Notes from Nintendo Direct: A Link to the Past and Yoshi's Island Sequels, Earthbound to Wii U VC

Oh god. Animal Crossing. Yes please!

I love the Nintendo Directs - they give more of a human face to Nintendo as a company. They're not full of any particular PR bullshit spin - just an honest look at what's to come from them. I appreciate that.

@ghostnpc: This would mean something if Nintendo didn't have like 30 years of history with mostly great, memorable games with their existing IPs.

F Zero X N64 with the Japanese expansion on the 3ds?

thats what i need

Nintendo's seeming lack of interest in their Wii U console is really starting to piss me off, YOU NEED GAMES ON THAT THING BIG N! Stop with the handheld crap and release SOMETHING on your shiny new home console. I'm probably overreacting but that's just the way it looks from where I'm sitting.

I don't have a 3DS but all these new games excites me. Thinking about getting that Animal Crossing bundle, but I might hold out in hopes that they'll do a Bravely Default bundle.

15 games mentioned, 8 of which hinge on the mario name. and thats not counting the yoshi, donkey kong, and wario games. nintendo, please. step outside your comfort zone.

Long live the SNES! I'm down with a 3D-ified LTTP sequel, since that was my favorite incarnation of that series.

Shame Earthbound isn't coming to the 3DS, but at least Nintendo is finally giving that series some attention. Now, all thirteen of you who own a WiiU have the responsibility of buying it on the Virtual Console so Nintendo can see that it's worth releasing the rest of the games in the series, and potentially on the 3DS.

Same here. I'm always amused by those who think their "mature games" are the best because they're made for mature gamers like themselves. If you're an adult and embarrassed that your taste may not be "grown up enough," that is the childish behaviour, not enjoying games that aren't tailor made for your age group.

I did not play Chrono Trigger until last year. It was one of the best games I've ever played. I was 21. It's not a "baby's" thing, it was pretty fun and entertaining. It was also a Square game, not a Nintendo one.

Anyway, I'll continue to laugh away at the Wii U but the 3DS is really pulling out some good stuff this year. OK, it's mostly from Atlus and Nintendo (side note: Shin Megami Tensei, at least, is not at all for babies), but hey, most of it still sounds like great fun.

Wait two months for E3, then see how you feel about it.

@bluebird14: Given its' release date, I'd say M&L:DT is also being localized by NOE since it comes out a month earlier in Europe than in North America.

I'm pretty excited about everything mentioned except the SMT stuff, since I'm not a fan of those games. LttP sequel seems really cool, but for some reason, I get a weird NSMB vibe from it. The same goes for Yoshi's Island, but I guess that's because they're trying to mimic those 2D art styles in 3D, but aren't hitting the visual mark like M&L:DT is, which is doing the same thing successfully.

I think Bravely Default is the most exciting news from that. As much as I adore A Link to the Past and Yoshi's Island those two games seem ultra safe even by Nintendo standards. I was kinda hoping we'd be seeing more like Kid Icarus from Nintendo instead of remakes etc.

Yeah, I really like how it looks, particularly in motion.

@joshthebear: maybe not.....i for one love how they look :)

I can't be the only one who thought the visuals for the LTTP sequel looked like shit, right?

Yay! I'll have a third game to add to my 3DS collection.

This makes me so happy to have a 3DS. This is a strong ass lineup.

Dammit, my condition for buying one of those overpriced and underpowered pieces of garbage was "if they release Earthbound or Mother 3 for it." Now I'm super pissed because I want to support them releasing that game, but in order to do so I have to purchase their hardware to buy an 8 dollar virtual console title. I didn't actually think there was any chance of them ever re-releasing that game. I'll probably use the machine for other virtual console titles, but I don't know if there's anything else coming to the system I'm really interested in. They must be really desperate if they're going to that stage to try to rebuild goodwill. Don't know if it worked on me yet. I'm still on the fence about it.

Looks like the 3DS will continue to be my most played console.

Definitely in for Dream Team, Bravely Default (glad they finally announced that would be coming Westward, fingers crossed for Fantasy Life as well), SMT IV, and a new Mario & DK.

Not sure what a LTTP past sequel will even look like, or do to differentiate itself from any other new Zelda game. Curious.

All Nintendo does is keep bringing back their old franchises again and again. What a pathetic excuse for a company.

H-hey, don't forget about Umihara Kawase Nintendo. Please? Wai--

Now I want a 3DS XL.

This is a collection of announcements that are music to my ears! More great Nintendo games on the way!

I get the sh#ts with this "Iwata and Mario" as the face of the company thing. Very much like how Homer Simpson became the core of all the Simpsons gags after the fourth season when they discovered his popularity. Nintendo is clearly headed in the wrong direction, seems like the Sesame Street of gaming. We all grew up, but they won't offer anything new, just pander to what their weirdo die-hard Disney-like fans want. "Ooohhh please can we have another Chrono Trigger!!!! Would be sooo-cool"... for babies, lol. Yes I am bitter, what better way to vent my frustration than THE INTERNET ; )

GBA games are awesome. I wish hope they put them on the 3DS marketplace?

LttP and Yoshi's Island sequels are also pretty sweet.

I'll probably get that DKCReturns port too.

Especially when it's attracting key entries in the marquee franchises of third parties. Atlus didn't decide to put Shin Megami Tensei IV on the 3DS for shits and giggles.

I'm totally gonna buy a 3DS.

