President and COO of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Amie helmed Nintendo’s first Nintendo Direct presentation since the passing of their president, Satoru Iwata earlier in the summer, to clue fans in on what the company has planned for the rest of 2015 and early 2016.

Reggie has come with a message..

Nintendo kicked off their video transmission by noting an extraordinary milestone impending next year. 2016 will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System with the official revelation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, a brand new re-master of the Wii/Gamecube classic for the Wii U.

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is being developed by Tantalus Media in Australia, and will feature a number of as of yet unspecified improvements and tweeks to the original release. Nintendo did announce a companion Amiibo that will launch alongside the game. The Wolf Link Amiibo will be available separately, or packaged together with the physical edition of the game. Purchasers of the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD bundle will also receive a special edition soundtrack for the game, which will be on store shelves on March 4th, 2016.

There was an ever so slight tease of new info dropped on the largest game looming on the Wii U horizon, Legend of Zelda (final name to be determined). Fils-Amie reiterated that Nintendo was working on making this latest iteration of the Legend of Zelda series as fantastic as possible, and that it will still be released sometime in 2016. The new Wolf Link Amiibo releasing along side Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will also be able to transfer data to the New Wii U title when it eventually hits store shelves.
Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors will be getting a new female version of Link, and a free update to the recently released Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes will be getting a free update, featuring 30 brand new challenge stages. These stages will be much more difficult than some of the normal stages encountered in the game, requiring teamwork to defeat all enemies in an area before proceeding. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes update lands December 2nd.

Splatoon will continue to receive updates. A trailer showcased two new stages,  Mahi-Mahi Resort and Museum d ‘ Alfonsino. New weapons and gear will also be available, and the best part is that these updates are live right now!

Nintendo also wanted to remind players that perhaps the largest RPG of the year is coming out in December, exclusively for Wii U. Xenoblade Chronicles X continues after the events of the 2012 Wii cult classic, Xenoblade Chronicles. A new web-series was introduced to acclimate newcomers and returning veterans to the world of Xenoblade, called the Xenoblade Chronicles X Survival Guide. Be sure to check out this ongoing series here.

Anyone who has been following my ongoing roundup of Black Friday deals has by now seen a couple of retailers offering a nifty Wii U bundle, featuring Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon for only $249. (A $50 discount, plus two amazing games!) Well Nintendo officially announced that bundle in the Nintendo Direct presentation. So, it’s official now. If you have an extra $249 in an old sock drawer, then go grab a Wii U and two fun games!

On the Pokemon front, Nintendo announced they were re-releasing Pokemon’s Red, Yellow, and Blue on the Nintendo E-Shop in February. All versions will now feature wireless play with friends, so we can finally bury those old GameBoy Link cables now.

Even more exciting was confirmation that the Pokemon fighting game, Pokken Tournament will be arriving in the U.S. in the Spring of 2016. Pokken Tournament was developed by the same team responsible for Namco’s legendary Tekken series, and is designed for players of all skill levels.

There will be Pokeblood

A reintroduction was shown for Star Fox Zero, which will now be landing on store shelves on April 22nd, 2016. The latest trailer showcased the different vehicle types that Fox and crew will be able to pilot in their quest to rid the galaxy of oppression.

Two new Dragon Quest games will be gracing the Nintendo 3DS. Well, maybe not entirely new, but they are still welcome re-releases of Dragon Quest VII and Dragon Quest VIII. Dragon Quest VII in particular, will benefit from a radical graphics upgrade over the original PlayStation release, 15 years ago. Dragon Quest VIII first appeared on PlayStation 2 in the United States in 2005 and was one of the finest RPG’s on that system. No specific release dates were given for the games beyond Spring 2016 for Dragon Quest VII and Summer 2016 for Dragon Quest VIII.

Dragon Quest VII will look better than ever on Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo Direct wasn’t finished yet. The final announcement made was by far the biggest; Cloud Strife, the protagonist of one of the most beloved games of all time, Final Fantasy VII, will be joining the roster of Super Smash Bros!

There was even more info tucked into the jam-packed 45 minute presentation. You can take a look at the complete Nintendo Direct presentation down below.

Did this latest Nintendo Direct stop your heart with joy momentarily? Or did your Grinch-like heart inspire you to say bah-humbug to Nintendo’s offerings. Tell us what’s in your feelings box in the comments section below.

Written by The Watchman

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