A few thoughts on this morning's Japanese and North American Nintendo Direct broadcasts

Let's get this out of the way right at the beginning: Nintendo revealed during this morning's Nintendo Direct broadcast (watch it here) that it's finally bringing the New 3DS to North America on Feb. 13.

Unfortunately, it appears the company's only giving us the XL version of this stopgap system, as the smaller New 3DS--the one that can be personalized with all sorts of fun and colorful "cover plates"--was completely ignored.

I'm hopeful we'll get the non-XL New 3DS eventually, but I'm not sure I care one way or the other at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to own one of the smaller New 3DSes some day, but I'm plenty happy with my pink-and-white XL and I'm not in any particular hurry to replace it (or my red OG 3DS)--especially since I have yet to buy a Vita.



Anyway, four New 3DS XLs will hit North American store shelves on Feb. 13: a black one, a red one and two special editions (one of which is gold and features a Majora's Mask design and the other of which is silver and features a Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate design).

Oh, and speaking of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, both of those 3DS games will launch alongside the New 3DS XL in North America. Sounds good to me.

A few other 3DS games were revealed during this morning's North American Nintendo Direct, namely the New 3DS port of Xenoblade Chronicles (due out in this region in April), Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (coming in May) and a new entry in the Fire Emblem series (see screenshot below) that's being called Fire Emblem If in Japan and supposedly will see the light of day sometime between now and the end of 2015.



I'll be picking up the latter two titles, no question, although I'll very likely pass on Xenoblade Chronicles 3D even if I change my mind and pick up a New 3DS XL at some point down the road. (I liked what I played of the Wii version of Xenoblade Chronicles a year or two ago, but I don't have much interest in revisiting the experience.)

The Japanese Nintendo Direct (watch it here) was far more thrilling for me thanks to a single announcement--that being that a new Rhythm Tengoku game will be released for the 3DS this year.

As far as I can tell, it doesn't yet have an official name or a solid release date. What is known is that it will feature more than 100 mini-games, with around 70 of them being taken from earlier Rhythm Tengoku titles and 30 of them being new (including the one seen below).



I'll be pre-ordering this sucker as soon as amiami.com allows me to do so, of course.

Another interesting 3DS-related announcement made during the Japanese Nintendo Direct revolved around the Girls Mode series, known as Style Savvy in North America. Specifically, the 3DS' home region will be getting Girls Mode 3 on April 16.

It's been a while since I played my copy of Style Savvy: Trendsetters (the North American version of the second Girls Mode), so I can't really say what's new about this entry, but it looks interesting all the same, so fingers crossed that it somehow makes its way to our shores in the coming months.

Other than the above, I continue to be impressed by a trio of upcoming Wii U games--Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Splatoon and Xenoblade Chronicles X--that were shown as part of the North American Nintendo Direct.

All three look absolutely marvelous, although I have no idea when I'll actually get to experience any of them myself, as my home remains a Wii U-free environment. Who knows, maybe that finally will change later this year.

Now that I've had my say, what did all of you think about this morning's broadcasts? Did they satisfy you? Anger you? Or maybe they made you feel some other emotion entirely?

Who needs Thanksgiving leftovers when you've got a new episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever?

OK, go ahead and enjoy those Thanksgiving leftovers, too. (Assuming you even have them, of course.) I don't think it would be a terrible idea to wash them down with a cold, refreshing glass of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, though, do you?

Especially since this "take" (our fourth) includes chatter about a whole heap of niche-y gaming goodness. Cases in point: Anne (aka @apricotsushi) talks about the Animal Crossing-branded 3DS LL (XL elsewhere) she recently acquired, while shidoshi (@pikoeri) and I continue salivate over the pink-and-white XL that just hit (some) store shelves in North America.

We also confer on Style Savvy: Trendsetters, the slew of niche-y PSP games due to be released throughout North America between now and next summer, the Deadly Premonition Director's Cut that's set to come out (for PS3) this coming March, and the possibility that the wacky PS2 title, Chulip, may soon find its way onto PSN.

Oh, and we also blathered on for a bit about the recent launch of the Wii U. Are Anne and shidoshi planning to join me in picking up Nintendo's next console at some point in 2013, or are they going to give it a pass?

Check out this episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever (here) and you'll hear the answer to that question and also hear the three of us "cheerlead" in support of Dokuro (for Vita), Magical Whip: Wizards of Phantasmal Forest (DSiWare) and Persona 4 Golden (also for Vita).

How I'm spending my 'Black Friday'

So, it's "Black Friday" here in North America.

For those of you who don't live here (I should mention, by the way, that I'm not at all sure if folks in Canada or Mexico "celebrate" this day, too), "Black Friday" is both the day after Thanksgiving and the first day of the holiday shopping season in our neck of the woods.

In regards to the latter part of that description, retailers here tend to open their doors extremely early on "Black Friday" (as early as midnight) and also promote rather insane deals in order to woo customers into their establishments.

Although a good number of Americans are braving the crowds, traffic and weather today, I am not one of them. What will I be doing instead of shopping? Why, playing games, of course. (OK, so I'll probably do a few other things, too--like put up some Christmas lights and, uh, contemplate my existence.)

