Nintendo brought one of there better Directs in recent memory, showing off a slew of indie games, a myriad of DLC, a plethora of amiibo, and a hack of a lot of release dates.
Nintendo Direct April Fools' Day Recap
Mewtwo Release Date and Price
Super Smash Bros kicked off the broadcast, its familiar logo slicing through the screen. Mewtwo stormed on screen with all his mighty psychic powers and tail striking, throwing enemies around with his mind and looking like he's had a bad day. The trailer ended with a view of Mewtwo's final smash, predictably being his mega evolution form. Iwata graced the screen to announce Mewtwo would be available for purchase April 28th this year. Speculation regarding Smash's first paid DLC fighter has been rampant, particularly how expensive would he be? Iwata announced that Mewtwo would be available for purchase for either 3DS or Wii U at $3.99 or bought for both systems at $4.99.
Smash Bros. Update
The update coming April 15th will bring new costumes for the Mii fighters. Costumes are based on various franchises like Mega Man, Majora, Dunban, and Cat Suit Mario.
Lucas DLC
Quite possibly the most requested character to return to the series after Mewtwo, Lucas arrived just in the knick of time to save Ness and return to Smash. Maybe even more notably, Iwata stated that they had decided to bring Lucas back after hearing fan requests! Following that, Iwata announced the Super Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, where p[layers can vote on the character they want to see in Smash (I'm voting for Reggie.)
Smash amiibo
Iwata then went into detail on upcoming Smash Bros. amiibo release dates, before adding that Mewtwo and Lucas will be getting their own amiibo. Wave 4 will arrive May 29th, and other waves approaching in July and September. Ness will be a GameStop exclusive.
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits
Hot on the heels of announcing the new amiibo, Nintendo showed off a new game designed for amiibo. Touching amiibo to the gamepad unlocks 3 minute long demoes of classic Nintendo games. Games don't pertain to specific amiibo either, as one Mario brought up Super Mario Bros. while another brought up Metroid. Iwata described this as "a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get," and compared it to swapping game cartridges. Fzero, Kirby Super Star, Dr. Mario, and other classics were shown. Amiibo Tap will be a free downloadable title.
Mario Maker
A title screen saying "30th Anniversary", made entirely within Mario Maker, started off the spotlight. Iwata called the game a "definitive Mario experience." You can upload your creations for others to play, and the game will release in September. Iwata remarked they planned to celebrate Mario's 30th anniversary in "fun ways".
Yoshi's Wooly World
Bill Trenen stepped in to talk about the new Yoshi title. Yoshi's Wooly World can be switched between a regular and "Mellow Mode". In Mellow Mode, Yoshi gains wings and can more easily navigate the level.
Next Bill announces there will be special Yoshi amiibo, made out of yarn! Struggling to hear over the sounds of my girlfriend screaming with happiness, I was able to hear that it will come in three colors: Green, Blue, and Pink. The game and amiibo will launch this fall.
Splatoon Modes
Splatoon, Nintendo's new ink based shooter, featured two new modes. In Ranked Battle, players compete in 4v4 battles with special rules determining the winners. In Splat Zones, players foght over specific areas of the map.
Battle Dojo, a mode for local 1v1 matches, let's players practice their skills on the same maps they play online. The mode has one player use the gamepad, while the others uses the TV screen.
Also announced were Splatoon amiibo, a orange haired girl and a blue haired boy. Both can be bought separate or in a package along with an inkling. Splatoon amiibo give special missions not found in the game. They will be available with the game May 29th.
N64 and DS Games Headed to Wii U
While not HD makeovers like many had probably hoped for, Nintendo will be porting N64 and DS games to the Wii U through the eShop. These include games like Donkey Kong 64, Super Mario 64, Yoshi's Island DS, Paper Mario, Mario Kart DS, and more. DS screens can use a variety of screen layouts, even using the gamepad sideways. N64 games have 3 specific control schemes to use. N64 games will launch at $9.99-$11.99, but if you already purchased it via virtual console, will only cost $2. DS games will sell for $6.99-$9.99.
