IS THE NEW 3DS HITTING NORTH AMERICA NEXT MONTH?

An advertising poster for the New 3DS XL has appeared, and it shows February 13 as the console's date of availability in North America.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 hitting 3DS this August

Gamers with a 3DS will have a new portable Mario title to pick up this summer, as Nintendo last night announced New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS.

Due out in August for Nintendo's newest portable, the new side-scrolling title includes iconic Mushroom Kingdom characters like Mario and Luigi, as well as "all your fave characters" from the Mario franchise.

The game's first image--posted to Nintendo's Facebook and Twitter accounts--shows Mario utilizing the Tanooki Suit power-up to fly over a landscape with a Goomba on the ground and Princess Peach's iconic castle in the background.

Nintendo said New Super Mario Bros. 2 was created "specifically as a pick-up-and-play experience," with players of all skill levels accommodated.

On top of announcing the new side-scrolling Mario game, Nintendo also today revealed that in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Kirby franchise, the company will ship a Kirby Anniversary Collection for the Wii.

Nintendo said the game will contain a "variety" of previously released "fan-favorite" Kirby titles, but did not name any specifically. The Kirby Anniversary Collection will release after New Super Mario Bros. 2, but was not given a specific ship date.

[gamespot.com]

Game Gear Games Headed to 3DS Next Week

Nintendo has announced the upcoming slate of games set to hit the 3DS eShop.

Sega Game Gear games, which Nintendo confirmed last month, will begin to hit the eShop next week. Sonic Triple Trouble, Shinobi and Dragon Crystal will all be available starting March 15th.

New 3DS game demos are also incoming. A free demo version of Sega's Crush 3D is downloadable now, and a demo version of Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure will hit the eShop on April 19th.


NES Classic Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream will arrive on March 8th alongside Fun! Fun! Minigolf Touch!, which will allow players to use their own Miis. Zombie Slayer Diox will arrive on March 22nd, followed by Arc Style Soccer!! 3D later this month.

Aztec-themed action puzzler Ketzal's Corridors is also coming soon, along with "96 shape-matching missions and three multiplayer modes." Nintendo also noted that Colors! 3D will arrive in April, letting "users of any artistic skill level create and share 3D drawings and digital sketches."

[source ign.com ]

Nintendo Announcements Set for New Web Broadcast

Nintendo's recent series of press conferences and web-based broadcasts continue. Today, via its "Nintendo Direct" UStream page, the gaming giant revealed plans to share new information about the Nintendo 3DS and Wii through another pre-recorded video.

The Web Broadcast will air at Noon in Japan on December 27. That converts to 7:00pm PST/10:00pm EST here in the United States on Monday, December 26.

Previously Nintendo has revealed details about system updates, upcoming games like Mario Kart 7, new eShop games and even trailers for highly anticipated titles like Monster Hunter 3G.

[source ign.com]

What The 3DS Circle Pad Add-On Shares With History's Silliest Portable Consoles

The 3DS Circle Pad Pro is coming to North America soon, but it seems to have a little too much in common with outrageous handhelds like Lynx and Game Gear.
To catch everyone up to speed, the Circle Pad Pro is an add-on to the 3DS that brings in a second analog circle pad and some extra trigger buttons. It's out in Japan now and will release in the U.S. on February 7 for $19.99. Right now, it's set to work with Resident Evil: Revelations and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D with more titles on the way. The device requires one AAA battery that is reported to last up to 480 hours of game time. To keep things straight, we'll call this combined system and hardware the 3DS Pro. So now that we're all on the same page, let's look to the past for its inspiration.

Kingdom Hearts 3D Release Info

Square Enix has confirmed a U.S. release for the improbably named 3DS title, which lets you play as Sora and Riku

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The game has been slated for a U.S. release sometime in 2012, although Square Enix has declined to elaborate exactly when in the year the game will come out.

Dream Drop Distance challenges Sora and Riku with the Mark of Mastery exam in the Sleeping Worlds in order to become Keyblade Masters.

Check out an eight-minute trailer for the title.

3DS Ambassador GBA games released

When Nintendo cut the price of the 3DS by one-third within six months of launching the handheld, it offered consolation for early adopters by promising they would be able to download 20 free games for the system by year's end. The company made good on that promise today, launching the second wave of 10 titles on the 3DS eShop.