Nintendo Japanese Direct

An explosion of new information has surfaced today as Nintendo unveils Shulk for Super Smash Brothers, New 3DS, and more.

http://youtu.be/ghFEU4t_Pm8

The Direct started off with Shulk’s trailer, showcasing his movesets as well as the Xenoblade themed stage that will appear in Smash. Interestingly enough the trailer ends with Mumkhar talking smack to Shulk, so maybe he’ll show up as a boss character, time will tell. Nintendo also revealed the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U: Premium Sound Selection. Members of Club Nintendo will be eligible to receive this if they register both the Wii U and 3DS version of Smash. Next up, a trailer for Bravely Second, the sequel to the 3DS’s hit JRPG, Bravely Default.

What caught my eye the most in the video was seeing Magnolia Arch jump in the air while spinning around, firing a machine gun at enemies. If she didn’t look badass enough for you in the beginning, that little clip of her will probably clear away any doubts (as if there was any doubts. We all knew Magnolia was a “Ba’al buster”). No concrete release date has been set, other than winter 2014 in Japan. A new RPG for the 3DS called Final Fantasy Explorers was displayed today, and it seems to be made in the same vein as other MMORPG Final Fantasies. There’s real time combat combined with classic jobs from the series, such as time mage, dragoon, and abilities like thundaga and jump.

Additionally, summons like Fenrir can be found in the trailer, and they really do push the hardware. The models looks very detailed, giving off the sense that Square Enix really does excel at 3DS development. Finally, there’s the mysterious trance system, which we don’t really know a whole lot about. Immediately Final Fantasy 9 came to mind, but there’s no way to tell for sure whether this functions similarly or not. Oh and everyone’s favorite buster sword wielder shows up as well, so Cloud Strife fans, get hyped.  Final Fantasy Explorers hits Japan December 18th, 2014.

One Piece Super Grand Battle! X is up next, sequel to the previous installment “Grand Battle!”. Developer of Pandora’s Tower, Ganbarion, is handling this one, so it should be a particularly entertaining entry to the series. The game is headed to Japan November 13th, 2014. Following Super Grand Battle! is Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Knight of Fafnir. This title is a remake of the original Etrian Odyssey 2 and a 3DS title. The game is slated for release in Japan, November 27th 2014. A new member of the Nintendo 3DS family has been announced, and it’s called New 3DS. This handheld is a more powerful version of its counterpart, with a stronger CPU, longer battery life, second thumb stick, and improved 3D. You will no longer have to hold the unit perfectly straight in order for the 3D effect to remain. Which is a welcome addition, considering the hassle we all had to go through with the models, you couldn’t move them even an inch without problems such as ghosting to occur.

What is perhaps the most significant and controversial aspect of this new hardware is the fact that it will have software playable on the original 3DS and 3DS XL. A port of Xenoblade Chronicles is the first of these games, and it’s quite obvious why it wouldn’t run on the New 3DS’s predecessors. This game packs a punch, and even a port that’s somewhat downgraded wouldn’t be possible if not for the new equipment under the hood. The system is is also backwards compatible. This platform can be likened to the Game Boy Color, a successor to Nintendo’s Game Boy, and the Nintendo DSi. There will be two models, the New 3DS, and 3DS LL, which is an XL variant of the handheld. Converting the yen to dollars, the price range for the LL will be around $172.00, and $153.00 for the regular model. New 3DS will arrive in Japan, October 11th 2014 and North America and Europe in 2015.

That’s it for this coverage of the Japanese Nintendo Direct, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more Nintendo information this fall. The news has been hot this month, and the heat is only going to rise as the cool season commences.