E3 2014: Nintendo Digital Event: Super Smash Bros 3DS Delayed... Hundreds of 3DS eShop Titles Heading Your Way, And More...

It was a disappointing start to Nintendo's Digital Event at E3 2014 yesterday, with the news that the highly-anticipated 3DS debut of Super Smash Bros. will now miss its planned Summer release date and will instead be delayed until the 3rd of October 2014. Nintendo merely said that the delay was important in order to work on 'debugging' issues, but gave no further information.

Nevertheless, the mood brightened somewhat with the announcement that Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright will finally be released in North America in August 2014. The game was released in Europe earlier in March this year, and has proven hugely-popular with 3DS fans.

  Furthermore, a  Level-5 inc 3DS RPG game called Fantasy Life is set to be released in North America on the 24th October 2014.  A European release for Fantasy Life 3DS is expected some time in October 2014 as well, but no specific date has been given as yet.

Fantasy Life allows players to take on a virtual life where they can have different jobs and make a life for their character. In the game, players can set out on adventures to save the world, or take up more leisurely activities like cooking or fishing.

There was more good news for fans of the Nintendo eShop, with an impressive array of new 3DS and Wii titles being announced, including sequels to some already popular games. Among those titles announced for the 3DS were:

• Thorium Wars: Attack of the Space Fighter
• Shovel Knight
• Moon Chronicles: Episode 2 
• Siesta Fiesta
• Tappingo 2
• Woah Dave!
• Gunman Clive 2
• Blast 'em Bunnies
• PersonaQ: Shadow of the Labyrinth
• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal World Duel Carnival 

Further details of some of these games and details of the Wii U titles can be found HERE.

As an extra bonus, Nintendo have also declared that they will be offering a massive thirty percent discount off some selected eShop titles in celebration of E3 2014. This offer includes some of the popular Mario and Super Mario games, amongst others.

The discount only lasts for a limited time however, so anyone wishing to take advantage of the discount must purchase their chosen games by the 16th of June 2014. For more information on the discount or to view the selected titles, please CLICK HERE.

Nintendo also added a touch of mystery yesterday when the company announced that it would be revealing a brand new 3DS title, the details of which have been a very closely-guarded secret, but which is expected to be announced later today during one of the developers conferences. Check back with Mini Gamers for more details.

Overall, it seems that Nintendo's Digital Event has been very impressive. Nintendo's announcement of the new Amiibo NFC figurine collection and the news about upcoming releases is most definitely exciting. The future of Nintendo is definitely an interesting one.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

 What did you think of the event? Did it meet your expectations? Which Nintendo announcement was your favourite? Please feel free to leave us a comment and let us know.

Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: New Plot Details, Teaser Trailer and Unlockable Bonus Content Revealed!

Nintendo has provided further information about the eagerly-awaited 3DS cross-franchise title Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright, which is due to be released in Europe on the 28th March 2014. 

So far, the exact plot details have been a little bit sketchy, but Mini Gamers can now reveal some more concrete facts about the game's storyline. The game first takes place in London, where both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton - along with their trusty sidekicks - Maya Fey and Luke Triton, happen to mistakenly cross paths when they are both invited to meet a mysterious young woman called Espella Cantabella, whereby they suddenly find themselves transported to a strange, medieval world known as Labyrinthia.

Labyrinthia is ruled over by a shadowy figure called The Storyteller who has an apparent gift for prophecy, as every story penned by The Storyteller later seems to come true, sparking rumours about 'magic' and 'evil witches' amongst Labyrinthia's inhabitants.

It does not take long for the locals to point the finger of suspicion in the direction of Espella Cantabella, and a local witch hunt begins. Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright decide to combine their unique puzzle-solving and crime-fighting abilities to save Espella and clear her name of any wrongdoing.

Nintendo has now revealed exactly how these two giant franchises will combine together throughout the game. Firstly, Phoenix Wright, (best known from the Ace Attorney series of games), returns to the courtroom, determined to uncover the truth about the events happening in Labyrinthia and prove that Espella could not possibly be guilty of such crimes.

As in the traditional Ace Attorney games, Phoenix Wright will be required to examine evidence and question witnesses. However, Phoenix Wright will now be able to use Hint coins - a staple game mechanic of the Professor Layton series - in order to narrow down the options when presenting evidence, or as a way of gaining helpful information when cross-examining witnesses.

Furthermore, it has also been suggested that Professor Layton will occasionally be allowed to raise objections within the court room, not only for the defence, but also for the prosecution, where necessary.

Nintendo have also provided further details about the game's bonus unlockable content. This content such as twelve short new episodes for the game, as well as over sixty exclusive illustrations and all the main theme music from the game, will become available once players have completed the main story.

Nevertheless, how much of the content that players will be able to access will depend upon how many Picarats players have managed to accumulate throughout the puzzle-solving portions of the game. The faster a puzzle is solved, the more Picarats will be awarded, which is another staple of the Professor Layton series.

A new teaser trailer for the game has also been launched, showing some of the cutscene sequences from the game, along with the new pre-order information for the game. If you are having trouble viewing the trailer, then please CLICK HERE.

  

Level 5 inc. and Capcom have clearly put a lot of thought and hard work into producing a game that will appeal to fans of either franchise. Level 5 inc's involvement can clearly be seen in the inclusion of many Professor Layton game mechanics, whilst Capcom's essential Ace Attorney structure will be instantly recognisable to the game's many fans.

Mini Gamers looks forward to bringing you our own full-review when the game launches next month.