. In the case of Puzzle & Dragons Z, it influences the RPG and strategy elements of the game. This time the game is bundled with Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, which features characters and worlds from theSuper Mario Bros. The Puzzle & Dragons Z and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. edition will launch as one package in May.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon: From ATLUS and Spike Chunsoft comes this crossover game that I mentioned before on this blog. It combines the game play of the Etrian Odyssey and Mystery DungeonRPG series. The game launches this spring and gives players the freedom to create their own party of heroes and then embark on a near-infinite loot-hunting quest.

fossil, fighters, frontier, new 3DS, releaseFossil Fighters: Frontier: I know a lot of my readers won’t consider this game, it does have an image of being a kids game. But I have played the original Fossil Fighters and actually liked it. For me it wasn’t as much the battles (along the lines of Pokémon) that was appealing, I liked unearthing fossils and cleaning them in a perfect way, collecting all that were needed to form a vivisaur.  Fossil Fighters: Frontier lets two to six players team up and battle each other’s Vivosaurs in local or online tournaments, and will be released at March 20th.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.: I’ve had this game on my radar for some time, and still I’m not sure if it will be a game for me. The mention of Fire Emblem characters makes me pay attention though, so I’ll include a brief description here: Abraham Lincoln will bring together heroes from classic literature and American folklore to fend off an alien invasion. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. launches on March 13 and is one of the first Nintendo 3DS games to use amiibo. By tapping an existing Fire Emblem amiibo character like Marth or Ike, or an upcoming one like Robin or Lucina, on the touch screen of the New Nintendo 3DS XL system, players can enlist their help in battle as playable characters.

Pokémon Shuffle: This free game will launch in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS in February. It’s a match three type of game where you deal damage as you battle wild Pokémon in the Puzzle Area across a variety of stages. Clearing Pokémon efficiently is the key to success. You get a number of lives to play, and when they are depleted, only time will add new lives for free. Like in Candy Crush. If you don’t have the patience however, you can buy new lives too.

Other game releases for the 2DS and 3DS:

  • IronFall: Invasion from VD-Dev
  • ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON LEGACY+from BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc.
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

4 comments

  1. Another Nintendo Direct, another arm full of must have games to add to the calendar! For 3DS, while they are all on my preorder list, my most wanted is definately Majora’s Mask, and I am intrigued by Ironfall. As an RPG fan I bet you are happy 🙂
    And WiiU getting a Wii ‘virtual console’. Nintendo never walk a straight line. It makes them exciting lol.
    Xenoblade Chronicles X manages to hype my expectations to new heights with every new trailer. Is that a game you find appealing or would you just prefer the more old school rpgs?

  2. They sure had a lot of news to tell us! I’m quite happy with lots of things coming, one of them being more news on Story of the Seasons, I like a good Harvest Moon game from time to time. As for the RPG, I am not very good at games that dont have turn based battles. I like the look of Xenoblade, but I don’t think its the kind of game for me. But what I like Soo much about Nintendo is that they never fail to surprise us!

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