Nintendo held a Nintendo 3DS Direct this morning. It was assumed that it would focus primarily on already announced titles, but the developer did announce some new games that are sure to excite casual and core 3DS players.
As part of the Year of Luigi announcements, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata announced that the 3DS will be getting a new entry in the classic Mario Party franchise. The game will feature all new mini-games and each game board will have its own unique rules. Mario Party will launch this winter.
Another new title announced is a new entry in the Yoshi’s Island series. The game looks to be similar to the past titles on the SNES and DS, but this new version will include new abilities for Yoshi. One ability shown is a large egg that can be destroy large structures.
As for third party titles, Nintendo announced that Square Enix’ Bravely Default will finally be launching in North America. The RPG is widely celebrated as one of the best that Square Enix has made in recent years.
Level 5 and NIntendo are partnering up again as well to release the latest entry in the Professor Layton series, as well as three new titles that were part of the Guild-02 release in Japan.
Finally, Reggie Fils-Aime announced a new Zelda game for the 3DS. The game is said to be set in the world of A Link to the Past, but it remains to be seen if it will be a sequel or prequel. The game will be utilizing the early 90s design of Link in a top-down world that captures the look and feel of the SNES classic.