Nintendo Direct drops some 3DS and Wii U knowledge

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It might be time to blow the dust off your 3DS, and give it a fresh charge.  In a new episode of their “Direct” series of announcements, Nintendo laid out their plans for the handheld console, and some of it sounds very impressive.  A new Link to the Past, anyone?  Read on for the details.

This lastest edition of Nintendo Direct was posted to the company’s YouTube page earlier today, and features Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata and a couple other familiar faces.

IwataYeah, it’s as awkward as it looks.  But besides the creepiness of Mario and Luigi’s unblinking gaze, the presentation is actually full of great information for 3Ds owners.  To put it simply, there’s a lot of cool games heading your way in the next year.  You can watch the full presentation by scrolling further down this page.  But if you’re just looking for the bulletpoints, I’m locked and loaded.

  • Mario & Donkey Kong eShop exclusive launches May 9
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (which looks AWESOME) available May 24
  • Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages in eShop May 30
  • Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3Ds bundle out on June 11
  • Shin Megami Tensei 4 launches July 16
  • Mario & Luigi Dream Team launches August 11
  • Mario Golf World Tour will be out this summer
  • Another Mario Party will be out this winter… yay
  • A third Yoshi’s Island game is coming… F*CK YES
  • A new Legend of Zelda game, set in the Link to the Past world, coming this Christmas

In addition to all of the 3Ds news, Iwata also went over some upcoming Wii U titles, and detailed the system update coming next week.

  • Pikmin 3 launches August 4
  • Super Mario Bros. Wii U DLC coming this summer
  • quicker load times for menus
  • the ability to copy and move files between USB drives
  • the ability to download updates in the background
  • updates can now be downloaded and installed even when the Wii U is off
  • Virtual Console will be available soon after the system update is released
  • Gameboy Advance and N64 games coming to the Virtual Console
  • Earthbound coming to Virtual Console later this year

So that’s the quick and messy version.  But if you have any interest in the 3DS or Wii U, I strongly encourage you to watch the presentation for yourself.  Just hearing the familiar sounds of Yoshi’s Island (F*CK YES!) made me tear up.  OK, not really, but I was pretty darned happy.  I guess this means I actually have to buy a 3Ds now.  Darn.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSXyo0z6LKA&w=560&h=315]


About the Author: (@Joe_of_the_Dead) Lead Editor, Writer

Joe was born in a time of war. A console war. Two electronic titans were locked in a heated battle for the living rooms of America. Which titans, you ask? Well, the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600 of course. You see, Joe is old. So many of his favorite games tend to be on the older side as well. But that hasn’t stopped him from developing unhealthy obsessions with such modern franchises as Halo and Mass Effect. Just don’t tell him how long it’s been since the original Metroid was released. His aging heart can’t take the shock.

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