Nintendo fans have learned quickly that when a Nintendo Direct presentation is coming, they should pay attention. While last month’s Nintendo Direct presentation was heavily Wii U focused, this morning, Nintendo gave its handheld some love with a gigantic batch of 3DS news and previews.
First out of the gate, we finally have official release dates for Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The game will release in the US on June 9, with a European release coming a few days later on June 14. Nintendo also gave Animal Crossing fans a new trailer to whet their appetites.
Nintendo also gave us a new trailer for the upcoming prequel game LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins. The trailer gives us a humorous look at the early days of Chase McCain’s career.
Nintendo devoted some coverage to two other 3DS games that are coming next month. Castlevania will be out on March 5, while Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate will release on March 19. A few new details were given about Monster Hunter 3, including confirmation of cross-platform play with the Wii U version, as well as the ability to transfer data between the two games for play on the go.
But what would a Nintendo Direct conference be like without new game announcements? Kicking things off, Camelot will once again be developing a brand new Mario Golf title: Mario Golf: World Tour. While few details have been revealed, we do know that we’ll be hitting the links with Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and Donkey Kong (and likely many more characters) this summer.
Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi RPGs are known for their tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and it appears the newest iteration in the series will be no different. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team will take Mario into the dreams of his oft-ignored brother. For more details, check out Kevin’s article on what Nintendo is calling “The Year of Luigi.”
The final, and biggest announcement at the conference, was the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. For more information, check out our individual story on the game.
Did today’s Nintendo Direct live up to the quality of the previous two? Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments below!