Nintendo Direct Review

Another Nintendo Direct has come and gone, and it was impressive.  I wasn't actually able to watch it live, but I've seen the trailers that were shown, and that's what really matters.  Needless to say, some games left me more impressed than others, but as a whole, it was pretty good.  However, I won't be covering every game.  I'll only cover the games that I feel are worth covering.  Without further ado, I present my first blog post that isn't an introduction!

Mario & Luigi Dream Team is the first game that I'll be covering, as it was the first one that was shown.  I rather like the Mario & Luigi games, so obviously I'm excited for another.  However, I feel Dream Team looks too similar to Bowser's Inside Story.  Both feature a main world with a two dimensional world within.  Of course, Bowser's Inside Story wasn't bad, so the similarities could be considered a good thing.  Mario & Luigi Dream Team is scheduled to be released August 11, 2013, which is closer than I expected.

Considering this was a 3DS themed Nintendo Direct, Wii U news wasn't really expected.  However, Nintendo gave us news anyway.  There wasn't too much, but it's something.  One of the topics was New Super Luigi U, which is DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U.  This DLC allows you to play as Luigi, in case you couldn't figure that out on your own.  Luckily, you won't be playing as NSMBU's lame multiplayer Luigi.  Instead, you play as Luigi with all of his abilities from previous games, such as his high jump and his slippery shoes.  The world map is the same, but the stages are different and appear to be more difficult.  For example, each stage has a time limit of 100 seconds.  Just let that sink in.

There was also some news regarding the Virtual Console of the Wii U.  Some great Nintendo classics are going to be released on Virtual Console, including some of my favourites, such as Mario Bros, Ice Climber and Super Mario Bros 2.  There was also some weird JRPG for SNES that's being released on Virtual Console.  Apparently, the fans have been waiting for a Virtual Console release for a long time.  I think it's called EarthBound.

Nintendo also announced a system update due next that will improve the Wii U's horrendous load times.  Also, before you ask, yes, I know what EarthBound is.  I am very excited for the Virtual Console release.

Next is some news regarding that one Nintendo franchise that everyone loves, myself included. The Oracle games are going to be released on the 3DS eShop.  To get the whole experience, you'll need to play both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.  It is interesting to note that both games were developed by Capcom.  I will avoid making any remarks regarding Capcom requiring fans to pay more to get what they want.

That's not the only Zelda news Nintendo released at Nintendo Direct.  They also announced a sequel to A Link to the Past, which is set in the same world, but has lots of new stuff added.  The gameplay looks incredibly similar to ALttP, which leaves me somewhat disappointed.  While two dimensional gameplay is just fine, it seems somewhat lazy considering the 3DS is more than capable of a 3D Zelda game, as demonstrated by Ocarina of Time 3D.

I've decided that I'll lump all of the Japanese localisations that were announced into one group.  I couldn't think of a relevant picture, so I decided on using a picture of a 3DS.  It's barely relevant, but it was either this or a Japanese flag.  It should be clear as to why I chose the 3DS.

There'll be no beating around the bush on this one.  First up, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is being localized.  As good as I think it looks, I can't say the same for the art style.  I'm not a very big fan of the appearances of the characters.  I also couldn't help but notice they lack feet, something which has appeared in a certain other 3DS game.  I'm looking forward to its release in 2014.  Yes, you read that right.  We have to wait until 2014 for Bravely Default to be released in North America.  Hopefully, they'll use that time to come up with a better title.

Next, we have some news from Level-5, which I foresaw, but appreciated nonetheless.  Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies has been confirmed for a North American release, which will be the last game in which Layton starts as the protagonist.  It will most likely finish up a plot that spans several games and an animated movie.  It will also feature over 500 puzzles, which is Level-5's way of saying 503 puzzles.  That is a lot of puzzles.  Level-5 has also announced the western release of the Guild02 games, including The Starship Damrey, Bugs vs. Tanks and Attack of the Friday Monsters.  I don't think more awesome titles exist.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the western release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf.  The release had already been confirmed, but not like this.  Nintendo has announced an Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS bundle, which includes the game and a 3DS XL for $219.99.  I'm not a big fan of special edition consoles, but that's a pretty good deal.

That does it for most of the coverage.  Some other games were shown, including a new Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, a new Mario Golf and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, for 3DS, and Pikmin 3 and Game and Wario for Wii U.  In the end, some of the games that were shown looked kind of lame, but the cool looking games more than made up for it.  This Nintendo Direct was excellent, and I look forward to plenty of the games that were shown.