On July 4

Nintendo has announced yet another 2DS bundle. This one is white and red, and includes New Super Mario Bros. 2 pre-installed on a 4GB memory card plus all of the Coin Rush DLC -- that's 30 mor??e levels, some of which are going to seriously test your skill??s (and patience).

As much as I found the game's coin-collecting premise to be lacking before playing it, you know what, it ended up winning me over. Gu?ess I'm sucker for collectibles.

The bundle will be available in Europe on Friday,? July 4.

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Mystery Adventures and Impossible packs

Our journey through the four waves of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC is at an end. Here we are, with the Mystery Adventures and Impossible packs, waiting until the next big portable Mario release to see what Nintendo has up its sleeves.

It's easy to go into these impressions being skeptical of something called "The Impossible Pack," and I don't blame you. Thankfully, I'm pleased to report that it delivers -- it wipes the floor with the Nerve-Wrack-Pack, and it's possibly the most challenging set of stages Nintendo has ever offic??ially offered.

Ever.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Pack Set #4
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: December 20, 2012
MSRP: $2.50 per pack (2 packs), or $5.00 for the "bundle"

Pack #1 -- Mystery Adventures Pack ($2.50) - 20,000 coin goal

The gimmick of Mystery Adventures is the presence of secrets. Not just ??a few secrets, mind you: tons of them. Every wall could be a fake. Some rooms have hidden entrances that are only triggered by staying in them for long periods at a time. The second level features a flying question mark ship with hidden ??vine secrets -- you get the idea.

Each level has multiple paths to follow, and thus, it's up ?to you to figure out the best course of action to reach the coin limit. Some areas feature miniature puzzles, others will require a good eye to spot a tiny crack in the wall.

I had fun in my first few runs trying to count the sheer number of secrets, but after a short while, it all sort of blended together. There's one neat part ??with an elevat?or involving P-Switches, but the concept isn't explored as far as it could have been.

Mystery Adventures has a lot of cool things going for it, but ultimately, it combines elements from a f??ew packs that you've seen before (e.g., the Coin Challenge B and the Classic packs). While it has a few novel concepts that will probably take you a handful of runs to unearth, there's nothing that really screams a purchase.

The Impossible pack, on the other hand, demands your attention.

Pack #2 -- Impossible Pack ($2.50) - 100 coin goal

I'm going to take a second to rant on the lack of difficulty in Mario games. For the last two big 2D releases, Nintendo comes out with some PR statement near the launch, promising that g??amers shouldn't worry, and that their new game will be challenging.

They did it for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and for New Super Mario Bros. U. The thing is, those games are actually not challenging -- far from it. Even if you include the task of getting ever??y star coin and completing every star world level, they still don't scratch that itch that the retro games insti?lled in us.

Although it's just three mere levels, the Impossible Pack in New Super Mario Bros. 2 scratches that itch -- more than ever before. In fact, if you exclude that one unofficial rom-hack Mario NES game, this is probably the most difficult Mario related thing Nintendo has officially ever done.

The 100 coin goal is probably the first indicator of a challenge on Nintendo's part. There are zero coins, and if you exclude the flag in the middle of each level that functions as a mushroom, there are no pow??er-ups. Period.

No stars, leaves, flowers, anything -- even the gold flower at the beginning of the stage is cleverly disabled. Any coins you earn are purely skill related, and received at the end of the level for your ??remaining time.

Of course, these core precepts would be nothing if the levels themselves weren't well designed -- and thankfully, they are. The first stage is a mix of a short underwater section with tons of Spiny Cheep Cheeps (and a few Berthas!), a very lengthy moving platform section, and an infuriating part at the end that features Hammer Bros. and Chain Chomps in tandem.

Stage two is a neat concept that involves lots of wall kick climbing, fire ropes, and flying fire enemies. The kicker here is that you're almost guaranteed to get hit at some point in the first level, so you're probably going to go into?? the second stage as little Mario (and so on for level three).

The final stage is probably the worst of them all, as there's a constant threat of purple death coming up from ??t?he ground. Unlike the first two levels, which allow for some forgivable mistakes, everything needs to be perfect in level three; instant death awaits you at a moment's notice.

There are tricks to each level that you'll probably pick up after fifty or so tries, but they're still difficult despite your attempts to cheese them. These tri?cks only add to the charm, as they were cl?early intentional.

I attempted this pack around a hundred times, and out of every one of my runs, I reached the second level probably half those times, and the third level only a scan??t few times.