Indie Game
Nintendo showed off a grab bag of Indie games during their Direct. To name a few: A cute platformer called Adventures of Pip, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Badland, Dementium, a challenging sprite based platformer called Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, Slain! (which we covered in This Week In Kickstarter), Sword and Soldiers 2 and Don't Starve: Giant Edition. Mutant Mudds will be a cross-buy title, while Don't Starve will be a 2-for-1 deal, where the other copy can be given away as a gift.
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem
After a period of silence, Nintendo showed off a trailer featuring gameplay of the anticipated cross-over. Take a look for yourselves!
Fatal Frame Wii U
The Wii U horror title where the gamepad works as your camera to detect spirits. Nintendo announced that the game would be coming to the United States later this year.
BitBlox
Revealed in the Direct was a quaint title where you play as a tiny box character with the ability to recreate itself, which you can use to create bridges to navigate obstacles. A wealth of mysteries, and 150 stages will be in the game, releasing April 2nd.
Pokemon Rumble World
Use Toy Pokemon to battle over 700 other Toy Pokemon. As you progress, you can access new areas via balloons. When you beat stages, you acquire Poke Diamonds for things like balloons. You can also buy them with real money if you wish. The game releases on the eShop April 8th.
Puzzle Dragon Z + Super Mario
The puzzle action game comes with two separate story modes for each version. You defeat monsters and can add them to your arsenal, choosing leaders and companions to build the perfect team. The combat works similar to Bejeweled. Over 250 monsters can be founds, any of them can be made your team leader, and monsters can be evolved into new forms. The game releases May 22, the demo releases April 30th.
Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains
A local or online 4 player coop game based on the hit anime series. The game supports the New 3DS c-stick. To get people interested, the first 2 episodes of the anime will be available on the eShop. The game will be available in May.
Codenamed: Steam Update
A simple update for Codename: Steam may resolve the games most common criticism. The update will allow players to speed up enemy turns. In addition Nintendo mentioned a Tom Sawyer Hijinks Tournament in honor of April Fools' Day. Top players will earn special in-game titles.
StreetPass Update
New games made for StreetPass were shown off, one is a fishing game called Ultimate Angles where players use bait obtained from StreetPass. The second, a zombie themed game called BattleGround Z, where players craft 27 different weapons from StreetPasses to save Hobbyville. In addition, Nintendo announced StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium, where users can obtain premium functions like seeing birthdays. StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium will be available April 16th. The two games and StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium can be purchased for $4.99, while the games can be bought together for $7.99 without the mii plaza premium experience.
Xenoblade 3D Collection and Soundtrack
In the 3DS version of the Wii title, players can view 3d animated models of characters in the game, and listen to the game soundtrack, with the system closed! We also got to see a new trailer for the game. The game releases April 10th.
The New Fire Emblem Game
While no title was given, your character will once again be customizable (including their gender), but this time they will have a much more center focus to the story, rather than be given side character status. The reason why, is because this time around your character will have more agency in the story and decide the outcome of the story. Your character must decide between the peace loving Hoshido and the glory loving Nohr clans. The Hoshido side is a much more traditional Fire Emblem experience, and will be more accessible. The Nohr side will have more challenges and be more difficult to finish.
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
In Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, you interact with characters and are assigned to decorate their homes based on their specific styles. Amiibo Cards, which Nintendo has talked about doing in the past, can be used to bring characters into the game to interact with each other. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and the amiibo Cards release this fall. An NFC card reader and rewriter will be released as well.
Mario Kart 8 DLC and 200 DLC
Mario Kart 8 will be receiving new DLC for Animal Crossing. In the Animal Crossing track, the seasons change every time you play.The background track is a live recorded pumped up version of the Animal Crossing theme. Nintendo will also be releasing the DLC ahead of schedule, bumping it up to a release date of April 23rd. New racing suits for amiibo were shown off, now including Wario, Megaman, Pacman, Villager, Olimar, Rosalina, Sonic, Toad, and Bowser which will release April 23rd. Alongside the DLC, Nintendo will provide a freeupdate Mario Kart 8 to include a new 200cc mode, the fastest Mario Kart has ever been. 200cc mode will be available in local and online modes.
How did you feel about the latest Nintendo Direct? What was your favorite (or least favorite) part? Are you going to buy any of the new amiibo? Let us know in the comments below!
