A Wild Nintendo Direct Appears

Yesterday Nintendo Of Japan put out a 30 minute Direct stream, and then, earlier today, Nintendo America surprised us with a slightly shorter than usual ‘micro’ broadcast.
Both feeds have their own bits-and-bobs, alongside some repeated gameplay footage, although obviously, for the majority of TSA’s readers, the American video is the one that’ll be most beneficial.

Catch both streams below, or, if you’ve not got a spare 45minutes, skip over those to a bit further down where I’ll break down the key points of what was on show.

Japanese:
https://youtu.be/gDDwZ7A4QIk

American:


And now, those streams broken down…

Perhaps unsuprisingly, the majority of information coming out of these Direct presentations is pertaining to 3DS titles, so, that’s as good a place as any to start.

  • There’s a new Chibi Robo game, Zip Lash, which is due on the handheld some time later this year. The side-scrolling platformer will also feature its own amiibo to give you extra abilities. The amiibo has been confirmed as being exclusive to a special edition bundle in the US (and presumably elsewhere).
  • Dr. Mario Miracle Cure is also heading to 3DS, via the eShop. Miracle Cure is an updated take on the old favourite with “new in-game medicines” in both single & multiplayer. The game also features co-op & download play. That’s available now in Japan, and on June 11 in the US.
  • Rather catch Pokémon than a cure for the common cold? Then you’re in luck. We’re shown the first footage of Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS) which lands in Japan on September 17 2015, and in the US “this winter”.
  • Customisable battle robots by the name of LBX are also coming to 3DS August 21 (US). The game’s based on an apparently hugely popular franchise of toy robots and anime. I’ve never heard of it, but it looks like it could be midly entertaining in a Transformers-meets-Pokémon type way.
  • Bravely Second, the follow up to Bravely Default is confirmed as coming west in 2016.
  • Fire Emblem IF was also on display, ahead of it’s June 25th release in Japan. The big thing of note here was that all current Fire Emblem amiibo – that’s Lucina, Robin, Marth and Ike – will be supported by the game in some capacity.
  • Still with 3DS, and while we talk of amiibo, there’s Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer, a game which will utilise the previously discussed amiibo trading cards to unlock extra content. The game, cards, and a stand alone NFC portal for old-3DS users will launch in Japan on July 30th. Fans of the series will also be able to pick up an exclusive Animal Crossing printed 3DS, & new-3DS faceplates on this date.
  • Coincidently, July 30th is also the Japanese release date for the lovely looking Dr Mario, Bowser Jr. & Captain Olimar amiibo.
  • Japanese cell-shaded RPG Dragon Quest VIII will be hitting Japanese 3DS’ August 27th.
  • And finally for 3DS, we were treated to two new Monster Hunter games. Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village & Monster Hunter X. While X is a more traditional Monster Hunter game, Poka Poka Airou Village is a quirky looking series spin off, coming from none other than From Software. It even features bonfires…


  • Heading to both the 3DS & WiiU there’s a new Mario & Sonic Olympic Games title to coincide with the Rio 2016 games, featuring all the sports you’d expect and a few more, it’ll also have some exclusives depending on which version you pick up – such as Rugby 7’s on the U, and Golf on the 3DS.
  • Also on the WiiU, there’s a new Art Academy game, Home Studio, heading to the eShop at the end of June (US).
  • Art’s great and all, but Craft is where the fun’s at, right? There was some sickeningly cute new footage from Yoshi’s Woolly World showcasing a multitude of new Yarn Yoshi designs, as well as the shapshifting abilities afforded to the little chap thanks to certain amiibo.
  • Other good news for classic Nintendo fans was the reveal that Super Mario Galaxy is heading to the WiiU eShop (in Japan at least) in 2 weeks time. The Wii version of Punch Out is also due this month.
  • And as if all of the above wasn’t enough, Bandai Namco gave us the first glimpse of Katsuhiro Harada’s Free To Play 4-player co-op action game Project Treasure for WiiU.

  • Blimey! Anyone would think it was nearly E3.

    1 Comment

    1. Project Treasure looks like it could be fun.

      something i’ll play when i do get a Wii U, and i will at some point, i HAVE to play Xenoblade X.

      speaking of which, i hope Nintendo show some of a localised version of X.

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