Bringing titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D to the 3DS eShop was a smart move for Nintendo. In the US, 20% of sales for both games have come from digital this year. Art Academy and Brain Age also managed to see 15-25% digital penetration, according to a report from Shacknews.
We heard earlier today that a third of Fire Emblem: Awakening’s sales in North America resulted in digital sales. Nintendo says that “over half” of those who purchased the game have also bought downloadable content.
Eiji Aonuma visited Miiverse today and left a couple of messages for fans following the Zelda news announced during today’s Nintendo Direct.
Aonuma first commented on the Link to the Past sequel for 3DS. He imagines that series aficionados “could imagine what kind of game this would be”, but feels “you’ll be surprised at quite how different it is when you actually play it”. Aonuma added that developing is steadily progressing, so it won’t be long before a new update about the game is shared.
The message in full:
Hello everyone, Eiji Aonuma here! In the latest Nintendo Direct, we announced an entirely new Zelda game for Nintendo 3DS that takes place in the world of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past! I’d like to introduce it to all of you in the Miiverse community, too. We announce it towards the end of this video.
Japanese gamers and western players have different tastes. Call of Duty may sell millions of copies overseas, but will only make a small dent in the Japanese market.
That’s just one example of how the two audiences differ. In the case of new handheld purchases, Nintendo’s Bill Trinen believes that Japanese consumers tend to pick up new handhelds quicker than in the US, which is why we’ve seen slower growth of the 3DS in the states. Now that the portable has a quality library and lots of new software to look forward to, however, “3DS is really going to take off.”
“We have noticed that in the US in particular, people tend to, at least when it comes to handheld gaming, they tend to shift generations a lot more slowly than they do particularly in Japan. In Japan, once a new handheld system comes out it’s like everybody just goes right to it. GameBoy Advance was the same way; DS was the same way; 3DS now. It does take a couple of years. But then once it does, it really builds steam and so with the lineup that we’re seeing this year, to me it really feels like this is the year that 3DS is really going to take off.”
A number of Ace Attorney 5 releases are coming to Japan. The first, known as the “Extended Edition” contains a 3DS carrying case. Capcom is also preparing a “Figure Edition” that provides consumers with a Phoenix figure. If you want both, you’ll need to pick up the Limited Edition.
Pricing for all editions are as follows: standard (regular game) – 5,990 yen; Extended Edition – 7,590 yen; Figure Edition – 8,990 yen; Limited Edition – 9,990 yen.
You can get a look at each edition as well as Ace Attorney 5’s newly revealed boxart above.
For all intents and purposes, the new Zelda game for 3DS is A Link to the Past 2. Nintendo of Japan more or less called the project by this name during the Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast today.
Nintendo is being slightly more nebulous about its title overseas. While the company has acknowledged that the new game takes place in the Link to the Past world, they’re not calling it A Link to the Past 2 just yet. The final title for North America is still under consideration, according to Nintendo of America’s Bill Trinen.
He told Joystiq:
“There is a ‘2’ in the Japanese title. So, yeah, I think as I described today, it’s an all-new game, it is an all-new story. From a story perspective there are connections, so it does fall after A Link to the Past. And it’s set in the same world, but introduces that new gameplay mechanic. So, yeah, I guess by that definition …”
Nintendo announced Bravely Default for North America and Europe through its Nintendo Direct presentation earlier today.
When the game launches in the states, it will retain its original Japanese name. Bravely Default did have a subtitle when it hit Japan last year: “Flying Fairy”. Nintendo has not yet picked a subtitle just yet.
Regarding Europe, it sounds like Bravely Default could get a new name entirely.
Nintendo will be distributing the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro from its own online webstore later this week. While the product can be purchased today, shipping won’t begin until Friday.
Pricing of the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro is set at $19.99. You’ll need to throw in another $5 for shipping.
Have you played Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon? If so, a new Swapnote message from Shigeru Miyamoto should be waiting for you. Along with the note, Miyamoto has a special stationary for users.
Take a look below:
A Special Note has arrived for players of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon via SpotPass. Check SwapNote for new stationary! twitter.com/GameplayDev/st…
— Brian Davis (@GameplayDev) April 17, 2013
