Nintendo needs to release a Daigasso! Band Bros-branded 3DS LL (plus a few more musings on yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcasts)

As soon as I realized that yesterday morning's trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts (one each for Europe, Japan and North America) would focus entirely on previously announced 3DS and Wii U titles, I decided to take a pass on them.

At least that was the plan until someone suggested that the latest entry in the company's Daigasso! Band Bros. might show up in the Japanese one.

So, I watched it. And guess what? That random NeoGAF commenter was correct. And not only did the game pop up, but it was given a couple of minutes of airtime. 

In many ways, it looks to very similar to the first two Daigasso! Band Bros. music games that were released for the Japanese DS back in 2004 and 2008, respectively. (The second also earned a European release, as Jam with the Band, in 2010.)

That's not to say this third one is going to be a total rehash of its predecessors. For example, there's a hilariously weird (and kind of creepy, admittedly) looking mode in this one that allows players to snap a photo of their faces and have them applied to in-game singers.

It also appears as though another of the game's modes features an entirely new style of gameplay, although I may be wrong about that.

And then there's the fact that the title, which will hit Japanese store shelves (and presumably that region's 3DS eShop) later this year, is going to be called Daigasso! Band Bros. P, with the "P" standing for both "Producer" and "Professional"--which implies we may be in store for additional gameplay surprises between now and whenever the finished product ships.

Regardless, I'm on board, and I'll be pre-ordering this sucker as soon as amiami.com allows me to do so.

That said, you know what would get me even more on board (if that were possible)? If Nintendo of Japan announced that a Daigasso! Band Bros.-branded 3DS LL system--especially a purple one, in honor of Barbara the Bat--would be sold alongside copies of the game.

As for the rest of the Japanese Nintendo Direct: about all I can say is that I think The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (boy, is that a mouthful--and not the good kind) looks marvelous, while The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds looks better than I thought it did at E3.



Oh, and I absolutely adore the look of the One Piece: Unlimited World R "Chopper Pink" 3DS LL system that will launch in Japan on Nov. 21 (just in time for my birthday).

If you missed any of yesterday's Nintendo Directs and would still like to see them, the European one can be seen here, the Japanese one can be seen here and the North American one can be seen here.