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New Zelda, Mario games coming to 3DS

Nintendo has announced a line-up of new games coming for the 3DS and Wii U, including a brand new Legend of Zelda title.

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Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
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Nintendo has announced a line-up of new games coming for the 3DS and Wii U, including a brand new Legend of Zelda title.

(Credit: Nintendo)

In a Nintendo Direct announcement overnight, president Satoru Iwata announced a line-up of brand new games coming to 3DS and Wii U, slated for release later this year.

Of most note is a brand new Legend of Zelda title made specifically for the 3DS console. Iwata said the game would be set in the same Hyrule as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past — perhaps a sequel — and Link will have a new ability that allows him to become two-dimensional like a drawing, and slide into walls. It sounds a bit like Paper Mario, but it could be an interesting mechanic, especially on a 3D screen.

Other Nintendo franchises are also getting a massive look-in, with multiple titles announced for Super Mario Bros, Yoshi and Donkey Kong:

  • A new Yoshi's Island game: the third Yoshi game for the 3DS, with the Yoshi and Baby Mario team making a return

  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros: Mario will have to zip back and forth between the real world and Luigi's dreams to rescue Peach; due on 13 July

  • Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D: a remake of the Wii game with eight new stages, and a new mode optimised for handheld gaming; due on 25 May

  • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move: a building game that sees you using tiles to move your character to the top of the screen; due on 9 May, exclusive to the eShop

  • Mario Golf: World Tour: a Mario-themed golf game with online multiplayer; due out midyear

  • A new Mario Party title: featuring seven different game boards, with 81 new mini-games; due out at the end of the year.

In addition, some third-party titles will be arriving for the handheld console, including The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, developed originally by Capcom for the Game Boy Color and releasing exclusively to the eShop; a new Professor Layton title, Professor Layton and the Azran Legtacy; Square Enix's Bravely Default: Flying Fairy; and three Level-5 games, The Starship Damrey, Bugs vs. Tanks and Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo Tale. No dates have yet been announced for these titles.

The Wii U hasn't quite been left out of the fun, with classic title EarthBound, New Super Luigi U and Pikmin 3 on the way.

Nintendo has been struggling for quite some time now, most recently with flagging sales and now a patent lawsuit over its 3D technology. Perhaps what the company needs is a fresh injection of some of its most popular IPs.

What do you think? Do any of these titles float your boat?