New Paper Mario and More Revealed in Direct Video!

In the latest Nintendo Direct video, Nintendo shared additional details about previously announced titles. They also revealed some new games on the way for their Wii U and 3DS systems – I’m talking a new Paper Mario, Star Fox Zero and more!

First up, for the Wii U we have Star Fox Zero, which finally has a solid release date. Here players control Fox McCloud as he blasts his way through hordes of enemies on strange planets. Multiple paths through each level extend the replay value; each route allows for a different experience, some requiring Fox’s ship (the Arwing) to transform into new forms to face new challenges. The game will launch on April 22nd for $59.99 ($49.99 digital version on the eShop).

Those that buy the retail version will also get a new game called Star Fox Guard. Gamers will need to defeat enemies using cameras scattered around the mining site of Slippy Toad’s uncle, Grippy Toad. Guard will launch with about 100 stages, though players can create their own and upload them online. Seems like a fun mini-game. It’ll be sold separately if you chose to go the digital route with Star Fox Zero. Nintendo will offer a $5 discount toward the other game though.

Super Mario Maker fans will be happy to know that a free March 9th update will add a Super Expert mode to the 100-Mario Challenge. Once players have cleared Expert mode, they’ll unlock the Super version which houses six extremely tough courses.

The update will also feature 12 new Mystery Mushroom costumes and level creation tools. Moving over to Splatoon, it too will be getting a free update. Coming March 8th, this update seeks to balance some gear abilities to improve lesser-used ones. It will also tweak matchmaking, ranked battles and splatfests with a future update offering a new weapon set. Basically, Nintendo will continue to an amazing job supporting these titles!

The last major announcement for the Wii U was Paper Mario: Color Splash. Prism Island is being drained of its color and it’s up to Paper Mario to save the day. He’ll use his paint hammer to splash paint on anything it hits in hopes of bringing the color back to the island. Of course, the turn based combat will return along with Peach, Toad, and other popular characters. Color Splash is set to launch later this year.

The Nintendo 3DS is also getting some love. Whether it’s the game we aren’t sure we want (Metroid Prime: Federation Force) or the highly anticipated Bravely Second: End Layer which launches April 15th, there is a lot coming to the handheld. One of the newer games revealed was Kirby: Planet Robobot. Apparently, Dream Land has been mechanized and Kirby is tasked with changing things back to the way they were using his new Robobot Armor. And while you can always suck up enemies to steel their powers, Nintendo is adding unique abilities via their Amiibos. A new series of Kirby figures that includes Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee will offer even more. What really stands out though is the new Team Kirby Clash mode. Here up to four players can join forced to battle powerful bosses. RPG elements offer an incentive to keep playing (besides the awesome of four Kirbys beating on bosses) once a tough foe is defeated. Kirby: Planet Robobot will launch June 10th.

There were other games announced and release dates shared; a new Monster Hunter game is coming and Hyrule Warriors Legends drops on March 25th by the way. We just wanted to highlight some of the big things. Feel free to check out the Direct Video here for a more in depth look. As we get closer to these different release dates we’ll be sure to share any new information we get from Nintendo.