The Nintendo Direct for November 12th is currently airing, and details are pouring in, with updates for titles such as Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and the highly popular Splatoon. It’s the first Direct since the untimely passing of former President Satoru Iwata, and the first Direct with new CEO Tatsumi Kimishima. Those waiting for news on the Nintendo NX or mobile developments may need to skip this Direct. What does it bring? Here’s the recap!
The 45- minute Direct began with Reggie Fils-Aime paying respects and thanking fans for their condolences. He opens with a bombshell of Twilight Princess being released in HD. A trailer was shown and it looks great on the Wii U. It will feature a new Amiibo for Wolf Link, and is compatible with several Smash Bros. Amiibo. A bundle will release on March 4, 2016, with the game and Amiibo.
Data on the Wolf Link Amiibo will be saved and usable on the Wii U. Bill Trinen has jumped in, with an update to TriForce Heroes, with a new content area called the Den of Heroes. There are also two new costumes, the Linebeck costume and the Deity Armor. The free update will release on December 2nd.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon next, releases November 20th – solve the mystery of why Pokemon are being turned into stone. Collect all 720 of them, and features a lot of the elements that made the game series popular – requesting for help, getting to battle legendary and mythical Pokemon. It also comes with a new 3DS theme focused on Pokemon.
Wii U game updates for 2015 – new Splatoon update trailer. New map, and some new equipment available. Museum d’Alfonsino is the new stage, and focuses on working angles that the new obstacles provide. It will feature some unique squid articles… it is a museum after all. The update will be available later today at 5PM PDT. The Museum map will be added at 6PM on November 13, with free updates through January 2016.
Super Mario Maker is next – with a brief summary of the checkpoint update. With 3.3 million stages available globally, they’ve observed many different courses with a wide variety of styles. The new portal interface will allow a much better refined search experience, using PC and smartphones. Save results and go home, and find those courses faster. Nice quality of life update, releasing in the coming weeks.
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is releasing soon as well, and will have two new Amiibo. There’s also an Animal Crossing quiz mode that you can play with friends, and looks interesting since it can challenge the hardcore Animal Crossing fans.
Mario Tennis Ultra Smash for the Wii U is up next, and adds a new layer of complexity to matches, with the giant Mega Mushroom mode, or the simplistic mode which goes back to the more standard tennis play style. Bill brings more information on the online components, and can use Amiibo to save stats and move sets. The Amiibo can be used as a tag team partner as well.
Xenoblade Chronicles X next – featuring an apocalyptic world and brings open-world exploration with Western RPG elements. The physical version will also come with download packs available today to increase loading times for the title. The title can be pre-purchased and loaded digitally. The packs are not required for the digital version. Arrives December 4th.
The eShop also will be getting some new digital offers. The Badge Arcade is a new eShop exclusive that can let players earn Nintendo badges. The badges can be used to decorate the in-game home, and lets players obtain exclusive 3DS themes. The game will be constantly updated with content that should not be missed!
Pokemon Picross is going to be available in the coming days as well, with over 300 stages and lots of Mega Evolution Pokemon. The free-to-start game will launch in early December on the eShop just in time for the holidays!
Steamworld Heist from Image and Form will be coming out very soon, featuring lots of stylish hats, upgrades, and a new exclusive 3DS theme featuring Heist. Coming Holiday 2015.
FAST Racing Neo by Shin’en will be releasing Early December 2015 for the Wii U and is a neat racer that takes racing games to incredibly fast speeds. Smooth visuals, may be a Mario Kart competitor?
After that big games splurge, we get a fun video of Bill Trinen finding a box of… doughnuts? And he’s just stuffing his face in comical fashion. Reggie comes in, with a board of executives, and starts yelling… looks like Bill got possessed by a monster… like a Yo-kai! Yokai Watch available now on the 3DS!
Reggie has come back, and he’s got more announcements. Summing the year with Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, and Triforce Heroes fans, and discussing Yoshi’s Wooly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and other titles, he’s also announced some new bundles for the Wii U, including Super Smash and Splatoon bundles… with a point to look at Black Friday for big deals.
Bill Trinen is back to discuss the next year with Pokken Tournament – created with The Pokemon Company and Namco Bandai – celebrating the 20th anniversary. The new tag team has brought the franchise back to life, in great ways. The title will soon be releasing, and with a Shadow Mewtwo Amiibo card for the first run. The character can be unlocked through gameplay – the card will let this happen right away.
Star Fox: Zero finally gets a bit more screentime, with a fancy new trailer. Team Star Fox has banded together again, and goes into the many different vehicles, talking about the characteristics of each. The release date will now be April 22nd, 2016.
Paper Mario on the 3DS will be coming soon as well. With a fun new trailer and the new Trio mechanic attack, the new RPG also brings a new card mechanic to the table. Amiibo can be used to increase battle effects in the game, with a total of six Amiibo. Releases January 22, 2016.
Final Fantasy Explorers will be a new RPG on the 3DS releasing Q1 2016, featuring the return of the job system and skill system, allowing players to customize to their hearts’ content. Costumes can be used and modified to change characters to modify the avatar into the popular leading heroes and heroines of the franchise. This solo adventure can be beaten with friends to ease difficulty. Releases January 26 2016, and will include all the DLC from Japan, and for free. A special Explorers bundle was announced with game cases and in game items.
Fire Emblem: Fates is also coming soon! By purchasing Conquest or Birthright, both titles will show two sides of one big story. The purchase of one will allow the second story to be purchased at a lower price, with a third story line (Revelations). The Special Edition will contain all three games and an art book with a 3DS pouch, coming February 19th, 2016. New DLC will also be available down the road, with one free map, and six later maps.
Next up, Megaman Legacy Collection – the first six action platformers in the Megaman series coming to the Nintendo 3DS – with over 100 exclusive items to the Nintendo 3DS. A challenging mode with over fifty new stages was also unveiled, and can be used with an Amiibo (and a gold one, I should add!) and will be available on February 23, 2016.
Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow will be released as digital titles on the Nintendo eShop. With the Link Cable… that’s not going to work, but will allow trading and battling with the Nintendo 3DS system’s wireless connection. Time to hit 1996, guys!
Hyrule Warriors Legends has returned, as well. With a whole new collection of friends to play with, the game introduces a new, familiar character named Linkle. Her spin variant attack is called the Spin Kick. Hyrule Warriors 3DS and theme will release on March 25, 2016.
The honorable mention section – Bravely Second got a mention with its title releasing Spring 2016. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past also got some air time, and a small trailer. The title will release in Summer 2016. Dragon Quest VIII will be released around the same time.
Finally, a set of new/existing titles from Nintendo’s Development partners:
Hive Jump
Kerbal Space Program
Mighty No. 9
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers
Project X Zone 2
Terraria
Reggie has returned, with a new trailer approaching. It started out dramatic, and relates to Super Smash Bros.! Final Fantasy VII is making a crossover! Cloud will now be a playable character! That’s a twist we never saw coming! With a new Midgard map as well, lots of new summons as possible Assist Trophies? This new content update will release, with courtesy Chocobo friends, with a Special Smash Broadcast coming December 2015. Stay tuned, everyone!
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