Original article published on Ice Gauntlet.
The March 2016 Nintendo Direct featured a large amount of updates and news on a wide range of Nintendo games, from Star Fox and Splatoon to Paper Mario and Metroid. If you didn’t tune in to the 40-minute event, here are the highlights on what you missed.
First up on the list was news on the upcoming Star Fox Zero. As Shigeru Miyamoto said in the Direct, “Star Fox Zero is finally ready.” The game has a release date of April 22, and will be packaged alongside a new game, Star Fox Guard.
Star Fox Guard features Slippy as he helps his Uncle Grippy ward off enemies at his mining site with Slippy’s newly invented security system. Players will be able to play about 100 missions, and then make their own creations to share with other players.
Star Fox hits shelves April 22 on Wii U.
Next, Splatoon isn’t done yet. An update, to be released March 8, will improve the game through improvements to gear abilities, adjustments to battle matchmaking and some new Splatfest elements.
This isn’t the only Splatoon update inbound either. The owner of Ammo Knights Sheldon has his own weapons updates. It will be divided into two volumes, with the first arriving in April.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games arrives March 18 for Nintendo 3DS first, and launches on Wii U June 24. The Direct announced that exclusive to the Wii U version will be two new events, Rugby Sevens and Rhythmic Gymnastics (Clubs). Also revealed in the Direct was that the venues in the game were modeled after the ones to be used in Rio this year.
It’s been about six months since Super Mario Maker hit the shelves, and over 6.2 million courses have been created since. The Direct announced a new update for the game. The update, which will be available March 9, adds new course elements like skewers, keys and locked doors, and pink coins, as well as a “Super Expert” mode for the 100 Mario Challenge.
The new RPG from developer Atlus Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE now has a release date of June 24. And once you’re done slaying monsters like a pop star, you can solved puzzles and fight zombies in Lost Reavers. The free to play action game goes live with its open beta for Wii U April 14, with the full version released April 28.
Paper Mario: Color Splash, announced at the March 2016 Nintendo Direct, will launch on Wii U in 2016.
Paper Mario: Color Splash was also revealed at this Nintendo Direct. The game sees Mario on Prism Island, which is being drained of color. Paper Mario must bring color back to the island using his new weapon, the paint hammer. The new addition to the Paper Mario series will launch on Wii U in 2016.
The Virtual Console is also getting a revamp with Super Nintendo titles going handheld, but exclusively to the New Nintendo 3DS XL. The first set of games was released immediately following the Nintendo Direct. These include Pilotwings, Super Mario World and F-Zero. On March 24, the second set released will include Super Mario Kart, EarthBound, and Donkey Kong Country, and then on April 14, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest will be added to the Virtual Console.
Some of the smaller titles revealed include Pocket Card Jockey, a game that combines solitaire and horse racing, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, an action platformer sequel, Disney Art Academy, which teaches how to draw beloved Disney and Pixar characters, and Rhythm Heaven Mega Mix, which combines the best mini-games from the franchise into one package.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revolution also got some time in the light, with the next installment in the series coming March 10. The game will have three new maps, with the first two released after the Direct, and the third coming March 17.
While already on Wii U, Hyrule Warriors Legends comes to the 3DS March 25, and will have DLC released throughout the year. It was also revealed that Medli from Wind Waker will be a new character free to download for both the Wii U and 3DS versions when the first DLC pack is released.
Also coming to the 3DS is a remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, with new 3D models and a retranslation into English. The game will launch later this year.
In Metroid Prime: Federation Force, players must take down the Space Pirates against all odds.
One of the final highlights of the event was more information on Metroid Prime: Federation Force, which is coming to the 3DS. The game tells the story between the Galactic Federation and the Space Pirates. Unlike other Metroid games, the main character is not Samus. Instead, it pulls from some RPG elements and players can craft their own character in that style, like choosing to be a healer or a warrior. The game is set to be available late spring this year.
Last in the Direct, Kirby returns to the 3DS in Kirby Planet Robobot. The pink character this adventure will use his enemies’ tech to defeat them as he climbs into a custombizable mech suit called robobot armor. Kirby fans can look forward to this game when it launches June 10.
In Kirby Planet Robobot, Kirby's robobot armor can absorb his enemies' powers, much like Kirby himself.