Considering the standard rule where if you die at any point, you start at the very beginning, and the lack of power-ups, this pa??ck can get infuriating -- but I love it for it. (Of course, ??you could use the White Tanooki Suit as always, but where's the fun in that?)

If you can only get one level pack for New Super Mario Bros 2., get the Impossible pack. In fact, if you can find NSMB 2 on the cheap one day, pick it up just to buy this $2.50 pack. It's that good, and I si?ncerely hope Nintendo delivers at least some form of ancillary content in other ??games going forward that matches this challenge.

Overall

If I had to rate every paid level pack in order of quality, it would probably go so??mething like this:

Impossib??le, Coin Challenge Pack B, Nerve-Wrack Pack, Gold Rush Pack, Gold Mushroom Pack, Platform Panic Pack, Mystery Adventures, Coin Challenge Pack C, Coin Challenge Pack A.

That's nine packs for $2.50 each, which makes the lot of DLC $22.50. That's quite a bit of scratch to drop if you're just a casual Mario fan, but there are a number of gems in here.

Make sure and read all of my prior impressions to make a sound decision on what you want to buy. If you're a Mario junkie, you really can't go wr??ong in buying everything but Coin Challenge Pack A.

Past reviews: DLC #1, DLC #2, DLC #3

The post Impressions: New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC #4 appeared first on Destructoid.

A golden effort

First-party Nintendo DLC is a weird concept ind??eed, but at this point, I'm starting to get used to it.

Despite the fact that one of the three Coin Packs in the last set of New Super Mario Bros. 2 add-ons ?wasn't ?up to snuff, Nintendo is back with two more at $2.50 apiece, ready to win your hearts over again.

Thankfully in this case, the Big N has made a solid effort providing us with extra optional content to augment our experience, and it's only ??getting better over?? time.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Pack Set #2
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: October 25, 2012
MSRP: $2.50 per pack (2 packs), or $5.00 for the bundle

Pack #1 -- Gold Mushroom Pack ($2.50) - 30,000 coin goal

Although the goal is still 30,000 coins, this isn't as easily attainable as in the first DLC Coin Pack -- and that's a good thing. Nintendo makes you work for your coins here, so if you just want an easy 30,000 every run, I'd opt for the first Gold Rush Pack instead.

There ??are a lot of cool hidden mechanics here that will take you multiple playthroughs to experience. Like the first level, which features a clever section at the end that makes you earn your x2 flagpole bonus. Or the ??third level, which grants you a handful of golden mushrooms all at once if you kill certain golden piranha plants in specific pipes.

As you can imagine, one of the draws is that the bulk of your coins will be earned through gold mushrooms, which adds a level of entropy to the experience. As any Mario fan knows, mus?hrooms will slide across the screen with reckless abandon, so making them appear is only half the battle.

It isn't the best pack that's been offered so far, but it's still pretty enjoyable if you're going for all 30,000 coins. If you just want to experience the stage and couldn't care less about coins though, you probably want to skip this o??ne.

Pack #2 -- Coin Challenge Pack B ($2.50) -- 10,000 coin goal

Challenge Pack B is a much better effort than A. Starting off with a bang, this one features one of my favorite ghost houses in the game. Although the mystery solution for completing the house is a tad ruined for multiple playthroughs once you finally figure it out, getting every coin is still an accomplishment. It also features an awesome Mega Man-style "disappearing/re-appearing" blocks section, which is an easy way to win me over.

The next offering is a Bullet Bill level that's probably my favorite "bullet" level in the entire franchise (yes, even more than Soda Lake!)??. It's basically a playground of Bullet Bills, with a plentiful amount of raccoon suits and coin rings -- which essentially means you'll spend the entire stage floating?? around getting coin bonuses for stomping heads and staying off the ground. I replayed the pack multiple times just for this level, as it doesn't get old.

The third level is an odd stage that flings meteors and giant coins at you like a deadly (and rewarding!) tropical storm. This stage is effectively a survival arena, allowing you to run ar??ound to your heart's content, collecting coins, or getting mercilessly burnt by galactic rubble. It's very short, but with its unique premise, it's a worthy addition to the?? pack.

All things considered, this right her??e is probably my favorite pack so far out of the five on offer. Although the Nerve-Wrack pack was r??eally cool in that it presented an actual challenge, the level design in Challenge Pack B is pristine, and worthy of multiple playthroughs.

There is an online leaderboard through the game's official website, but in true Nintendo fashion, it's extremely lame and bare-bones. I'm naively still pulling for real in-game leaderboards at some point (New Super Mario Bros. 3, maybe?).

