OOOOOOOOOMYGOOOOOOSH
Today was a long day but YE GADS, there is so much excitement on the Nintendo front, I don't even know where to begin!
Basically, Nintendo had a Direct today--their first since Mr. Iwata's passing back in July. And it was very bittersweet without him there; Reggie said a few words about him in the opening and thanked all the fans for our words of condolences. And then they got right into the awesome stuff.
First of all, 2016 is the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon (oof, definitely feeling old in regards to the latter), and Nintendo is celebrating accordingly. They have a new game and a remake (Twilight Princess) for the WiiU coming and, of course, Hyrule Warriors Legends for the 3DS in March (along with the already-released TriForce Heroes). And they have Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon coming next week for the 3DS, with Pokkén Tournament for the WiiU next year (which is some Pokémon fighting game, featuring a Shadow Mewtwo--intriguing)... and a re-release of the original Generation I games--Red, Blue, and Yellow--on the 3DS Virtual Console!!!!!!!!!! I legit flailed when they announced it--and I'm definitely going to download Red or Blue (no Raichu in Yellow, alas...)! They said they're going to try to keep everything from the original version intact, with the exception of a revamped trading system since link cables don't work anymore. It makes me wonder if Missingno will be back for the ride, as well, if they're going to try to keep everything intact... Heh. Oh gosh, that brings back so, so many memories! It was a magic time when whispers about the secrets in the game were being spread, and most weren't real, but this one was... Ah, but I digress!
They also confirmed the release date of Mario & Luigi Paper Jam as in January, so that'll be awesome. And they showcased two more 3DS games that I might be interested in; one was a Mega Man collection of the first 6 games in the series, something that I've been curious about since he showed up in Smash, and the other is a new game in the FF series called Final Fantasy Explorers, and it's a breathtakingly beautiful world full of adventure, and though the main focus is on the new characters, there are, apparently, ways to bring back/unlock old ones; they showed Cloud Strife and Yuna, and then were saying that you can also face some of the "most notorious villains in the series," which, I hope, means that Sephiroth is in there somewhere...
And speaking of Cloud... Cloud himself is coming to Smash! That was the other reveal that had me breathless; his Final Smash is, naturally, Omnislash. No word on when he'll arrive, but it's going to be spectacular, without a doubt.
So, it was an absolutely incredible Direct, and well worth the wait!!!!!!
EDIT: I got emotional about the Pokémon Gen I reissue and wrote this on tumblr; I'm copy-pasting it here--
…I honestly can’t begin to describe how the reveal of the original R/B/Y coming to the Virtual Console makes me feel, but I’m going to try.
I was 12 in 1999 when I played Pokémon for the first time. It was an absolutely amazing experience; here I was, immersed in this large, 8-bit world, trying to catch and train these magical creatures that all had their own quirks and traits. It was a virtual journey into the unknown-with these little pixel creatures as companions. I grew so attached to these little guys-the star of my team being Rai the Raichu.
The simple, chiptune melodies are, undoubtedly, a part of the soundtrack of my life-the imposing Viridian Forest, the seemingly endless caves, the creepy Lavender Town, the somber Pokémon Tower where Mama Marowak’s spirit resided, the villains who worked beneath the Celadon Game Corner, the dreary, dangerous hallways of Silph Co… all of them.
And even the rumors and whispers that accompanied these games were a huge part of the magic-stories of the “Pokégods” that never were, how to track down an elusive pink cat, and the tales of a glitchy monster that could be encountered off the coast of an island… Even if the Mew and Missingno glitches have been patched out of the reissue, they’ll still be very much alive in my heart. Very much waiting, hidden-always hidden…
I eagerly await February and the reissues of these games that feel like old friends. Memory Lane beckons to me. And to paraphrase Mr. Tolkien, I will go there and back again.
Basically, Nintendo had a Direct today--their first since Mr. Iwata's passing back in July. And it was very bittersweet without him there; Reggie said a few words about him in the opening and thanked all the fans for our words of condolences. And then they got right into the awesome stuff.
First of all, 2016 is the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon (oof, definitely feeling old in regards to the latter), and Nintendo is celebrating accordingly. They have a new game and a remake (Twilight Princess) for the WiiU coming and, of course, Hyrule Warriors Legends for the 3DS in March (along with the already-released TriForce Heroes). And they have Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon coming next week for the 3DS, with Pokkén Tournament for the WiiU next year (which is some Pokémon fighting game, featuring a Shadow Mewtwo--intriguing)... and a re-release of the original Generation I games--Red, Blue, and Yellow--on the 3DS Virtual Console!!!!!!!!!! I legit flailed when they announced it--and I'm definitely going to download Red or Blue (no Raichu in Yellow, alas...)! They said they're going to try to keep everything from the original version intact, with the exception of a revamped trading system since link cables don't work anymore. It makes me wonder if Missingno will be back for the ride, as well, if they're going to try to keep everything intact... Heh. Oh gosh, that brings back so, so many memories! It was a magic time when whispers about the secrets in the game were being spread, and most weren't real, but this one was... Ah, but I digress!
They also confirmed the release date of Mario & Luigi Paper Jam as in January, so that'll be awesome. And they showcased two more 3DS games that I might be interested in; one was a Mega Man collection of the first 6 games in the series, something that I've been curious about since he showed up in Smash, and the other is a new game in the FF series called Final Fantasy Explorers, and it's a breathtakingly beautiful world full of adventure, and though the main focus is on the new characters, there are, apparently, ways to bring back/unlock old ones; they showed Cloud Strife and Yuna, and then were saying that you can also face some of the "most notorious villains in the series," which, I hope, means that Sephiroth is in there somewhere...
And speaking of Cloud... Cloud himself is coming to Smash! That was the other reveal that had me breathless; his Final Smash is, naturally, Omnislash. No word on when he'll arrive, but it's going to be spectacular, without a doubt.
So, it was an absolutely incredible Direct, and well worth the wait!!!!!!
EDIT: I got emotional about the Pokémon Gen I reissue and wrote this on tumblr; I'm copy-pasting it here--
…I honestly can’t begin to describe how the reveal of the original R/B/Y coming to the Virtual Console makes me feel, but I’m going to try.
I was 12 in 1999 when I played Pokémon for the first time. It was an absolutely amazing experience; here I was, immersed in this large, 8-bit world, trying to catch and train these magical creatures that all had their own quirks and traits. It was a virtual journey into the unknown-with these little pixel creatures as companions. I grew so attached to these little guys-the star of my team being Rai the Raichu.
The simple, chiptune melodies are, undoubtedly, a part of the soundtrack of my life-the imposing Viridian Forest, the seemingly endless caves, the creepy Lavender Town, the somber Pokémon Tower where Mama Marowak’s spirit resided, the villains who worked beneath the Celadon Game Corner, the dreary, dangerous hallways of Silph Co… all of them.
And even the rumors and whispers that accompanied these games were a huge part of the magic-stories of the “Pokégods” that never were, how to track down an elusive pink cat, and the tales of a glitchy monster that could be encountered off the coast of an island… Even if the Mew and Missingno glitches have been patched out of the reissue, they’ll still be very much alive in my heart. Very much waiting, hidden-always hidden…
I eagerly await February and the reissues of these games that feel like old friends. Memory Lane beckons to me. And to paraphrase Mr. Tolkien, I will go there and back again.