If that doesn’t look like a rootin’ tootin’ good time for your 3DS then I don’t know what does. Calamari!

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Nearly a year to the day after the Nintendo 3DS’ launch, the one title that’s consistently looked like a system seller will be flapping its little wings out of the factory and onto store shelves. I think we can all agree that it looks like a lot of fun, and that maybe it will make the 3DS relevant if there’s anybody still willing to give the system a chance at this point. Let’s hope Nintendo takes this lesson to heart for the Wii U’s 2012 release, which, as of right now, has zero exclusive launch titles announced.

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Like, literally. While the game certainly looks like it’s shaping up to be another excellently crafted Zelda experience, there’s something about the visuals that lend it this air of whimsy. Maybe it’s all the clouds and skydiving. Yeah, that’s definitely it.

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So Nintendo had a little pre-TGS event last night while most of us in the West were asleep in our comfy little beds. Here’s what you missed while you were dreaming of playing Skyrim.

The event mainly focused on 3DS hardware and software, so of course the newly announced circle pad add-on got some attention. The unsightly behemoth will release in Japan on December 10th and cost ¥1,500 ($19). And a surprising amount of games are going to support the peripheral. Like, more than just Monster Hunter. Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Ace Combat 3D Cross Rumble, Dynasty Warriors VS, and Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream, Drop, Distance], will all utilize the new add-on when they are released.

Speaking of 3DS software, Nintendo announced and/or dated a whole mess of games at their event. Mario Tennis, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 are all planned to be released for the 3DS in 2012… in Japan. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will be out on the system on November 13th and December 4th, respectively… in North America. A new Fire Emblem game and an original IP from Square Enix called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy were both also announced with the latter receiving a 2012 release window while we’ll just have to wait to find out more on the former. And after recently announcing Monster Hunter 3 G  along with the new slidepad, it was also revealed at the conference that Monster Hunter 4 will be heading to the 3DS as well. No release date was given. Here’s what Capcom is calling a “concept clip” for the game:

Other games such as Culdcept, a soccer simulator named Calciobit, and Shinrei Camera (“Spirit Camera“), by the makers of Fatal Frame, were announced as well.

Lastly, the highly anticipated new Kid Icarus game, Kid Icarus Uprising, has been delayed. Originally slated as a launch title for the 3DS the game won’t see the light of day until the first quarter 2012 in Japan.

Nintendo certainly came out guns blazing at this event. Announcing game after game after game. Which is really what the 3DS is in dire need of. Not some tacked on circle pad. There are certainly some big titles ready to rock the 3DS and 2012 looks like it could be a good year for the struggling portable, at least in Japan. We’ll have to wait to see when, or even if, many of these games are coming stateside.

Update: videos from the conference have been trickling out over the past few hours, so here they are:

Skyward Sword

Super Mario 3D Land

Mario Kart 7

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

Kriby’s Return to Dreamland

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Join us and the rest of the video games media in collective bewilderment as we discover that that crazy rumor we talked about on last week’s podcast is confirmed. Yup, that’s right the 3DS is actually getting an attachment that adds a second circle pad to the device.

Leaked pictures from the latest Famitsu revealed the bulky behemoth of an add-on for all to see. And if you’re anything like me (i.e. sane), then you’re wondering (perhaps in less colorful language) “Why the fuck does the 3DS need another circle pad, nub, stick…thing?” Well, Monster Hunter, that’s why. The game that the West has shunned for years (and that spurred a redesign of the Wii classic controller) is responsible for this monstrosity.

“So maybe it’s just for Japan,” you desperately think to yourself. Well, we’ll have to see as, according to Destructoid, Nintendo has said that “Nintendo plans to release the Circle Pad attachment, but Nintendo’s regional subsidiaries will make further announcements about its availability at a later date…”

Well at least now it will be much easier to play Monster Hunter while sitting on the couch at home. Yup, just like the designers of the portable intended.

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The view from our quarters.

Yaarrr!!! Join us from our new high seas abode maties as we talk about video games. Revel in the absurd amount of unnecessary sea-faring puns while we discuss what we’ve been playing, the news of the (past couple) weeks, and the point of video games, media, and art in general. That’s right, we get real deep down in the murky depths for this week’s discussion. So help us break in our new house boat by listening to this jaunty high seas adventure of a podcast.

News Links

I Am Alive Still Alive (how many times have you read that headline?)

Release Dates

Gamestop throws out Deus Ex OnLive Coupons; Apologizes

Gears of War 3 Gets a $30 Season Pass

3DS Redesign Rumors

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Now with less wallet gouging action and more games!

