Ever since Nintendo hit on the concept of using online video to communicate the latest information about upcoming games, new DLC or any other news related to Nintendo to its fans and gamers, the company has developed a habit of encouraging people at short notice to come to the website or Twitch to watch live the latest Nintendo Direct as Nintendo employees (mostly Iwata) reveals the next little titbit from the company.

And so it came to pass that at 10pm on Guy Fawkes’ Day (that’s November 5th for you non-Brits), Nintendo put live its latest Nintendo Direct, which this time was focused on “new information about upcoming titles”. One of these titles was entirely new – I’ve covered the reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D in the last article; and Digmbot has covered the Xenoblade Chronicles X reveals elsewhere on the site – but here’s a quick summary of everything else that was revealed during the 30-odd minute discussion:

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M imagines a world where Steam power is still king. One fateful day, a steam-powered bridge over the River Thames is due to open, but as crowds gather to witness the event – suddenly, a monster invasion breaks out! A gang of four unlikely heroes, spearheaded by Abraham Lincoln (yes, that Abraham Lincoln – the trailer even refers to him as “United States President”) have to use steam-powered technologies to bypass or defeat the monsters and… save humanity, I guess? I don’t know, the Trailer doesn’t explain the plot… or make much sense at all if I’m honest! Check it out below:

Amiibo support in Mario Kart 8

Nintendo announced earlier in the year that their popular Wii U racer, Mario Kart 8, will receive DLC for Amiibo suppoort in the near future – and now, thanks to a trailer revealed in this Nintendo Direct, we now know what it consists of. When you touch a compatible Amiibo figure (currently any Wave 1 character) on the Wii U gamepad while playing Mario Kart 8, you will unlock a special Racing Suit depicting your character. Then, whenever you race as a Mii, you can have it don the suit and it’ll dress up as that character – so your Mii can pretend to be Mario, Yoshi, Kirby, Captain Falcon or any of the other Amiibo figures you may have. It’s unknown at this point if the racing suits have any other purpose besides cosmetics.

Mario Kart 8 DLC

And staying on the topic of DLC in Mario Kart 8, Nintendo also revealed what will be coming in the first two DLC Expansions:

Hyrule Warriors: Spinner Link

Something that WAS a little shocking of late was Nintendo revealing that Hyrule Warriors – which had not previously announced to be getting any support for Amiibo – WOULD be patched to add in support in the future. A new Trailer in this Nintendo Direct revealed just what this support will be; and for once it’s actually pretty cool. Use the Amiibo figure of Link while playing Hyrule Warriors and you’ll unlock Link Spinner, a new form of link who rides atop a bladed Spinning Top which he can use to slice through enemies and other cool tricks! Check out this bad-assery below:

Mario & Luigi in Monster Hunter 4? WTF Capcom?!?

Okay, so it’s not ACTUALLY Mario and Luigi, but whoever in Capcom decided to do this should be fired for damaging the serious nature of the Monster Hunter games. It’s been announced that the long term cat-like assistants in the Monster Hunter franchise, the Felynes – who, among other things, are known for their love of cosplay in various MH Titles – will be able to dress as Mario and Luigi in at least some part of Monster Hunter 4. Yes, really.

Though, given Mario and Luigi dressed as cats in Super Mario 3D World, maybe the Felynes just want to return the favour.

Pikmin make their movie début!

…Well, short movies at least! The loveable Pikmin will be starring in a series of three short movies which will soon be downloadable via the eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

Splatoon’s Single Player campaign revealed!

Rounding off this episode of Nintendo Direct, at E3 earlier this year we were treated to our first look at a third-party, cartoon-style, ink-based Shoot-em-up coming to Wii U next year, called Splatoon. The E3 Trailer and subsequent discussion focused mainly on the game’s Multiplayer aspect; so this time, the footage focused on the single-player Campaign instead – which looks AWESOME, if I do say so myself.

Until the next Nintendo Direct – Crimson out!

When Nintendo revealed the plan to remake the original Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the 3DS, many people thought it was a dream come true – and when the game came out, it certainly was. Link and Epona in stereoscopic 3D for the first time? Framerates improved to 30FPS instead of the slow 20FPS of the original N64 release? Touchscreen inventory management? The Water Temple fixed? Needless to say, Ocarina of Time 3D was a game that quickly hit people’s top 10 lists.

Following the success of Ocarina 3D, Nintendo caused even more excitement by announcing that they were considering using the same engine to bring other classic Zelda titles to the 3DS with improved gameplay and the modern, stereoscopic 3D graphics. To most Nintendo fans, there was only one real choice to improve this way that would instantly cause all Zelda fans to worship Nintendo as their god: Majora’s Mask.