Overall

The level designers over at Nintendo pulled out nearly every trick in the book for these two packs (both in respect to NSMB2's coin gimmick and general level design), to the point where you'd be hard pressed to f?igure out what they're going to do next.

While I hope there's a Nerve-Wrack pack in the next session of DLC, these two are easily worth buying if Coin Rush is your thing.

The post Impressions: New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC #2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Gold mushrooms galore

[Update: It seems as if this is a worldwide release!]

It looks like Nintendo has been busy with their new DLC model: a new around of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC is about to drop ?in Japan today. It looks like Nintendo has cut out the nerve-wrack pack this time around, and just opted for a gold-crazy set and another "challenge" set.

They're hitting the market today for 200 yen each (for a pack of three levels) -- overseas, this translated to $2.50 per pack. We don't have confirmation yet on ??the US release date, but you can bet it'll make its way over here at some point.

Once it's out, you can count on some more impressions from yours truly. Right now, I'm still playing through NSMB2 with my wife via coop, and these asynchronous Coin Rush challenges have truly extended the life??span of the game for me.

DLC Level Packs Hitting Japan Today [Nintendo World Report]

The post Two more DLC Coin Packs are headed to NSMB2 appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: Slight mistake on m?y part. All three announced level packs will be available on October 2, with additional unannounced packs appearing later.]

Ooooooh, those sneaky Nintendo devils! Out of the blue, they announce a special Nintendo Direct for the very same evening, getting our knickers in a twist, just to announce DLC levels for New Super Mario Bros. 2. And here I was hoping to finally learn news about the Wii U's online features, but I suppose Nintendo could always surprise us with yet an??other Nintendo Direct at, like, 4 AM on a Tuesday or something.

The best thing to com??e out of tonight's announcement would definitely have to be Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's disembodied polygonal head. He could give Dr. Kawashima a run for his money!

It would seem that this three-pack set of NSMB2 levels will appear on October 2, with another coming later in October and a third in November, all for ¥200 apiece. We should be receiving the ??same news from the American branch in a few minutes, so I'll update with the relevant U?S information at that time.

The post New Super Mario Bros. 2 getting DLC level packs appeared first on Destructoid.

As if determined to prove that it can't make digital distribution work, Nintendo has decided to make its eShop purchases less attractive than ever by charging more for the downloadable version of New Super Mario Bros. 2 than it'd cost at retail. Looks like Nintendo's the one out to get a million coins, ??right guys?

In the United Kingdom, retailers like GAME will sell NSMB2 for £29.99. Meanwhile, those directly supporting Nintendo will pay a premium for the honor of doing so, stumping up £39.99. Other games also cost more than they will at retail, with New Art Academy costing £5 more on the eShop, and Freakyforms Deluxe charging an extra £10. 

It's honestly just pathetic at this stage. Publishers are so desperate to move away from those evil retailers who sell used games, yet they don't have the balls to ever piss them off, so they put their digital stores in positions where they can be constantly undercut. How, exactly, do platform holders like Nintendo th??ink this is going to work? 

Right now, only an idiot would buy a download alternative of a?? conso?le game at launch. That's not exactly making digital distribution attractive.

Digital New Super Mario Bros. 2 is £10 more expensive than retail versio??n [CVG]

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New Super Mario Bros. released for the Nintendo DS in 2006. The "new" in the title was a somewhat ironic reference to the fact that Mario had returned to his 2D platforming roots, a return that many gamers welcomed with open arms. It helped that the?? game was brilliant fun, of course.&nbs??p;

Over half a decade later, the "new" in the title takes on a further irony, because in spite of the fresh powers and an enhanced focus on collecting coins, there's really nothing "new" about New Super Mario Bros. 2. Still, Old New Super Mario Bros. 2 probably wo???uldn't look quite so attractive on the packaging. ;

Not that being old means a game is necessarily bad. It just means it's not new.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo 
Released: August 19, 2012 
MSRP: $39.99

If there's one thing more tiresome than watching Princess Peach get kidnapped, it's reviewers pretending to be shocked that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. Suffice it to say that Princess Peach has been kidnapped, and Mario is yet again the only "man" capable of taking down Bowser and his wretched clan of amoral children. If you were expecting a rich story about the moral implications of transhumanism as Mario is forced to undergo life-saving robotic enhancements that he never a?sk?ed for, then I'm sorry. Your change of pace is in another castle. 

New Super Mario Bros. 2 follows the blueprint laid out in 2006 with scalpel precision. There are six main worlds and a pair of optional ones to be discovered using Mini-Mushrooms in certain stages. Each world has stages presented on a map, with a sub-castle ??containing a mini-boss and a final castle containing a Koopa Kid (taking over from Bowser Jr. in the first game). Levels have three hidden Star Coins which can be collected and spent to open new paths on the world map. 

