Five new and old 3DS games I'm planning to pick up between now and the end of 2014

Hearing that Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley finally was available for pre-orders (over at Amazon, for instance) yesterday prompted me to consider just how many 3DS games I'm still planning to pick up through the balance of this year.

One of them is the aforementioned Natsume release, of course. As for why I'm looking to add The Lost Valley to my ever-growing 3DS games collection, despite the fact that I've never before played a Harvest Moon title (although I've long wanted to, believe me), the only answer I can come up with at the moment is that it's giving me good vibes. Specifically, I like its odd art style--which harkens back to the Nintendo 64 era, in some ways--although I like its Minecraft-esque gameplay, too.

The four other 3DS games I'm pretty sure I'll purchase--or ask for as birthday or Christmas gifts--between now and the end of 2014:

Fantasy Life--I've wanted to play this Level-5 RPG ever since I first heard about it back in 2010. In fact, I've wanted to play it so much that I bought a copy of the Japanese version late last year that I've yet to unseal. (Hey, at least it was cheap.) Don't worry, there's no chance my copy of the North American version of the game, which will hit store shelves in this neck of the woods this October, will remain unopened for more than a few minutes once it's in my possession. After all, I'm pretty sure it's going to be the next 3DS title I put more than 30 hours into before moving on to something else (such as The Lost Valley, perhaps?).

Kid Icarus: Uprising--Why has it taken me so long to acquire this one, and why am I finally doing it now (or soon)? My response to the first question is that I've always been a little wary of Uprising, mainly due to all of the complaints I've heard and read about its controls, while my response to the second question is that enough people I trust have assured me in recent weeks and months that the game's worth checking out even with its sometimes-awkward control scheme. Toss in the fact that I've been a Kid Icarus fan since the beginning, and it should be easy to see why I'm still keen on this follow-up.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe--My original plan, before Triple Deluxe was released in early May, was to pick up a copy of it at launch. That didn't happen for various reasons I can't currently recall (I'm guessing a biggie was that I spent the money intended for Kirby on a Japanese GameBoy title or two), unfortunately, but I'm still very much interested in playing this portable platformer--especially since it has more than a passing resemblance to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, a Wii release I absolutely adored.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call--Speaking of games I absolutely adored, the first Theatrhythm Final Fantasy has been one of my most-played--as well as most-enjoyed--3DS titles so far. I'm expecting to have a similar experience with this sequel, which will hit North American store shelves on Sept. 16. As much as I'm anticipating that date, I have to admit I'd be anticipating it even more if the amazing special-edition system that accompanied Curtain Call's Japanese release had made its way to our shores as well.

What, no mention of two other big 2014 releases, Persona Q and Super Smash Bros. for 3DS? Actually, I'm very likely to buy them, too, but probably not until sometime in 2015--along with A-Train: City Simulator, Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai Remix and hopefully a couple more currently unknown games.

Are any of you looking forward to any 3DS games in particular between now and the end of the year?

Eight things I liked about yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs

Real talk: it would be easy peasy for me to write a post that points out all of the things I found disappointing about yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcasts.

For instance, there was the lack of news regarding a Western release of the 3DS Dragon Quest VII remake. Also, aside from Steel Diver: Sub Wars (more about this one below), no completely new 3DS or Wii U games were revealed in any of the three Nintendo Directs, as far as I'm aware--which is a real shame, especially since the 3DS is my go-to system this year.

Anyway, let's push those negatives to the background for the moment and focus instead on the positives--like the eight bullet-pointed items below--that I personally took from yesterday's Iwata-led extravaganzas:

A Free-to-Play 3DS Game? From Nintendo?--Wasn't the word on the street that Steel Diver: Sub Wars was being made for the Wii U? Whatever, I'm actually glad it was developed for the 3DS instead--you know, because I don't currently own a Wii U. Anyway, the game's out now and is completely free--or at least a portion of it is. (The full thing, which gives you access to additional missions and subs, costs $9.99.) Consider me intrigued, and consider it downloaded, too.



Hey, Sega, You're Bringing Hero Bank to the States, Right?--Seriously, this upcoming 3DS game, highlighted during the Japanese Nintendo Direct, looks great. And I mean that literally--as in, I love its art style. Unfortunately, I've never had a clue as to what's going on in any of the gameplay trailers that have been used to promote it, and that leads me to believe I should avoid playing it in a language I don't understand. So, uh, throw me a bone, will you, Sega? Pretty please?

Hurray! Kirby Triple Deluxe Finally Has a Release Date--Unfortunately, the date is May 2--the same day Mario Golf: World Tour will hit store shelves, incidentally. Oh, well, that just means I'll be able to take my time with Bravely Default, Yoshi's New Island and a small handful of other 3DS games that are set to be released between now then.

I'm Still Not Sure What I Think About Yoshi's New Island--On the one hand, this game's graphics have started to grow on me in recent weeks, at least in a general sense. On the other, its gameplay doesn't look anywhere near as interesting as what was found in the original Yoshi's Island. And then there are those feet. You know the ones I'm talking about. Still, I'm buying this one despite my reservations, as I just couldn't live with myself if I passed on it simply because it looked kind of boring in trailers. 

I Need Another Portable Puzzler Like I Need A Hole in the Head, But I'm Still Buying Pokemon Battle Trozei--Could a game be more up my alley than this one? I doubt it. I mean, it's adorable, it's a puzzler and it's coming to the 3DS (eShop). Oh, sure, Nintendo could give it a better logo, some cute (and colorful) cover art and offer up a physical release, too, but I can't blame them for going the digital-only route. Regardless, it's mine on March 20.

I Never Thought I'd Say This, But I'm Buying a Baseball Game--Specifically, I'm buying Rusty's Real Deal Baseball once it hits the North American 3DS eShop in April. This one's a localization of Darumeshi Sports Store, by the way, which has been available in Japan for a while now and by most accounts is a completely awesome and worthwhile experience. 

Inazuma Eleven Earns a Stealth eShop Release--Most folks assumed us North Americans would be getting this soccer RPG sometime soon after it showed up on Nintendo.com early last month. I doubt, though, that many of them thought Nintendo of America would toss it onto the eShop immediately following today's Nintendo Direct. No joke: I'd pick it up right now if I didn't already own the European DS version of the game.

Weapon Shop de Omasse Will Be Mine--I'm not so sure it was wise to give this 3DS eShop title (an English localization of the last of Level-5's Guild 01 games) such a weird name, but what do I know? Also, what do I care? All I care about at the moment is that I'll finally be able to get my hands on it--as will you, if you own a North American 3DS and you have $7.99 to blow--on Feb. 20.

So, those are my main thoughts on yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs. What are yours?

Let's take a moment to bask in the beauty and brilliance that is Kirby: Triple Deluxe's trailer

I know what some of you are thinking: How about we bask in the brilliance that is Super Mario 3D World's latest trailer?

Well, yes, I think that would be a worthy endeavor, too, but everyone and his or her mother (OK, maybe that's pushing it) already are raving about the shiny new Super Mario 3D World trailer that was included in yesterday's trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts, so I thought I'd focus on the trailer that was shown for the upcoming 3DS game that's currently known as Kirby: Triple Deluxe instead.

Here's the trailer, in case any of you have yet to see it:



I'm sure some will say Kirby: Triple Deluxe looks a bit too similar to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which hit the Wii back in 2011, and I can't disagree with those statements. That said, I really liked the look of that Kirby release, so if Triple Deluxe (or whatever it winds up being called) resembles it graphically in the end, I'm more than OK with that.

At the moment, though, I do think this trailer showcases some subtle differences to the look and feel of Return to Dream Land that should even appeal to folks who got their fill of that particular kind of Kirby adventure. Case in point: this title's softer, more textured backdrops, which seem to exist somewhere between those found in Return to Dream Land and the ones that appeared in Kirby's Epic Yarn.

And then there's Kirby's ability to leap between background layers. Sure, it's been done many times before (hello, Donkey Kong Country Returns), but I've always liked that particular platforming mechanic, so I'm guessing it'll be a fun addition to Triple Deluxe, too.

Anyway, hopefully I'm not alone in looking forward to the 2014 release of this 3DS game?

A few brief thoughts on the latest trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts

I don't know about you, but the very first thing I did after waking up this morning was check out the Nintendo Directs that were made available to Japanese and North American audiences a few hours ago. (I skipped the European one because I assumed it would be a rehash, more or less, of the other two.)

Anyway, here are a few brief thoughts on the above-mentioned broadcasts (watch the North American one here, and the Japanese one here):

(Sort of) surprisingly, Super Mario 3D World looks smashing--Although I wasn't all that interested in Super Mario 3D World following the game's unveiling at this year's E3, I'm pretty darn interested in it now. Some of the levels shown during today's Nintendo Direct looked absolutely stunning--and, more importantly, looked like a lot of fun, too. The question is: will I ever get my husband to play it along with me? Thankfully, I have a feeling it'll be a blast while played solo, too.



Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze delayed--The only news related to this Wii U title is that it's release--originally scheduled for later this year--has been pushed to February. That doesn't bother me too much, as I'm not planning on picking it up (I liked Donkey Kong Country Returns, but not enough to buy a sequel), but I know a lot of people were hoping to get their paws on it this holiday season.



The 3DS is really going to suck next year--In a good way, that is--thanks to the new Kirby game that's scheduled for release at some point in 2014. Anyway, this latest entry in the long-running Kirby series--which I believe will be called Kirby: Triple Deluxe in Japan--looks a lot like Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which is a very good thing, in my opinion. That said, I wouldn't mind at all if Nintendo announced a follow-up to Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii U sometime next year.



Looks like I'll get my yearly dose of Daigasso! Band Brothers sooner than expected--The highlight of the Japanese Nintendo Direct (which covered a lot of the same ground as its North American counterpart) for yours truly: the news that this third entry in the Daigasso! Band Brothers series--called Daigasso! Band Brothers P--will hit the streets in its home country on Nov. 14. Unfortunately, that's about all I got out of this portion of the broadcast--although I think the major revelation here was supposed to be that folks will be able to go on line to access or download a ton of additional tunes. That aspect of the title likely will be lost on me, but that's OK--the 100 or so songs that are supposed to be included on the cart should be more than enough for me.

To those of you who also checked out one or more of this morning's Nintendo Direct broadcasts: which games stuck out at you, if any?