Last night, Nintendo gave 3DS owners quite a few things to look forward to this year, including several upcoming titles as well as new Nintendo eShop downloadable content. The Nintendo All-Access 3DS Software Showcase gave convention goers a look at some the handheld’s most anticipated titles including New Super Mario Bros. 2, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate and Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 once again brings Nintendo’s flagship mascot back to his side-scrolling roots on August 19 this year. In addition to being able to become both Raccoon Mario and Gold Mario throughout your goomba stomping adventures, the game features a Coin Rush mode where you can challenge the high scores of other players and a full cooperative two-player mode for the entire game (a first for a handheld Mario title).
Konami is also releasing a new entry in their Castlevania franchise starring the son of Dracula, Alucard, the fan favorite protagonist that made his first appearance in the classic Castlevania III. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate is said to combine “…3D graphics with timeless 2D game play.”
Disney Interactive is also supporting the system with Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, featuring the same stylish interpretation of iconic Disney characters as seen in the console versions of the Epic Mickey games. Inspired by the classic Castle of Illusion game (one of my personal favorites actually), no doubt the many capabilities of the 3DS are going to come into play as Mickey uses paint and paint thinner to alter the world around him.
Of course one of the most highly anticipated titles for the 3DS is the new Kingdom Hearts game. We haven’t seen a proper Kingdom Hearts title since the PSP’s Birth By Sleep, and considering the huge cult following the series has garnered since it first debuted in 2002, its amazing we haven’t seen a new entry sooner. From what we’ve seen so far, Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance is poised to be a big hit. Featuring StreetPass, AR Card compatibility and support for the Circle Pad Pro accessory, Square Enix and Disney Interactive are promising a pretty full featured package for fans of the series. And it doesn’t hurt that it happens to be the 10 year anniversary of the original Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance will be released on July 31.
In addition, Nintendo also showcased console exclusives Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and 3DS owners can now check out trailers for both games in the Nintendo eShop. Upcoming third party titles include Transformers Prime, Rabbids Rumble, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (the eShop now has a playable demo for this one) , Heroes of Ruin and Scribblenauts Unlimited.
Finally, Nintendo also screened the first episode of Threediots, a “short form” comedy series to be featured on their Nintendo Video service. You can check out a recording of the full presentation at: http://e3.nintendo.com. For more E3 coverage, stay tuned to The Game Fanatics!
