Nintendo Okie

After a lacklustre E3, we’ve been waiting for a big news reveal, and here it is! This week’s Nintendo Direct had individual presentations across all 3 of Nintendo’s major territories, and Europe got its fair share of big news, with some exclusives thrown in! It’s a big Round-Up at last!

Nintendo Direct Europe Round-Up

Taking place at the rather unfortunate time of 5AM BST, this week’s Nintendo Direct saw NoE President Satoru Shibata take to the stage, or in this case, Nintendo’s German Manufacturing Plant, to unveil the latest news from the company.

The big news was of course the 3DS XL, the giant brother of the current 3DS model, which like the other reasons does not come packed in with a charger or dock. Like the 3DS, the XL has no price point, which has begun a bidding war online, with £180 currently being the leading bid. The new system will be out on July 28th in Silver, Blue and Red.

Nintendo also revealed a handful of new release dates, while reaffirming New Super Mario Bros 2‘s release on August 17th. Also confirmed during the video were FreakyForms Deluxe and New Art Academy on July 28th, Pokemon Typing Adventure with free keyboard in September and surprisingly, Inazuma Eleven Strikers on Wii on September 28th.

Also confirmed were Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask coming to 3DS this Christmas, along with Animal Crossing 3DS and Fire Emblem Awakening arriving in early 2013.

On the eShop, Nintendo are currently running a 20% sale on the top 10 games to celebrate it’s anniversary, so be sure to check that out this week before they go back up in price. And finally, a Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games card book will soon be available to download as the Olympics nears.

Nintendo UK Boss Leaves

Nintendo UK’s David Yerton has stepped down as the company’s General Manager after 20 years in charge, with NoE President Satoru Shibata taking temporary control while the UK arm of Nintendo look for a replacement. I’d like to join Nintendo in wishing him the best in the future after helming the company for almost as long as I’ve been alive!

This Week’s Downloads

Mutant Mudds – 3DS eShop – £8.10
Mutant Mudds gets the infamy of being the second most expensive game on the eShop, but thankfully happens to be a worthwhile download for the rather expensive (and random) price point of £8.10.

Save the Furries – WiiWare – 1000 Points

Goooooal Europa 2012 – DSiWare – 500 Points

3DS & Wii Charts

A good entry for Heroes of Ruin at #5

3DS Chart
1. Super Mario 3D Land
2. Mario Kart 7
3. Mario Tennis Open
4. Mario And Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games
5. Heroes Of Ruin
6. Kid Icarus: Uprising
7. Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever
8. Sonic Generations
9. FIFA 12
10. Rayman 3D

Wii Chart
1. Mario And Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
4. Mario Party 9
5. Zumba Fitness
6. Zumba Fitness 2
7. Wii Party
8. FIFA 12
9. The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
10. New Super Mario Bros Wii

And finally…

We come to the end. Regular visitors to the site no doubt saw on Friday that I will be leaving Nintendo-Okie next week, and with me will go the Euro News Round-Up. It’s been a privilege to provide you all with the latest news from Europe over the past 2 years, and except for some Christmas breaks, I’ve managed to get the Round-Up out to you every week. I hope you’ve found this little glimpse of gaming life in Europe educational if nothing else, but more than that, I hope you’ve enjoyed a weekly look at what’s happening across the Atlantic. And with that, the Euro News Round-Up comes to an end! Thank you to everyone who read it over the past 2 years.

Gaz