Nintendo Direct 03/03/16 — Word to Your Mechs and Monsters

This Nintendo Direct was bound to leave people disappointed with the result, regardless of what Nintendo announced.

Expectations were high due to how long it’s been since the last traditional Direct, which occurred on November 12th last year — nearly four months ago. History has shown that the longer a company’s dedicated fans have to wait for something, the more their expectations will rise, especially given how frequent Direct installments were before Iwata’s untimely death. Given the state of transition Nintendo is currently in, there was no chance of them delivering as many surprises as the last Direct.

Nintendo has been winding down 3DS and Wii U software support for NX developments for a while now, a system reportedly planned to arrive either later this year or early next year. That doesn’t mean they aren’t providing anything worthwhile for their current platforms, but they’re unlikely to be huge system sellers at this point. They moved support to their next platform(s) early to lower the chances of the CEO apologizing for the lack of games in its first year, especially considering new Nintendo head Tatsumi Kimishima doesn’t seem like the type to offer sympathy.

The Direct began with new details regarding Star Fox Zero for Wii U, which is still coming on April 22nd despite rumors suggesting another delay. It will have multiple paths similar to previous titles, which will contain different challenge levels. There will also be a local co-op mode involving one person flying the Arwing, while the other aims and shoots. Since every Nintendo game uses amiibo these days, nearly all of them will be compatible with this title. Players can use the Arwing from Star Fox 64 when using the Fox amiibo, for instance, while the others will have uses that probably won’t be as remarkable.

The big news here was the announcement of Star Fox Guard, a retooled version of the Project Guard concept shown by Shigeru Miyamoto at E3 2014. It will involve players setting up multiple cameras to guard a mining site owned by Slippy’s uncle, Grippy Toad. While it will have 100 stages to play, players can also create their own by editing enemy placements and uploading their levels online. The game will come packaged with Zero in a bundle physically, but will be available for $15 on the eShop. Though both can also be purchased in a digital bundle, purchasing one will provide a $5 discount for the other. If anything, it’s good that they didn’t completely discard this concept.

The English version of Genei Ibunroku #FE surfaced under the localized name of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, a clever name considering what its acronym is backwards. And here people thought it completely betrayed its Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem origins. Interestingly, the game will be released with Japanese voices and English subtitles, to preserve its Japanese flavor. (Translation: They calculated how much it would cost to dub the voices and songs and evaluated its potential sales, and determined it wasn’t worth it.) The game will release on June 24th. Something tells me this game won’t receive a large printing, so you may want to preorder it early if you want a physical copy.

Also coming soon is Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for Wii U and 3DS, though the focus of the presentation was on the former. Its CG intro was shown, and new events like Rugby Sevens and Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs were revealed. It will release on June 24th, and will be compatible with the 3DS version arriving on March 18th.

Remember Lost Reavers from Bandai Namco? It’s a free-to-play game that released in Japan in December for the Wii U eShop, but will arrive in western territories in April 28th — though an open beta session will be held two weeks before that. Those who remember it from its reveal as Project Treasure in January last year will be amused or frustrated at how they never fixed the framerate.

Nintendo is also in the process of continuing updates for their older titles. Thought Nintendo was done with Splatoon (well, this installment, anyway)? They aren’t, as two new updates to provide balancing and new weapon combinations are coming on March 8th and sometime in April, respectively. Also, Super Mario Maker will be updated with options for skewers from Super Mario World, along with keys and locked doors in created levels. It will also add a Super Expert Mode to really put your skills to the test.

Though anyone watching this probably already knew, Nintendo reminded their fans that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD released for Wii U today. It’s possible you’ve already made up your mind as to whether you’re purchasing it. Also, Pokken Tournament will release on the 18th of this month.

Nintendo only had one big new title to announce for Wii U, but it’s a potentially good one: Paper Mario: Color Splash. Those rumors from late-January were true after all, meaning this will be the first Paper Mario title to release for an HD platform. While it could be enjoyable, anyone hoping for the long-awaited successor to The Thousand-Year Door may not be happy about this title seemingly being more similar to the divisive Sticker Star. That game contained iffy execution, but here’s hoping this experience is more polished. The game will release sometime later this year.

Also coming is Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo challenge, a free-to-play game using amiibo for the Wii U and 3DS eShops. It’s similar to the newer Mario vs. Donkey Kong titles, where the player will control toys created through amiibos instead of the series’ trademark Minis. The player will use the touchscreen to guide them through various traps and obstacles to their destination safely. This released in Japan at the end of January, and will be available for us on April 28th.

Speaking of amiibo: A new line of Animal Crossing figures are coming to stores this spring. Coming with them will be a variant of Isabelle in a summer outfit. See, that’s how they get you to collect multiple versions of the same figure.

Pre-registration for My Nintendo is now open, a new rewards service that will replace the now-defunct Club Nintendo, though the rewards haven’t been announced yet. This will also get you the Miitomo mobile app, which uses Miis for Tomodachi Life-esque social experiences.

