Nintendo shared a lot of exciting news at yesterday's E3 digital event. I'm going to cover some of the highlights here in case you didn't have a chance to catch it live!
Super Smash Bros. - Wii U and 3DS
This title needs no introduction. It's a highly anticipated release. So what's new? They have now added Miis to the list of contenders. You will be able to use your Miis as fighters. The player has the option to select one of three classes for his or her Mii - Brawlers, Gunners, and Sword fighters. Brawlers are tough guys and carry no weapon. Gunners have arm cannons capable of launching various projectiles. Sword fighters carry and fight with a sword. Special moves can be custom selected for your Mii as well. All the options currently allow for up to 36 different combinations. That should keep the battles fresh and fun.
The 3DS version has been delayed. It is scheduled to launch in October of 2014. The Wii U version is still set for the 2014 Holiday season.
Amiibo - Physical Figurines for use on the Wii U
Nintendo has been planning to release NFC Figurines that can be used to share data between games and provide additional content to games. This directive has been officially titled Amiibo. If you have ever played or seen the Spyro Skylanders game, this is pretty much the same thing... only bigger. Not only will it enhance our gaming experience, but it will also give us a really cool and fun set of classic character figurines to collect. This technology will be available in Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, and other titles. Take a look at some of the figurines.
To use the figurine, simply place it on the bottom left corner of the Wii U remote; on the square symbol.
In case you are wondering what NFC means or stands for, NFC is an acronym for Near Field Communication. NFC is a set of standards for devices such as smartphones, tablets, and, in this case, the Wii U remote to communicate with each other via radio communication which is typically done by bringing the devices within a couple inches of each other. You can read a lot more about this if you are interested. Just ask Google.
Yoshi's Wooly World
Previously called Yarn Yoshi, this fun game got some attention while the developers discussed some mechanics and the two player mode. Apparently, Yoshi's appetite has grown as he can now eat and spit out the second player's Yoshi. Release is planned for the Wii U in the first half of 2015.
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
This game features the Captain Toad gameplay from specific Super Mario 3D World levels. To sum it up, you are Captain Toad and you are looking for treasure through fun environments and fighting a ton of enemies. Should see this single player game on the Wii U in the 2014 Holiday season.
The Legend of Zelda - Wii U
Being a huge fan of the Zelda games from the beginning to today, this one really caught my eye. They mentioned the vast, boundary free world that the player will be able to explore and showed a video clip to give us a taste of what is to come. It's scheduled to release on the Wii U sometime in 2015.
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
They started this section off with a crazy video and showing off some Pokemon mega evolutions. This game is to release on the 3DS on November 21st of 2014.
Bayonetta 2
Here we got to see some in-game action and learned that Bayonetta 2 is going to include Bayonetta 1. So if you liked this game, here's a great opportunity to grab both for the Wii U. They also mentioned that Bayonetta will be able to wear costumes of other Nintendo characters. Look for this in October of 2014.
Hyrule Warriors - Legend of Zelda
It's a great time to be a fan of Zelda. Here's another Wii U release from the world of Zelda. In this game, the focus is fighting lots of enemies and seeing a lot of star characters from past games of the series. Look for it September 26th of 2014.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Another long running series that can always deliver - Kirby. This Wii U release is loaded with the things Kirby fans love - challenging but fun, fantastical environments loaded with interesting opponents. Plan on seeing this sometime in 2015.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Monolith Soft's next big thing - a sci-fi role-playing game exclusively for the Wii U. We saw a glimpse of this "Project X" a while ago; mentioned in a previous Nintendo Direct event. From what they are showing us now, this seems like it could be quite the experience to play. We can expect to see this sometime in 2015.
Mario Maker
This is a working title, so don't get attached, but it does a good job of suggesting what the game is all about. This game will allow players to build their own Mario worlds using assets from the classic Mario Bros titles as well as the New Super Mario Bros. We should expect to see this hit the Wii U in the first half of 2015.
Splatoon
A fun and fresh-feeling 3rd person action shooter that seems to focus on competitive multiplayer. The goal is to claim territory on the map by coating it in your color of ink while the other players are trying to do the same with their colors. The characters in the game are called Inklings. One useful skill an Inkling has is the ability to turn into a squid-like character and "swim" in your color of ink, submerged in the maps surface - possibly allowing you to move faster and making you harder to stop. I also want to mention another play option is 4 vs 4 battles.
It sounds ridiculously fun to me. We should be seeing this on the Wii U in the first half of 2015.
Smash Bros - Palutena Confirmed!
One final surprise comes to us from another Smash Bros video - a new contender has been confirmed! Welcome Palutena!
Ending the show, Miyamoto teases us with some new games using Wii U GamePad functionality... but we have to wait for more on that.
So what are your thoughts? Concerns? Questions? Anything excite you? Post below and thanks for reading!
