By Liam Gallups Posted February 18, 2015
Greetings, salutations, and hey-o to every loyal gamer in the land (or sea, sky, or the cloud). Your local gamernut is back with another announcement concerning all things gaming and… that’s pretty much it. May I be the next to say “Welcome” to another new year? Nintendo released another Direct conference on The January 15, so I decided to look at some of the things announced and maybe some things they may have forgotten. Let’s jam, shall we?
First, I must regretfully say this… Nintendo announced no new titles in the main Super Mario franchise this year. Now that’s not to say the plumber brothers won’t see a little love this year either. Take “Mario Maker” for instance. The release date is still unclear, only that it will release this year on Wii U. Those of you who wanted to make their own playable Mario levels will get their chance when this game releases. I can imagine this game having a spectacular community. Hopes are high for this game.
“Mario Party 10” will release on March 20 for Wii U. This iteration of the popular party game features the power for a player five to play as none other than BOWSER. In the Nintendo Direct, it was announced that certain Amiibo will work on the game in a unique mode. For the uninitiated, Amiibo are little figurines Nintendo is releasing nowadays that work in a similar way to Skylanders.
The Japanese “Puzzle and Dragons” series of tile matching monster battling mobile action is coming to Nintendo 3DS. Two games, “Puzzle and Dragons Z” and “Puzzle and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition” will be released in a two-game bundle in May this year. If you like both tile matcher puzzles like “Candy Crush” and/or monster collector RPGs like “Pokemon”, then this is the game for you. Speaking of Pokemon, a freemium game “Pokemon Shuffle” is coming to the N3DS eShop for download this month. This game has the gameplay elements of Pokemon and Puzzle and Dragons, and the freemium gimmicks of Candy Crush. It should be a fun experience nonetheless.
Speaking of Nintendo 3DS… how about new 3DS XL? (As opposed to “New Coke”, anyone remember THAT mistake?) This version of the handheld features enhanced processing capabilities, face tracking 3D, a second thumbstick, more shoulder buttons, and a better battery. It has been available since The January 15, and should be a fairly good system.
You ever hear of happy coincidences? “Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D” launched the same day as New 3DS along with a special bundle that has the system and the game already in it. This game is a remake of one of the creepiest and most groundbreaking games in the series as a whole, and the late N64’s lineup. You will enjoy this entry if you are a big Zelda fan.
Speaking of Zelda, “Hyrule Warriors” is getting some Majora-themed DLC (downloadable content). It adds two new playable characters, Young Link and Tingle (just be glad Tingle is on your side in this game), new costumes and masks, and a new adventure map. It’s available now so download it. You will not be disappointed.
Another DLC announcement, this time for “Mario Kart 8”. In May, you can download three new characters to race as. These are Dry Bones, the Villager, and Isabelle from “Animal Crossing”. Nintendo seems to be pumping out as much as they can into this game, so it’s worth checking out.
“Xenoblade Chronicles X” is coming to Wii U sometime this year. It will release in April in Japan, but a U.S. release has not yet been decided. This is a spiritual sequel to the game that released on the Wii in 2013 with new characters and story and spectacular visuals. If you liked “Xenoblade Chronicles”, a 3DS port is coming this April but is only compatible on New 3DS.
That’s about as much as I can say for now. It isn’t much, but I will get more out to you guys soon. Until then, this is your local Gamernut signing out. Arigato and Sayonara.
“Star Fox” is coming back on Wii U. This is the sixth “Star Fox” game, and is the first original title for the series to be released in almost nine years. This game is being worked on and directed by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, Link, Fox, and other popular Nintendo intellectual properties. This game follows the traditional Star Fox gameplay of flying, shooting, and barrel rolling and features an episodic format similar to a 1960s TV show called “Thunderbirds”. It will be available sometime this year, but an official date is unclear.
Speaking of unclear release dates, how about “Kingdom Hearts 3”? Square Enix has announced that the game is in development and has released footage during previous E3 conferences, but not a solid release date. It can be speculated that a 2015 release will be the case, but at this point, not much has been revealed that can say for sure. Once this is released though, it will be well worth the long wait.
