My Mewtwo….
This Nintendo Direct opened with everything I could have ever asked for. Smash Bros makes me so happy, and the announcements Iwata presented to us for Smash Bros on 3DS/Wii U brought a tear to my eye. Not only is Mewtwo officially releasing for both titles on May 29th, but everyone who got him with the Club Nintendo code will get him on the 15th! Not only that, but a balance patch and new Mii costumes will be up for download, with the Mii costumes running you 9.20$ for the full set on both platforms. Iwata then went on to announce ANOTHER DLC fighter.
YEAH, LUCAS! After showing the return of MOTHER 3’s hero, Iwata revealed the last bit of Smash news. Sakurai wants to listen to fan input on any other DLC fighters, and has opened a ballot to figure out who to add. Vote for Travis Touchdown, for me!
Wave 4 of the Smash Bros amiibos are confirmed to be released sometime in May. That includes Pac Man, Lucina, Wario, Charizard, Robin, and Ness, who has been confirmed to be Gamestop exclusive. Heaven help all of us who decide to pick Ness up. Wave 5 is just Dark Pit and Palutena, and they’re dropping in July, while Wave 6 includes Olimar, Dr. Mario, Ganondorf, Zero Suit Samus, and Bowser Jr and releases in September.
More Splatoon info was shown, including Ranked online matches and a one v one “training” Dojo mode. The game will launch on May 29th, and three amiibos will be available for purchase day and date. You can buy an inkling boy or girl, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can nab a three pack that comes with both AND a squid amiibo. The inkling amiibos look fantastic, and Splatoon still looks like the Game to Buy in general next month.
Wii U virtual console is getting a kick in the pants, as RIGHT NOW Yoshi’s Island DS and Super Mario 64 are available for the console. In the future, Mario Kart DS, Donkey Kong 64, Paper Mario, Warioware Touched, and Yoshi Touch and Go will be added. N64 games will be between 10 and 12$, and DS games will be between 7-10. I’d have loved to see DS games on the 3DS, but as long as I can replay Warioware Touched SOMEWHERE, I’m happy.
Fire Emblem had a big night. Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem has been re-confirmed, and it looks way different than we expected.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a big crossover? Now, original characters are the heroes, and they can enlist the help of classic SMT and Fire Emblem heroes. This game looks anime as hell and I’m really excited for a nice, long Atlus RPG with some of that Nintendo polish.
After that, Nintendo showed off Fire Emblem If, which is just being called Fire Emblem in the states currently.
This release is confusing. In the Direct, Bill Trinen states that you’ll be able to choose your fate and pick a side between the peace loving Hoshido and the prideful warmongers of the Nohr. It seemed to be a story divergence, but instead, two versions of the game are being released, Pokemon style. They’ll be two physical copies you can buy separately, but you can also buy one and download the other as cheaper DLC. There will also be a third DLC story option where you side with nobody that will be released on the same day as the other versions. Japan will be getting a collectable trading card game to promote these games, but who knows if we’ll get them when it drops sometime next year.
Yoshi’s Wooly World is coming this fall!
The game launches in fall, and comes with yarn amiibos! Yeah, actual plush Yoshis that assist you in levels. Wooly World seems to be the Yoshi’s Island sequel we actually wanted, and with a easy breezy Mellow Mode, even I’ll be able to play all the way through.
Mario Kart 8 is also getting its DLC earlier than we thought. Instead of waiting until May, it’s releasing April 23rd, and comes with Villager, Dry Bowser, Isabelle, four new karts, and eight new tracks, including an Animal Crossing track that changes season and time every time you play.
This stage is gorgeous, and singlehandedly sold me on this next set of DLC. Not only that, but Mario Kart will be getting a free update on the same day to allow 200cc races.
Mario Kart needed a new gameplay mode to stay fresh over a year after its release, so I’m glad they’re making it FASTER. This mode looks bonkers, and I hope there’s even more DLC later.
There’s still more cool stuff in this Direct, but I don’t have any explicit opinions on them. Check the full direct for info on Fatal Frame, new Streetpass games, and Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer, AND MORE.
I know a lot of folks are upset that SMT x FE is more Persona x FE and not Nocturne x FE. Looks polished as hell but I’m really not digging some of those designs.
I want to see prices for the DLC options with Fire Emblem If, because depending on how big those base game offerings are, splitting your game into three separate purchases feels really gross to me. I can respect Nintendo wanting to try new ways to sell their games but this seems weird to me.
Given that they’re already making Splatoon amiibo I’d be surprised if we don’t eventually see the characters hit Smash 4 in some way.
Big direct, which is cool.