On Tuesday April 8, 2014, there will be a Super Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct, streaming live starting at 3:00 PM (6:00 PM EST and 11:00 PM in the UK).
http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/04-08-2014/
Other starting times in different Time Zones:
North America (US and Canada)
April 8th, 3 PM Pacific Time
April 8th, 4 PM Mountain Time
April 8th, 5 PM Central Time
April 8th, 6 PM Eastern Time
Central and South America:
April 8th, 5:30 PM Venezuelan Time
April 8th, 7 PM Brazil Time
Europe:
April 8th, 11 PM Western European Time (UK, Ireland and Portugal)
April 9th, 12 AM Central European Time (Most of Europe)
April 9th, 1 AM Eastern European Time (Finland, Greece and Eastern Europe)
Asia and Oceania:
April 9th, 3:30 AM India Time
April 9th, 7 AM Japan Time
April 9th, 6 AM Australian Western Time
April 9th, 7:30 AM Australian Central Time
April 9th, 8 AM Australian Eastern Time
So when I heard there would be a Nintendo Direct coming up, I was excited and hoped for some Super Smash Bros. news... then I just realized it was a Super Smash Bros.-theme Nintendo Direct, and I only got more excited! ...But wait, don't Nintendo Directs usually happen on Thursdays? Eh, must be the same deal as there supposedly being a Nintendo Direct every month, so whatever.
Since it's going to start later on in the day, making this the second Nintendo Direct I'll be able to watch as it airs. I just hope that I don't forget or anything. Since this is a Super Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct, I'll assume there will be a focus on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, but I'm also assuming that they'll talk about other upcoming games. As such, I don't think they'll go that overboard with what they'll reveal. Still, here are some possible things to expect from this Nintendo Direct.
- New stages
- New Assist Trophies
- New Poké Ball Pokémon
- Showcasing new modes and returning modes
- A reveal of a possible new Adventure Mode
- Discussion of online play
- Reveal of alternate costumes, perhaps showing off a Dr. Mario alternate costume for Mario, in addition to the Male Wii Fit Trainer we saw a while back.
- A possible release date... though I honestly am one of the few people who doesn't care about this. I want them to take as long as they need to with this game, even though Sakurai vowed to finish this game by 2014.
And then of course there's characters. I thought I couldn't predict what will and won't be revealed after the whole Yoshi incident, until I realized that despite revealing certain characters on Western release dates, the games were all available in Japan by the time of their reveal, so there's still SOME logic to them! Besides, this Nintendo Direct is specifically Super Smash Bros.-themed, there's no way in Hell they'd do something like this and NOT reveal a single character, veteran or newcomer! When I first heard about the Nintendo Direct, I was satisfied if they revealed ANY character, new or old, since I was so starving for character reveals, but now that I know that this is going to be all about Super Smash Bros., I expect at least ONE newcomer to be revealed. Hell, I'm actually starting to get greedy and want more newcomers to be revealed. Really, I want one veteran and one newcomer at the very least, or failing that, just a newcomer. I expect more out of this Nintendo Direct, but really, any new characters for me to salivate over is fine my me.
...Now comes the fun part, the part that I thought was fun up until Yoshi happened: who will be revealed. I'm just going to go ahead and list some possibilities for veterans that could be revealed in this Nintendo Direct:
- Yoshi: Yeah, I know, Yoshi's New Island hasn't been release din Japan yet, and won't be released until Summer... but we haven't heard any new news about Yarn Yoshi since it's initial announcement! Perhaps they'll show off a trailer in this Nintendo Direct, then follow it up with showing off Yoshi in the new Smash Bros.? ...It could happen. Only on The hub
- Ice Climbers: NES Remix 2 gets released this month, and even though Ice Climber was part of the first NES Remix and not this one, it'd still be a fitting time to reveal them.
- Wario: Game & Wario just came out in Japan... though it won't be released internationally until June. Not to mention, April 29 marks the 5th anniversary of WarioWare D.I.Y. (yes, I looked through all the games release dates... shut up), AND WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! was just released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan (and on April 10 internationally). Plus, they already revealed Ashley, so it's only a matter of time... Personally, I hope his overalls look is his default look, or at the very least, they'll have an equal amount of emphasis on the Wario Land series this time around.
- Meta Knight: April 15th marks the 10th anniversary of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, which JUST got released to the Japanese Wii U's Virtual Console April 3, and will be available internationally April 10. Good way to promote that game, since Meta Knight is such a prominent character in that game (so much so that King Dedede, who's been in every game before and every game since, is conspicuously absent).
- Lucas: April 20th is the 8th anniversary of Mother 3... though part of me feels that Lucas should be an unlockable character this time around, while Ness is a starter character.
- Pokémon Trainer: April 30th marks the 15th anniversary of Pokémon Stadium... Yeah, it's stretching it, but it's something to consider!
From here on out, these are unlockable characters, which means they were unlockable in previous games, which I don't know if that means they'll be revealed here... Hell, there are certain character I expect will remain unknown and unlockable until the game's released (like Ganondorf and Mr. Game & Watch, and R.O.B.). But then again, Luigi, Marth, Lucario, and Toon Link were all unlockable in the previous games but they were revealed here, so who knows?
- Ness: Other then Mother 3, no EarthBound games were released in the month of April... Though part of me wants to see Ness revealed before Lucas despite all that.
- Jigglypuff and/or Mewtwo: What I said about the Pokémon Trainer applies here, particularly since they're both Gen 1 Pokémon. Though out of the two of them, I expect Mewtwo to be chosen over Jigglypuff, and also get a LOT of fanfare, given the demand to see him come back.
- Falco: Star Fox 64 was released internationally on the Wii's Virtual Console in April... Yeah, not too confident about this one.
Okay, now the more hairy subject: newcomers. It's not a matter of when they'll be revealed like veterans, it's a matter of if they'll be in the game at all. Well, if some characters ARE going to be in the game, here's who I'd like to see and hope is revealed in next Tuesday's Nintendo Direct!
- Palutena: Last month was Kid Icarus: Uprising's 2-year anniversary, plus there were those Palutena leaks a while back.
- Chrom (or the Avatar/Robin): Fire Emblem: Awakening was released in Japan April 19, 2012, as well as in Europe April 19, 2013, and in Australia April 20, 2013, so it would be more then fitting to see Chrom revealed as a new character now. I should note that I don't so much hope to see this as I do expect to see this.
- Takamaru: April 14th marks the 28th anniversary of Nazo no Murasame Jō, a game that's been referenced in Pikmin 2 (as a Famicom Disk System disc treasure that can be found), Captain Rainbow (Takamaru is a character that needs help in the game), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (through the Douchuumen song on the Mario Bros. stage), an unlockable microgame in the Japanese version of WarioWare D.I.Y., an extra mode in Samurai Warriors 3, AND as an attraction in NintendoLand! Nintendo seems to be building up to something with Takamaru and his classic Japanese-exclusive game, and I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be playable! He's number 2 on my most-wanted list, after all!
- Ridley: Metroid Fusion is currently available on the Wii U Virtual Console everywhere... except Japan, in which it will be available April 30. Considering the sheer demand for this character, I feel like they should wait until something like E3 to reveal him, unless he's going to be an unlockable character... Well, even if he is, I think Nintendo should make a big deal about him, if only because everyone else has mad such a big deal about him.
- Andy (or another Advance Wars character): I kind of doubt this will actually happen, but if it does, given that Advance Wars was just released in the Wii U Virtual Console, it'd be good timing!
- Shulk (or another Xenoblade Chronicles character):Xenoblade Chronicles was (finally) released in the US on April 6 two years ago. I know these reveals seem to go by Japanese release dates, but if they WERE to include Shulk or someone else from the game, it would likely be do to the massive outcry from fans who wanted it released in the US, wouldn't it?
