Not all of us want chocolate for Easter. Some of us just want moar video games, and in particular ones involving Lego pieces, Disney characters, Simstuff, Skylanders goodies, and, er, Dance Central 3. You may say we're weird, fussy, and worryingly specific. But, as if by some holiday miracle, Amazon is here for us.

The retailer's Easter sale brings savings across a ton of Lego, Disney, Skylanders, and Sims content - and yes, Dance Central 3. Harmonix's third moves-buster is down to just $19.99, while the Kinect Sports Ultimate Collection bundle is at $28.46.

Meanwhile, Epic Mickey 2 falls to $19.99 on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, Lego Batman 2 on 360, PS3, Vita and Wii is $14.99, and SimCity is already down to $39.99 - or $19.99 if you buy italongside some clean-sounding stuff. You know what: there are a lot of Easter deals which you can check out on Amazon, and we'd love to tell you about every single one of them but chocolate here now so no*.

http://www.amazon.com/Outlet/b/?_enc...-2&pf_rd_t=101 ...

via http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=198808

It's a big week for new releases, what with the Pikachu Limited Edition 3DS XL system now available, a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and my personal pick of the week (perhaps of the year), Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon!
So let's kick things off with the new release deals.
Before we dive in, a quick reminder - Club Nintendo is offering a fantastic promotion for anyone who purchases and registers both a 3DS XL system and either Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. Not only will your registration garner you a ton of Club Nintendo coins (a 3DS XL qualifies for 160 coins alone), you'll also receive a select free downloadable 3DS game from a line-up including Super Mario 3D Land and Star Fox 64 3D! Your registrations must be entered by April 30th to qualify.
(By the way, if you've already registered a 3DS XL, but did so on or after February 14th of this year, you can still qualify for this offer if you register one of the two games before the deadline.)
One of the best sources for new release deals this week - especially if you're looking to snag everything in one place - is Toys R Us. Not only are Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity part of their Buy 1, Get 1 40% off sale, they're also offering the Pikachu Limited Edition 3DS XL for $179.99 - an immediate discount of $20 - along with a $20 gift card! Unfortunately, the gift card offer is only available in-store. Also, some items are currently not available online, although - in general - the online selection is much larger than in-store. There are also online shipping costs to contend with, even if many sale items may qualify for free in-store pickup. Still, if you have a local TRU store in your area, this is a great way to get the most bang for your buck.
Another great offer for the new Pikachu Limited Edition 3DS XL system comes from Target. With a straight-up discount of $40, you can pick up the system for $159.99. A very nice deal, but like TRU, it's in-store only at the moment - looks like it's currently out of stock online. Hopefully they'll refresh their online inventory soon (which often happens with Target's website), as the system qualifies for free shipping.
Last up for new release deals is Kmart. While they're not offering the Pikachu themed 3DS XL, they are providing some small price breaks on the new games. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is ad listed at $34.99, with the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon title listed at $29.99. This is $5 saved per title - not exactly great, I'll give you that, but hey - lunch at Mickey Dees. Kmart is (kinda) making these offers available online, with similarly discounted prices, although you're stuck with in-store pickup and/or $0.99 shipping.
And there ya go! Some terrific new release discounts to be had, although most are going to involve some real-world brick-and-mortar shopping. Can't always enjoy the convenience of online, I suppose.
Moving on to the other sales and promotions this week. From Walmart, you'll receive a $20 gift card with the purchase of a Wii U Basic or Wii U Deluxe system. Online, this offer allows you to upgrade to the ZombiU Wii U Limited Edition Deluxe bundle - very nice! Walmart has also ad listed their exclusive Skylanders Giants figure, Molten Hot Dog, at $9.96. This little guy includes free in-store pickup. Another notable is a price drop for 3DS Adventure Time - you can now own the game for $19.96.
Along with the Limited Edition Pikachu 3DS XL, Target is also offering a price break on standard edition 3DS systems, discounted to $129.99. If you're shopping Skylanders, you should check out their in-store only Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on figures and accessories. Though, if you were hoping to pick up the exclusive Jade Flashwing figure displayed in this week's ad, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Target's website has issued an ad update, stating these figures are sold out and no rain checks will be issued. Such are the disappoints of Skylanders collecting.
Best Buy is offering a number of largely unremarkable Nintendo related promotions this week - dance and Disney games, primarily. Most of these you'll find worked into their ongoing Big Spring Cleanup sale, which still features a number of fantastic deals, although the best are now limited to in-store pickup. Perhaps their most notable offer of the week is a $10 price break for the new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate - it's available for $29.99 shipped.
Kmart is offering a Buy 1, Get 1 50% off all video games priced $19.99 or less. They're also offering various price breaks on New Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 7, DS Adventure Time, and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure for Wii and 3DS. Shipping is either $0.99, free with in-store pickup, or free with an order of $59 or more, depending.
Along with their Buy 1, Get 1 40% off sale and aforementioned Pikachu Limited Edition 3DS XL deal, Toys R Us is offering a number of Nintendo ...

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Nintendo has announced plans to broadcast a Nintendo Direct 3DS event tomorrow.
Providing updates on 3DS games "coming soon as well as in the future", it will be streamed on the Nintendo Direct website from 2pm GMT on February 14.The platform holder's most recent Nintendo Direct press conference was jam-packed with exciting Wii U news including plans to show off a new 3D Mario title and Mario Kart Wii U for the first time at E3 in June.
While 3DS hardware sales continue to track ahead of those of its predecessor at a similar point in its lifetime, Nintendo said last month that the almost two-year-old platform is struggling to achieve the desired impact outside of its home nation of Japan, largely due to a lack of hit games.
President Satoru Iwata went on to outline the firm's intention to boost the range of first and third-party software available for the system in a bid to combat the lack of penetration in western markets and transform 3DS from a "device just to play the Mario series [on]".
While the executive felt that many western third-party studios are focused on making games for home consoles, he said "Japanese software developers are eagerly assigning their top teams to develop key titles for Nintendo 3DS. We therefore plan to more actively support the Japanese software developers in distributing their key titles overseas this year. We are also willing to flexibly assist third-party developers in distributing their valuable games overseas."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...this-thursday/ ...