wraggster
February 23rd, 2012, 02:47
Nintendo has revealed Japan's 3DS game lineup for the coming months.
The 3D handheld's release slate was revealed by company president Satoru Iwata during a Nintendo Direct presentation streamed on the firm's official website, which was re-broadcast with English subtitles an hour later.
First up is Kid Icarus: Uprising, which will be released on March 23. Design lead Masahiro Sakurai showed off the game's multiplayer modes and went into detail on the game's various mechanics and systems - of which there were plenty. Also due in March is Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
A new Fire Emblem from Intelligent Systems will be released on April 19, with cel-shaded visuals from Yosuke Kozaki. It's still without a final name, but Iwata did confirm post-release DLC "aimed at people who want to keep playing the game at a deeper level". The first pack will be free to download for a limited time.
Mario Tennis Open will be released on May 24 in Japan and, unusually for Nintendo, the following day in Europe. It features online multiplayer and leaderboards, and avatar customisation. Atlus' Etrian Odyssey IV will be released on July 5.
Iwata briefly teased a "mysterious crossover" between Capcom, Namco and Sega, to be published by Namco Bandai, saying: "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out what kind of game it will be."
Attention then turned to the upcoming eShop games, including a new Culdcept game, which is due in June, and Calciobit, a football management sim with a clever twist on standard online multiplayer; you have to beat opponents in your local area before you can compete nationally.
Denpa Ningen No RPG tasks players to use the 3DS AR features to find the titular Ningen - impish creatures with angry human faces - and have them face off in a Dragon Quest-style battle system. It's developed by Nintendo subsidiary Genius Sorority.
Also announced was The Rolling Western, a thirdperson action game in which you control an armadillo in the wild west, developed by Vanpool, previously responsible for the Tingle games. And it shows: Iwata admitted it looked "slightly unusual." Even more unusual is the release date: it was available on the eShop the minute the presentation finished, in Japan, the US and Europe.
It all goes to show that Nintendo is intent on fulfilling Iwata's promise that 3DS releases would not be spread as thinly in 2012 as they were last year. It's also heartening to see the company taking a commendable approach to communicating with its customers, not just in Japan, but worldwide; Reggie Fils-Aime will host a US presentation later on today.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/nintendo-details-japan-3ds-lineup
The 3D handheld's release slate was revealed by company president Satoru Iwata during a Nintendo Direct presentation streamed on the firm's official website, which was re-broadcast with English subtitles an hour later.
First up is Kid Icarus: Uprising, which will be released on March 23. Design lead Masahiro Sakurai showed off the game's multiplayer modes and went into detail on the game's various mechanics and systems - of which there were plenty. Also due in March is Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
A new Fire Emblem from Intelligent Systems will be released on April 19, with cel-shaded visuals from Yosuke Kozaki. It's still without a final name, but Iwata did confirm post-release DLC "aimed at people who want to keep playing the game at a deeper level". The first pack will be free to download for a limited time.
Mario Tennis Open will be released on May 24 in Japan and, unusually for Nintendo, the following day in Europe. It features online multiplayer and leaderboards, and avatar customisation. Atlus' Etrian Odyssey IV will be released on July 5.
Iwata briefly teased a "mysterious crossover" between Capcom, Namco and Sega, to be published by Namco Bandai, saying: "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out what kind of game it will be."
Attention then turned to the upcoming eShop games, including a new Culdcept game, which is due in June, and Calciobit, a football management sim with a clever twist on standard online multiplayer; you have to beat opponents in your local area before you can compete nationally.
Denpa Ningen No RPG tasks players to use the 3DS AR features to find the titular Ningen - impish creatures with angry human faces - and have them face off in a Dragon Quest-style battle system. It's developed by Nintendo subsidiary Genius Sorority.
Also announced was The Rolling Western, a thirdperson action game in which you control an armadillo in the wild west, developed by Vanpool, previously responsible for the Tingle games. And it shows: Iwata admitted it looked "slightly unusual." Even more unusual is the release date: it was available on the eShop the minute the presentation finished, in Japan, the US and Europe.
It all goes to show that Nintendo is intent on fulfilling Iwata's promise that 3DS releases would not be spread as thinly in 2012 as they were last year. It's also heartening to see the company taking a commendable approach to communicating with its customers, not just in Japan, but worldwide; Reggie Fils-Aime will host a US presentation later on today.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/nintendo-details-japan-3ds-lineup