Host of New 3DS Games Announced at Nintendo’s Pre-TGS Conference

Nintendo held its Tokyo Game Show pre-conference last night and used the opportunity to unveil a wealth of new games being developed for their 3DS, including new entries in the Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, and Mario Tennis franchises as well as a brand new RPG from Square Enix curiously titled Bravely Default: Flying Fairy.

While the announcement of Monster Hunter 4 was clearly the spotlight of the conference, and many titles were revealed that have no reasonable chance of a western release (as much as I’m sure we’d all love that Hatsune Miku rhythm game), we’ve got some details on a couple of games that seem likely (we hope) to see a launch outside of Japan.

You can checkout some information as well as video highlights after the break.

One of the earlier announcements was a new iteration in the Mario Tennis series. The game was demonstrated in a brief trailer, but outside of showcasing both singles and doubles play, no concrete details about the game are known other than it will support gyro controls.

A brief video was also revealed showcasing a new entry in Intelligent System’s long-running strategy staple Fire Emblem. Again, details were sparse, but the video seemed to show off a more dynamic combat system, with units trading a number of blows in each encounter and what appeared to be multiple characters engaged simultaneously. The game will also apparently support 2-player co-op.

Not surprisingly, the 3DS will also be getting a new entry in the Animal Crossing series. A brief trailer showed off all of the wholesome animal-community activities we’ve com to expect from the franchise, so hopefully it won’t be too long until we’re forced into crippling debt once against by that damned raccoon.

But the most unexpected announcement was a brand new IP being developed by Square Enix exclusively for the 3DS, a visually striking RPG called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. Character designs are being handled by Akihiko Yoshida of Final Fantasy Tactics fame, and the game will utilize the 3DS’s augmented reality functionality.

Nintendo also showed off more footage from some of their upcoming 3DS releases, such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Also showcased was the augmented reality mode for the upcoming Kid Icarus: Uprising, which seems to utilize a series of collectible art cards.

Personally, a new Fire Emblem game alone is enough to work me into a frenzy, but many of the other announced games look like they are worth getting excited over as well. Most of these games are slated to be launched sometime next year.