Nintendo held another Nintendo Direct livestream this morning, albeit one focused primarily on the 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console. Still, if you're interested in either of those platforms, this morning's stream offered no shortage of useful info.

On the subject of the Virtual Console, the main news was that it's coming very soon. How soon? According to Nintendo, the VC will launch the day after this month's Wii U system update, which will also improve system performance. There was no specific day cited for the update in North America and Europe yet, but it is scheduled for Japan next week. Iwata noted during the stream that Nintendo will be looking to bring GBA and N64 games to the platform.

Though it won't launch alongside the Virtual Console, fans of classic, yet underutilized Nintendo RPGs will be pleased to hear that Nintendo will bring Earthbound to the Wii U VC. Apparently the regular prodding from fans on the Miiverse paid off, as the game will launch in North America and Europe sometime this year, after having been out on the Japanese Virtual Console for some time.

That was about it for Wii U stuff (outside of a couple of release dates you'll find further down), but if you're a 3DS owner, you've got plenty of news to look forward to, not the least of which is the announcement of a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Yes, Nintendo is developing a full-on sequel to the beloved SNES entry in the Zelda series, retaining the game's top-down perspective, while using that perspective to design multilevel puzzles. Link can even turn into a wall drawing of sorts, which turns the perspective sideways, and allows him to navigate areas his three-dimensional body wouldn't. The sequel will be out in North America and Europe this holiday season, and Japan in early 2014.

Another sequel was also announced in the form of Yoshi's Island 3DS, a third game in the platforming series starring Mario's best dinosaur buddy. Little information was given on the sequel outside of acknowledgment of its existence, though Nintendo promised more would be coming soon.

Those were the biggest reveals, but here's the other stuff that came alongside these announcements, including release dates for a couple of key Wii U titles.

• Pikmin 3 finally has a release date, and will arrive on store shelves on August 4.
• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the newest game in Nintendo's M&L RPG series, will hit Europe on July 12, and North American shelves on August 11.
• A new game in the Mario Party series will be coming to the 3DS this winter.
• Mario Golf: World Tour will be a heavily online focused game, shipping with real-time and asynchronous tournament modes, as well as community features similar to that of Mario Kart 7.
• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies, the next full-on sequel in the series, won't be hitting North America until 2014.
• Square-Enix's Bravely Default: Flying Fairy will be getting localized for non-Japanese audiences, and is expected to arrive in North America next year.
• Shin Megami Tensei IV for 3DS will be launching July 16 in North America.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, the remake of the Wii game, will arrive on May 24.
• Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move will hit the Nintendo 3DS eShop on May 9.
• Game & Wario will release on June 23 for Wii U.
• The New Super Luigi U DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U will be available for download this summer.
• Animal Crossing: New Leaf is getting a 3DS XL bundle that will retail for $219.99 on the game's release date of June 9. The game will come pre-installed on the system's SD card.

You can watch the full archived stream from this morning here.

i didn't choose this life, this life chose me

Just a little correction its Animal Crossing: New Leaf, not Wild World but good time Alex!

Looking forward to all these games.

About time we saw the return of Earthbound.

Now to get Mother 3 over here and we're set.

LttP Sequel? Sure, why not.

Yoshi's Island 3DS? Eh.

Mario & Luigi, hell yes.

Another Layton, sign me up.

No Layton VS Ace Attorney news?

It's a bummer that Bravely Default isn't coming out until next year but I guess I'll probably be too busy in the later half of this year to really notice. Also a set date for SMT IV for American release probably means an Australian date is close! Hopefully the gap isn't nearly as long as Fire Emblem..

Some good news. Pikmin is taking way too long though! PS4 will be right around the corner at that time right? Looking forward to Animal crossing!

Oh look, no new IP. How surprising, Nintendo.

This was a great stream. One of the best Directs.

Wii U and 3DS are making pretty good arguments for me to end my 25 year Zelda hiatus

I'm a bit disappointed by LttP2. I loved the DS Zeldas; I would have loved to see that series continue. With planes.

I cannot comprehend how jaded some people are being about this Nintendo Direct. Holy shit you guys a new top-down Zelda that is a direct riff on LttP. Sign me the fuck up.

Im very excited for SMT iv, the final Professor Layton and Bravely default. Did they say all 3 of these games are coming this year for Europe or im i dreaming.

@ghostnpc: Keeping their cards to their chest, I doubt they'd announce a new IP on a Nintendo Direct. Wait for E3.

A direct Link to the Past sequel? That's certainly an odd choice.

The most exciting bit of news from this, for me anyways, is the WiiU's improved system performance. I hate the load times between menus.

@ghostnpc: I hear there is some annual video games conference in early summer, it's probably not a big deal but maybe they will announce something there?

Chris Houlihan Room - It's time for a new contest, Nintendo!

Nintendo announces a bunch of cool stuff. The Internet is not satisfied.

I, for one, am extremely excited about the new LttP. 2D Zeldas are my favorite... I can hardly wait to get the Oracles on the eShop to play them again.

Bravely Default localized? Nice.

The New Leaf bundle is a XL bundle, that's the best news of the whole thing for me.

Gross. How many different ways can Nintendo resell people's childhoods and get away with it with high praise?

I wasn't aware that there was a Nintendo Direct today until I got an email from Atlus this morning. Looks like some good stuff was announced.

