Nintendo 3DS 2012 eShop Lineup

Nintendo is trying incredibly hard to stay competitive with other console manufacturers, and they've recently made vast improvements to their digital storefront to do just that. The company recently announced that the first ever DLC packages for New Super Mario Bros. 2 had gone gold (all three are now officially available on the Nintendo eShop), and that the Wii U will offer full retail games for download right at launch. This is all a great start for the Big N, but they recently hosted a Nintendo Direct conference announcing a plethora of brand new and (more importantly) exclusive games that'll be arriving on the Nintendo 3DS' eShop between now and early 2013.

Thus far, Ninty has offered up a few downloadable titles that have been worth purchasing. Games like Pushmo and Dillion's Rolling Western have proven to be two 3DS exclusives in particular that are worth logging onto the eShop for, and it doesn't appear that there are any plans to stop producing original content for the handheld anytime in the near future. A number of new titles have been confirmed for the 3D-enabled portable, and they are all (for the most part) strong evidence that shows just how dedicated Nintendo is to the eShop's success.

It was confirmed yesterday that the critically acclaimed Pushmo (also known as Pullblox in Europe) will be receiving a sequel, called Crashmo in North America, and it'll make puzzle solving more problematic then it's ever been before thanks to the addition of falling blocks. Meanwhile, 505 Games announced that they'll by publishing three brand new properties (SUDA 51's Liberation Maiden, Yoot Saito's AERO PORTER, and Yasumi Matsuno's Crimson Shroud), and they will be hitting the digital marketplace before the year is through.

These games were joined by a few others that may grab the attention of gamers, and eShop connoisseurs can check out the complete list of incoming content below:

  • NightSky (Oct. 25th)
  • Crashmo (Nov. 22nd)
  • Fluidity: Spin Cycle (Dec. 27)
  • Liberation Maiden (Before Holiday Season)
  • AERO PORTER (Before 2013)
  • Crimson Shroud (Before 2013)
  • Tokyo Crash Mobs (Early 2013)

All of these new games will make for great additions to the 3DS' catalogue of games, and they undoubtedly allude to the kind of content Nintendo will be providing gamers with well beyond 2012. Even with all of these new games, it's hard not to forget about the classic titles that the Virtual Console provides, and that's why it's a good thing for nostalgia junkies that the Big N released a list highlighting a solid lineup of Game Boy and NES games coming to the portable.

  • Mario Golf (Oct. 11)
  • Castlevania: The Adventure (Oct. 25)
  • Ninja Gaiden (Nov. 8)
  • Zelda II — The Adventure of Link (Nov. 22)
  • Wario Land II (Dec. 20)
  • Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Dec. 27)

Nintendo also took the liberty of announcing a number of currently available 3DS retail titles that will become available for download on October 18th. Super Mario 3D Land, Star Fox 64 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and Mario Kart 7 will all be making the jump from brick-and-mortar retailers to the eShop — although it'll cost $39.99 for gamers to add any of these games to their digital library.

The last bit of news is that several new demos will be made available for download, many of which should satisfy intrigued 3DS owners. Two demos for Style Savvy: Trendsetters will be hitting the Nintendo eShop, and each will highlight different gameplay aspects of the title. Gamers can download the first demo right now and the second one will be available on November 1st, but the cool thing about these brief trials is that the progress made in them will transfer over to the full game — which may be an indication that more games from Nintendo in the future will do the same.

Look forward to these demos hitting the eShop very soon:

There is a ton of content coming to the Nintendo 3DS, and the system's eShop service will certainly be nice stop gaps while fans wait for the likes of must-have games like Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon to arrive. Nintendo has plenty of tangible and virtual products arriving this Holiday season, and they should all make for a solid remainder of 2012.

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