Nintendo posted another Nintendo Direct event on November 5th 2015. The show was less than an hour long, but packed a lot of information regarding several eagerly awaited titles (and some we didn’t know were coming)!
The following are the highlights of the video which can be viewed in its entirety here.
Wii U
Mario Kart 8 DLC
The first pack of DLC for Mario Kart 8 launches on Nov. 13 and features new racers, levels and karts from Nintendo properties The Legend of Zelda, F-Zero and Excitebike. Players can purchase the DLC for $7.99, but the best deal is to purchase the two announced DLC packs for $11.99. (The second pack will feature Isabelle and Villager from Animal Crossing and will launch in May 2015.)
amiibo
The amiibo figures are almost upon us and players have been wonder exactly how they will work for a while now. Nintendo has finally let loos with enough details that we can see how they will work. IN essence, amiibo figures will serve as minor add-ons to a large number of Nintendo titles. This stands in contrast to the other toys to life figurines on the market that will only function for a single game (or series of games). For example, they willallow you to create, level up, and customize a “figure character in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Multiple other games will be compatible with amiibo, including Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors in 2014. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Yoshi’s Woolly World and Mario Party 10 will gain the functionality at some point in 2015. This amiibo functionality will be available to players in the following games when the first wave of figures launches on Nov. 21, 2014
- Mario Kart 8: When players tap Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Captain Falcon, Fox, Samus or Kirby amiibo figures on the Wii U GamePad controller, they will receive a Mii racing suit themed to that particular amiibo character. Players’ Mii characters can wear these detailed suits when racing in the game.
- Hyrule Warriors: The Link amiibo figure gives players a special weapon called the “Spinner.” Every Super Smash Bros. series amiibo figure will grant randomly selected materials, weapons or rupees in the game when used.
Splatoon
Splatoon was announced at E3 this year as a four-on-four online multiplayer shooter. Today Nintendo announced that it also features a single-player mode. Players pit their squid-like “Inkling” against an massive army of octopi equipped with their own ink weaponry. Splatoon is currently slated for launch exclusively for the WiiU in the second quarter of 2015.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
I loved the original for the Wii and have been hungry for the followup since it was announced. Xenoblade Chronicles X looks like it will not disappoint. The direct quote form the press release is below:
“In this new RPG from Monolith Soft, players embark on an epic quest in a new world. Using the city of New Los Angeles as a home base, players will embark on missions, collect items and take on requests from residents. Xenoblade Chronicles X – which features a bigger world than Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii – is scheduled to launch exclusively for Wii U in 2015.”
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
The Kirby series has always been adorable. This entry in the franchise has the lovable pink puffball journeying through a world made entirely of multicolored clay. Players do not directly control Kirby this time. Instead they guide Kirby along a rainbow line that they draw on the Wii U GamePad with a stylus. It does feature a new four-player multiplayer mode that lets one player play as Kirby and focus on drawing rainbow lines on the GamePad, while the others control a trio of Waddle Dee characters that can collect items or even carry Kirby around. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is slated for launch for Wii U in February 2015.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Nintendo debuted a new trailer that showed off a lot more game play. Take a look at the new trailer here. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one of our most anticipated games this holiday season and launches for Wii U on Dec. 5.
Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is one of the most divisive games in the entire franchise. It was originally released on the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000 and is being remastered for a 3d release on the Nintendo 3DS console. It “brings Link’s suspenseful, intricate quest through the mysterious world of Termina to a hand-held system for the first time with enhanced 3D graphics and added features for a smoother game experience.” It is scheduled to release sometime in 2015 and is a great addition to the bursting 3DS library.
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
You know we love strategy RPGs here at Engaged Family Gaming right? The genre is full of brain twisting puzzles in the form of strategic challenges. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. by Intelligent Systems, the creators of the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars series, is a turn-based tactical action RPG that features characters like Abraham Lincoln. No that was not a typo. Abraham Lincoln leads a team of newly revealed playable characters like Tiger Lily and Tom Sawyer. Each character has unique abilities that players have to use to their fullest in order to overcome challenges. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. will launch exclusively for Nintendo 3DS in spring 2015.
Indie games!
There is a HUGE lineup of Indie games coming to the Nintendo 3DS handheld and WiiU console. Some of them are:
- Runbow from 13AM Games (Wii U) – 2015
- Chromophore: The Two Brothers Director’s Cut from Ackk Studios LLC (Wii U) – Winter
- Citizens of Earth from ATLUS (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS) – Winter
- Nihilumbra from BeautiFun Games (Wii U) – Winter
- The Swapper from Curve Digital (Wii U) – Nov. 6
- Thomas Was Alone from Curve Digital (Wii U) – Nov. 25
- Proun+ from Engine Software (Wii U) – Winter
- Trine Enchanted Edition from Frozenbyte (Wii U) – Winter
- Chariot from Frima Studio Inc. (Wii U) – Winter
- A.N.N.E. from Gamesbymo (Wii U) – Winter
- Gunman Clive 2 from Hörberg Productions (Wii U) – Winter
- SteamWorld Heist from Image & Form (Wii U) – Spring 2015
- Affordable Space Adventures from KnapNok Games (Wii U) – Q1 2015
- Gone Home from Midnight City (Wii U) – Winter
- High Strangeness from Midnight City (Wii U) – Winter
- forma.8 from MixedBag (Wii U) – Winter
- A World of Keflings from NinjaBee (Wii U) – Nov. 13
- Tengami from Nyamyam Ltd. (Wii U) – Nov. 13
- Treasurenauts from Renegade Kid (Nintendo 3DS) – Q1 2015
- Xeodrifter from Renegade Kid (Nintendo 3DS) – Q4
- Swords & Soldiers II from Ronimo Games BV (Wii U) – Winter
- Beatbuddy from THREAKS (Wii U) – Q1 2015
- Sportsball from TOO DX (Wii U) – Nov. 6
- 6180 the moon from Turtle Cream (Wii U) – Winter
- Rive from Two Tribes (Wii U) – 2015
