SUPER
SMASH BROS., AMIIBO, POKÉMON AND NEW HARDWARE BUNDLES STAR IN
NINTENDO'S HOLIDAY LINEUP
Pre-Orders for First 12 amiibo Figures Kick off
Nintendo’s Holiday Season
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 29, 2014 – Nintendo has prepared a
massive lineup of new games and products for the 2014 holiday season.
The lineup includes new entries from some of the biggest franchises in
gaming, new hardware bundles for Wii U and Nintendo 2DS,
and new amiibo interactive figures featuring some of the most iconic
characters in the world of video games.
The holiday shopping season begins today for Nintendo fans,
as the first 12 amiibo interactive figures become available for
pre-order at a suggested retail price of just $12.99 each. The first
dozen characters available for pre-order at select retailers are Mario,
Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth,
Villager and Wii Fit Trainer, with more on the way in the future.
“Nintendo’s holiday offerings demonstrate a combination of
fun franchises and great value,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of
America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Wii
U and Nintendo 2DS hardware bundles, classic names like Super
Smash Bros., Bayonetta and Pokémon,
new IP like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and amiibo,
everyone will find something to love about Nintendo this holiday
season. Whether people are shopping for themselves or they’re prepping
their gift lists, Nintendo has them covered.”
Here’s a taste of what Nintendo has on tap for the 2014
holiday season:
- Major Franchises: Nintendo has four games
from two of the most well-known franchises launching this year:
- Super Smash Bros.: The Wii U game
and the first portable game in the series are getting ready for their
debuts. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS launches Oct. 3,
with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U following during the holiday
season. Fans who register both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
versions of the games with Club Nintendo will receive the Super
Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U:
Premium Sound Selection, a soundtrack CD packed with music taken
from and inspired by the games. More details about this offer will be
provided in the future. Also, in a separate announcement this morning,
Nintendo revealed that Shulk from the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise
would be a playable character in both games.
- Pokémon: Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for
Nintendo 3DS will hit stores and the Nintendo eShop
on Nintendo 3DS on Nov. 21. Trainers will catch, battle and trade
Pokémon as they immerse themselves into a grand tale that draws
ever closer to the heart of the secrets behind Mega Evolution and the
power of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. With beautifully rendered
graphics and new challenges to overcome, these games are a true
evolution in the Pokémon series.
- Interactive amiibo Figures: Nintendo’s
foray into the toys-to-life category starts today, with the first 12
amiibo figures available to pre-order from select retailers. Super
Smash Bros. for Wii U, which launches this holiday season, will be
the first game with full integration of amiibo functionality. Other
games that will support amiibo include Mario Kart 8,
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and
Yoshi’s Woolly World, with more to come. More
details on amiibo functionality with the various games and a launch
date will be revealed shortly.
- Bayonetta 2: The witch is back on
Oct. 24. The game features over-the-top battles with wild weapons that
take place in gorgeous set pieces. A new snake transformation lets
Bayonetta better navigate underwater. The original Bayonetta game,
complete with some Nintendo cosplay options for the powerful heroine,
comes bundled with the retail packaged version of Bayonetta 2.
- New Hardware Bundles Available This Fall:
Everyone loves a deal. Three new Nintendo hardware bundles are set to
deliver more value and more options to holiday shoppers:
- Super Mario 3D World Deluxe Set:
Starting mid-September, the new Wii U Deluxe Set will include the Wii U
console and physical Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo
Land games at a suggested retail price of $299.99.
- Walmart Exclusive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Set: In mid-September, Walmart stores nationwide will offer a
special-edition Wii U bundle that includes the console along with
physical Mario Kart 8 and Nintendo Land games at a suggested
retail price of $299.99. This exclusive bundle will be available while
supplies last.
- New Nintendo 2DS Bundles: In early
October, three new Nintendo 2DS bundles will hit stores. The new
bundles feature the Electric Blue, Crimson Red or Sea Green Nintendo
2DS system along with a code to download Mario Kart 7
from the Nintendo eShop. The bundles will be available at a suggested
retail price of $129.99 each.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker:
This holiday season, everybody’s favorite intrepid explorer, Captain
Toad, stars in his own quest through maze-like mini-universes – only on
Wii U. Each little world Captain Toad visits is a unique microcosm
filled with tricks to solve, traps to avoid and treasure to find.
- Hyrule Warriors DLC: This
mashup of Dynasty Warriors and The Legend of Zelda already
includes a large amount of content. Nintendo plans to support the game
for the long run with more content to help players expand their
adventures even farther. That program kicks off when the game launches
on Sept. 26. People who buy the game will receive access to a free
download that adds a new mode, a new weapon and the option to select
music to add to the Hyrule Warriors experience. As detailed
in a recent Nintendo Direct, consumers who pre-order the game
at select retailers will receive a free download code for a set of
alternate in-game costumes for Link and Zelda. Additionally, anyone who
registers the game with Club Nintendo will receive a free download code
for a set of alternate costumes for Ganondorf. All of these additional
costumes will become available for purchase in the Nintendo eShop in
the near future. Further details on timing and pricing will be
announced at a later time.
- Pokémon Art Academy: This
Nintendo title is coming to stores and the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo
3DS on Oct. 24. The game teaches basic and advanced art techniques
throughout 40 lessons and encourages artists to draw their favorite
Pokémon and bring them to life with a large variety of tools.
