Nintendo had its first Nintendo Direct stream of the new year this morning, mostly to plug its New 3DS hardware upgrade, announce a bunch of new Amiibo, and settle some release dates for upcoming titles.
The New 3DS XL news--the regular New 3DS does not appear to be coming out in North America as of now--was probably the biggest. The system, which upgrades the size and power of the system and includes an additional analog stick, will release in North America on February 13 for $199. Limited edition New 3DS XL systems themed after the upcoming Majora's Mask remake, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, will also launch on that date. That said, the Majora's Mask systems appear to be selling out quickly via online pre-orders.
Here's the rest of the news from the stream that's fit to print.
- New Amiibo! Even though nobody really seems to understand why they're buying them, undoubtedly lots of people will buy the myriad new Amiibo announced today. 11 new Super Smash Amiibo, including Meta Knight, Mega Man, King Dedede, Shulk, and Toon Link, are on the way in February. Elsewhere, Robin and Lucina from Fire Emblem, Pac-Man, Wario, Ness, and Charizard are coming this Spring. Lastly, a new Super Mario series is coming on March 20 featuring Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Toad.
- "The Latest Title in the Fire Emblem Series" (probably not an official title) was announced. Intelligent Systems will be developing this new title, but Iwata described the gameplay as "completely new."
- Original Wii games are now being added to the Wii U store. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is out today, while Punch-Out!! will be coming January 22, and Metroid Prime Trilogy on January 29. All three titles will be available for half-price in their opening week of release."
- Codename S.T.E.A.M., the steampunky Abraham Lincoln vs. aliens action strategy game from Intelligent Systems, will arrive on 3DS (and New 3DS with "enhanced features") on March 13.
- New DLC for Hyrule Warriors is on the way on February 5. This will add Young Link and Tingle as playable characters, as well as some new adventure mode maps and costumes.
- The latest installment in the heretofore Japan-only puzzle series, Puzzle & Dragons, is coming to the US. The game will include Puzzle & Dragons Z, and the Mario-themed Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition in one package. It's set to release in North America in May.
- Xenoblade Chronicles for New 3DS is confirmed for US release in April.
- Splatoon, Nintendo's multiplayer ink shooter for the Wii U, is coming this May.
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars will be the first Nintendo game to feature any manner of cross-buying. If you buy the Wii U version of the game, Nintendo will offer you a download code for the 3DS version, and vice versa. It will be out March 5.
- Pokemon Shuffle, a new Pokemon-themed puzzle game, will be available for free on the 3DS eShop.
- Kirby and the Rainbow Curse has been pushed back one week. It now releases in the US on February 20.
- It wasn't mentioned on the US Nintendo Direct (for obvious reasons), but the Japanese version of the stream announced a new Rhythm Heaven game that will be releasing in Japan this summer. It will feature over 100 minigames, 30 of which are new.
You can check out the full stream in the embedded video below.
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