Nintendo shines more light on new titles
Today’s Nintendo Direct has given us some more information on what to expect this year from Nintendo.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata began by talking about Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Figure skating pairs have been added to the game, as well as snowboarding slopestyle. Iwata also goes on to explain the use of the Wii U gamepad, noting that you can use it to share strategies with players in curling and utilize it in biathlon.
Next in line is Mario and Donkey: Minis On The Move, which released earlier this May. Further details on the mechanics of the game were elaborated on. Grid sizes can be as small as 3×3 and as large as 7×7, and you’re free to make them as small or as big as you wish within that range. You can place a whole manner of titles in each level, such as spike pits or shy guys. You can even share your levels and download ones that other people have made online.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D gets more exposure; the 8 new levels that are being added to it are briefly showcased and talked about. Each level is based on a world that appears in the game, and will offer something new to DKCR. Mechanics such as platforms that disappear and reappear quickly in the jungle level, tar dripping down in the prehistoric level, and large gears that you’ll have to cross while they rotate in the lava level. DKCR 3D will be released both in stores and on the Nintendo eshop May 24th.
Additional details are given about Game and Wario; the mini game Island has you and a group of friends taking turns launching creatures called fronks onto circular islands for points. You take turns using the game pad’s touch screen as a slingshot to launch the fronks onto an island. Another mini game that will be apart of Game and Wario is called Patchwork, which has you placing puzzle pieces down that overlap other pieces in order to create an image. A platformer called Kung Fu will also be in this title. You will control a character named Young Cricket through a series of stages filled with obstacles that can sometimes only be seen on the game pad, so you’ll have to be mindful not to watch the television screen too much. Game and Wario will be released on the Eshop June 23rd.
More information is revealed about the upcoming downloadable title New Super Luigi U. Luigi gets his own separate adventure in this new game, but he’s not alone on his quest. He is accompanied by two toads and Nabbit. You can control Nabbit this time around, but unlike Luigi and the toads, he can’t get hit by enemies, and cannot collect powerups either. New Super Luigi U will be available on the eshop June 20th, and will be sold in stores July 26th.
The Wonder 101 gets a release date, slated to hit Europe August 23rd. Iwata goes on to state that more information will be given about The Wonderful 101 between now and its launch date.
Finally, we have some more Pikmin 3 news and footage. Three new characters, Captain Charlie, Alph, and Brittany, are to appear in Pikmin 3. They are on a mission to find food in order to save their planet which suffers from a food deficit. You can use the juice from the fruit that you collect in order to sustain your characters during the game. Another new feature is the ability to select an earlier day, so as to undo mistakes that you made. Iwata explains that there is no limitations to how many days you can take to explore a planet, making it more accessible to newcomers. Also included in Pikmin 3 is something known as the konpad. It can be used as a map to find various objects in the level, such as pikmin for example. The konpad can also move your character by way of sliding the touch pad. Adding to the myriad of utilities is the konpad’s ability to replay your progress in the level via the map. Pikmin 3 will be launching July 26th.
Keep your eyes pealed on E3 for more details regarding Nintendo’s upcoming titles.