For the past three years, Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct in January to cover their upcoming Spring releases for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U. It’s become something of a tradition for the company to outline what’s coming for their customers, so with that in mind, we’ve outlined the top five things we want to see when it comes to the Nintendo Direct tomorrow.
5. Amiibo availability and release information
There’s no denying that amiibo played a big part in Nintendo’s holiday strategy. While we haven’t seen any sales numbers from November and December yet and it’s not likely that we will until closer to tax season for corporations, one thing Nintendo has been lacking on is communication with its customers.
Currently two waves of amiibo have been released to the public with a third wave coming. We expect a release date for that third wave, other than a vague date in February. We also want Nintendo to be a bit more open about communication regarding the many supply issues we’ve seen for these first two waves of amiibo. Were the more popular than Nintendo anticipated, or is Nintendo limiting supply on purpose to keep shelf space at a minimum? Either way, we want to know what’s up with future amiibo and whether or not we can expect to see re-prints or if they’re gone for good.
4. Release dates for announced games
This is likely a no brainer, but there are several Nintendo games on the table for both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS that don’t currently have scheduled release dates. In terms of the Nintendo 3DS, we’re really eager about a Majora’s Mask 3D release date, but Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Miyamoto’s Code Name S.T.E.A.M. both have excited fans and we want to know when they’ll be available. The port of Xenoblade Chronicles to the new Nintendo 3DS is also on the back of everyone’s mind, so we’d be eager to know when that will be available as well.
In terms of release dates for the Wii U, we know Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is landing on February 13th. What we don’t know is when we’ll see Yoshi’s Woolly World. We really enjoyed playing this one at E3 and the demos available there were very comprehensive. Additionally, Splatoon felt amazing to play and while it probably won’t be ready for a Q1 2015 release, we’d love to have a better idea of when to expect it. Mario Maker is still up in the air as well, though the most recent presentation for the game showed a lot more polish than the E3 demo. Perhaps we’ll see a spring release for this creative title.
Xenoblade Chronicles X and Devil’s Third have both been in the news regarding their development, so we hope Nintendo has planned release dates for those titles as well.
3. More comprehensive Xenoblade Chronicles X footage
Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the most highly anticipated titles for the Wii U and many fans expect it to be ready this year. While the upcoming Nintendo Direct is dedicated to their spring releases, we would be disappointed if Nintendo didn’t include some more information about the game. While we’ve already requested a loose release date in number four, we also want to see new footage. The developer of the game has been very active on Twitter discussing some of the development changes, so show us those in action!
Give us a better glimpse about the mech combat that features in this game and hopefully it’ll be done in English, rather than Japanese. Perhaps this is too high a hope for a spring-focused Nintendo Direct, but it’s likely something nearly every single Nintendo fan wants to see.
2. Tease us with upcoming titles
While the Nintendo Direct itself is set to focus on giving release dates for spring titles, there has always been a surprise. The 2013 surprise was Xenoblade Chronicles X, which was simply showcased and given the title Project X. We learned more about the game from future tradeshows like E3 and other Nintendo Direct presentations. We’re not asking for a ton of time on new reveals here, but give fans something to salivate over while they digest the meat of the presentation.
1. New Nintendo 3DS release date
North Americans are a bit antsy in terms of the New Nintendo 3DS. It’s improved in several ways, including additional processing cores and a new C-stick that serves as a nub for controlling the camera. This will come in very handy for games like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The problem is that it’s been available in Japan for several months, Australia got it at the end of last year and Europe is now getting their ambassador invites. We wanna know when it’s going to be available in North America and how much it’s going to cost.
With Xenoblade Chronicles and Majora’s Mask 3D on the table, we can’t wait to get our hands on the new Nintendo 3DS.
Did we miss something you want to see? Let us know in the comments!