I was expecting this list to be much longer, but honestly I'm kind of exhausted right now... any other possible predictions, guys?
http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/04-08-2014/
Other starting times in different Time Zones:
North America (US and Canada)
April 8th, 3 PM Pacific Time
April 8th, 4 PM Mountain Time
April 8th, 5 PM Central Time
April 8th, 6 PM Eastern Time
Central and South America:
April 8th, 5:30 PM Venezuelan Time
April 8th, 7 PM Brazil Time
Europe:
April 8th, 11 PM Western European Time (UK, Ireland and Portugal)
April 9th, 12 AM Central European Time (Most of Europe)
April 9th, 1 AM Eastern European Time (Finland, Greece and Eastern Europe)
Asia and Oceania:
April 9th, 3:30 AM India Time
April 9th, 7 AM Japan Time
April 9th, 6 AM Australian Western Time
April 9th, 7:30 AM Australian Central Time
April 9th, 8 AM Australian Eastern Time
So when I heard there would be a Nintendo Direct coming up, I was excited and hoped for some Super Smash Bros. news... then I just realized it was a Super Smash Bros.-theme Nintendo Direct, and I only got more excited! ...But wait, don't Nintendo Directs usually happen on Thursdays? Eh, must be the same deal as there supposedly being a Nintendo Direct every month, so whatever.
Since it's going to start later on in the day, making this the second Nintendo Direct I'll be able to watch as it airs. I just hope that I don't forget or anything. Since this is a Super Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct, I'll assume there will be a focus on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, but I'm also assuming that they'll talk about other upcoming games. As such, I don't think they'll go that overboard with what they'll reveal. Still, here are some possible things to expect from this Nintendo Direct.
- New stages
- New Assist Trophies
- New Poké Ball Pokémon
- Showcasing new modes and returning modes
- A reveal of a possible new Adventure Mode
- Discussion of online play
- Reveal of alternate costumes, perhaps showing off a Dr. Mario alternate costume for Mario, in addition to the Male Wii Fit Trainer we saw a while back.
- A possible release date... though I honestly am one of the few people who doesn't care about this. I want them to take as long as they need to with this game, even though Sakurai vowed to finish this game by 2014.
And then of course there's characters. I thought I couldn't predict what will and won't be revealed after the whole Yoshi incident, until I realized that despite revealing certain characters on Western release dates, the games were all available in Japan by the time of their reveal, so there's still SOME logic to them! Besides, this Nintendo Direct is specifically Super Smash Bros.-themed, there's no way in Hell they'd do something like this and NOT reveal a single character, veteran or newcomer! When I first heard about the Nintendo Direct, I was satisfied if they revealed ANY character, new or old, since I was so starving for character reveals, but now that I know that this is going to be all about Super Smash Bros., I expect at least ONE newcomer to be revealed. Hell, I'm actually starting to get greedy and want more newcomers to be revealed. Really, I want one veteran and one newcomer at the very least, or failing that, just a newcomer. I expect more out of this Nintendo Direct, but really, any new characters for me to salivate over is fine my me.
...Now comes the fun part, the part that I thought was fun up until Yoshi happened: who will be revealed. I'm just going to go ahead and list some possibilities for veterans that could be revealed in this Nintendo Direct:
- Yoshi: Yeah, I know, Yoshi's New Island hasn't been release din Japan yet, and won't be released until Summer... but we haven't heard any new news about Yarn Yoshi since it's initial announcement! Perhaps they'll show off a trailer in this Nintendo Direct, then follow it up with showing off Yoshi in the new Smash Bros.? ...It could happen. Only on The hub
- Ice Climbers: NES Remix 2 gets released this month, and even though Ice Climber was part of the first NES Remix and not this one, it'd still be a fitting time to reveal them.
- Wario: Game & Wario just came out in Japan... though it won't be released internationally until June. Not to mention, April 29 marks the 5th anniversary of WarioWare D.I.Y. (yes, I looked through all the games release dates... shut up), AND WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! was just released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan (and on April 10 internationally). Plus, they already revealed Ashley, so it's only a matter of time... Personally, I hope his overalls look is his default look, or at the very least, they'll have an equal amount of emphasis on the Wario Land series this time around.