Meanwhile, on 3DS: Super Nintendo Virtual Console titles are coming to New 3DS. They started with a trio of titles for America yesterday, with two more trios coming in April and May. Meanwhile, in typical style, Japan received a plethora of titles right off the bat, and they’re also receiving a Super Famicom New 3DS XL. They’re still getting the better deal after all these years. The real bad news here is how your SNES VC purchases from other platforms won’t transfer to this system. That’s a slap in the face for anyone who purchased them on Wii platforms, so feel free to let Nintendo know how much you don’t like this on their social media channels.

Pokémon-developer Game Freak’s Pocket Card Jockey will release for the 3DS eShop in May, which is a mix of horseracing and Solitaire. Those who win its unique games will be rewarded trophies, which can be shown off to friends…or something. This originally released in Japan as Soliti Horse in July 2013, where it also released for mobile phones down the line. Also coming to the eShop is Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, the sequel to Inti Creates’ popular score attack game. In addition to Gunvolt, Copen will also be playable, who comes with his own unique style. It will release sometime this summer. If you haven’t played the previous game, that one will be sold for a discounted $9.99 until June1st. You have plenty of time.

For those who didn’t purchase the extremely limited edition, Fire Emblem Fates’ third quest, Revelation, will release on March 10th. Additionally, some new DLC is now available on the eShop. This also marked an opportunity to discuss Hyrule Warriors Legends before release, which arrives on March 25th. It’s coming alongside a Season Pass for future DLC, which will include Ganondorf’s Wind Waker costume. Speaking of that title, Medii will be available as a free character down the line. Keep in mind these new characters will also be playable on the Wii U version through a code included with the 3DS version, though their story-based quests will remain exclusive to the handheld version.

Though Bravely Second: End Layer recently released in Europe, it won’t arrive in America until April 15th. To make the wait easier, a demo will hit the eShop on March 18th. It’s similar to the first game’s demo, in how completing it will unlock bonuses for the main game. A series of videos explaining the game’s features and lore will start being posted on Nintendo’s Youtube Channel in the coming weeks. While we’re on the subject of Square Enix RPGs: don’t forget about Dragon Quest VII. Though English-translated footage was shown for the first time, its release date was sadly shifted from “early summer 2016” to an ambiguous “2016.” Hopefully it’s still summer, though it could have taken a delay due to the game’s loads and loads of text.

Worried about Metroid Prime: Federation Force? Fear not! It’s still coming. They also spent a plethora of time on it, with producer Kensuke Tanabe detailing precisely how its story and world will fit in the Metroid universe. I don’t think its detractors were interested in that, but at least they gave this a shot, right? It will release sometime later this spring, though it’s hitting Japan in June.

The next Art Academy game will be Disney Art Academy, which will give players the ability to draw their favorite Disney or Pixar characters. No, sorry, they didn’t mention anything about drawing Marvel or Star Wars characters. Maybe they’re saving that for the next installment. It will release on May 13th.

It’s a shame the announcement of Monster Hunter Generations (a localization of Monster Hunter X — “X” being “cross”) was leaked, because it would have made for a nice surprise. After Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s superlative sales, it was perhaps a case of “when” rather than “if” X would leave Japan. It turns out they weren’t waiting for a “G” (aka Ultimate) version this time, as we’re getting this sometime this summer. Anyone with MH4U save data will receive a bonus for Generations, which will likely be 50 honeys similar to the Japanese version. There’s also a Fire Emblem crossover coming, where Marth’s outfit will be available to wear. If you want a taste of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate right now, the game is on sale for $14.99 on the eShop until 6PM EST tomorrow.

There were some surprises, though. Remember the Rhythm Heaven game that released for 3DS in Japan last June? Many had given up on seeing it outside the country, but it’s coming west after all as Rhythm Heaven Megamix. It will include over 100 rhythm-based mini-games, 30 of which are brand new, while 70 are from previous installments. Notably, some among those 70 are from the original Game Boy Advance title, which never released outside Japan. Me? Oh, I’m just glad the Wrestler interview from Fever on Wii made the cut. It will release sometime later this year, perhaps in the fall.

The final surprise was for a new Kirby game: Kirby: Planet Robobot. It’s somewhat of a sequel to 2014’s Triple Deluxe since it’s using assets from that game, but as its title implies, the twist here is how Kirby gets in the robot called the Robobot Armor. It’s capable of transforming into ten forms, some of which utilize upgraded iterations of Kirby’s classic powers. While that’s by far the highlight, Kirby can also access new powers, including the ability to transform into a doctor. He can also obtain powers through using — you guessed it — amiibos. The game will also come with a four-player co-op mode called Team Kirby Clash, where each teammate can level up after finishing each section. It’s due for release on April 28th in Japan, and June 10th in western territories.

Coming alongside the game will be a new set of Kirby amiibo, which sadly won’t feature Kirby in the Robobot. That’s a missed opportunity, but perhaps they’ll provide that down the line.

Sure, this Direct was devoid of many surprises, but Nintendo showed plenty of intriguing software, and proved how there’s more life in Wii U and 3DS than many expected. And anyone saying it was the worst Direct thus far clearly hasn’t been watching these for very long. That said, hopefully we won’t have to wait long until the next one, since they should at least have one more planned before their E3 event.

If you want to watch the Direct, feel free to do so here.