With the news that Nintendo’s hardware in general, and the 3DS specifically, has been selling poorly in the past few months, comes the great (for the consumer at least) news that the 3DS is getting a 32% price cut. Bringing the 3D portable down to $169.99 from $249.

What’s that you say? “But the 3DS only came out a few months ago! I just bought one!” Well don’t you worry Mr. Early Adopter, Nintendo’s got your back. As long as you purchase the 3DS before the August 12th price drop you’ll be entitled to 20 free games from the 3DS eShop. But that’s not all! You’ll be able to choose from the newly announced selection of Game Boy Advance and NES games, not the old and tired Game Boy and Game Boy Color games already available on the eShop. Classics like the original Zelda and Super Mario Bros. will be available on the NES side of things, while games such as Yoshi’s Island and Metroid Fusion will be on offer from the GBA side.

While most of this news is all well and good from the consumer point of view it really seems to spell trouble for Nintendo. With the huge price cut and the “I’m sorry” that is the offering of free games to early adopters, it all smells a bit like desperation. Nintendo’s having trouble getting the 3DS off of shelves, and this is a desperate push to move some hardware without pissing off early adopters. It’s probably a good move, but one Nintendo most likely hoped they wouldn’t have to make.

Also of note in this news extravaganza is that Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will be hitting shelves in November and December respectively. Good news for the game-strapped 3DS.

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Some folks might be excited by the mere prospect of flying in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but what would you say if you could stuff that bird full of rupees and watch him grow some jet engines? Hold that thought.

I’m pretty sure that’s not actually in the game, so don’t bother squealing with glee like you surely were planning to. However, according to the final minutes of the video below, Link will be able to upgrade items like his shield, beetle, and more. Maybe the beetle will sprout some jet engines.

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So I might have missed the conference because of the job that pays me to be there, but I’ve done my best to round up all of the video content I can in an effort to give you the best idea of what was talked about. The main thing, obviously, was Nintendo’s successor to the Wii, officially dubbed the Wii U (weird name, but I suppose Wii caught on pretty well). There were also a lot of 3DS games shown. Keep checking this post through the night, as I will continue to update it with new videos as they become available.

Press conference.

Okay, some of that stuff looks really frickin’ cool. Hopefully developers will actually be able to translate the unique opportunities this controller offers into more than simple mini-games.

This video gives a good idea of what this new console is all about. The HD graphics are comparable to the 360 and PS3, but the innovative touch-screen controller really sets it apart. I’m really excited at all of the possibilities inherent in this radically new way to play, just some of which are demoed in the video above. That said, I must say that the design looks terribly uncomfortable and that putting the four face buttons directly under the right analog stick seems highly problematic. I feel like this controller is going to have to endure some revisions before it’s finalized. Oh, and here are some official specs on the new hardware.

And here’s a montage of third-party games that have been confirmed for the Wii U, although none of them are actually running on the system in this footage (taken from PS3/360).

And here’s Super Mario Bros. Mii, seemingly the only playable Wii U game shown.

And now we’ll move right along to an onslaught of 3DS games…

And this guy here’s for the plain old Wii.

And some Skyward Sword, with Link looking very disturbing when he’s not in his traditional garb.

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Like this, but 7 years later and 12GB smaller!

And the rumor mill keeps on a-churnin’, with reports that Nintendo’s Wii successor will only offer 8GB of on-board flash memory and no hard-drive. Surely, nothing says “next-gen” like offering less storage capacity than the current generation of high-end consoles.

It’s not all bad, though. Word has it that the system’s resolution will cap at either 1080i or 1080p, which is comparable to the PS3 and 360. And that graphical prowess will surely be put to use, as the console’s disc format is rumored to hold 25GB of data. The 360′s DVDs only hold about 8GB while the PS3′s dual-layer Blu-ray discs hold close to 50GB. If this turns out to be true, will it inevitably result in multi-disc games becoming the norm for the 360?

Of course, we must keep in mind that this is all unconfirmed rumor at this point in time and Nintendo won’t be giving out any answers until E3. If these reports turn out to be true, though, they certainly suggest that Nintendo is not interested in offering full-sized game downloads, movie downloads, or game demos (which frequently weigh in close to 2GB for high-end games). It also shows some short-sightedness in the downloadable market, as well as severely limiting DLC support. The system will support SD cards, but with hard drives being as cheap as they are these days, why not just slap 160GB on there, Nintendo?

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