@the_nubster: Not that odd really. A Link to the Past is a very highly regarded SNES game. Just Nintendo continuing to dig back into their deep line of nostalgia fueled game titles. I'm tentatively excited for a sequel to A Link to the Past - my personal best Zelda game ever. Hopefully, the sequel doesn't suck.

Earthbound coming to VC is cool. Bravely Default and SMT IV are interesting. And I'm always down for more Mario & Luigi games, as long as they keep up the fantastic writing from Bowser's Inside Story.

I bought an XL right after this.

Bunch of you all are some real cynical fuckers,

totally down for a sequel to a link to the past, they announced some good stuff

Maybe because it always the fucking same?^^ How about some new Ideas or IP's

I can't tell, Nintendo fans. Is this exciting news?

That new Zelda video is gonna make me buy a 3ds

I am throughly happy with this Nintendo Direct and am looking forward to playing a bunch of the games shown today. A sequel to a Link to The Past, a Mario Golf game that has online multiplayer, new Yoshi's Island, an actual confirmation that EarthBound is getting re-released on Virtual Console. Today is a good day to be a Nintendo fan.

Haters gonna hate, and for that they can go suck a rock.

Nintendo games usually have tons of new ideas. They just use familiar IPs to garner attention for them.

I understand the frustration, but it's preferable to almost every other company out there who have no new ideas AND no new IPs.

All these Zelda games coming only to the 3DS and I don't want to play them that way. It's awesome they are making/remaking them but give them to me on the Wii or WiiU. I want to play the remake of Ocarina of Time but don't want to play it on a 3DS....come on Nintendo make them for both consoles and you would get a lot more money.

I'd say it's good news, but not really exciting news. Games I'm interested in and know I'll get around to playing and most likely enjoy, but nothing that's really blowing my mind or anything.

Like Gears of War: Judgment or something. I like the franchise, I want to play it, and I'll probably have a good time, but it's not scratching an inch or something I crave enough to go out and get it right now.

I'm still baffled by how people are all "Please, no more sequels. Please, no more sequels." regarding other press conferences, but then everyone is excited about Nintendo and what is mostly games from franchises with dozens of games under their belt.

Anyway, either Nintendo has a couple of cards under their sleeves or their E3 event will be a bummer.

how incredibly weird.

August 4th, the day I buy a Wii U. I have been waiting for new Pikmin for far too long. I just replayed Pikmin 2 and it continues to be one of the best games I've ever played. So fun, so challenging, so rewarding. The the last area is absolute hell. So many Pikmin deaths...

So many Nintendo games coming out and I want them all. I still have to get the new Luigi's Mansion.

I am always down for more Mario & Luigi. Those games are among the best.

Sequels everywhere! AHHHH!

• Pikmin 3 - I've never been a Pikmin fan but this would be worth a rent.
• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - Already pre-ordered.
• Mario Party - I think this series would work so much better on an IOS or Android device.
• Mario Golf: World Tour - I own all the Mario Golf games and love them. Really excited to play this one as well but the heavy on-line focus has been a bit worried. I don't know anyone else with a 3DS. :(
• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies - Yay! Brad and I will play this. Oh yes.
• Square-Enix's Bravely Default: Flying Fairy - Sounds interesting. Will give it a rent. Nice to see more JRPGs on the system.
• Shin Megami Tensei IV - Another solid rent for me. I like the SMT series but they are a bit to hardcore for me at this stage in my life.
• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - Yet another rent. Never owned the Wii game so it will be nice to play this on the go.
• Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move - Not a fan of this series. Sadly a pass.
• Game & Wario - Will rent.
• The New Super Luigi U DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U - would rather have a SMB2U.
• Animal Crossing: New Leaf - My wife is super stoked for this game. Pre-ordered.

Maybe my heart has turned into a cold, cold chunk of ice, but Link to the Past 2 and Yoshi's Island 3DS look terrible?

I'm interested in Bravely Default, heard mixed things though.

Not sure how I feel about another Mario & Luigi, I like the series but had mixed feelings on Bowser's Inside Story. On the one hand it looked great, the battles were fun and the story & characters was a good return to form after the middling-but-good second game.

At the same time there where a lot of needless minigames thrown in and repeated, and the constant tutorializing bogged down the pace considerably , making it somewhat of a chore for me to get through. I'll keep an eye on it for sure, but it's not a done deal just yet.

Interestingly Bravely Default is set to come out in 2013 in Europe. This suggests that NoE are doing the translation like with Xenoblade.

This times a hundred.

What was their big reveal last E3? Nintendo Land? I wouldn't be surprised if their big thing at E3 this year is a trailer and maybe some gameplay of the new Smash Bros.

I really really really hope they bring out a new IP. Last one we got was Pikmin and that was over ten years ago.

What's the over/under on them naming it "A Link to the Future"?

God forbid being stoked about what you get rather than what you didn't, or you know not bother to click a link when it's clearly about something you weren't fond of anyways (which will be even more awesomely present when the new consoles come out and the next war begins).

Aw, I thought the LttP sequel was for the WiiU too. It would look awesome in HD.
I do have a 3DS, but I don't really wanna play Zelda on a small screen.

some of this is real cool and im pretty psyched but i cant help but feel like nintendo is completely shackled to their group of like 4 franchises and we wont be seeing games not involved in those franchises for a bit.

@gaff said:

Zelda is visually "Okay"and the gameplay seems fine. But Yoshi's Island, man, everything looks prerendered in the worst way with some snippets of 2D sprites...

Just finished watching it, and more people should be talking about Game and Wario.