3DS news round-up!

A 3DS Nintendo Direct has recently aired providing us with a lot of new announcements. I’ve detailed them below.

• Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Star Fox 64 3D, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D are all coming to the European and North American eShop. The four games are available right now for €44.99/£39.99 in Europe while in North America, they will be available for $39.99 on October 18.

 

• White 3DS XL Mario Kart 7 bundle and Pikachu 3DS XL announced for Europe. The Mario Kart 7 3DS XL will launch later this year. The Pikachu 3DS XL does not yet have a release-date and will only be available for a limited time

 

• Pushmo sequel, Crashmo (Fallblox) is coming to US and Europe this November (the 22nd for the US). It will feature 90 training levels and 120 new levels. There is a new gameplay mechanic adding gravity to puzzle blocks. Not only that but puzzles are no longer limited to a 2D plane and can pulled from every side.

 

GBA games might finally arrive on the 3DS eShop!

On the Nintendo of Europe press server, the box-arts for three GBA games (Super Mario Ball, Mario Golf Advance Tour and Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga) were uploaded.

 
As you might know, a European 3DS-focused Nintendo Direct was announced. It is very possible that they may end up announcing GBA games for the eShop during that presentation!

In the Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga spirit, I ask you guys this.

Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 might appear as downloadable titles on the European eShop

On the Nintendo 3DS’s eShop servers, the European title IDs for Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land were added. Not only this but there is additional data that shows that the title contains a digital manual much like the retail copies of both games.

What does this tell us exactly, you ask? It means that Nintendo of Europe might be adding Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 to the eShop as another game available both on the eShop and in stores like New Super Mario Bros. 2!

Nintendo announces HarmoKnight, a rhythm platformer developed by Pokemon devs Gamefreak for the 3DS eShop

During Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced a rhythm platformer for the 3DS eShop developed by the folks over at Gamefreak (known for developing the Pokemon games).

 

An Iwata Asks interview gives more insight on the game. The rhythm-platformer was the idea of Gamefreak employee James Turner (UK). Pokemon game director Masuda directed the game and commented on the difficulty of starting projects not involving Pokemon due to the heavy focus on Pokemon within the company. It was also said that the game started off as a side-scrolling DS game at first.

Nintendo of America updates Nintendo 3DS/DS 2012 release schedule

Nintendo has unveiled their updated Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS 2012 game lineup.

From puzzles and mysteries to fashion and photo fun, the diverse lineup of games set to arrive for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL systems during the remainder of 2012 truly has something for everyone. Nintendo today revealed launch dates for several upcoming games, including packaged games that will be available in stores as well as downloadable games and applications that consumers can purchase digitally via the Nintendo eShop. What’s more, theAug. 19 launch of the Nintendo 3DS XL system will let players enjoy their games on an even larger scale, with screens 90 percent larger than those on the original Nintendo 3DS.

Upcoming games and software for Nintendo 3DS include new installments in several of Nintendo’s fan-favorite franchises as well as great games from third-party partners. Newly dated games on the way include the following (details subject to change):

• Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! (Oct. 1) – Users of any artistic skill level can learn painting and drawing techniques that can be applied to real-life art projects, with optional, additional lessons available for purchase.* The game also lets users share and download certain game content via SpotPass.*

VectorRacing trailer, coming to the North American 3DS eShop on August 23

Racing game, VectorRacing is coming to the North American eShop on August 23rd. The official trailer for the game has been released.

French New Super Mario Bros. 2 Trailer

The French New Super Mario Bros. 2 trailer has been released today. It contains footage of various levels in the game including the final Bowser battle (which you may want to avoid in case of spoilers).