Nintendo’s latest update through Nintendo Direct has left fans excited for the near future of gaming. The video shows off upcoming games, software updates and brand new hardware!
From the many exciting games featured in this week’s Nintendo Direct, there are a few that stand out to me. More particularly, ‘Puzzle & Dragons II’ and ‘Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Edition’.
If you aren’t already familiar with Puzzle & Dragons (Available on iOS and Android), the game is a puzzle game with elements of RPGs and strategy games. The main objective of the game is to command a team of monsters through dungeons to collect treasure. The puzzle element is similar to that of Candy Crush Saga, where orbs have to be rearranged and then destroyed in order for enemies to be attacked. Perhaps to appeal to more players, there is also a ‘Puzzle & Dragons - Super Mario Bros. Edition’ which players will recognise to have a very similar format to Super Mario games. The objective is surprise, surprise, save Princess Peach from Bowser and his allies though still adopting the Puzzle & Dragons gameplay.
The two games will be sold together in one package which will be available from May, exclusively on Nintendo 3DS.
Coming to the Nintendo eShop free for 3DS, Pokémon Shuffle will be available to download and play from February. Again, in a similar style to Candy Crush, in Pokémon Shuffle, players must line up faces of Pokémon in rows of at least 3 for them to disappear. Players have limited moves that they can make so they must think ahead about chains and combos. You will get 5 free play sessions and once they are spent you will not be able to play again until they are either replenished after time or purchased through a micro-transaction. The price for micro-transactions has not yet been announced.
Something we all know but may not necessarily use is the Wii U backwards compatibility function from Wii games. So that younger players or those who simply never owned an original Wii can experience some of the fun games from before the release of the Wii U, Nintendo will be putting digital copies on the eShop that can be downloaded and played with the classic controller or Wii U GamePad. This is to ‘allow Wii U owners to enjoy those Wii games more easily’.
The first three games to be on the eShop are Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Available Now), PunchOut (January 22) and Metroid Prime Trilogy (January 29). These games will not be free however, they are available for half price for a week after their relaunch. Nintendo have said that there are more games coming to the eShop but have not specified which ones we can look forward to.
More Amiibos!
We have 11 more Amiibos to spend our money on in the February set. Additionally, there will be more Super Smash Amiibos- Robin, Lucina, Pacman, Wario, Ness from Earthbound and Charizard.
From March 20, there will also be a range of Super Mario Amiibos (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and Toad) to be used in Mario Party 10! (Also released March 20). In Mario Party, Amiibos will be used in ‘Amiibo Party’, as game pieces. Each Amiibo will have their own game board design and special abilities. I know what you’re asking yourself, can you use your newly purchased Amiibos in other games? For the main part, yes. You can check the Amiibo compatibility chart here.
Something that really caught my attention was Bandai Namco’s latest upcoming game, ‘Project Treasure’. Although no gameplay footage has been shown, what we do know is that it is a 4-player co-op action game. In order to complete stages, the 4 player party must clear traps, route enemies and seize treasure. The game is free to play and will be exclusive to Wii U. No official name or release date has yet been given.
Older generations of gamers will be excited to hear about the SEGA 3D Classics coming to 3DS from now until March. Some of the remade classic games include After Burner 1 & 2, Fantasy Zone 1 & 2 and OutRun which will all be available to purchase from the eShop and they will all adopt full 3D into the gameplay. Prices are yet to be announced.
Of course, the big announcement of this month’s Nintendo Direct was the preview and release date of the New Nintendo 3DS system.
So what’s new? The new system will have a C-Stick, a small thumbstick used for changing camera angles, games such as Majora’s Mask and Monster Hunter 4 will have functionality for the thumbstick so we can interact with the worlds like never before. A great new feature is the face tracking 3D function. On the previous versions of the 3DS system, for the 3D effect to work, players needed to have their face parallel to the device, which often became uncomfortable and annoying. The new face tracking 3D means that the 3D effect can be viewed from all angles as a sensor will track your head movement and it can then automatically adjust. This is good because it now means that we can use the 3D function more often and it can now be less of a gimmick and more of something we enjoy using. The screen also now has an automatic screen brightness adjustment; the screen will adjust to the room lighting levels to maintain comfort for your eyes whilst playing.
Nintendo's newest system has Amiibo and NFC support built in allowing for Amiibos to be used in Super Smash Bros. and other compatible games. The faster processor means that our games can now launch faster and run smoother than ever before!
The New Nintendo 3DS will not come with an A/C adapter however it is compatible with older A/C adapters such as those from the older 3DS, 2DS and DSi. Don’t forget, you can also purchase an A/C adapter separately. European and American release date is February 13 and the handheld will be available in red and black colours with special editions at launch.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will find it’s way to the 3DS on it’s worldwide February 13 launch date. There will be a MH4 hardware bundle with a themed New 3DS. For the first time ever on handheld, players can connect locally or online with 3 friends so monsters can be slain together! A demo will be released soon which will include access to all 14 weapon classes, an interactive and new player friendly tutorial and online play.
As a bonus, there will also be soon a Monster Hunter puzzle swap panel released soon.
Also ready for the release of the New Nintendo 3DS system, is The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which will release on the same day, with another bundle including a New 3DS with a Majora’s Mask theme.
Let us know what you think on this month's Nintendo Direct in the comments, and if you haven\'t already, watch the video for yourself!