Nintendo usually gives us an advance warning before it streams one of its Nintendo Direct videos, but today’s Nintendo Direct came without any prior warning. It didn’t really matter though as the company only provided updates on previously announced games.
Nintendo’s Bill Trinen started off today’s Nintendo Direct talking about Animal Crossing: New Leaf. He announced that Nintendo Zone locations at Best Buy and other retailers will start storing StreetPasses for games like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Super Mario 3D World and other games. By visiting a Nintendo Zone, you’ll be able to pick up the StreetPass of the previous player to have visited the location.
If you need more StreetPass games, Trinen also announced that it would be releasing an update to the StreetPass Mii Plaza that included four new games – Mii Force, Flower Town, Warrior’s Way and Monster Manor. All four games provide new ways for players to interact with the people they meet via StreetPass. Each game is available for $4.99 each, or $14.99 for all four.
Next, Trinen announced that Mario & Luigi Dream Team will launch on August 11. He also shared a new trailer that further confirms my suspicions that it will be one of the best RPGs on the 3DS this year. He also shared new release dates for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party for Nintendo 3DS. Both titles will be launching in November.
Switching to Wii U games, Trinen shared new information regarding Pikmin 3. He revealed a new Bingo Battle stage while revealing that there will be 12 battle stages in all with each stage featuring three variations. Players will also be able to compare times and scores with other players around the world.
As for Wonderful 101, Trinen said that gamers will be able to play the game this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Other information about the title will be revealed in a future Nintendo Direct that will be entirely dedicated to the title.
On a final note, Trinen announced that SNES classic Earthbound is now available on the Wii U virtual console for $9.99. They have also uploaded the Nintendo Power strategy guide that the game originally shipped with to their Web site. Players can access the guide from either the Web or the Wii U browser as it has been optimized for the gamepad.
If you prefer your Nintendo Direct in full motion video, you can watch the full 22 minute presentation below: