Nintendo has certainly made 2013 more the year of Nintendo Direct than it has The Year of Luigi as they say. They had 13 major presentations, and an additional four if you count the smaller Nintendo Direct Minis.
(We’re of course only referring to the North American presentations, as the Japanese version adds an additional nine presentations that don’t necessarily pertain to the rest of the world.)
As we near the close of 2013, we thought it fitting to run through the year’s biggest moments from each Nintendo Direct presentation, and highlight some of our favourites.
A HUGE shout-out to Brent Botsford for all the amazing work he’s done on every Nintendo Direct Roundup this year. Without him, it wouldn’t be possible to bring you the coverage we do!
Pokémon Direct – January 8
- The announcement of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y – This was a huge revelation as the games were announced and given a release date at the same time. The games are also the first in the series to be released simultaneously around the world. The games would also go on to be some of the most critically-acclaimed games in series history.
Wii U Direct – January 23
- Wii U Virtual Console – We got our first glimpse of Nintendo’s offering of past titles in their library with the Wii U Virtual Console.
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The Wonderful 101 – We got the first new trailer in a very long time for The Wonderful 101, and it was also the first time we really saw what the Wii U was capable of with this title.
.- Super Smash Bros. – Of course, this was one of the games everyone was looking forward to, and while we still haven’t been able to play it, Mr. Iwata let us know that we would be seeing the first screenshots of the game at E3 2013. (He didn’t disappoint.)
. - Yarn Yoshi – A surprising entry in the series, Yarn Yoshi is one we’re still waiting on, but we were happy to have a new entry with Mario’s best dinosaur pal.
. - The Legend of Zelda – Two surprises here, as Mr. Aonuma told gamers that he and his team are rethinking the conventions of Zelda for their Wii U title. The games will reportedly shift to a less linear style of play as well as support some sort of multiplayer function. The second surprise, and depending on how you look at it, the biggest or the smallest surprise of the day, was the announcement of The Wind Waker HD for Wii U. Read our review here.
