Nintendo Direct Recap - August 7th

(News)

• Sonic Lost World will launch on Wii U and 3DS on October 22nd. Both versions will be compatible with each other to increase the functionality of the co-op mode.
• Rayman Legends will have "throwback levels", in that you can play select levels from Rayman Origins with the enhanced graphical style of Legends. The Wii U version will also have a unique Mario costume for Rayman and a Luigi costume for Globox. Rayman Legends launches on multiple platforms on September 3rd.
• Art Academy Sketchpad, a Wii U eShop exclusive, was finally given a release date of August 9th. The app will have a Miiverse community.
• Nintendo will be posting Pikmin 3 user-made screenshots to Facebook and will ask for people to add captions to them, and they'll post their favorites.
• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team had many functions that were explained, such as Badges, Challenges, Equipment, and leveling up. Hint Boxes give you hints on how to beat an enemy if you lose to said enemy.
• Pokémon Rumble U was teased. Coming to Wii U eShop on August 29th. All five current generations of Pokémon will be included, and an enhanced Befriend system is present. 4-player co-op is in the game. 18 purchasable Pokémon figurines will be available at GameStop locations when the game launches; each figurine uses the Wii U GamePad's NFC sensor to bring in Pokémon with unique moves. Some of the figurines include Pikachu, Genesect, Deoxys, Eevee, Victini, and more. The figurines are not required for play.
• An incredibly rare Famicom game will be available for the 3DS eShop soon. It was a bullet hell game released in 1992. I don't know how to spell its title, but it's something Japanese. The NES version of Donkey Kong comes out August 15th for the 3DS, and Tecmo Bowl comes out this Fall. Wario Land 3 is coming August 29th. Super Mario Bros. 3 hits Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console by the end of the year.
• The features of the August 5th 3DS system update was explained. StreetPass now works in conjunction with Nintendo Zone hotspots, allowing 3DS users to get StreetPasses even when they're not around the other person or even at the location at the same time. Special items for Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be available through Nintendo Zone locations between August and late September. A Pumpkin Pie is the first item, available on August 11th.
• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy was announced for Nintendo 3DS. It launches sometime in 2014.
• Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was confirmed for a North American release in 2014. The announcement was joined with a small teaser trailer. The Phoenix Wright portion of the game seems to function on the same graphical engine as AA5, and the anime-esque cutscenes from Professor Layton are present.
• Info on The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was given. Iwata hinted that a sort of Dark Triforce will be present in the game. The two worlds don't seem to be called Light and Dark, but "The World Link Lives In" and "The Other World". The drawing ability Link has is how players travel between the two worlds. ALBW takes place a long time after A Link to the Past. This means that a brand-new incarnation of Link is introduced. The game comes out in November 2013.
• A trailer for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was shown, showing off the enhanced graphics. Iwata mentioned that the original game's actually engine was barely tampered with, allowing for a familiar but new experience. The Triforce Shard hunt will now be easier. The Shards are obtained within the treasure chest, skipping the treasure chart portion entirely. The Wind's Requiem will be easier to use. WWHD launches in October.
• Screenshots for Luigi in Super Smash Bros. 4 were shown off.
• An Animal Crossing: New Leaf Miiverse community is now available.
• Animal Crossing Plaza is an Animal Crossing version of Wara-Wara Plaza. Importing images from ACNL is possible. They can be organized in albums and uploaded to Miiverse. QR codes can be used and traded between the community. The service will only be available from now until the end of 2014.