Surprise they didn't save some of this stuff for E3

Wow, you seem incredibly bitter. Seriously, how can you find anything (aside from maybe a few little things) bad to say about what they showed here today.

Does not compute.

The problem with putting Earthbound on the WiiU is that its sales wouldn't be strictly indicative of peoples interest in the Mother series but how interested they are in the WiiU. I would pay upwards of $50 for that game on the 3DS I already own but I'm not sure I'll pay 250 plus whatever it ends up costing.

This desperate scrambling by Nintendo is just getting embarrassing. I was a 'Nintendo Only' guy coming out of the Gamecube, now I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole! You just can't dismiss your core customer (who you basically flipped the bird to with the Wii) and expect them to be pandered by something as trivial as "A Link to the Past"? Come on, what kind of a nos con is that, "oohhh I never thought they'd do it so I'm back!!?"... Who cares, I play Mass Effect nowadays ; ) They should have partnered up to save the company a long time ago. I guess we're down to PS and Xbox now.

I love it when the 3DS justifies my ownership.

Handhelds aren't exactly a "side thing" Nintendo occasionally does for kicks. It's their key driving force in Japan. All the announcements for the 3DS over the past few months demonstrate that pretty clearly.

Pretty happy with my 3DS purchase then I guess with the new Mario & Luigi (!!), Animal Crossing, LTTP 2 and that DK game I never played. Video games, y'all.

You guys really should check out the 3D trailer of aLttP2 on the e-shop. So good.

M&L Dream Team is going to be mine

Bravely Default looks interesting

Everything else I really don't care for. Hope there will be more announced at E3.

Yeah you do have a point. I bought a ton of SNES games that I could have got way cheaper for GBA, but got them on SNES because I wanted them on SNES. I guess it will just make sale of Earthbound for SNES more difficult because this accessibility will make it so only the collectors will want it, not the people that want to play it. I dropped $70 on Super Mario RPG because I really wanted to play it as it was the only Mario RPG I did not own. I wanted to complete the collection.

Nintendo continues to make me feel ok about owning a 3DS and not owning a Wii U. The idea of calling something a direct sequel to Link to the Past is... pretty ballsy and I can't wait for it to be a totally decent Zelda game that either tries too hard or doesn't try hard enough to be like its namesake, outraging the internet. I also can't wait for the 2 hour long introductory sequence that puts me through the basic motions of how to play the game at a lethargic pace!

Well I hope Yoshi's Island can make a comeback after the damage that that DS game did to it. Woof.

You all better buy Earthbound! I'll make sure of it.

And if people buy Earthbound, maybe they'll release the rest of the Mother series in North America, too.

Nah.

Can't wait for Animal Crossing.

Yeah. While I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of it, I agree with you that it'd look less sleazy all around if they just said, "hey, here's The Legend of Zelda: Mural... Mishaps... or some shit -- and we're getting back to our roots LTTP-style, you guys!" (Unless they surprise us all, and suddenly there is some good justification to return to that world.)

Though, I will say the DS/3DS is kinda their lead platform anymore, and certainly one more people own. It'd arguably look more desperate if they said "LTTP2 ON THE WIIU. PLEASE EFFING BUY ONE."

Haha... Oh, Nintendo.

I'm really excited for the Earthbound news. I've been waiting for that game to come to a VC on any of their consoles. I've always told my friends that would be the game to get me to buy a system. Hopefully they'll see a high enough volume of sales to release Mother and Mother 3 over here as well.

I always expected it to be a 3DS cart of the Mother trilogy though.

Not that interested. I really want Nintendo to sell me on the Wii U, but they've done a poor job so far. I think that if the Yoshi's sequel popped up there, instead of the 3DS, it would add some points in that direction. I think releasing the Luigi's Mansion (2) on the 3DS exclusively was a shitty turn, as well. I don't understand the separation they force on the consumer by requiring two different systems to play. I don't own a 3DS, nor will I because I have no need for one, so it's just missed opportunities from them to get my cash.

Sprites wouldn't make sense since this game relies heavily on 3D and perspective shifts.

In general, I agree with you. Sprites are cool (I personally would prefer the NSMB games to be done with sprite based visuals instead of those boring looking polygons). But when they don't make sense, they just don't make sense.

This marks the first time Earthbound is going to be released in Europe. Ever.

This is a BIG deal.

I understand that I'm overreacting but yeah. What really tipped me over is that it's a 3DS game. I feel like making another handheld Zelda and then deigning it the heir to the LTTP name would be like making Citizen Kane 2 as an hourly drama on CBS. If you're calling it Link to the Past, you need to put it on your lead platform and you need to bring hot fire. That name is neither something to piddle out there or something to experiment with.

Stoked for ownable Earthbound, and this gives me hope that they'll possibly get to Mother 3.

Now Konami needs to get off its ass about ownable Suikoden 2. And Namco needs to do some sort of gigantic Tales collection for their PSX and earlier stuff. When companies don't preserve their own accomplishments, piracy will.

Somehow I'm not so sure. I think the people who want an Earthbound cartridge want it because they want an Earthbound cartridge, not because they want to play Earthbound. How many versions of Chrono Trigger are out there at this point, but that cartridge still pushes a hundred bucks. I was lucky to get mine in 2000 for forty bucks. I collect games to collect them, to have these little pieces of history to put on shelves all over my apartment, not necessarily to play them. I think most people looking for cartridges and browsing garage sales are quite similar.