E3 2013: New Title in development on Wii U by Monolith Soft, Inc.

A new untitled game has been revealed by Nintendo that is being developed by Monolith Soft, Inc. Not to be confused with the F.E.A.R. developers Monolith.No combat was shown but there looked to be game combat scenarios which the player just didn't interact with. Aside from the giant sword wielding RPG stuff, there are giant robots. I love me so mecha. It looks like you'll be able to take control of multiple mechs such as a humanoid mech with a flight pack and one that transforms into a tank.

Taking their experience working on Xenoblade: Chronicles, you can tell that the game looks to take a lot of inspiration from it. Could this possibly be a sequel to Xenoblade?

Right now the game has no title but the 'X' teased at the end (though not entirely the same) looks to be written in the same vain as the X on the Xenoblade title which just further proves the theory that the game takes place in the same world possibly set in the future. The full title for this new game will be revealed in 2014.

E3 2013: New Super Luigi U Trailer

Luigi gets another stand alone game for himself, sorta. New Super Luigi U is basically New Super Mario Bros. U without Mario. Luigi embarks on his own adventure without his brother Mario to save.. I don't know. Daisy, hopefully. Before you write this off as "another easy cop out by Nintendo", the trailer is less than 2 minutes long so give it a gander.

This game still has support of up to 4 players, but who takes that extra spot if Mario's not in it? A character called Nabbit fills in the spot. I got a genuine laugh when I saw the Nabbit gameplay. He runs past enemies and steals powers up which he trades for 1-Ups if he reaches the end of the stage. What's worse than picking up other players or jumping on them in New Super Mario Bros. U? Being the resident asshole and stealing their power ups to trade for extra lives for you. And that is just hilarious.

What interest me is that the game will be available digitally on the Nintendo eShop next week (June 20th) for $19.99 and available as a disc copy on August 25th for $29.99 with it's own unique green case. Now the green case is cool and all but will this trend of digital releases being cheaper carry on to other titles? I sure hope so.

E3 2013: Super Mario 3D World Trailer

This might not be the Wii U Mario game that Nintendo fans might be looking for but it looks like a fun entry that's a bit bigger than New Super Mario Bros. U.

Similar to Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS, Super Mario 3D World is basically the same game only made bigger since it's on the Wii U. With up to 4 players for some zany and frantic Mario Bros. mayhem, they might seem a bit familiar. Instead of having two random Toads fill in the 3 and 4 player spot, Princess Peach has returned to the roster. Much like Super Mario Bros. 2 (the Doki Doki Panic one), Luigi has his floaty jump, Peach can hover in the air for a few seconds and Toad can run faster.

A new power up has also been included. Grabbing a bell will transform Mario into Cat Mario which lets him run up walls and do a dive pounce from mid-air.

Though not the most original of Nintendo games, you can be assured that this game will still have a lot of polish and will be fun to play with friends and family. Plus that new overworld theme is just so catchy.

Super Mario 3D World will be available for the Wii U in December of this year.

E3 2013: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Trailer

We finally get a real title for the new Legend of Zelda game on the 3DS. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Set to take place in the same world as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I like how they went with a similar title, Link being a link to something. With the title being "Between Worlds". it's safe to assume that the worlds are the normal game world and the wall painting world and Link is the link between them since he can travel to both world freely. As expected, the whole wall painting mechanic will be used to traverse areas around the world and solve puzzles in dungeons. Your typical Zelda fare.

A Link to the Past was the very first Zelda game that I really played. Technically the first one I played was the very first The Legend of Zelda on the NES but I really got into A Link to the Past when I borrowed a friend's copy on the GBA. And seeing that world in full 3D is just amazing. The top down view and with more emphasis on vertical travel is perfect for the 3DS' 3D slider. A lot of A Link to the Past items also make a return, such as the hammer (which is now orange) and fire rod. I also like how they gave Link his more classic colors such as the gold trim around his hat and the brown undershirt.

The dark triforce symbol on the title screen would lead me to believe that we might also see the return of the Dark World. The title also doesn't specify exactly how many worlds Link will be able to travel to and I wouldn't be surprised if the Dark World was like a surprise twist or something or that notion.

If you've been waiting for a reason to pick up a 3DS, this looks about as good a reason as any. Oh and Project x Zone is also a pretty good reason.

E3 2013: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Trailer

An HD rerelease of one of the best looking Zelda games is coming out on the Wii U. While not technically a new game, if you missed out on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker then this is the best time to experience it. In all of it's widescreen HD glory. Widescreen support, refined textures for the HD upscale and all the anti-aliasing. But graphical improvements are obvious for HD rereleases. This is a little more than just a simple HD port though as there have been some gameplay improvements added. Iwata only talked about one during the Nintendo Direct stream and that is the Tingle Tuner. On the Gamecube, the Tingle Tuner works with the Gameboy Advance to send messages to friends or have them support you by using Tingle to drop items in game. In the Wii U version, the item has been replaced with the Tingle Bottle which lets you send messages to the Miiverse by having Link put the message in the Tingle Bottle and have him throw it to the sea to let it wash up on shores of other players. You can also share screenshots that you can take to help other players in case they need help or a guide.

Another new feature that was shown, but not mentioned, was the ability to boost the wind speed of your boat. I never really had a problem with the old boat speed as I found exploring the whole sea chart quite fun but this is definitely a good feature that I know some people have wanted since the original Gamecube release.

I'm glad they kept the celshaded look much like how it originally was. When screenshots of Wind Waker HD first came out, they opted for a more modern shader which I thought took out a charm of Wind Waker's unique art style. But who knows, maybe it's a shader option you can toggle in the menus.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD comes out in October of this year. Get it.