It’s a superb day to be a Nintendo fanboy to be honest; a completely new Zelda game for the 3DS has just gotten announced, while a flurry of other exciting news, including the Pikmin 3 release date – having been slated for August 4 – have been disclosed as well. And we’re only getting started. Link’s adventures in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons will be playable once more through the 3DS eShop come May 30. Moreover, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team gets its launch date, while a new Yoshi’s Island sequel and a Mario Party game have also been disclosed.
3DS
The new addition to the long-running The Legend of Zelda series is still to get a proper name, but some much important information has been let out by Nintendo nonetheless (at the 35:10 mark in the video). It will act as a sequel to 1991’s SNES classic A Link to the Past, and will feature a top-down perspective in its gameplay. Apart from its varied puzzles, a new mechanic has also grabbed limelight. It allows Link to transform into paper and move against walls. The game is scheduled to hit the 3DS late this year.
Next is the new Yoshi’s Island game which once again has Yoshi and Baby Mario embarking on a fresh adventure (14:03 in video). Not much is known about it till now. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, which was revealed for the first time in February, will be released for the 3DS through retail as well as eShop on May 24. This revamped version of the Wii game will be seen kicking in added traits such as an easier gameplay mode.
Furthermore, the release dates for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move have also come to the fore, with them having been set for May 9 and May 30, respectively. Shin Megami Tensei 4 will be arriving in the west on July 16. Other Japan-only games that will be taking a leap out of the island nation include Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which will come out in North America next year and Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy which shall hit Europe this year and North America next year.
Wii U
After months of waiting, fans finally have a Pikmin 3 release date to look forward to. The newest entry to Miyamoto’s much acclaimed franchise will be released for the Wii U on August 4. The New Super Luigi U DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U still remains without its launch information. But added details about this add-on have been disclosed (at 8:27 in the video).
Game & Wario which hit the Wii U in Japan last month, will arrive in North America through the eShop on June 23. Virtual Console compatibility will finally be making its way to the console next week in the form of a system update. And the 1994 SNES wonder Earthbound is the star attraction among the launch titles lined up for this service.
These were all the important announcements made by Nintendo through its Direct broadcast of this month. We’ll have more on these games including the new Zelda title in the coming months.