Well, hardened Zelda fans – start bowing to the altar of Nintendo. Announced during a Nintendo Direct earlier today, it’s official: The Legend of Zelda – Majora’s Mask is getting a 3DS remake, due for release in Spring 2015. The two-minute Trailer includes a variety of gameplay clips which, while revealing little in terms of the technological upgrades we can expect, give a good tease as to some of the events of the game – as well as acting as a great reminder for just how creepy Majora’s Mask really was. While I go and try to stop myself getting nightmares and remember why I never played the game back in the N64 era (actually, I never had an N64 so I couldn’t have anyway – sue me), those of you who are already salivating from reading the above can hit up the trailer below:

Halloween seems to be a holiday the team at Game Freak – rather like myself – really admires lately, given how many Ghosts and spooky happenings were slipped into Pokémon X and Y in reference to the game’s October worldwide launch – and now, Nintendo have unveiled a series of ghoulish gifts to make Halloween 2014 truly a treat.

Shiny Mega Gengar

The first of these was spoilered last month when it was revealed to be following the Diancie giveaway, but is worth a reminder anyway. Between October 15 and November 5, 2014 at participating GAME, GameStop and other stores, you’ll be able to pick up a special code card. Enter your code with the “GET WITH CODE” option in Mystery Gift and you’ll unlock a shiny Gengar to send to your Pokémon X or Pokémon Y game… but it gets better!

This Gengar arrives holding a Gengarite, the Mega Stone that allows it to become Mega Gengar during battle, bringing with it the usual Mega Pokémon stat boosts. With the Shadow Tag ability – preventing opponents from fleeing or switching while Mega Gengar remains in play – replacing the Gengar’s normal ability in Mega Form, Nintendo state this terror is “as ready for a fight as it is for a fright” – though while Nintendo also make a big deal of Shiny Mega Gengar’s new white colouration, even being the hardened Gengar fan I am, I find this very much something I could just as easily take or leave.

Super Size Pumpkaboo

If that wasn’t enough for you, how about a SECOND free Pokémon? That’s right! In another nod to Halloween, Pokémon X and Y also introduced two Kalos Pokémon based around pumpkins – Pumpkaboo and its evolution, Gourgeist. Like real pumpkins, the two Pokémon have a unique gimmick in X and Y in that they they can be caught in four different sizes, from Small to Super-size. Each size varies in rarity with the Super-Size version being the most difficult to catch – but now, for the month of October, you don’t even have to catch it to get one!

Throughout the whole month of October – that’s the 1st to the 31st – simply check Mystery Gift to collect a free Super Size Pumpkaboo to download to your copy of Pokémon X or Y. Unlike the Gengar, no code is needed – just choose the “Get via Internet” option to find the gift. The Pumpkaboo – which can be either male or female, selected randomly – will also come equipped with a Rocky Helmet, allowing it to cause recoil damage to any Pokémon that dares to attack it up close – and just to fit the Halloween theme a little more, Trick-or-Treat and Scary Face are just two of the moves it’ll know out of the box. All Pumpkaboo evolve via trade, so don’t forget to share your new pumpkin Pokémon with a friend (as long as you can trust them to give it back!) and that super-sized Pumpkaboo will become an even more super-sized Gourgeist!

As well as being a great Halloween gift, the super-size Pumpkaboo giveaway is also a clever advertisement. By having one, players are one step closer to participating in the next big treat:

Halloween Tournament!

As a special Halloween treat, the Pokémon Company is running a special online Tournament this month specifically for Ghost-type Pokémon. Between 16-24th October, players will be able to register theier Battle Box to compete in a global Trick-or-Treat Friendly, as long as their Battle Box contains Ghost-type Pokémon only. However, one of these Pokémon MUST be a Super Size Gourgeist to qualify – hence the giveaway above. Sneaky! Additionally, the Pokémon MUST have come from Pokémon X and Y – ones imported from Black/White or their sequels do not count – and Rotom or Giratina are also banned. Entries are limited to the first 50,000 participants, so make sure to register fast you want to get involved!

The tournament will take place from 9:00 a.m. Japan time on October 24 until 8:59 a.m. Japan time on October 27, with final rankings posted on the 31st and will use a Single Battle format. Complete at least one battle during the tournament and you’ll be entitled to a gift of 5 Rare Candies! Pokémon will be set to level 50 for this competition. Each battle will have a maximum length of 30 minutes. Players will have 60 seconds per turn, and 90 seconds to select which Pokémon they would like to use. They may battle 10 times a day; and “Juniors” – those born before 2000, which will be entered into a seperate division to other players – will not be able to battle from 11:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Japan Time.

Other Stuff

Finally, to promote the launch of the next Pokémon X & Y Trading Card Game expansion, Phantom Forces, the official site is offering a page of Spooky Stuff to download – such as backgrounds for your computer desktop, and pumpkin-carving templates to add some Pokémon fun to your Halloween party.

Omega Mode is free DLC for Street Fighter IV takes all 44 characters and gives them different (I’m hard-pressed to say new) abilities making them feel bigger, better, or in some cases, like the old versions of themselves. Capcom had a little something to say about it on its blog:

“As the primary goal for this mode was fun, we placed more emphasis on making the characters feel new, than on their balance.”

The video above gives far more detail and pretty moving pictures, so watch it and let us know what you think in the comments. Then look for the Omega Mode DLC later this year.