The platforming gameplay is similarly faithful to archetypal specifications, as Mario scuttles from left to right, navigates chasms, and bounces on the heads of Bowser's usual Troopas, Goombas, and Drybones. There are a few new enemy types this time around, but most of them are just slightly varied plays on older creatures. As always, Mario can collect Mushrooms to increase his size, Fire Flowers to shoot fireballs, and Leaves to gain flying raccoon powers. If you've been in the same room as somebody playing a Mario game,? you'll find it all incredibly famili?ar. 

None of this is to say that Nintendo hasn't made some small effort to shake things up. New Super Mario Bros. 2's token gimmick is greed, as players are showered with more coins than ever before. In prior games, coins existed merely as life currency -- you get 100 coins, you gain a 1UP. Now, coins practically drown players as they strive for the ultimate goal: collect one million of the things. No longer is the objective just to get through each course and put an? end to Bowser's machinations. Now players have to grab as much gold as they can along the way. 

Most of this sequel's new ideas are based entirely around the premise of money-grubbing. New gold rings are situated in levels which, when passed through, turn enemies golden and reward the player with extra coins in a number of ways. For instance, if a golden Koopa Troopa is knocked into its shell and kicked along a platform, it'll drop coins alon??g its entire path. Meanwhile, Hammer Bros will start to??ssing coins at the player instead of their namesake weaponry. Players can also nab the Prize Block power-up, which this time plonks a golden cube on their head and dishes out more coins the faster Mario runs.

NSMB2 goes out of its way to emphasize the importance of coins. POW Blocks are everywhere, ready to turn ordinary bricks into shiny gold. Coins will fly out from the background whenever?? Mario passes by invisible checkpoints. New roulette blocks dish out coins in multiples of five, and there's even a new Golden Fire Flower, which causes huge chunks of blocks t??o explode in a shower of money, and hands out five free coins for every enemy caught in the blast. As if that wasn't enough, Rainbow Courses can be unlocked, special stages that reduce the enemy count and focus entirely on snatching as much loot as possible. 

Although the shift in dynamic is subtle and mostly cosmetic, the exploitation of the player's natural hoarding instinct does instigate something of a change in the way the game is played. Most gamers have been trained by years of playing to collect stuff, and Nintendo knows this. It's no longer enough to just grab that flagpole at the end of a course and feel like a good?? job was done. True satisfaction can only be gleaned from a feeling that enough riches were obtained, and I have to commend Nintendo for dramatically altering the way the game is approached without doing much at all the change how it actually plays. 

Unfortunately, while NSMB2's lust for coinage gives it an addictive quality, it doesn't give it the same sense of replay value the original had. I played the original New Super Mario Bros. over and over again because it was just that damn splendid, and I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. Grabbing gold can be fun for a while, but it feels like a shallow endeavor, especially with the lack of tangible rewards during the long slog to one million coins. Being constantly reminded of how many coins I've collected doesn't so much inspire me to keep going as remind me how long I've still got to go, and one feels rather empty when constantly being told they've got thousands of coins with no real way to benefit from them. If a game is going to shower me in money, I want to feel like I can spend it. The coins, however, are as lacking in value as they've always been, and once the player cottons on to that fact, the collection angle feels vapid and unrewarding. The difference between NSMB2 and its predecessor is the difference between instinctua???l, thoughtless addiction and genuinely endearing infatuation. 

I must stress that New Super Mario Bros. 2 is still fun, and well worth obtaining. All the pieces are in place for a solid Mario experience. Level design is welcoming enough to new players while providing a few tricky challenges to veterans, and the optional content provides stiffer resistance overall. The? platforming is as expertly crafted as it's always been, featuring skilled level design and some fiendishly placed Star Coins for those aiming to thoroughly complete their adventure. Everything's enjoyable, ev?erything is as good as it's always been ... but it never strives to be better. 

Without the sense of wonder and nostalgia that the first game was able to milk, a lot of the gleam has worn off for this sequel. As Mario retreads familiar ground, revisiting the standard snow worlds and water worlds, going into more haunted houses and fighting some of the least inventive bosses of the franchise, one doesn't feel as inspired as one did in games past. In many ways, New Super Mario Bros. 2 feels like it's going through the motions, coming across more like a stopgap game than a tr??ue sequel in any sense of the wo??rld. The coin metagame only serves to enhance that feeling -- giving it an "expansion-with-a-gimmick" atmosphere as opposed to that of a new, full game. 