They can also share their Pokémon masterpieces by posting them
to Miiverse, or saving them to the SD Card and printing them out.
- Art Academy (working title):
This new entry in the Art Academy franchise is a
download-exclusive application that incorporates the touch screen of
the Wii U GamePad controller. Users learn, create and share with
in-depth step-by-step lessons accessible even to novice artists, using
the large Wii U GamePad screen as the canvas. The game is scheduled to
launch in 2014.
- Ultimate NES Remix: This new
Nintendo 3DS game will be available in stores and in the Nintendo eShop
on Nintendo 3DS on Dec. 5 at a suggested retail price of $29.99. The
game features rapid-fire challenges and mashups from a selection of 16
of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games. Regional online leaderboards will let
players see how they stack up against others in their area, and
Championship Mode offers a series of challenges from three different
games.
- NES Remix Pack: Wii U fans can
also get into the 8-bit mix on Dec. 5, with a new game that combines
the original NES Remix and NES Remix 2 games for
Wii U into one package. NES Remix Pack will be available in
stores at a suggested retail price of $29.99. Both NES Remix and
NES Remix 2 games remain available in the Nintendo
eShop on Wii U for $14.99 each.
- Fantasy Life: Available in stores
and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on Oct. 24, Fantasy Life
lets players become the masters of their destinies as
choices they make help determine their own Fantasy Life. Players can
easily change their Life Class at any time and experience how each
offers a new perspective on the world. Local and online multiplayer
options let friends share the adventure, the exploration and the
bounty. A downloadable content pack called Origin Island – available
for purchase from the Nintendo eShop starting on Oct. 24 – will extend
the Fantasy Life adventure even further. Origin Island
offers a new area that is home to an ancient culture and powerful
enemies, additional story content, new ranks to achieve in Life
Classes, access to even more powerful equipment and two new varieties
of pets to adopt: birds and dragons.
- Two Deluxe Downloadable Kirby Games:
Bounce or battle with two new titles available today at $6.99 each in
the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe and
Kirby Fighters Deluxe are standalone downloadable
games that first made an appearance in Kirby: Triple Deluxe,
and are now updated with enhanced game-play features. In Dedede’s
Drum Dash Deluxe, players move Dedede across the stage, bouncing
to the beat in seven new stages exclusive to this downloadable version.
In Kirby Fighters Deluxe, players use different copy
abilities to defeat all of the arena opponents. This version includes
five new stages and a new team battle feature. Players who already own Kirby:
Triple Deluxe with StreetPass data will get bonus content in both
downloadable games.
- Indie Games: Nintendo loves indie content,
and a number of downloadable games exclusive to the Nintendo eShop are
on their way this year.
- Curve Digital’s Stealth Inc 2 combines the
best elements of puzzle solving, action platforming and stealth game
play into a game that’s all about hiding in the shadows. The game
includes a two-player co-op mode, level editor, off-TV play and
Miiverse integration. The game launches for Wii U in the fall.
- Swords & Soldiers II is a side-scrolling
action strategy game from Ronimo Games launching this holiday season
for Wii U. The game includes 20 story missions and lets players buy
units, cast spells and build structures to overwhelm enemies on a 2D
battleground.
- Azure Striker GUNVOLT from Inti Creates
launches today exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. Featuring the talents of
Keiji Inafune, the creator of the Mega Man series, the game
takes the best aspects of Japanese 16-bit classics and updates them
with new play mechanics and slick graphics. For a limited time, the
game comes with a free digital version of the 8-bit nostalgia-fueled Mighty
GUNVOLT as well.
- New Themes for Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu:
Following a system update in October, Nintendo will be introducing new
Nintendo 3DS HOME menu themes that change the menu background, icons
and folders, and music and sound effects. Themes will be available for
purchase from a Theme Shop that will be added to the HOME menu. More
details will be announced in the future.
- Third-Party Games: More than 60 games from
Nintendo’s third-party partners are launching for Wii U and Nintendo
3DS before the end of year, with more great content coming in early
2015. The 2014 list is highlighted by Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
for Wii U and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for Nintendo 3DS
from SEGA, which introduce two unique and epic adventures as Sonic and
team work together to stop the evil villain Lyric. Players can play as
multiple characters, each with his or her own abilities, as they
explore, fight and speed through an undiscovered land. Each game
features its own individual story and game-play features
- Looking Ahead: Nintendo has a ton of great
games on the way for both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. In 2015, Wii U will
see the arrival of a new installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise,
Splatoon, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi’s
Woolly World, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Star Fox
(working title), Mario Maker (working title),
Project Giant Robot, Project Guard, Mario
vs. Donkey Kong (working title), Mario Party 10 and Devil’s
Third. On the portable side in 2015, Nintendo 3DS will see the
launch of a new NFC reader/writer that will interact with amiibo
figures in compatible games, as well as the arrival of Code Name:
S.T.E.A.M., Fossil Fighters Frontier and Monster
Hunter 4 Ultimate, an exclusive Nintendo 3DS game from Capcom.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in
the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of
Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its
Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™
families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo
Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.2 billion video
games and more than 670 million hardware units globally, including the
current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as
the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and
Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii
systems. It has also created industry icons that have become
well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™,
Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for
Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information
about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
EDITOR'S
HYPERBOLE NOTE: So, which things do YOU need in your life? Let
me know via e-mail at philip at dmgice dot com! - Philip
Wesley (Main
Editor)
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