Nintendo Details Upcoming Wii U and
Nintendo 3DS Games and a Wide Range of New amiibo
New amiibo Cards, Super Smash Bros. Characters, Mario
Kart 8 Speed Class and an Animal Crossing Game Are Among the Numerous
Announcements
REDMOND, Wash., April 1,
2015 – With so much information, it would be easy to dismiss the latest
Nintendo Direct presentation as an elaborate April Fool’s Day prank.
But the latest Nintendo Direct is definitely no joke. The next
evolution of amiibo?
It’s happening! Lucas from Mother 3 in Super Smash Bros.
for Wii U
and Nintendo 3DS?
He’s joining the battle! The debut of a 200cc speed class in Mario Kart 8?
Yup! A new line of Yoshi amiibo figures made of actual yarn? Oh
yeah. A home-designing Animal Crossing game? Launching this
year! Splatoon
launching on May 29 and more details about Mario Maker,
Yoshi’s
Woolly World and the new game in the Fire Emblem
series? It’s all accurate!
To view the Nintendo Direct video in its entirety, visit http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct.
“The world of amiibo is getting bigger, better and even more
interactive,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice
president of Sales & Marketing. “And with existing amiibo support
for games like Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8 and
more, and upcoming support for Splatoon, Yoshi’s Woolly
World and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, amiibo
continue to stretch the definition of the toys-to-life category.”
Highlights revealed in the video include:
amiibo
- amiibo Cards: A totally new form of amiibo
is coming this fall! The first set of amiibo cards will be based on Animal
Crossing characters and will be compatible with the Animal
Crossing: Happy Home Designer game. An NFC reader/writer peripheral
for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS – which offers the
functionality for scanning amiibo currently included in the New
Nintendo 3DS XL system – will also launch the same day as the new Animal
Crossing game.
- The Next Waves of Super Smash Bros. Series
amiibo: On May 29, a new set of amiibo in the Super Smash
Bros. series will launch, featuring Charizard, PAC-MAN, Wario,
Jigglypuff, Greninja, Robin, Lucina and Ness. July brings Dark Pit and
Palutena. And in September, Zero Suit Samus, Ganondorf, Olimar, Dr.
Mario and Bowser Jr. will join the amiibo family.
- Play Classic Nintendo Games Using amiibo:
With amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits, Wii U users can
download the free application from the Nintendo eShop and tap any
amiibo to unlock game-play highlights from select NES and Super NES
games.
- Yarn Yoshi amiibo: A new set of Yoshi
amiibo figures made of actual yarn will launch later this fall
along with the Yoshi’s Woolly World game. Tapping one of these
yarn amiibo to the Wii U GamePad controller while playing Yoshi’s
Woolly World will make another Yoshi appear in the game to assist
the player. The Yarn Yoshi amiibo will be available in three colors:
green, pink and light blue.
- Splatoon amiibo: Launching
simultaneously with Splatoon on May 29 are Inkling Girl,
Inkling Boy and Inkling Squid amiibo figures. By tapping one of these
amiibo to the GamePad, players can receive special missions to unlock
weapons and gear.
- More Mii Racing Suits!: On April 23, a new
free downloadable software update to Mario Kart 8 will add
support for nine more amiibo figures, including Mega Man, Sonic and
PAC-MAN. Players can tap these amiibo to outfit their Mii characters in
Mii Racing Suits themed to those amiibo characters.
Wii U
- Mario Maker: The Mario Maker
game launches exclusively for the Wii U console in September and easily
lets users create their own Mario levels and share them online with
people all over the world! Various activities related to the 30th
anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. game are also
planned throughout the year.
- Splatoon: In addition to previously
detailed single-player and online “Turf War” modes, action shooter Splatoon
will feature a highly competitive “Ranked Battle” mode, which ranks and
matches players based on their wins in 4-on-4 multiplayer matches. The
super-fun and super-colorful game will also feature a “Battle Dojo.” In
this mode, players can enjoy local 1-on-1 battles with friends. One
player plays on the GamePad controller, while the other plays on the TV
using a separate controller, competing to see who can pop the most
balloons. Splatoon will launch exclusively for Wii U on May 29.
