Nintendo announces what's new and what's coming up

 

By Sonya Davidson

An extensive announcement from Nintendo Direct last week features many fun and exciting new additions, enhancements, and launches that will be rolling out this year. From the next evolution of amiibo to the introduction of Lucas to the battle (Mother 3 in Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS). Debut of a 200 cc speed class in Mario Kart 8 and so, SO much more!

Ready? Here are the highlights...

amiibo

amiibo Cards: A totally new form of amiibo is coming this fall! The first set of amiibo cards will be based on Animal Crossing characters and will be compatible with the Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer game. An NFC reader/writer peripheral for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS – which offers the functionality for scanning amiibo currently included in the New Nintendo 3DS XL system – will also launch the same day as the new Animal Crossing game.

The Next Waves of Super Smash Bros. Series amiibo: On May 29, a new set of amiibo in the Super Smash Bros. series will launch, featuring Charizard, PAC-MAN, Wario, Jigglypuff, Greninja, Robin, Lucina and Ness. July brings Dark Pit and Palutena. And in September, Zero Suit Samus, Ganondorf, Olimar, Dr. Mario and Bowser Jr. will join the amiibo family.

Play Classic Nintendo Games Using amiibo: With amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits, Wii U users can download the free application from the Nintendo eShop and tap any amiibo to unlock game-play highlights from select NES and Super NES games.

Yarn Yoshi amiibo: A new set of Yoshi amiibo figures made of actual yarn will launch later this fall along with the Yoshi’s Woolly World game. Tapping one of these yarn amiibo to the Wii U GamePad controller while playing Yoshi’s Woolly World will make another Yoshi appear in the game to assist the player. The Yarn Yoshi amiibo will be available in three colours: green, pink and light blue.

Splatoon amiibo: Launching simultaneously with Splatoon on May 29 are Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy and Inkling Squid amiibo figures. By tapping one of these amiibo to the GamePad, players can receive special missions to unlock weapons and gear.

More Mii Racing Suits!: On April 23, a new free downloadable software update to Mario Kart 8 will add support for nine more amiibo figures, including Mega Man, Sonic and PAC-MAN. Players can tap these amiibo to outfit their Mii characters in Mii Racing Suits themed to those amiibo characters.

Wii U

Mario Maker: The Mario Maker game launches exclusively for the Wii U console in September and easily lets users create their own Mario levels and share them online with people all over the world! Various activities related to the 30th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. game are also planned throughout the year.

Splatoon: In addition to previously detailed single-player and online “Turf War” modes, action shooter Splatoon will feature a highly competitive “Ranked Battle” mode, which ranks and matches players based on their wins in 4-on-4 multiplayer matches. The super-fun and super-colourful game will also feature a “Battle Dojo.” In this mode, players can enjoy local 1-on-1 battles with friends. One player plays on the GamePad controller, while the other plays on the TV using a separate controller, competing to see who can pop the most balloons. Splatoon will launch exclusively for Wii U on May 29.

200cc? 200cc!: Yes, that’s right: For the first time in the Mario Kart series, a 200cc racing class is coming to Mario Kart 8. Even faster than 150cc, the new high-speed class will work on all tracks in the game and makes braking an important driving skill. The new 200cc class will be offered as a free downloadable update on April 23 alongside the new paid DLC Pack 2 featuring three new characters, four new vehicles and eight new tracks.

 

Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS Games Hit the Virtual Console Service: Starting today, classic Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS games are coming to the Virtual Console on Wii U. Today brings Yoshi’s Island DS for Nintendo DS and Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64. While playing Nintendo DS games, the TV and GamePad combination will provide various options for dual-screen layouts, while all Nintendo 64 games that supported the Rumble Pack will continue rumbling away on Wii U controllers. Upcoming Virtual Console releases include WarioWare: Touched! for Nintendo DS on April 9 and Donkey Kong 64 for Nintendo 64 on April 16.

Yoshi’s Woolly World: The lovingly crafted new Wii U game launches this fall and overflows with numerous challenges and hidden secrets. In addition to the challenging Classic Mode, Yoshi’s Woolly World adds “Mellow Mode,” an additional mode that lets players of all skill levels play as “Winged Yoshi.

Shin Megami Tensei & Fire Emblem Crossover Project: The role-playing masters at ATLUS are developing a truly modern RPG, where everyday life exists alongside a secret world of fantasy that includes characters from the Fire Emblem series.

New Fatal Frame Game Coming to the U.S.: Fans that have been clamoring for a chance to play the latest game in the creepy Fatal Frame series will have their chance when it launches later this year for Wii U.

Nintendo 3DS

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer: This new game in the Animal Crossing series focuses on the decorating and home-designing aspects of the Animal Crossing games. Animals will ask players to design houses for them, and it’s up to designers-in-the-making to meet the animals’ requests by furnishing and decorating their homes. By tapping a new Animal Crossing series amiibo card to the New Nintendo 3DS XL system or NFC reader/writer accessory, players can design a room for that specific character on the card and scan additional character cards to invite those characters to visit. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer will launch this fall.

BOXBOY!: From the platforming masters at HAL Laboratory, Inc., creators of the Kirby series, comes BOXBOY! The black-and-white charmer tasks players with creating, casting and hooking blocks to navigate more than 150 challenging stages. BOXBOY! launched exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS as of April 2.

A New Fire Emblem Game: For the first time in the series, the main playable character is not only a customizable avatar, but also the main hero or heroine of the game. Players must choose to take one of two major paths, resulting in two different experiences: the “Hoshido” side for a more traditional experience, or the “Nohr” side, which makes the story more complex and the difficulty level more challenging. The new Fire Emblem game will launch for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in 2016.

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition: Players get two gigantic, unique puzzle/RPG adventures when Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition launches on May 22. The two-in-one game can be pre-ordered at  http://puzzleanddragons.nintendo.com. For players who can’t wait until May 22 to play, a free demo for Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition will be available in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on April 30.

Pokémon Rumble World: The latest action-packed adventure in the Pokémon Rumble series is free to download (with paid content) and features more than 700 Pokémon, all the way from the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games to the recent Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire games. Square off against tons of these Toy Pokémon when Pokémon Rumble World launches exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on April 8.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.: An upcoming software update to Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. will add a fast-forward feature to drastically speed up enemy turns. In addition, a new online Public Tournament in honor of playable character Tom Sawyer called “Hijinks” launched and ran until April 5.

New StreetPass Games: On April 16, two new StreetPass Mii Plaza games launch for $6.29 each, or $9.99 if purchased together. In Ultimate Angler, players visit the “StreetPass Islands” to try to catch more than 150 types of fish and legendary monsters with bait received from Mii characters via StreetPass. In Battleground Z, players receive items based on the hobbies of their Mii Plaza StreetPass characters to defeat a horde of zombies. A new paid service will also launch alongside these new games called “StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium,” adding features like “StreetPass Birthdays” and a new Mii character VIP Room for $6.29.

Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains: Based on the popular manga and anime, the Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains game features four-player local and online co-op game play and leaderboards as players take on the role of their favourite character to defend humanity from the giant Titans. In addition, the first two episodes of the hit anime series are now available to stream for free in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains from ATLUS will launch exclusively in the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in May.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D: A new trailer hones in on some of the mysteries of this epic role-playing game, the first game developed exclusively for the New Nintendo 3DS XL system. The game launches on April 10.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS

New (DLC) Challengers Approaching!: As previously announced, Mewtwo will join the roster of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as a downloadable character on April 28. For $6.29, players receive Mewtwo for both versions of the game. Club Nintendo members who have purchased and registered both versions of the game will receive a free download code for Mewtwo on April 15. In addition, fan-favourite character Lucas from Mother 3 is joining the all-star Super Smash Bros. cast in June. After a game update on April 15, Super Smash Bros. players can also purchase more costumes for their Mii fighters, including ones inspired by Mega Man X and Proto Man from Capcom’s Mega Man series.

Choose Your Own Super Smash Bros. Fighter:  Super Smash Bros. fans can visit http://www.smashbros.com to participate in a “Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot.” Fans can use this ballot to vote for which character they would like to see added to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a playable character.

Indies

Adventures of Pip from Tic Toc Games: When this pixel puzzle platformer launches this May in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U, players can use the GamePad exclusively to access inventory and quickly travel through the game’s world.

Mutant Mudds Super Challenge from Renegade Kid: People who purchase the Nintendo 3DS version of this beloved muddy platforming sequel will receive the Wii U version for free (and vice versa!). Anyone that owns the original Mutant Mudds game will also receive a loyalty discount when buying Mutant Mudds Super Challenge. The game launches exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS this June.

Don’t Starve: Giant Edition from Klei Entertainment: This acclaimed survival indie will launch this May with exclusive Wii U GamePad functionality and a special promotion – anyone that purchases the Wii U game will receive a free download code for the game that he or she can give to a friend!

Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses, Inc.: Experience Octodad’s wobbly journey with family and friends in co-op mode, with two to four players controlling different tentacles. Octodad: Dadliest Catch flops his way into the Nintendo eShop on Wii U this summer.