September 1 Nintendo Direct
Below you can find the September 1 Nintendo Direct presentation for each region, followed by a link to the official summary of what was shown.
All the information relating to a specific product will be covered in its own section below, so keep scrolling down if you are only interested in a specific topic.
North America
The official information for North America can be found here.
Europe and Australasia
The official information for Europe can be found here.
The official information for Australasia can be found here.
Japan
The official information for Japan can be found here.
Pokémon Sun & Moon
Some new information about Pokémon Sun & Moon was shared in the latest Direct presentation.
You can find the official summary below, covering the newly introduced Alolan Rattata and the upcoming Munchlax with Snorlium Z distribution. It’s followed by the new trailer and some screenshots from the Japanese version of the game.
EARLY PURCHASERS OF POKÉMON SUN AND POKÉMON MOON TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE MUNCHLAX
Munchlax evolves into Snorlax that features a special Z-Move!
London, United Kingdom —September 1, 2016— The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo unveiled details about a unique Munchlax that evolves into Pulverizing Snorlax for those who purchase Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon by Wednesday, January 11, 2017. A new regional variant Pokémon, Alolan Rattata, was also unveiled for the video games launching on November 23, 2016, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS family systems.Watch a new trailer featuring these new Pokémon here: http://bit.ly/2bL3MYi Munchlax and SnorlaxThe early purchase bonus Munchlax, which must be received via players’ Internet connection by January 11, 2017, is holding a special item called Snorlium Z. By evolving Munchlax into Snorlax and having it hold the Snorlium Z, Snorlax becomes able to use a special Z-Move that cannot be used by any other Pokémon—Pulverizing Pancake.The bonus Munchlax will also know the move Hold Back, which it could not normally learn. Hold Back is an attack move that leaves its opponent with just 1 HP. It can reliably weaken an opposing Pokémon, so it comes in handy when trying to catch wild Pokémon.The Munchlax being gifted will also know the move Happy Hour, another move it normally couldn’t learn. When players use Happy Hour during a Trainer battle, they’ll receive twice as much prize money after the battle for use on their adventure.More about Munchlax:
Type: Normal
Munchlax is a big eater that wolfs down its own weight in food once a day, gulping it down practically without chewing! It also hides food under the hair on its body. But then it forgets about it…More about Snorlax:
Type: Normal
Snorlax is a Pokémon that has blocked the path of many a Trainer. It’s not satisfied unless it eats in excess of 880 pounds of food every day. When it’s done eating, it promptly goes to sleep. Snorlax’s typical day consists of nothing more than eating and sleeping. It gets fatter and fatter, and it moves less and less. Its stomach is extremely strong, and its digestive juices can dissolve any kind of poison, so eating rotten food doesn’t affect it.Additional new regional variant Pokémon:Name: Alolan Rattata
Type: Dark/Normal
Unlike ordinary Rattata, urban areas are Alolan Rattata’s main habitat. They are nocturnal and live in nests of several dozen. Alolan Rattata have an excellent aptitude for sniffing out delicious fresh foods in Alola. They pay no attention to foods that aren’t fresh. Alolan Raticate serve as their boss.
Besides this, two new Pokémon Sun & Moon 2DS bundles will be released in Europe later this year when the games launch. These will include a light blue 2DS with one of the two games pre-installed.
Meanwhile, over in Korea, a Pokémon Sun & Moon demo rating has popped up, and the listing is specifically called “Pokémon Sun & Moon Special Trial Version”. So far we have no idea when the demo could be launchin.
An OST for Pokémon Sun & Moon has also been announced for Japan. It will include 175 tracks, as well as a 24-page booklet and interaction with the Z-Ring toy.
The same item will be coming to iTunes in November as the “Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon: Super Music Collection” containing all 175 tracks from the two games, with enhanced sound quality. Songs can either be bought for $0.99 each or $9.99 for the entire album.
Finally, The Pokémon Company has revealed that the next Pokémon Sun & Moon news will come on September 6th at 22:00 JST which is 14:00 BST, 15:00 CEST, 09:00 EDT, 06:00 PDT, and 23:00 AEST.
Pokémon X & Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
The new monthly distribution celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pokémon is now underway.
Players will be able to download Victini via Mystery Gift for their Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire games until September 24.
Check out the promotional trailer below:
Additionally, European players can also download a Darkrai via Mystery Gift for the same games by enterting the code “DARKRAI2016”. However, if you already received Darkrai before via a code from a store back in May, you can’t get it again with this method.
Finally, Viz Media has announced it’s localizing the official Pokémon Adventures Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire manga, which is written by Hidenori Kusaka and drawn by Satoshi Yamamoto.
Here’s an overview of the plot:
“Adventures inspired by the best-selling video games!
Picking up where their saga left off, Sapphire and Emerald train in the new techniques of Mega Evolution to prepare for the next crisis of epic proportions. And they’ll need Ruby’s help too!
A giant meteor is hurtling towards the planet! Searching for a way to change its course, Ruby journeys to Sky Pillar to earn the trust of Zinnia, the True Lorekeeper of the mysterious Draconid tribe. Does Zinnia have the key to saving the world?
And what does all this have to do with Legendary Pokémon Rayquazza?”
The first volume of the manga releases on September 6.
VIZ Media is also preparing a gift set containing both volumes of Santa Harukaze’s Pokémon Pocket Comics for October. This includes one based on the Pokémon Back & White characters and another featuring Legendary pokémon. The two also have four-panel comics and come with trivia questions, quizzes, and puzzles.
Pokémon GO
Niantic has now officially revealed a new Pokémon GO feature, which will be called “Buddy Pokemon”.
Buddy Pokémon basically lets users choose their favorite pokémon to open it up for in-game rewards and experience. You’ll see the creature walking with your Trainer avatar on your profile screen. Bonuses include Candy for walking together. You can change your Buddy Pokémon whenever you wish.
Below you can find Niantic’s full message and some screenshots related to this feature.
Hi everyone,
It’s been a busy summer and, in addition to battling bots and fixing bugs, we’ve also been busy working on some new features for our Pokémon GO Trainers. As you know, we recently released the new Pokémon Appraisal feature, which helps Trainers identify which Pokémon has the most potential for battle. Today we wanted to let you know about a new feature for the game that is just around the corner.
The next addition to Pokémon GO will be Buddy Pokémon. You will be able to pick your favorite Pokémon from your collection to become your buddy, opening up unique in-game rewards and experiences. Buddy Pokémon will appear alongside your Trainer avatar on your profile screen, adding helpful bonuses such as awarding Candy for walking together. You’ll also have the ability to change your Buddy Pokémon at any time.
We’ve got a lot more in the works this fall. Stay tuned here for all the details.
Thanks,
The Pokémon GO Development Team
Niantic has also posted an update on the situation surrounding bans in Pokémon GO.
Some accounts have been unbanned, mainly from players who were unaware about what they were doing when they got into add-on map apps. However, most accounts that were previously banned for violating Terms of Service will not be adjusted.
Here’s the full update from Niantic:
We continue to work to ensure the integrity of the game and the health of our servers by blocking unauthorized access and at times by banning offending accounts. This includes blocking bots, data scraping operations, and banning end user accounts associated with those activities. Some players may not have realized that some add-on map apps do more than just show you nearby Pokémon. Each end-user app can be used as a collection tool by the app creator, invisibly collecting and forwarding data to the app creator with or without the knowledge of the end user. These apps can have an effect similar to DDoS attacks on our servers. Because of this we have had to ban some accounts associated with using these add-on map tools, leading to confusion by some users about why they were banned. This is a small subset of the accounts banned.
As a result of some changes made to our infrastructure, we are now able to unban this set of accounts. Add-on maps which scrape data from our servers still violate our Terms of Service and use of them may still result in an account ban going forward. Accounts whose sole purpose was to scrape data are not being unbanned. Accounts which used apps or websites to remotely capture Pokémon, battle or deploy on Gyms, or harvest resources from PokéStops are also not being unbanned. Our main priority is to provide a fair, fun, and legitimate experience for all players, so, aggressive banning will continue to occur for players who engage in these kinds of activities.
Meanwhile, on the business side, Pokémon GO keeps on going strong, as Sensor Tower reports that the game has exceeded $440 million in gross worldwide revenue on the App Store and Google Play. Niantic’s net revenue now sits at over $308 million thus far.
We also get to learn that global installs have surpassed 180 million worldwide. It’s estimated that the app has been installed on more than 12% of all active U.S. smartphones at some point. And as of August 30, active U.S. players on iOS have spent 32 minutes on Pokémon GO, which lines up closely to its launch in July. Lastly, in terms of revenue, Pokémon GO is still earning more than $4 million in worldwide net revenue each day.
