We were all cautiously optimistic about Nintendo’s 3DS Direct, but even the most ardent fan couldn’t have predicted just how impressive yesterday’s broadcast would be. Not only did we get the news of EarthBound’s long-awaited Virtual Console debut (after what seemed like an eternity mired in legal red tape) and the announcement of a brand new followup to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, we got a number of other announcements sure to please the Nintendo faithful, from the localization of Bravely Default (coming 2014 courtesy of Nintendo itself), a final release date for Pikmin 3, and even a new installment of the Yoshi’s Island series for 3DS. So, what did the staff think of all this news? Read on to find out!
Robin Wilde
I find it really wonderful that EarthBound is now available in Europe for the first time. I have of course played it by less than legitimate means, but I’ll certainly be buying it and I’d implore everyone else to do the same– maybe with enough sales we could get Mother 3 officially translated.
Outside of that, I’m heartened by a new top-down Zelda. I liked Phantom Hourglass and haven’t played Spirit Tracks, but Minish Cap and ALTTP are two of my favourites.
Mario & Luigi looks good as always. I like the idea of flipping the ‘it was all a dream’ trope on its head and hope they’ll be able to use a lot of clever mechanics with it.
Andrew Hsieh
Back up the fun bus! A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? I’m no hierophant, but let me tell you: I predict a future where the police find a disheveled and highly volatile Andrew Hsieh in the corner of some basement, his hands irrevocably stuck to his 3DS system. While Ocarina of Time was my first Zelda game, A Link to the Past was my second– I’d rushed out right after beating Ocarina of Time to buy A Link to the Past at the local Toys ‘R Us. (And by that I mean I begged my mom to bring me to Toys ‘R Us to buy it.) I’m not sure how I feel about the art direction of this new game, but I can tell you this: I’m still gonna play it, I’m still gonna love it, and chances are it’s gonna grow on my anyway.
So yeah, there’s that.
But there’s also other stuff. A spotted 3DS? Er, well, I’m not a big fan of chicken pox, but an Animal Crossing-themed 3DS is fine in my book. And EarthBound on Wii U’s Virtual Console? Hang on, what does this mean? Is Shigesato Itoi brewing something for the future? Is Mother 4 gonna pop out of the Mean Bean Machine? I can hardly wonder what this harbinger means for the future of Shigesato Itoi’s baby, but the fact that it’s finally on Virtual Console makes me more than happy. I wonder if any music or enemies will have to be stripped out, since licensing issues famously were a reason for EarthBound‘s delay. I wonder if it’ll be 100% the same game. This is for sure, though: people are gonna clamor for Mother 3‘s localization even more.
Kyle England
Despite the Yoshi and Zelda games, this Nintendo Direct meant one thing only for me: EarthBound. It’s finally, finally being re-released. Some have been waiting their entire adult lives for this moment. I played the game for the first time just last year, so I can’t even imagine what it feels like to be those who played it in 1995 and have had to writhe in agony for 18 years.
This announcement has so many implications to it. This basically means that Nintendo is finally acknowledging the Western Mother fan base. Could an overseas version of Mother 1 + 2 and Mother 3 be not too far behind? I’m also wondering how this will affect the price of EarthBound SNES carts on the collector’s market. Right now the average price of the game is sitting pretty at a cool $200. I expect it to go down to at least a reasonable amount.
At the very least, this will allow a whole new generation to experience Ness’s amazing adventure. And, of course, Europeans will now have a legitimate way to play EarthBound. Our friends from across the pond will no longer have all the references in Smash Bros. go over their heads!
Aside from that, I’m intrigued by the new Level-5 games for the 3DS eShop announced yesterday. The Starship Damrey seems like a very cool game. A thriller with absolutely no instructions or tutorials sounds very unlike the type of game that would appear on a Nintendo system. It seems like a crazy sci-fi version of Myst or something.
Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale also sounds like a very unique game. Just the idea of the world has me greatly intrigued. Japanese monsters and heroes from the ’70s in a 3DS game? Yes, please. If anything, I hope this game can capture the pure cheesiness of those old kaiju and sentai shows. That’s giant monster movies and superhero task force shows (think Power Rangers) for the uninitiated.
But yeah, this Nintendo Direct was great… for Nintendo 3DS. The Wii U still remains quite mute, unfortunately. I’m glad there will be some releases in June, but that still leaves us with two months of barren desolation. Oh well, I guess I’ll be too busy with Donkey Kong and the recent eShop games.
Po-Yi Ho
I am thoroughly upset after all the recent Nintendo Directs because I hate the waiting game. Sometimes it seems like I am always waiting for the next great game, the next amazing remake, the next big release. Last time, we found out about the year of Luigi and the imminent release of the next great Mario & Luigi title. This time, we found out, in the span of a couple of hours, about the imminent release of EarthBound, more details about the three Level-5 games, the development of the new Yoshi’s Island title, and the existence of the sequel to the best game ever made.
All that in the span of a couple of hours? Anyone would be upset. I am not bothered by the lack of Wii U news. No news is not necessarily bad news: I already have my hands full with all the recent hits like Fire Emblem Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. I am happy to wait a while for Pikmin 3, especially since Animal Crossing: New Leaf is coming in about a month. You can tell that I am perpetually trying to plan out when good games are coming out and when I can play them. This is how stressed I get after watching these Nintendo Directs. Sometimes I hate Nintendo for pouring out all these announcements in this format.
But you can’t blame the players because they are just playing the game. I hate the waiting game though, but I will play it. It will be worth it!
Marc Deschamps
Yeah, I have to agree that these Nintendo Direct conferences are both awesome and overwhelming at the same time. I love seeing so many great new Nintendo games, but I always get the feeling my wallet is going to revolt and run away.
I’m not sure whether I’m more excited about the new Yoshi’s Island or the Wii U Yarn Yoshi game. The original Yoshi’s Island is a classic, though, and I’m very excited to see the little green dino getting so much love this year.
The announcement of new levels in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is both awesome and awful. I was going to skip this one since I already have it on Wii, but, depending on what type of world we see, I might have to cave. The original game was sadly missing the water levels that were my favorites in the SNES days. If there are water levels in the 3DS port, Nintendo can come to my house and pick up the $40 tonight.
The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past probably wouldn’t have excited me as much if I hadn’t just finished Minish Cap a few weeks ago. That was the first 2D Zelda title I’ve ever played to completion, and now I’m hungry for more. Impeccable timing, Nintendo.
Then, of course, there’s EarthBound, which I’ve never played, and probably should have, considering that my friend and neighbor owned and was obsessed by it.
So, by my count, that’s a little less than $200 I just committed to… hey, where’d my wallet go?
Now that you’ve seen the staff’s thoughts, it’s your turn to chime in! What did you think of yesterday’s broadcast? And which announcement were you the most excited to hear? Let us know in the comments!
[deep breath]
yoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshiyoshi.
As excited as I am for the new Zelda, especially since it is a sequel to ALttP, everyone knew there’d be a new one eventually; thus I’m actually more excited about Bravely Default coming west.
zelda alttp2, yoshi island 3, earthbound, dkcr 3d, pikmin 3, new super luigi u, mario and luigi dream team, mario and donkey kong… this nintendo direct are getting better and better! love u nintendo!