Pikmin 3, Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion, Fire Emblem all set for the first half of 2013.

Many of Nintendo's upcoming releases from now until the first half of 2013 were announced today during the Nintendo Direct Europe presentation.

Curve Studio's Hydroventure: Spin Cycle will be hitting the Nintendo eShop on December 13, which for those paying attention, is next week. Later in the month on Wii U, lovers of downloadable games will be able to get their hands on Zen Pinball 2.

DoA fans now may have another reason to want this game.

Kasumi, a protagonist from the Dead or Alive series, is coming to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge as a playable character through free DLC.

The game's producer, Yosuke Hayashi, was pleased to announce that Kasumi would be joining Ninja Gaiden alumni, Momiji, in the free DLC. No specific release date was mentioned for the extra content.

The wait won't be much longer!

Scribblenauts Unlimited will be published by Nintendo across Europe. This was announced during the latest European Nintendo Direct, hosted by Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata.

Both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U versions of the game will be marketed and distributed by the company. According... Read more...

Update: The game is now announced for North America.

Update: The game is now officially coming to North America this month as well. We also have learned the software will be a free download that gives you access to a number of tables as free trials. To gain full access to the tables you will have to purchase them separately.

Original Story: Zen Pinball 2, developed by Zen Studios, is coming to the European Wii U eShop this month according to today's European Nintendo Direct Presentation.

Dr. Kawashima is making his 3DS debut.

Brain Age: Concentration Training will release in North America on February 10, 2013.

The software will hit store shelves in Europe on March 8, 2013 with a different name, Dr. Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can You Stay Focused?

Brain Age: Concentration Training is set to help players improve... Read more...

Game Freak's first eShop game is coming overseas.

HarmoKnight, developed by Game Freak, is coming to the 3DS eShop in North America and Europe, revealed by today's Nintendo Direct Presentations.

The game, which was released in Japan this September, focuses heavily on rhythm-based platforming. Check out our review of the title here.

The game was tentatively given a March 2013 release date in Europe while no North American specifics were given.

Who's excited?

Fire Emblem: Awakening on Nintendo 3DS will release in North America on February 4, as reported during the latest Nintendo Direct.

Fire Emblem was originally released in Japan in April of last year.

Pikmin fans will have to wait a little longer than expected.

Pikmin 3 will now be released during Q2 2013. Originally the latest entry in the Pikmin series was slated to arrive during the Wii U’s launch window, ending on March 31, 2013.This news comes from today’s North American Nintendo Direct presentation. No information was given on why Pikmin 3 is being delayed.

Do you want your hardware repaired out of warranty? Here's your invoice.

The Wii U repair costs have been revealed to be $175 for the console itself, and $85 for the GamePad, according to Nintendo World Report staff members who have had their systems in for repair. The $175 cost for the Wii U Console was specific to the Deluxe model. 

Since the GamePad is not for... Read more...

Those who were waiting on it can now go forth and update!

A patch for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on the Wii U has gone live in the U.S.

The update to the game has been eagerly awaited, as until now, certain modes or events such as Boost Challenge and Ninja Tag had game elements missing such as checkpoints and various boost pads, making it impossible to win or play them. Some other minor tweaks were apparently also apart of the update.

The mini-game collection won't make it this year, but early next year instead.

Game & Wario will be releasing in Japan early next year, according to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata during this mornings Nintendo Direct presentation.

Game & Wario features 16 mini-games, all of which can be played solely on the GamePad. These mini-games also support up to 5-player multiplayer. 

Including a motion-based panoramic version of Street View!

Nintendo's latest home console will soon have an exclusive version of Google's map viewing application, as revealed today by Iwata during the Japanese Nintendo Direct.

Not only will users be able to browse worldwide maps using both their TV and GamePad, the Google Maps program will feature top-down satellite views similar to those first seen in Google Earth.

It is not yet available in North America, but Japan gets it in a few short days.

Nintendo TVii will be part of the Japanese Wii U's day one update, confirmed Iwata during this mornings Nintendo Direct presentation.

The service, which is currently not available elsewhere, will contain different content than its North American counterpart. Even though the service itself is free, the ability to change channels with Nintendo TVii will cost Japanese gamers 100 yen to unlock.

Not coming this year, but still on track for the spring of next. 

Both Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U are still scheduled to arrive during Spring 2013 in Japan, Iwata confirmed during today's Nintendo Direct.

During a video of Pikmin 3, we were able to check out a few of the new enemies coming to the game. A giant moth-like creature was underground and could inhale Pikmin. A crab-like creature above ground could grab Pikmin, and then encase them in bubbles so they would fly away.

Ubisoft's platformer is coming to Japan courtesy of Nintendo in 2013.

Rayman Legends, developed by Ubisoft, will be published by Nintendo when it hits Japan next year, according to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata during the most recent Japanese Nintendo Direct.

Currently, the game is slated for a Q1 2013 in North America and Europe. It was originally set for a late 2012 release before a short delay. Recent rumors peg it for a February 26 release in North America.

Mario is still going for gold!

Two new level packs for New Super Mario Bros. 2 are currently scheduled to release tomorrow, December 5. The two new packs are Coin Challenge Pack C and Platform Panic Pack.

This news comes directly from the New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Rush Shop where players can view the new level packs, but cannot currently purchase them.

A quick update released alongside some larger Wii U firmware.

3DS Firmware Version 4.5.0-10U became available tonight around the same time as the Wii U's latest firmware upgrade.

According to Nintendo's website, the update further improves system stability as well as enhances the user experience. Those probing the update files have found that further blocks to DS flash cards were added, and the Nintendo Zone hotspot list was updated.

Update: We have a vague description on what the update does.

Update: According to Nintendo's website the update (version 2.1.0 U) further improves system stability and causes other minor adjustments to enhance the user experience

A new firmware update is now available for download onto your Wii U.

The update has just become available and comes in at a size... Read more...

Update: A Japanese Nintendo Direct will now happen earlier in the morning.

Update: Nintendo is now also holding a Japanese Nintendo Direct at 8 p.m. JST (6 a.m. EST, 3 a.m. PST) that will cover their Wii U Launch.

Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe will be releasing a new edition of Nintendo Direct on December 5.

This latest Nintendo Direct will focus on the remainder of 2012 and early 2013 games for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

Is it regular maintenance, or something special? 

The Wii U eShop is currently offline and undergoing maintenance.

The reason behind the service's downtime is unknown, but it may have something to do with tomorrow's Nintendo Direct presentation. This is just speculation, seeing how the maintenance may just be regular upkeep of the service.

Stay tuned to Nintendo World Report as we look into the situation.