The games third big partnership in Japan is now underway too. 3,700 stores from SoftBank across the country will become either a PokeStop or Gym. This follows the deals with McDonald’s and Toho Cinemas.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo has released another small video from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this time about the paraglider. Check it out below:
Explore new horizons with the paraglider in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. pic.twitter.com/xozg4GSywl
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) 31 August 2016
Besides this, we have a look a couple of exclusive Breath of the Wild items that Nintendo handed out at Gamescom. Business partners were given a special pillow and notebook like the ones you can see below.
Hyrule Warriors Legends
Nintendo has now officially revealed that the newest character to be added via the next Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends DLC is Toon Zelda, along with a new weapon for Toon Link, the Sand Rod. The DLC is now out on the eShop, and you can find a trailer, artwork, and the most recent patch notes below.
Hyrule Warriors (version 1.11.0)
- Added compatibility with the Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks Pack
- Buy the Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks Pack from Nintendo eShop to get the new playable character Toon Zelda and Toon Link’s new weapon the Sand Wand, based on The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks games.
- Adjustments have been made to improve the overall game experience.
Hyrule Warriors Legends (version 1.5.0)
- Raised maximum warrior level to 200 and added new medals!
- A new Fairy companion, Becka, is now available!
- Note: If you release this fairy, you will need to purchase the Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks DLC in order to regain her.
- Adjustments have been made to improve the overall game experience.
Finally, the new DLC is also being celebrated with some free SpotPass content. If you have the featured enabled, you’ll have access to a few new goodies, including rupees and fairy food. You can strengthen characters and weapons with Rupees, while food can be used to nurture companion fairies. The offer expires on September 2 of next year.
Other Zelda News
During the latest Direct, Nintendo announced that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii is now available on the Wii U eShop, as a way to celebrate Zelda’s 30th Anniversary.
Besides this, Nintendo also revealed another set of four Zelda amiibo to celebrate the occasion, which will be out on December 2.
These amiibo include Link from the original The Legend of Zelda in all his 8-bit glory, 17 year old Link from Ocarina of Time, and both Toon Link and Toon Zelda from The Wind Waker.
These four amiibo are also said to have special connectivity with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, even though Nintendo didn’t specify in what ways.
You can find our first look at these amiibo in the gallery below:
Outside of the Direct, we learned that Enterplay will soon be releasing The Legend of Zelda Trading Cards. Two options are available, the Trading Card Box, which costs $72 and features 24 packs and the Collector’s Fun Box, which sells for $10 and comes with an Exclusive Gold Foil Card.
The Legend of Zelda Trading Cards feature images based on five different games. Enterplay’s designs are made up of fans’ “favorite characters and icons in high quality trading cards, foil cards, decal stickers (clear and foil-stamped), and tattoos”.
The Trading Card Box is to be released in late September, while The Collector’s Fun Box is planned for mid-November.
Here’s some of the artwork you can expect:
Finally, the latest episode of Nintendo Minute features Kit and Krysta talking about their favorite Zelda games in celebration of the series’ 30th anniversary. You can watch it below:
Super Mario Maker for 3DS
During the Direct, Nintendo announced that Super Mario Maker is heading to the 3DS. The game will be released on December 2.
Here’s what you can expect from the portable version of the game according to Nintendo:
Earn in-game medals in 100 built-in courses and access recommended courses from the Super Mario Maker game on the Wii U console*. Plus, design courses and share them with other players via the StreetPass feature and local wireless**!
Want your cannons to shoot coins? Go for it! In this game, you call the shots, and simple touch-screen controls and interactive tutorials make designing courses a snap. Learn design tips and tricks from Mary O. and Yamamura, then share your masterpieces via the StreetPass feature and local wireless. Collaborating has never been easier now that you can share incomplete courses with other players. Finish off a course together and a special icon will commemorate the collaboration. That’s one of many reasons that this is the must-play portable Mario™ game for inventive groups of friends and anyone yearning for never-ending Super Mario magic.
- Enjoy a nearly limitless supply of side-scrolling 2D Mario courses anytime, anywhere.
- Take on 100 built-in courses as you tackle the Super Mario Challenge.
- Create the Super Mario courses of your dreams!