As for which ones, here's a little rundown for all who are interested:

* For starters, I'm going to spend some time rearranging all of the "Harvest" furniture I spent two hours obtaining from Animal Crossing's Franklin the turkey last night. I'll probably also write lurid love letters to my newest neighbors: Cousteau the frog, Savannah the zebra and Tangy the cat.

* I'm also planning to make a good dent (not literally) in the copy of Paper Mario: Sticker Star that arrived on my doorstep last week. I've only spent about two hours with it so far, but already I'm loving the writing, the soundtrack and, surprise, the sticker-centric battles.

* Should I still have a bit of energy left for gaming after all of the above, I may pop my copy of Style Savvy: Trendsetters back into my 3DS and give it a go, too.

* Finally, I'm itching to download UFO Interactive's just-released PSP dungeon-crawler, Elminage Original. Considering I'm a bit broke at the moment (more on that in an upcoming post), though, that may not happen this weekend.

How are all of you planning to spend this holiday (if you're in the States) weekend?

Acquisition #147: Style Savvy: Trendsetters (3DS)

Considering this a warning: I'm going to be featuring quite a few 3DS games in posts like this one in the coming weeks and months. That's not to say I'm only going to write about 3DS "acquisitions" between now and the end of the year, mind you, but I am going to write about a good number of them in that timespan.

With that said, let's focus on this one. It is, after all, a game I've been looking forward to play for some time.

So, was Style Savvy: Trendsetters worth the wait? Very much so. Granted, I've only played it for about six hours so far, but I've enjoyed those six hours a lot more than I imagined I would before I obtained this syn Sophia-made title.



As for why that is: Well, I really like its "throw together an appropriate outfit for each customer" gameplay, for starters. There's also a rather meaty store-management aspect to Style Savvy: Trendsetters, though, that adds another dimension to the proceedings.

Wrap all of that in an attractive-enough art style and you've got yourself a portable title that offers players an enjoyably unique gaming experience--or at least that's what it's offered me so far.

I know that's a pretty general description for a game that's about more than simply playing dress-up, but that's all I can offer at the moment due to having played it for only a few hours. I'll continue working my way through it, though, and I'll do my best to share some more in-depth impressions (as well as a full-on review) sooner rather than later.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Style Savvy: Trendsetters edition)

Earlier this week, Nintendo of America released for the 3DS the long-awaited (by yours truly, at least) sequel to its fashion-focused DS game, Style Savvy.

In honor of that release, I decided to devote an entire "Which Box Art is Better?" post to it and its international counterparts.

Japanese gamers got their hands on the title first (on Sept. 27), so let's start with it. It's known as Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode Yokubari Sengen in its home market, by the way, and it sports a pleasantly colorful piece of cover art.

The box art created for the North American version, which is called Style Savvy: Trendsetters, on the other hand is decidedly less captivating.

Not that the art that's set to grace covers of the European iteration--which will be branded New Style Boutique and which will hit store shelves on Nov. 16--is any more interesting:

Those of you who have been paying attention likely have figured out that the Japanese box art is by far my favorite. Do you agree, or do you prefer the art that was created for its European or North American  counterparts?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Acquisition #145: Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone (3DS)

Two weeks ago, I mentioned (in this post) that I'm eagerly looking forward to a number of 3DS games that will be released in North America before the end of the year.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is just one of those titles, of course. A few of the others: Crosswords Plus (which hit the streets on Oct. 1, actually), Freakyforms Deluxe (due out on Nov. 5) and even Style Savvy: Trendsetters (Oct. 22).

Oh, and let's not forget Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone, which also arrived on North American store shelves on Oct. 1, interestingly enough.

Did I pick up the copy seen in the photos shared here on day one? Actually, I would have, if I could have found one in any of the stores near my home. Since I couldn't, I ordered a copy from Amazon instead.

As is far too often the case these days, I've yet to put through Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone through its paces--although that has nothing to do with any kind of lack of interest in it on my part. Rather, I've just been too busy with other things (work, mainly) to pop it into my 3DS.

I promise to give it a go soon, though, and as soon as I do I'll share a few impressions (or maybe even a full-blown "Great Gaymathon" review) here.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Goodbye, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon; hello, Style Savvy: Trendsetters

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Nintendo of America revealed earlier this morning that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon won't be released in this neck of woods until "the first half of 2013."

Although that makes me all kinds of sad, I won't be shedding these salty, bitter tears for long. That's because Nintendo's North American arm also announced release dates for a number of 3DS games that will take the place of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on store shelves between now and the end of the year.



The question is: Will some of these games also take the place of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in our hearts and minds between now and whenever that much-anticipated (and much-delayed) title finally hits the streets?

For me, the answer is a resounding "yes." In particular, I'm planning to pick up--and thoroughly enjoy--copies of Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! (which will be released on Oct. 1), Crosswords Plus (Oct. 1), Paper Mario: Sticker Star (Nov. 11) and Style Savvy: Trendsetters (Oct. 22).



I'll also likely pick up Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Oct. 28) and Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! (Nov. 5), but I'm not yet sure if they'll be added to my 3DS collection this year or next.

Are any of you also planning to purchase one or more of the above-named games? If so, which ones?