Hyah! Etc.: Nintendo Direct 6/11/2014

November 6, 2014

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.

Yup, Majora’s Mask. 3D.

Amidst a Nintendo Direct focussing on 2015, featuring a whole mess of 2015 details, a cavalcade of indie titles and the first appearance of Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata since his hospitalisation earlier this year, it was the above seven words that caused the biggest celebration.

Like its predecessor Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask is being ported over to the Nintendo 3DS. The game marked a dark departure from the Zelda franchise, and remains a cult favourite to this day, as you may have guessed from the high-pitched squeeing coming from your Twitter feed this morning. “We set out to maintain the original level of challenge, while keeping the game accessible for anyone,” said Iwata, “So we also focussed on making sure the gameplay experience was as smooth as possible.” Majora’s Mask 3D will be released in Autumn 2015, with the option of a Special Edition featuring a collectable pin and a double-sided poster.

I could end this wrap here, but Majora’s Mask fandom wasn’t the only bit of enthusiasm to come out of this Nintendo Direct.

If you heard a joyful “Yay!” from your side of town, that would’ve been Charlotte reacting to a pair of announcements. Firstly, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be arriving in early 2015 with Mario and Luigi costumes for the Feylines. Secondly, we got more details about Xenoblade Chronicles X, which will include a New Los Angeles setting, giant monsters, myriad quests and collectables, and a grand, grand scope bigger than that of the original Xenoblade Chronicles.

Meanwhile, that silent fistpump you would’ve have heard came from myself as the Nintendo Direct went indie. Among the titles coming to the eShop are*takes deep breath*: Affordable Space Adventures, Azure Striker Gunvolt, Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians, The Fall, Forma.8, Gunman Clive 2, Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut, Nihilmubra,*takes another breath* Proun+, Rive, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, Shovel Knight, Steamworld Heist, Stealth Inc 2, The Swapper, Swords and Soldiers, Trine: Enchanted Edition, *takes third breath* Thomas Was Alone and Whoa Dave.
This is a marked departure from the Wii days when indies shied away from Nintendo, cancelling ports and expressing concern about about onerous payout conditions.

That silent seething you heard, on the other hand, was Jamie reacting to the collection of cutesy announcements from the stream (I assume he is against all things kind and colourful). Paint shooter Splatoon, which was announced back at E3 2014, will be released in Q2 2015 and will include a single player campaign pitting your inky squid against an army of octopuses. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, the spinoff from Super Mario 3D World, has been moved forward and will be released on January 2, 2015. And Shigeru Miyamoto has released a series of his amimated Pikmin Short Movies for purchase on the 3DS and Wii U.

Your ears might have also picked up the sound of Kirsty’s purse bracing itself for the release of Nintendo’s Amiibos. On top of initial set being released with Super Smash Bros for Wii U on November 28, a second set of six Amiibo figurines will be released on December 19. Aside from Smash Brothers, Amiibos will also be utilised in Hyrule Warriors and Mario Kart 8 following updates for those titles later in the month.

I’m sure the rest of New Game Plus has some sort of view on these items:
- Intelligent Systems, makers of the Advance Wars and Fire Emblem games, are working on Codename: S.T.E.A.M., a third-person-shooter turn-based-strategy title featuring Abraham Lincoln fending off alien invaders.
- Ultimate NES Remix, a 3DS compilation of the two NES Remix titles, is now available on the eShop.
- Persona Q, a blend of Etrian Odyssey’s cartography mechanics and the Persona universe, will be released on November 28
- Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush will feature a clay art-style and will include four player co-op.

But come next Nintendo Direct, all these small details will all be forgotten. People will only remember the echoes of glee when they found out about The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.

[Edited to include Codename: S.T.E.A.M.]