- Play recommended courses from the Super Mario Maker game on the Wii U console and take on that game’s 100 Mario Challenge.*
- Share courses with other players via the StreetPass feature and local wireless.**
- For the first time ever, collaborate to make special shared courses.
*Not all levels created in Super Mario Maker? for the Wii U? console are compatible with this release. Wireless Internet access required in order to access the Wii U version’s courses. For more info, go to support.nintendo.com. **This game does not include an online-upload feature. Game in 2D.
You can also take a look at some screenshots and box art in the gallery below:
Paper Mario: Color Splash
The Japanese Direct has now confirmed that Paper Mario: Color Splash will be out on October 13 in Japan.
Nintendo has also released the third video in a multi-part series about a squad of toads helping Mario in Paper Mario: Color Splash. Check it out below:
You can also find some gameplay footage of the game’s Pax West demo. Check it out below:
Mario Party: Star Rush
During the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest. 3DS owners can download this app from the eShop when Star Rush launches, which allows up to four players to access the multiplayer experience with just a single copy of the game.
Nintendo has now shared more about what to expect from Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest. Here’s the information from the UK website:
Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest
Four friends, four Nintendo 3DS family systems, but only one copy of Mario Party: Star Rush? No problem! With Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest, available to download for free* from Nintendo eShop, everybody can have access to the full multiplayer experience with a single copy of the game – just as if you were playing with more than one copy of the game!
All you need to do is download Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest on the Nintendo 3DS family system of any player that doesn’t have the full game, and away you play! You can also try out some minigames in single-player after completing some multiplayer rounds. Match three in Tiles and Tribulations, blast baddies in Goomba Gold Rush and be a circus star in Rolling Rumble, or check out some famous Mushroom Kingdom faces in the Character Museum.
Continue the party
In Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest, data such as Party Level, as well as unlocked characters and minigames, will be saved. If you then decide to buy the full version of Mario Party: Star Rush and play it using the same Nintendo 3DS family system, you can transfer your progress in Mario Party: Star Rush – Party Guest over into the full game, too.
Nintendo also confirmed plans to launch a special package for Mario Party: Star Rush in Australia and New Zealand. A copy of the game, a Yoshi amiibo, and the NFC accessory will be included in the package. Here’s the announcement on Twitter:
A new Mario Party: Star Rush bundle arrives 8/10 in AU/NZ inc. a Yoshi amiibo & NFC Reader/Writer! (SRP AU$69.95) pic.twitter.com/usHgQDD1NY
— Nintendo AU NZ (@NintendoAUNZ) 1 September 2016
Besides this, Nintendo has shared a “Main Modes” trailer for the game, and a batch of several new screenshots and artwork, both of which you can find below.
Finally, we have some gameplay footage you can take a look at below.
Mario Sports Superstars
During the latest Direct Nintendo announced Mario Sports Superstars, with a scheduled release date of Spring 2017. The game contains the following sports: Football (Soccer), Baseball, Tennis, Golf, and Horse Racing.
One of the game’s screenshots confirms it will have amiibo compatibility, more specifically with some line of amiibo cards, perhaps Mario themed.
You can find several screenshots and artwork in the gallery below:
Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World
It was announced during the latest Direct that Nintendo will be bringing an enhanced version of Yoshi’s Woolly World to the 3DS, called Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World. In addition, 30 animated shorts are also in the works, which will be included in the final game. It comes out on February 3, along with a Yarn Poochy amiibo.
You can find several screenshots and some images of the Yarn Poochy amiibo below.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
A new free update for Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be released this Autumn, adding amiibo compatibility and a few new features to the game.
A new series of 50 Animal Crossing amiibo Cards will be released alongside this update, bringing with it new animal villagers never before in New Leaf. The new cards will release on Novermber 3 for Japan, November 11 for Europe, and December 2 for North America.
All regions are also getting a new package for the game containing the aforementioned update and a pack of the new cards, called Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome Amiibo. It should be out on November 23 for Japan, November 25 for Europe, and this Holiday for North America.
A Nintendo Direct dedicated to covering these new features will air sometime in the Autumn. Japan already has a date set for it on November 2 though.
Moreover, Nintendo is partnering with Sanrio on some special Animal Crossing amiibo cards in Japan. These packs will contain two random cards as well as one random seal.
Sanrio characters will not be showing up in the game, but players will have access to special exclusive furniture.
Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Little Twin Stars, My Melody, Keroppi, and Cinnamoroll are the franchises included in the collaboration. The special seals include: Isabelle x Hello Kitty, Timmy & Tommy x Little Twin Stars, Mr. Resetti x Pompompurin, Lottie x My Melody, Kapp’n x Keroppi, and K. K. Slider x Cinnamoroll.
These new Animal Crossing amiibo cards go on sale on November 3.
You can take a look at their functionality in the video below:
Finally, Nintendo has launched a new trailer promoting the various uses of Animal Crossing amiibo. You can watch it below:
https://youtu.be/nnmFQRLTr5M
Pikmin for 3DS
Nintendo is working on a new side-scrolling Pikmin adventure game for 3DS. It’s due out by next year, but not much was shared about the game besides what was shown in the direct. The title is currently unnamed.
You can find some screenshots from it in the gallery below:
Ever Oasis
Nintendo has issued a few new screenshots from Ever Oasis. Check them out in the gallery below:
Miitopia
The Japanese version of the latest Nintendo Direct ended with a brief announcement.
Miitopia is now in development for 3DS, and that’s pretty much all we know, since Nintendo just said to wait for more information.
The title will be coming out in Japan later this year apparently.
Picross 3D Round 2
Picross 3D: Round 2 is now available in the North American Nintendo eShop, including a demo to try it out. The game takes 1,059 blocks (132.375MB) of storage space.
The title will be out in Europe on December 2, both digitally and physically.
You can find the launch trailer and some gameplay footage below.
Tank Troopers
In the latest Direct, Nintendo announced a new game for the 3DS eShop called Tank Troopers. It will be out this Winter.
You can find a few screenshots in the gallery below:
Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!!
The latest Japanese Nintendo Direct revealed something not included in the overseas versions (and that probably won’t be released overseas, let’s be frank).
Nintendo announced that Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!!, which is a sort of board game, is slated for a winter release.
Apparently Nintendo managed to previously secure the Momotaro Dentetsu license from Konami.
Here are some screenshots from the game:
Virtual Console Trailers
Below you can find the official trailer for the Japanese release of the Wii U Virtual Console version of Star Fox 64.
August 2016 European eShop Highlights
Nintendo has now released a video showcasing a few European digital game highlights from August 2016. Check it out below:
StreetPass Mii Plaza
Nintendo has updated the StreetPass Mii Plaza and introduced five new games.
Here are the titles and which developer made them:
– Slot-Car Rivals: Good Feel
– Market Crashers: Good Feel
– Ninja Launcher: Prope
– Feed Mii: Prope
– Mii Trek: Arzest
Nintendo also released a trailer showcasing these five new titles, which you can watch below:
Miitomo
Nintendo has added new items to Miitomo Drop and Miitomo Shop. You can find a list of what’s new below.
Feel the rhythm! Miitomo Rock Festival #2
– Outdoorsy geometric skirt
– Tent hood
– Hiking backpack
– Hot-air balloon jacket
Feel the rhythm! Miitomo Rock Festival #3
– Speaker costume
– Legendary axe
– Staff tee
– Outdoor stage
Straight grillin’! BBQ Blowout #1
– Shish-kebab hood (set)
– Shish-kebab suit (set)
– Steak tee
– Bell pepper shoes (set)
Miitomo Shop
– Anonymous mask
– B-ball jersey
– B-ball shorts
– Leather pants
– Chic dress
– Knee-high fishnet stockings
– Striped + cuffed high-tops
– Winged jet pack
3DS and 2DS News
Amazon has posted some new photos of the New Galaxy Style New 3DS XL which you can find in the gallery below.
The latest New 3DS designs are also making their way to Europe on November 10. This includes the Orange + Black, Pearl White and Pink + White New 3DS colors. You can take a look at them in the gallery below:
Meanwhile, Nintendo announced a new set of 2DS colors for Japan. On September 15, the designs pictured below will be available, with price set at 9,800 yen each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMNrMvpRysA
Finally, Nintendo has announced that the original 3DS has sold another 520 units in Japan this week. With that, it has now surpassed 10 million units sold in total. As a whole, 3DS sales are at over 21 million in Japan.
Happy Price Selection
Nintendo has released a new promo and commecial for the new Happy Price Selection titles in Japan. Check them out below:
https://youtu.be/Cko0gDKRYRk