Mario, Pikachu, and Captain Olimar Keep the 3DS Rolling

Published: January 25, 2017 6:20 PM /

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New3DSXL_Pikachu_box

With all of the hubbub about the Nintendo Switch, it’s easy to overlook the 3DS. Even though Nintendo is briskly stepping away from the Wii U, they are still supporting the 3DS (for the time being) with some big-name games and a special New 3DS XL system emblazoned with Pikachu.

The upcoming releases Nintendo discussed in a press release have all been announced previously, but their release dates have now been firmed up, with one exception. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, a remake with extra content of Yoshi’s Woolly World on Wii U, releases first in the batch on February 3rd. Tank Troopers comes out a couple of weeks later (February 16th) on the eShop, letting you battle up to six others with local multiplayer or play solo through the single player mode. Originally, the Nintendo Direct that revealed Tank Troopers mentioned the ability to use download play for local matches, but Nintendo’s info page for the game states that separate copies of the game will be needed—we’ll have to see how things turned out.

Mario Sports Superstars, revealed at the same Nintendo Direct with Tank Troopers last September, will arrive at retail on March 24th.  If you missed it, this new title will contain Mario’s usual pastimes of soccer, tennis, golf, and baseball, but will also feature Mario’s first foray into horse racing. This is definitely a play for the Japanese audience where horse-racing sims are a constant source of video game material, whereas horse racing in America is withering away and games on the subject are niche products at best. Mario Sports Superstars will also be supported with blind packs of Amiibo cards that will give players “a variety of fun bonuses.” The cards will also be available starting on March 24th and will sell for about five bucks.

The somewhat elusive release date from Nintendo is for the Pikmin 3DS game, which still doesn’t appear to have a final title. This game was also shown at September’s Nintendo Direct, and the most Nintendo will tell us about its publication date is that it will release in 2017. To tide you over until the eventual release of Pikmin, Kirby Triple Deluxe and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team will be added to the Nintendo Selects line in mid-February, meaning you can buy copies for $19.99.

Whether these releases are the final salvo of first party games from Nintendo hasn’t been revealed, but with the Switch looking to become the premier Nintendo handheld solution, the end is certainly coming. That said, Nintendo is definitely offering a great way to close out the 3DS’s life in style with the upcoming New 3DS XL featuring Pikachu. Covered in that distinctive bright yellow color and a hand-drawn lid-filling sketch of the most famous Pokémon, this new 3DS will be out on February 24th for $199.99.

Are you planning on picking up any of these upcoming games? Is that bright yellow system calling your name? Let us know in the comments!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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| Staff Writer

Husband, father, small business owner, and a gaming fanatic since first playing Outlaw on the Atari 2600. I also make my own games, but nobody plays or buys… More about Travis