By: Stephen Duetzmann, editor in chief
Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct video presentation on October 1 that focused entirely on 3DS and WiiU games that are on the way. The following is a list of the five most important things we learned from watching the presentation.
Super Mario 3D World is coming November 22, 2013
It also looks like it is EXACTLY what Nintendo needs to kick off the holiday season. The game looks amazing and is bringing more innovative ideas to the table than I can ever remember from a Mario game. This is going to be a must own for families that own a WiiU (and might even be a reason to buy a WiiU in the first place).
Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze has been delayed until February 2014
This is a pretty big disappointment because it was one of my most anticipated games of the holiday season. I really enjoyed the last Donkey Kong game.
The last thing Nintendo needs to do is to push some of its premier franchises out of the holiday window, but it is possible that they wanted to avoid any potential competition with Super Mario 3D World.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 will feature an online multiplayer component
Players will be able to earn points for their country to help contribute to a leader board. This will be a great warm-up for the Nintendo online multiplayer services to help them get ready for Mario Kart 8 next year.
A new Kirby 3DS title is in development
They showed a brief preview of the title in progress and it looks amazing. The game is currently slated for release next year. Kirby fans look like they have a lot to look forward to. (I. Cannot. Wait.)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will feature some significant changes
They announced significant changes regarding item acquisition. The biggest difference is that items will be available for “rental” in order to allow players to tackle dungeons in any order they choose. This is a significant change for players used to previous entries in the franchise that were much more linear.
It looks like there is a lot to be excited about for Nintendo fans this year and next. What are you most excited about? Sound off in the comments!
