While the Wii U may be leading Nintendo's charge as we head into Christmas, it's worth remembering the 3DS has an equally strong line-up for the winter months, with several blockbuster games hitting the new handheld. The recent online Nintendo Direct broadcast bundled new trailers, screens, and info about their stellar line-up into one handy package, so we've decided to do the same, bringing all the latest 3DS news directly *gestures at the screen* to you.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Chalk it up to Link - he certainly knows what he's doing.
The first game previewed was the latest in the Legend of Zelda series, A Link Between Worlds. While we're expecting the revamped Wind Waker to sail on to Wii U any time now, this new 3DS Zelda is a brand new adventure, albeit one which takes place in the same world as SNES classic A Link to the Past. Many years have passed since the events of the original game, and while the environs may be the same, A Link Between Worlds brings with it a new storyline, entirely new dungeons, and plenty of puzzles and challenges, too. One of the big concerns with the Zelda series has been that, while the games are almost always excellent, they have been getting a little bit predictable of late. Nintendo seems to be aware of this, and has said of the upcoming Wii U Zelda (an all-new title currently in development, not the Wind Waker remake) that they want to 're-think the conventions of Zelda' in order to keep the series from becoming stale. Some of that same thinking seems to have been applied to this 3DS title too, as the familiar structure of finding a special item in each dungeon before using it to solve puzzles and beat the boss has been shaken up a bit. In A Link Between Worlds you'll have to rent classic dungeon items like the hammer, bow and hookshot from shopkeeper Ravio near the start of your adventure. It's then up to you to decide which dungeon you'll tackle next. It sounds like a neat twist on the formula to us, and coupled with Link's newfound ability to scale walls as some arty graffiti (and really mess with your head), it looks as though there'll be plenty to discover when the game is released on November 22nd.
Bravely Default
It's also finally been confirmed that Bravely Default, the much anticipated role player from Final Fantasy makers Square Enix, will be making an appearance on 3DS on December 6th. We've looked at the gorgeous Bravely Default previously, but the new trailer shows a bit more of the gameplay on offer - which looks as fantastic as ever. With the ability to choose between Japanese or English audio, we also get a little bit of insight into the main characters in this new footage: Edea, Tiz, Agnes and Ringabel (yep, it's a Square Enix game alright), and a glimpse of them in action against deadly foes in traditional-looking, turn-based RPG battles . Silly names aside though, the characters (and the game in general) look to have been meticulously designed. So much so in fact that an exclusive art book is being offered as a pre-order bonus, and it seems there'll be a collector's edition of the game available in Europe too (although we're told in true Nintendo Direct fashion to 'look out for details soon' on that one).
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
We've been waiting for Phoenix's latest case for a while now, and thanks to this week's Nintendo Direct, we've been treated to a brand new trailer of the crime-investigating, visual novel lawyer-'em-up that shows off some anime-style cutscenes, as well as some newly spruced up in-game footage. And it's looking great. We're given an introduction to Phoenix's new associate, Athena whose AI gadget's 'mood matrix' capability looks to be very useful in discovering the truth, and a reintroduction to Apollo Justice who sports a bracelet allowing him to spot weaknesses in testimonies. All signs point to this being yet another compelling instalment in the series, and we can't wait for another chunk of courtroom drama. If you want to see what the game's like for yourself, there's a demo of the game available to download right now on the eShop, with the game itself being released (at a fairly reasonable £19.99) exclusively on the 3DS eShop on October 24th - so there's not long to wait in either case.
Kirby 3DS
Ending the show in stonking style, Nintendo dropped the bombshell of the year with the announcement of a brand new Kirby game - and, much like the rest of Nintendo's output, it's looking incredible. We've only been given a glimpse on the new 2D platformer so far, but the series' trademark pastel charms, and Kirby's immense gob are in full effect, with the ability to swallow enemies and nick their powers still present and correct. The focus seems to be heavily on using the 3D effect of the system to liven up the 2D gameplay, as much of the footage shows our pink hero leaping either into the background or being smashed into the foreground (at one point even being splatted against the screen). It's a trick we've seen in games like Mutant Mudds on the 3DS or, going back further in Nintendo history, Virtual Boy Wario Land (5 points if you remember that one) and it looks as though it'll suit Kirby's traditional platforming antics down to the ground. The only bad news? It's currently slated for a 2014 release, but beyond the (amazing) trailer above (did we mention we were looking forward to this one), there's precious little information about. Hopefully we'll have more details on Kirby 3DS soon.
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And that's your lot. With three of the games mentioned out this year (and, or course, Pokemon X and Y, which will be hitting shelves in under a fortnight's time), it looks as though the 3DS will enjoy another successful Christmas with a very strong line-up. After all, a brand new Zelda under the tree and the promise of a return to Dreamland with Kirby sometime in the New Year is a pretty appealing prospect.
