April 1st may be a day full of tomfoolery for a lot of companies, but Nintendo was all business during their latest edition of Nintendo Direct.

The Big N used today’s Direct to make a number of announcements, including a May 29th release date for their team-based arena shooter Splatoon for the Wii U. In addition to the revelation of the Splatoon release date,  Nintendo also laid out plans for Splatoon themed Amiibo support, as well as new online gameplay modes which will accompany the game’s launch. Nintendo also showcased an approximately 45 minute demo of Splatoon, which followed their main transmission.

Along with the Splatoon date, Nintendo gave us insight into their Wii U and Nintendo 3DS lineup for this spring and summer.

Some of the highlights include:

• Mewtwo DLC for Super Smash Bros on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS will be released April 28th for $3.99. Players who purchased and registered both Nintendo will also be updating Super Smash Bros with balance tweaks on that same date. Nintendo is also listening to what fans want in regards to future character DLC for the game. Popular combatant Lucas will be arriving in June, and Nintendo has also opened a voting ballot at their Smash Bros website to gauge what characters players would like to see added to Super Smash Bros. in the future.
• The Amiibo Tap feature will be coming to Wii U this spring. This feature will unlock a small demo section of a corresponding game when you tap an Amiibo featuring a character from that game. So for instance, tapping a Mario Amiibo will unlock a demo section of a random Mario title. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said noted that they wanted the experience to be like “opening a box of chocolates.”
• Mario Maker will allow you to share your created levels over the Wii U network, and the game has been pegged with a September date.
• Nintendo unveiled a brand new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem! No date was discussed for the game yet.
• Mario Kart 8’s next DLC pack will be coming earlier than expected. Players can get their hands on new racers, courses, and a brand new 200cc racing mode on April 23rd.

There was a lot more info divulged during the Nintendo Direct regarding the Spring and Summer lineup of indie titles, several new Nintendo 3DS games, and more. So be sure to check out the complete Nintendo Direct below.

One thing that was not mentioned in the Nintendo Direct was any further information regarding the recent announcement that Legend of Zelda for Wii U would not be released in 2015.

What did you think of the titles discussed in the latest Nintendo Direct? Are you excited to play Splatoon? Are you skipping gaming all together this summer to do stuff outside? Give us your own “Direct” presentation in the comments section below.

Written by The Watchman

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