Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Mario Golf: World Tour Screenshots

There were a lot of things that gamers were hoping would be announced in today's Nintendo Direct, but a majority of that information was expected to be release dates for previously confirmed software. As those who tuned into the presentation quickly found out, Nintendo had big plans up its sleeves for 3DS owners. The company that is so infamously attached to Mario has dedicated 2013 to the pudgy plumber's tragically overlooked brother — officially deeming it "The Year of Luigi."

To celebrate this announcement, Nintendo revealed two brand new games starring the green-suited protagonist that are both scheduled to launch later this Summer. The first title the Big N unveiled was a new game in the Mario & Luigi series, appropriately titled Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. This new installment features the same zany atmosphere as its predecessors, but this time around a majority of the adventure will take place in Luigi's dreams.

Players will control Mario on the top screen, while the touchscreen features Luigi's adorable and unconscious mug. Users will have to utilize the touchscreen to smack Luigi's face around in order to solve puzzles in the dream world (i.e. making him sneeze in order to shift platforms around), which add some unique mechanics to the adventure. The RPG elements so heavily associated with the series also make their triumphant return — effectively making Mario & Luigi: Dream Team one game for fans to keep their eyes on.

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The second 3DS title revealed by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata during the Valentine's Day Nintendo Direct was Mario Golf: World Tour. Camelot (the team responsible for Mario Tennis Open on the 3DS) is working on the newly announced Mario Golf game, and it'll feature a bevy of characters from throughout the Mushroom Kingdom; as well as Ninty's alleged 2013 poster boy, Luigi.

Confirmed to make a playable appearance in Mario Golf: World Tour thus far are Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, and Bowser. There will undoubtedly be a plethora of familiar faces making playable appearances, though, and they should be confirmed at any point leading up to the game's launch.

Despite Iwata proclaiming that Luigi will be stepping into the limelight this year, neither of these games really provide fans with a Luigi-centric experience. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, on the other hand, should provide 3DS owners with an enjoyable amount of quality time with Mario's cowardly sibling.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Mario Golf: World Tour are scheduled to launch on the Nintendo 3DS this Summer.

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