8-Bit Mario Amiibos Announced, Will Work with Super Mario Maker
Nintendo revealed a pair of 8-bit Mario amiibos during its Digital Event at E3 2015. The figurines will come in two varieties -- one the traditional NES Super Mario Bros. brown and red, and one who comes in the current Mario colors of blue and red like the 3D World sprite.
If you tap the amiibo in while playing Super Mario Maker, it'll cause Mario to grow to the size of the screen, much like the effects of a Mega Mushroom.
Nintendo didn’t confirm whether they’ll be sold separately, or bundled together. Also, this news follows the leak of an image that revealed the existence of one of the 8-bit Mario amiibo.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash Announced for Wii U
A new installment of sports video game Mario Tennis franchise is heading to the Wi U with the launch of Mario Tennis: Ultra Slam this holiday 2015, Nintendo announced during its E3 Digital Event today.
The first Mario Tennis launched on the Nintendo 64 in 2000 and re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2010. The seventh installment of the Mario Tennis series, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, launched on Wii U in 2012 and featured online multiplayer support.
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Jenna Pitcher is a freelance journalist writing for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.
Mario and Luigi Paper Jam Announced for Nintendo 3DS
Mario and Luigi Paper Jam is coming to the Nintendo 3DS Spring 2016, Nintendo revealed during its E3 Digital Event today.
The new game combines the Mario and Luigi series with the graphical style and gameplay of Paper Mario.
To date, four Paper Mario games have been released in this series with Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario. The fourth, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, was the first handheld installment in the series in the series released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. Launched in 2012, we thought it was a fresh take on Paper Mario, where stickers drive the gameplay.
Yo-Kai Watch’s Release Window Revealed
We knew Yo-Kai Watch was coming west, but today Nintendo announced a more specific time frame for its western release. Yo-Kai Watch will release this year during the Holiday 2015 window.
Yo-Kai Watch is a national sensation in Japan, and it could very well be the next Pokemon in the West.
For more Nintendo news, head over to the IGN E3 Hub.
Mitch Dyer is an Editor at IGN. He hosts IGN Arena, a podcast about MOBAs. Talk to Mitch about Dota 2, movies, books, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch.
Yoshi’s Woolly World US Release Date Revealed
During Nintendo’s Digital Event at E3 2015, the company confirmed that Yoshi’s Woolly World will release in the United States on October 16. This is months later than the Australian release date of June 25, European date of June 26, and the Japanese date of July 16.
Yoshi’s Woolly World will support Nintendo’s Amiibo figurines, including the impossibly-adorable yarn Yoshis that came as pre-order bonuses in the UK. No word yet on if the same is true for us in the States.
Yoshi’s Woolly World was originally revealed back in 2013 under the tentative name Yarn Yoshi. The game shares a similar aesthetic to 2010’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for our review of Yoshi’s Woolly World once it releases in Europe.
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Announced
Nintendo has announced Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, a new title coming to Wii U in Holiday 2015.
Not much was revealed about the game, though it seems to be a Mario Party-style title, meshing together Animal Crossing characters with minigames spread across a board.
As leaked yesterday, a series of new amiibo figurines will be released alongside the title. These are Isabelle, KK Slider, Tom Nook and Mabel.
Also revealed during Nintendo's Digital Event today, the company confirmed its other upcoming Animal Crossing title, Happy Home Designer, will be out in September.
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Release Date Announced
During its Digital Event today, Nintendo announced Animal Crossing: Happy Hope Designer will be available in North America on September 25 and October 2 in Europe.
First announced back in April, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer focuses on decorating and designing homes. Animal villagers will request a specific home designed around their tastes.
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer will also be the first game to support card-based amiibo. Scanning an Animal Crossing amiibo card will allow you to create a home for the villager on the card. After designing the home, you can scan other cards to invite other animals over to visit it and watch them interact with each other or even take a photo.
Nintendo Confirms Xenoblade Chronicles X Release Date
Xenoblade Chronicles X will be coming out in the West on December 4. The news came during Nintendo’s Digital Event at E3 2015.
Developed by Monolith Soft, the open-world RPG is a spiritual successor to Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii. That game was recently ported to the New 3DS, the version of which we gave an 8.7.
The game released in Japan back on April 29. We imported a copy, and were pleased with what we played. Check out our hands-on impressions.
For all things E3, bookmark our E3 Hub.
How Donkey Kong and Bowser Joined the Skylanders Roster
When we sat down with Activision and Nintendo to see a hybrid Skylanders amiibo figure, we didn't know what to expect. But the first thing we wanted to know about the partnership between the two companies that was announced at E3 2015 was how it came about. Before today, you could have seen the two companies as competitors in the toys-to-life video game category.
"When we were first developing Skylanders, we knew Nintendo would be a key partner from a platform standpoint," Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg told IGN. "Nintendo was actually one of the first groups outside of Activision that saw Skylanders. And even in those early meetings back then it didn't take long for a bunch of people to start imagining the possibility
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem Coming 2016
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem will release in the West for Wii U in 2016, Nintendo revealed at E3 today.
For more on the new Fire Emblem, check out what we know about its weapon balance updates, and the My Castle Mode.
For more Nintendo news, head over to the IGN E3 Hub.
Mitch Dyer is an Editor at IGN. He hosts IGN Arena, a podcast about MOBAs. Talk to Mitch about Dota 2, movies, books, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch.