Nintendo Direct thread

As there's a new Direct tonight at 10pm, I decided it's probably best to keep everything Direct related here. We can post to show when a new direct is announced, what announcements were made and our reactions and thoughts.

So, to kick things off:

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-Direct/Latest-Nintendo-Direct/Nintendo-Direct-698557.html

Post-Direct:

Oh my... OH MY!
So, first thing's first, MAJORA'S MASK 3D! My second favourite Zelda game being brought into the current generation. A little overdue, admittedly, but still, MAJORA'S MAAAASK.

Ahem, aside from that, nothing particularly new, just updates on games we already knew about. Some good stuff, though.

-Shovel Knight finally getting a European release on Wii U and 3DS with some additional content depending on your version. And it's out right now.
-Amiibos will work with Hyrule Warriors. The Link figure in particular unlocks a new weapon for Link: the spinner from Twilight Princess.
-Amiibos will also work with Mario Kart 8 and unlock a costume for your Mii based on the figure. The first DLC pack will also be released next Thursday.
-MAJORA'S MAS- sorry.
-More information on Xenoblade Chronicles X, Codename S.T.E.A.M., Persona Q, Ultimate NES Remix, Kirby & The Rainbow Paintbrush and a bunch of eShop games.
-Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (the 3DS one) has a demo on the eShop.

Not a bad Direct all in all...




EEEEEEEEEEEE, Majora's Mask 3D. State of happiness. So much.

New Nintendo Direct tomorrow at 2pm. I'm hoping for a release date for the New 3DS and Majora's Mask 3D.

As cool as that Majora's Mask New 3DS XL is, I'll stick with an ordinary XL. It comes with Majora's Mask 3D pre-installed and as I've mentioned before, I prefer to own physical copies of my games. I know, that's incredibly picky of me, but that's how I am.

And yeah, I gonna pre-order one soon. I've worked a really busy few weeks with barely any time to myself, so I feel like I've earned it.

Don't forget that Wii games are available in the Wii U eShop. I'm mentioning this now since tomorrow is the release of Metroid Prime: Trilogy. Three games for £8.99. That's the steal to end all steals, so I wholeheartedly recommend it.

New Direct tomorrow at 11pm.

I'm expecting news on Yoshi's Woolly World. Like a release date and what its Amiibo support includes. I'm also heavily expecting news on the Mewtwo DLC for Smash.

As it's April Fool's, I'm kind of expecting an outrageous announcement too. Like... Iwata's pregnant and Reggie's the father.

... maybe I spend too much time on the internet.

Neat Direct. So much news, I don't think I can simply type it all down. Reactions, GO!

A Splatoon-based Direct is live tomorrow at 3pm. Splatoon's one of my highly anticipated games of the year so you bet I'm looking forward to this.

POST DIRECT:
Directs based on a single game don't usually drop a lot of info that viewers don't already know, but they did show off a lot of cool stuff. I love that they'll be constantly updating the game. For free too. They also showed more specifics of the amiibo support and they'll be Inkling costumes for Mii Fighters in Smash in the future.

Best of all, by the time this is posted, there should be a demo for the game ready to be downloaded. Not only that, this Saturday, they'll be three one-hour sessions where you can take the game online, plus downloading the demo will nab 10% off the full price of the eShop version, if that's your buying preference.

I'm pretty sure Splatoon will be my Summer game at this rate. The amount of updates they'll do (again, for free) is staggering.

EDIT: If you missed it: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-Direct/Latest-Nintendo-Direct/Nintendo-Direct-698557.html

Today's the big one: the E3 Direct.

I'm heavily looking forward to it, but at the same time, I'm... well, 'nervous' or 'cynical' wouldn't be the way to put it, but I honestly can't find the word I'm looking for. What I mean is that they need something huge. Something we're not expecting. They pulled that off last year with the surprise announcement of Splatoon and that's turned into a commercial success. Now even though Zelda Wii U won't be at E3 itself, I still think they'll be a trailer. I'll be very surprised if Star Fox Wii U doesn't get shown too. There's also the knowledge that both Retro Studios (the team behind Metroid Prime and the new Donkey Kong Country games) and Platinum Games both have something up their respective sleeves. For Platinum, it really could be anything. For Retro, I would like another new Metroid game (though, to be honest, a new Metroid game is needed regardless of developer) or perhaps for them to take a stab at a different Nintendo IP (F-Zero, maybe?). Or a brand new game entirely; I'd be down for that.