- Meta Knight: April 15th marks the 10th anniversary of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, which JUST got released to the Japanese Wii U's Virtual Console April 3, and will be available internationally April 10. Good way to promote that game, since Meta Knight is such a prominent character in that game (so much so that King Dedede, who's been in every game before and every game since, is conspicuously absent).
- Lucas: April 20th is the 8th anniversary of Mother 3... though part of me feels that Lucas should be an unlockable character this time around, while Ness is a starter character.
- Pokémon Trainer: April 30th marks the 15th anniversary of Pokémon Stadium... Yeah, it's stretching it, but it's something to consider!
From here on out, these are unlockable characters, which means they were unlockable in previous games, which I don't know if that means they'll be revealed here... Hell, there are certain character I expect will remain unknown and unlockable until the game's released (like Ganondorf and Mr. Game & Watch, and R.O.B.). But then again, Luigi, Marth, Lucario, and Toon Link were all unlockable in the previous games but they were revealed here, so who knows?
- Ness: Other then Mother 3, no EarthBound games were released in the month of April... Though part of me wants to see Ness revealed before Lucas despite all that.
- Jigglypuff and/or Mewtwo: What I said about the Pokémon Trainer applies here, particularly since they're both Gen 1 Pokémon. Though out of the two of them, I expect Mewtwo to be chosen over Jigglypuff, and also get a LOT of fanfare, given the demand to see him come back.
- Falco: Star Fox 64 was released internationally on the Wii's Virtual Console in April... Yeah, not too confident about this one.
Okay, now the more hairy subject: newcomers. It's not a matter of when they'll be revealed like veterans, it's a matter of if they'll be in the game at all. Well, if some characters ARE going to be in the game, here's who I'd like to see and hope is revealed in next Tuesday's Nintendo Direct!
- Palutena: Last month was Kid Icarus: Uprising's 2-year anniversary, plus there were those Palutena leaks a while back.
- Chrom (or the Avatar/Robin): Fire Emblem: Awakening was released in Japan April 19, 2012, as well as in Europe April 19, 2013, and in Australia April 20, 2013, so it would be more then fitting to see Chrom revealed as a new character now. I should note that I don't so much hope to see this as I do expect to see this.
- Takamaru: April 14th marks the 28th anniversary of Nazo no Murasame Jō, a game that's been referenced in Pikmin 2 (as a Famicom Disk System disc treasure that can be found), Captain Rainbow (Takamaru is a character that needs help in the game), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (through the Douchuumen song on the Mario Bros. stage), an unlockable microgame in the Japanese version of WarioWare D.I.Y., an extra mode in Samurai Warriors 3, AND as an attraction in NintendoLand! Nintendo seems to be building up to something with Takamaru and his classic Japanese-exclusive game, and I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be playable! He's number 2 on my most-wanted list, after all!
- Ridley: Metroid Fusion is currently available on the Wii U Virtual Console everywhere... except Japan, in which it will be available April 30. Considering the sheer demand for this character, I feel like they should wait until something like E3 to reveal him, unless he's going to be an unlockable character... Well, even if he is, I think Nintendo should make a big deal about him, if only because everyone else has mad such a big deal about him.
- Andy (or another Advance Wars character): I kind of doubt this will actually happen, but if it does, given that Advance Wars was just released in the Wii U Virtual Console, it'd be good timing!
- Shulk (or another Xenoblade Chronicles character):Xenoblade Chronicles was (finally) released in the US on April 6 two years ago. I know these reveals seem to go by Japanese release dates, but if they WERE to include Shulk or someone else from the game, it would likely be do to the massive outcry from fans who wanted it released in the US, wouldn't it?
I was expecting this list to be much longer, but honestly I'm kind of exhausted right now... any other possible predictions, guys?