- 200cc? 200cc!: Yes, that’s right: For the
first time in the Mario Kart series, a 200cc racing class is
coming to Mario Kart 8. Even faster than 150cc, the new
high-speed class will work on all tracks in the game and makes braking
an important driving skill. The new 200cc class will be offered as a
free downloadable update on April 23 alongside the new paid DLC Pack 2
featuring three new characters, four new vehicles and eight new tracks.
- Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS Games Hit the Virtual
Console Service: Starting today, classic Nintendo 64 and
Nintendo DS games are coming to the Virtual Console on Wii U. Today
brings Yoshi’s Island DS for Nintendo DS and Super Mario 64
for Nintendo 64. While playing Nintendo DS games, the TV and GamePad
combination will provide various options for dual-screen layouts, while
all Nintendo 64 games that supported the Rumble Pack will continue
rumbling away on Wii U controllers. Upcoming Virtual Console releases
include WarioWare: Touched! for Nintendo DS on April 9 and Donkey
Kong 64 for Nintendo 64 on April 16.
- Yoshi’s Woolly World: The lovingly
crafted new Wii U game launches this fall and overflows with numerous
challenges and hidden secrets. In addition to the challenging Classic
Mode, Yoshi’s Woolly World adds “Mellow Mode,” an additional
mode that lets players of all skill levels play as “Winged Yoshi.”
- Shin Megami Tensei & Fire Emblem
Crossover Project: The role-playing masters at ATLUS are
developing a truly modern RPG, where everyday life exists alongside a
secret world of fantasy that includes characters from the Fire
Emblem series.
- New Fatal Frame Game Coming to the U.S.:
Fans that have been clamoring for a chance to play the latest game in
the creepy Fatal Frame series will have their chance when it
launches later this year for Wii U.
Nintendo 3DS
- Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer:
This new game in the Animal Crossing series focuses on the
decorating and home-designing aspects of the Animal Crossing
games. Animals will ask players to design houses for them, and it’s up
to designers-in-the-making to meet the animals’ requests by furnishing
and decorating their homes. By tapping a new Animal Crossing
series amiibo card to the New Nintendo 3DS XL system or NFC
reader/writer accessory, players can design a room for that specific
character on the card and scan additional character cards to invite
those characters to visit. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
will launch this fall.
- BOXBOY!:
From the platforming masters at HAL Laboratory, Inc., creators of the Kirby
series, comes BOXBOY! The black-and-white charmer tasks players
with creating, casting and hooking blocks to navigate more than 150
challenging stages. BOXBOY! launches exclusively in the
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS tomorrow, April 2.
- A New Fire Emblem Game: For the
first time in the series, the main playable character is not only a
customizable avatar, but also the main hero or heroine of the game.
Players must choose to take one of two major paths, resulting in two
different experiences: the “Hoshido” side for a more traditional
experience, or the “Nohr” side, which makes the story more complex and
the difficulty level more challenging. The new Fire Emblem game
will launch for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in 2016.
- Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons
Super Mario Bros. Edition: Players get two gigantic,
unique puzzle/RPG adventures when Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle
& Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition launches on May 22. The
two-in-one game can be pre-ordered starting today at http://puzzleanddragons.nintendo.com.
For players who can’t wait until May 22 to play, a free demo for Puzzle
& Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition will be available in the
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on April 30.
- Pokémon Rumble World: The
latest action-packed adventure in the Pokémon Rumble
series is free to download (with paid content) and features more than
700 Pokémon, all the way from the original Pokémon
Red and Pokémon Blue games to the recent Pokémon
Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire games. Square
off against tons of these Toy Pokémon when Pokémon
Rumble World launches exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo
3DS on April 8.
- Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.: An
upcoming software update to Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. will add a
fast-forward feature to drastically speed up enemy turns. In addition,
a new online Public Tournament in honor of playable character Tom
Sawyer called “Hijinks” launches today and runs until April 5.
- New StreetPass Games: On April 16, two new
StreetPass
Mii Plaza games launch for $4.99 each, or $7.99 if purchased
together. In Ultimate Angler, players visit the “StreetPass
Islands” to try to catch more than 150 types of fish and legendary
monsters with bait received from Mii characters via StreetPass. In Battleground
Z, players receive items based on the hobbies of their Mii Plaza
StreetPass characters to defeat a horde of zombies. A new paid service
will also launch alongside these new games called “StreetPass Mii Plaza
Premium,” adding features like “StreetPass Birthdays” and a new Mii
character VIP Room for $4.99.
- Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains:
Based on the popular manga and anime, the Attack on Titan: Humanity
in Chains game features four-player local and online co-op game
play and leaderboards as players take on the role of their favorite
character to defend humanity from the giant Titans. In addition, the
first two episodes of the hit anime series are now available to stream
for free in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Attack on Titan:
Humanity in Chains from ATLUS will launch exclusively in the
Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in May.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3D : A new trailer
hones in on some of the mysteries of this epic role-playing game, the
first game developed exclusively for the New Nintendo 3DS XL system.
The game launches on April 10.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo
3DS
- New (DLC) Challengers Approaching!: As
previously announced, Mewtwo will join the roster of Super Smash
Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as a downloadable character on
April 28. For $4.99, players receive Mewtwo for both versions of the
game. Club Nintendo members who have purchased and registered both
versions of the game will receive a free download code for Mewtwo on
April 15. In addition, fan-favorite character Lucas from Mother 3
is joining the all-star Super Smash Bros. cast in June. After a
game update on April 15, Super Smash Bros. players can also
purchase more costumes for their Mii fighters, including ones inspired
by Mega Man X and Proto Man from Capcom’s Mega Man series.
- Choose Your Own Super Smash Bros. Fighter:
Starting today, Super Smash Bros. fans can visit http://www.smashbros.com
to participate in a “Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot.” Fans can use this
ballot to vote for which character they would like to see added to Super
Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a playable character.
Indies
- Adventures of Pip from Tic Toc Games:
When this pixel puzzle platformer launches this May in the Nintendo
eShop on Wii U, players can use the GamePad exclusively to access
inventory and quickly travel through the game’s world.
- Mutant Mudds Super Challenge from Renegade
Kid: People who purchase the Nintendo 3DS version of this
beloved muddy platforming sequel will receive the Wii U version for
free (and vice versa!). Anyone that owns the original Mutant Mudds
game will also receive a loyalty discount when buying Mutant Mudds
Super Challenge. The game launches exclusively in the Nintendo
eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS this June.
- Don’t Starve: Giant Edition
from Klei Entertainment: This acclaimed survival indie will
launch this May with exclusive Wii U GamePad functionality and a
special promotion – anyone that purchases the Wii U game will receive a
free download code for the game that he or she can give to a friend!
- Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses,
Inc.: Experience Octodad’s wobbly journey with family and
friends in co-op mode, with two to four players controlling different
tentacles. Octodad: Dadliest Catch flops his way into the
Nintendo eShop on Wii U this summer.
For a glimpse at even more quality digital content scheduled to launch
in the Nintendo eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS over the next six
months, be sure to check out the Nindie Showcase video here.
For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com,
and to purchase or pre-order games online, visit http://www.nintendo.com/eshop/buy-digital/.
Remember that Wii U and Nintendo 3DS feature parental controls that let
adults manage the content their children can access. For more
information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu
or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
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 4.3 billion video games and more than 680 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: A lot of interesting announcements, but none of
those are Collectible Badge Center, which I quite want to see
localized. Anyhow, great direct with no April Fools Jokes. - Philip
Wesley (Main
Editor)
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