We already know there won't be talk of the upcoming NX or any mobile game announcements. With the recent leaks of the Smash Bros. DLC, Hyrule Warriors 3DS and the Animal Crossing amiibo line, something unexpected needs to be there. The thing I'm hoping for the most is that Nintendo doesn't take the "playing it safe" route. That was their E3 Direct back in 2013 when the Wii U was struggling the most. Yes, we'll most likely get games like a new Mario Sports title (y'know, aside from Mario & Sonic, I don't think there is a Mario Sports game on the Wii U... odd), something related to Pokemon (western announcement of Pokken Tournament please) and games coming to the 3DS.

Regardless of whether these announcements are mind-blowing, predictable or disappointing... this is going to be interesting, to say the very least.

5pm. Be there.

POST-DIRECT:

*huge underwhelmed sigh*

Oh thank God, a brand new Nintendo Direct is finally coming to us on Thursday at 10pm. As always, the stream will be available to watch either on Nintendo's YouTube, Twitch, or my preferred method, here: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-Direct/Latest-Nintendo-Direct/Nintendo-Direct-698557.html

It's been a long while since the last one, so I apologise if it I'm making it seem like Christmas has come early, but dammit, I'm excited.

So I'm going to be up-front. The one thing I expect is news on the next Zelda game. Perhaps its actual title will be revealed, but what I want is some more news about it. There's been so little since the footage shown the Game Awards (and that was ELEVEN FREAKING MONTHS AGO) so not showing any of it here would be enough to make me think it's going to the NX at this point. Speaking of which, maybe there will be some more news on it here? I mean, I know they're not fully showing it off until E3 next year and it's most likely just wishful thinking, but it's Nintendo; you never know in the end. Star Fox Zero might also get some screen time and I imagine they'll show a little bit of Mario Tennis and Xenoblade Chronicles X since they're close to release. And finally, just because I'm a fanboy who doesn't hide it well, some news on Ace Attorney 6 (or maybe that the Japan-only Great Ace Attorney is getting localised? Please?).

Oh, also, it would be nice to see a tribute to Iwata. It wouldn't be needed, per se, just a nice thing to see.

Speculation time, kids. Lay it on me.

Post-Direct snippets:

-Twilight Princess HD which everyone saw coming that, I have to be honest, doesn't look very different from the original. Seriously, I thought they were showing footage from the original and were going to cut to the HD version. The Wolf Link amiibo looks cool, though.
-Zelda Wii U is... still coming to Wii U. I mean, I wanted more than that, but I'm honestly happy we won't have to wait until the NX is released.
-Pokemon Red, Blue & Yellow are coming to the 3DS eShop which utilises the wireless functions of the 3DS so you'll still be able to battle and trade with friends. Why we have to wait until February is beyond my guess, but I'm pretty happy about that.
-Special Editions of 3DS games EVERYWHERE. Hyrule Warriors Legends, Fire Emblem Fates and Bravely Second (am I the only one who burst out laughing when the figurine was shown and text appeared at the bottom that said, "Not an amiibo"?)
-Another new character named Linkle which is basically a female Link for Hyrule Warriors Legends... dammit, I really am going to buy that game again, aren't I?
-New Splatoon maps and gear that will be ready tomorrow, followed by more future content until January. You don't think that means updates will finish, do you?
-Smash Bros. footage that I've already shown in the Smash thread.

Pretty good Direct, I think. Some stumbles here and there, but not too bad.

And less than a week after the Pokemon Direct, we have a proper Nintendo Direct tomorrow at 10pm, focusing on games being released during the Spring and Summer.