Nintendo’s experienced some ups and downs this year. Club Nintendo closed, the beloved Satoru Iwata passed, and the Nintendo Wii U has still been struggling. But, for all of the troubles, there have been bright spots too. After a brief hiatus, Nintendo Directs are back. Nintendo’s partnering with DeNA for a new membership program. Tons of great 3DS and Wii U games were released. Plus, there’s plenty of positive buzz about the Nintendo NX. It may not have been a perfect year, but there were still plenty of bests in 2015 for Nintendo fans to appreciate.
The New 3DS and New 3DS XL
This is a two-for. Nintendo released the New 3DS and New 3DS XL this year and, while a minor upgrade seemed perplexing, the New 3DS XL proved itself to be a necessary upgrade after its February 13 release. The increased processing power made games like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Super Smash Bros., and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask run better than expected, and the C-Stick was just what players needed for better camera control in games. The New 3DS XL rocked our worlds.
Did North America really need the regular-sized New 3DS, considering the market already had the other model? No, probably not, but it’s always nice to have an extra option. Especially since this standard version allowed for interchangeable, collectible faceplates. So when Nintendo relented and released the New 3DS stateside in an Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer bundle, it was proof positive that the company paid attention to the minority and was willing to take a chance to give them what they wanted. Hurrah for variety!
Fantastic Free-to-Play 3DS Games (Stretchmo, Pokemon Shuffle, Pokemon Picross)
Nintendo did quite a bit of experimenting with free-to-play Nintendo 3DS games this year, and all of the tests went well. Both the free-to-start Stretchmo, which lets people go through the tutorials before asking for cash for level packs, and the maybe-you-could-really-play-this-for-free Pokemon Shuffle and Pokemon Picross games are great. Nintendo showed that puzzle games are a perfect way to offer a freemium experience. Plus, Stretchmo and Pokemon Picross both offer ways to outright buy the games, getting around any free-to-play gimmicks.
Even the Nintendo Badge Arcade, an app where the only purpose is to get people to spend $1 at a time on decorations for the Nintendo 3DS Home screen, has some free activities. Free plays on machines are given out liberally and it’s possible to play a practice catcher to earn more free tries on the paid machines. Nintendo’s doing freemium right.
Yo-Kai Watch
It’s hard to top Pokemon, but Yo-Kai Watch comes close. Nintendo went all-in on supporting this new 3DS RPG from Level-5, and it seems like the effort paid off. It’s an engrossing game with catchy characters, a battle system that’s far deeper than it looks, plenty of side-quests, and tons of things to do after the main story has been completed. It’s easily a 60 hour game, if you’re playing it right.
Linkle
Linkle was introduced as an idea when the Hyrule Warriors art book was released. She’s basically Link if Link were a girl. When the opportunity to make Hyrule Warriors Legends, an upgraded, larger port of the game for the 3DS, the character made the cut. She’s a dual crossbow wielder with heroic aspirations who’ll have her own storyline and day in the sun. She’s great for people who wanted to see a different sort of hero in The Legend of Zelda, one who doesn’t necessarily replace Link, but can stand alongside him as his equal.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
When The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D was released as a 3DS launch window title, all people could ask was when its direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, would be remade for the handheld. In 2015, it happened. People got their wish. It was an enhanced, prettier version of the game with better graphics, touch screen controls, the ability to jump to any time of the day, and gyroscopic aiming. With the new 3DS, it was even better since it supported the C-Stick to control the camera and had Face Tracking 3D to make sure everything looked perfect. Getting The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D was a missing piece of a puzzle and much appreciated.
Unfortunately, there are just far too many amazing games and updates to Nintendo to fix in a single article so the team has to end it here. However, there should be more than enough for players to do until next year!