When Nintendo came out with the Circle Pad Pro accessory for the original Nintendo 3DS – which added a second Circle Pad and extra buttons to the 3DS which allowed for even more control; and which Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate made good use of – many asked why a second Circle Pad could not have been a standard feature of the 3DS. When the 3DS XL was released and also lacked the second pad, the complaints became even more vocal.

Colour choices at launch for the New 3DS and New 3DS XL

Today in Japan, Nintendo have not only finally heeded the call, but have gone even further. The company announced all new models of their popular hand-held game consoles, the Nintendo 3DS and the 3DS XL (called the 3DS LL in Japan), which along with extra controls, make a number of other additions and improvements over the previous models.

If you actually care that the new models are a few mm bigger in most directions, you probably have an Apple device and/or no shame
(click pictures to enlarge)

The real big news of the announcement, however, comes in the form of a small toy.

If you’re wondering why this pic shows just the Amiibo logo instead of an actual Amiibo, blame Nintendo.

With the new consoles including an NFC Reader, the new 3DS and 3DS XL will come with built-in support for Amiibo, Nintendo’s upcoming range of NFC-enabled figurines. Previously thought to be exclusive to the Wii U, the new addition enables future 3DS games to also offer the ability to allow select Nintendo characters to be stored and shared across compatible games or to use the toys for special in-game functions; and use of the feature in the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. is already confirmed – what it consists of is yet to be announced, but if one is to make a guess, imagine something like the sticker mode in Brawl, but with an actual physical toy to enhance and make your own character with.

Those colourful SNES-like buttons.

As to the controls, the new 3DS and 3DS XL will add a splash of colour to the A/B/X/Y button. The new 3DS gets the more significant facelift with fully-coloured buttons, while the XL simply gets coloured button labels. The colours are the same as those originally used on the Japanese SNES controller, in a nice homage to Nintendo history.

…But that’s not what you care about, is it? The bigger news is both devices finally feature a second Circle Pad – well, kind of. Dubbed the “C-Stick” by Nintendo in another homage (this time to the yellow analogue stick of Nintendo’s own GameCube controller), the new stick is much smaller than the main Circle Pad – in fact, it’s roughly the same size as one of the four A/B/X/Y buttons. This isn’t accidental – according to Nintendo’s own Satoru Iwata, while the new control will function like a stick, it’s also designed to be used as though it were a button itself. Iwata also claims the new C-Stick “is easy to use”; with Nintendo releasing a picture showing that the size and positioning of the button should make it easy to control with the same thumb used to press the lettered buttons – it remains to be seen if this turns out to be the case. The new C-stick will be used in Dragon Quest X: Online, Final Fantasy Explorers, and Monster Hunter 4G to control the in-game camera function, and in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS to unleash Smash Attacks.

The back of the New 3DS XL. Notice anything different?

The new 3DS models will also include ZL and ZR buttons on the back beside the existing L/R buttons, thus making the Circle Pad Pro accessory entirely redundant. Because there is no longer space for the game card, the game card slot is now found on new 3DS and XL’s bottom-left side, which seems poorly thought out – surely it’ll be right underneath your left palm thus making it easy to accidentally push the card in and eject it? The space at the top previously occupied by the game card slot now houses the charging port, which has been moved from its original off-centre position.

Battery life comparisons (given in minimum to maximum expected time between charges) for the New 3DS XL (left image) and New 3DS (right image) compared to their predecessors
(click to enlarge)

Nintendo claim that the new 3DS and XL models also make small improvements on the battery life, with their rated maximum life up half an hour on the XL to 7 hours; and up a whole hour on the regular 3DS to 6 hours. Part of the reason for these gains are due to a new adaptive brightness feature, where the screen will automatically brighten or darken depending on the currently displayed picture, which is also aimed to improve colour quality. Another big reason for the small improvement is a new, more efficient processor – which also grants the new models a small speed boost to make downloads and loading times quicker – though exact specs are not yet known. Speaking of downloads, you’ll also now be able to use Micro SD cards with both new 3DS models, with a new slot located under the bottom covering.

The new Nintendo 3DS models also have an improved 3D function. With the original 3DS and XL, if you viewed the 3D effect from the side and didn’t stay in the “sweet spot,” the graphics became all blurred. However, the New 3DS has improved 3D, enabling players to continue to see the 3D effect even if viewed from an angle. Using the device’s cameras and gyroscopes, the new 3DS and 3DS XL actually track your face to work out the angle the screen is being viewed from – and will adjust the 3D effect to what’s best for your view. Clever!

Though the international launches of the new 3DS and 3DS XL models is still to be announced, both will be out October 11 in Japan. The New Nintendo 3DS is priced at 16,000 yen (approx. £92.75 at time of posting) and the New Nintendo 3DS XL is priced at 18,800 yen (approx. £109 at time of posting) – given the usual mark-ups, however, I’m personally predicting prices of £129 and £159 when they hit the UK. Sorry, that’s business.