February Nintendo Direct Recap: Updates on Smash Bros, Bayonetta 2 & Tons of 3DS Games

Today’s Nintendo Direct is focusing on 3DS and Wii U games coming out for the next several months along with surprises for later this year.
Satoru Iwata started it off strong with a new, stylish trailer for Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and 3DS. This trailer debuts a new character, Punch Out!!’s Little Mac. He plays much differently than any other character where he has a power meter above his name that’ll allow him to hit harder, even launching foes when full.

Next, Iwata quickly showed off some of Nintendo’s soon-to-be-released games like Mario Golf: World Tour. Today we learn that players can customize their playable Mii’s clubs and outfits to use both off and online. This game releases on May 2nd.
Kirby Triple Deluxe was next, which has been out at Japan for a while now. The game looks a lot like Kirby Super Star where every ability will have their own moveset instead of one or two attacks. You collect Sunstones to progress the game and can collect keychains that’ll will enable StreetPass functions. You’ll see Waddle Dees in stages these keychains will allow you to get better items. The new Kirby is also out on May 2nd.
Yoshi’s New Island, the third installment of the Yoshi’s Island games, was up and showed off the various eggs, like the large, destructive Eggdozers and metal ones. Yoshi transforms again and a jackhammer was unveiled as a new transformation. These powers use the gyro controls. Game has a Super Guide where Yoshi sprouts wings and can consistently float.

Steel Diver: Sub Wars is Nintendo’s next title and is a free-to-play game. The free version of this first-person action game has two playable subs and a few missions, but you can buy the premium edition and access everything the game offers. Both the free and premium versions have online and local multiplayer. This game is available on the 3DS eShop now.

Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball was also announced as a free-to-play for the 3DS eShop and Iwata described it as a “good feeling” type game. The free mode is just a demo, but you can purchase the other minigames (labeled as games for your Nontendo 4DS – I kid you not) like hitting practice, cage hitting, catching, and even an umpire mode where you make calls. Yes it is free-to-play and you have to buy the other modes with real money, but you can haggle with the shop owner, Rusty, for the game’s paid DLC with in-game items. That is really neat! See it on the eShop this April.
Pokémon Battle Trozei is a 3DS sequel of the old DS puzzle game Pokémon Trozei, which is a Bejeweled clone. One to four players can team up on the game’s campaign which revolves around fighting a Pokémon by matching so many Pokémon heads. Pokémon Battle Trozei will release on March 20th for the 3DS eShop.
Iwata passes it over to Nintendo of America where they focused on games not out yet in the states, with the first being Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, coming out on February 28th. Azran Legacy is the last game in the prequel trilogy (with Last Spector and Miracle Mask) and will continue the story of Layton, Luke, and Emmy.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate may be releasing next year, but Nintendo wanted to show off the game for the North American crowd. This Monster Hunter is bigger than ever and has 4-player online and offline co-op.
Weapon Shop De Masse the final game in Level 5’s Guild01 series. It is an RPG but you do not play as the hero, but as the weapon shop owner (an occasion you probably take for granted). It has you forge weapons at the rhythm of music in order to get the best weapons. If the hero fails due to your weapon, you won’t get paid. See it on the eShop on February 20. In related news, the other Guild games are on sale on the eShop.
Inazuma Eleven was leaked earlier this year, but Nintendo of America confirmed that they are localizing its latest installment for the 3DS. It’s a soccer RPG where stats on players increase with ach game, and the soccer part isn't like a FIFA or Pro Evo, but more like a strategy RPG. It releases now only on the 3DS eShop.
Next up Nintendo did a sizzle reel of interviews with many indie devs who are supporting the 3DS eShop. Moon Chronicles, Treasurenauts, Shovel Knight, 1,001 Spikes, and Retro City Rampage DX were shown off. The full interviews will be focused on the Nintendo Minute show on Nintendo’s YouTube page.
After teasing Child of Light, which releases on April 30th, Iwata returns and he shows off the launch trailer for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Tropical Freeze, which has some incredible music by David Wise, who did the score for Rare’s DKC games on the SNES.

December’s NES Remix will now have a sequel. NES Remix 2 will use other NES games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Kirby’s Adventure, Punch Out!! and Metroid. Also included with NES Remix 2 is Super Luigi Bros., which will have the entire game of Super Mario Bros., but backwards as Luigi. This was included after many players had fun with the stage in the original NES Remix where they redid stage 1-2. The sequel releases on April 25th.
Last year, Nintendo announced that Game Boy Advance games will launch on the Virtual Console, and they are finally starting to roll out this Spring with hits like Metroid Fusion, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, and Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3
We also got a new Mario Kart 8 trailer today, which showed off all seven Koopalings as playable drivers. Also announced was a release date: May 30th.

Monolithsoft’s next title (and my most anticipated game) was shown off for the first time since E3, and it was uncut footage of how the battle system works. It uses the Xenoblade battle scheme, but characters seem to be able to swap weapons on the fly, as seen by a character swapped a sword and a minigun. It seems that players can seamlessly enter mechs at their will to engage and fight enemies. The game is still unnamed and still releasing sometime in 2014.

Bayonetta 2, another game absent since E3, was the final game on this Direct. In this new trailer, we learn that Bayonetta can unleash all her magic in an Umbran Climax, a set of extremely powerful attacks. A second playable character was also shown in the trailer as well.

That’s it for the latest Nintendo Direct! We saw some games that have been quiet as of late, and another surge of quality 3DS games coming soon. If anything tickled your fancy, say it in the comments below!