Outside of the main single-player mode is a "Coin Rush" sidegame th?at randomly selects three previously played courses and charges players with the task of collecting as many coins as possible and reaching the end of the level within a strict time limit. The player's best results can be shared via StreetPass, giving the mode a competitive edge that might make it more attractive. That attraction would have been better crafted, however, by implementing some online leaderboards. Instead, there is no online interaction, so the chance to compete seems artificially limited, all for a desire to justify the existence of the 3DS' local communication features. 

Co-op lets two players go through the main game together, though again it is local only -- and both users will need a copy of the game. Multiplayer is ostensibly just the regular game with another guy hopping around, a situation made doubly true by the fact that players have to inexplicably share a single screen. One player will always be tied to the camera of another, making him or her act more like Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 than a true partner. Still, serious coin collectors will want to make use of co-op as much as possible, as it dishes out twice the amount of coins ?as payment for frustration.&n?bsp;

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is good. It was always going to be good, because Nintendo makes good games. That was never in doubt. However, it's a markedly more vacuous experience, bereft as it is of fresh gameplay and rigidly sticking to a formula with such zeal one would almost believ??e it a religious imperative of the developers. The coin collecting silliness may alter the player's approach somewhat, but it is nonetheless superficial and many players will doubtless get bored of it before hitting their million. The gimmick serves as an allegory for t??he entire game, really -- a glittering distraction, lacking any real substance.

At its core, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a Mushroom Kingdom coin -- shiny and addictive, but c??arrying no practical value whatsoever.? 

The post Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Accompanying the fast approaching release of the Nintendo 3DS XL, New Super Mario Bros. 2 aims to bring the simple, joyous?? fun of its DS predecessor on the new hardware.

If you played the original New Super Mario Bros. then you will be very familiar with what is on offer here. With its challenge-based Coin Rush mode, and? a new multiplayer component, there is plenty more reason to anticipate a return trip to the Mushroom Kingdom.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: August 19, 2012 (North America) / August 17, 2012 (Europe)

Thanks to what must be the world's most inept protection service, Princess Peach is yet again whisked away to Bowser's castle by the young Koopalings. It's the setup we all know and love, and honestly, who would want it any other way? The slight difference this time around is New Super Mario Bros. 2's focus on coin collecting.

While the main focus is still on platforming your way through a variety of courses on the way to defeat Bowser, that journey is supplemented by a coin collection frenzy, tasking pla?yers to earn a total of one million coins. Yes, that is 1,000,000 coins. This new focus is reflected throughout the game in myriad ways, from power-ups to secret levels, new block types to game modes.

 The Midas touch

While there are all the classic mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Raccoon Suits to be had, NSMB 2 does of course bring some additions. One of the new power-ups in the game, the Golden Mushroom, is curious as it does not actually directly enhance Mario himself. Rather, all the enemies in a course are temporarily covered? in a golden tint, with coins rewarded for taking them out while in that state. Another turns Mario in a metallic state, allowing you to break bricks on contact, and is a great tool for breezing through levels and findi??ng hidden coin blocks.

Speaking of which, there are new block types in NSMB 2 as well. The new Roulette Block offers up coins in, as the name suggests, random values from five to upwards of fifty. Returning from Super Mario Land 3D is the Prize Block, but with some new tweaks. Whereas the Prize Block of Mario Land 3D granted you coins for every few seconds you had it equipped, the Prize Block of NSMB 2 gives up the goodies based on the speed of your movement. The faster you run, the more coins are added to your collection. Sprint your way through a level, and watc?h your coin counter ring higher than you can f??ollow.

The power-ups and bricks aren't the only things that will help you hit the 1,000,000-coin milestone. New secret levels, called Rainbow Courses, are designed for exactly that. By accessing the warp cannons in each world, players can enter these hidden levels, where enemies are kept minimal and the coins are numerous. Being launched from a cannon, Mario moves at impossible speeds, leaving the player to need only worry about ju?mping around enemies and timing themselves through each trail of coins. There are challenges that must be met in order to access these levels, though. These challenges vary from world to world, but can range from finding secret exits in certain levels to collecting all the star coins in others.

 With friends Like these...

Perhaps the best opportunity for coin collecting is found in the multiplayer component of NSMB 2. Through local wireless connection only (both players will need their own copies of ?the game), players can go through the entire game in co-op, and if it's coins you're after, there is plenty of incentive to play this way. Whenever you join a co-op session, all the coins you collect at the end of any given level have a 2x multiplier. Used in conjunction with Ra??inbow Courses and the like, you can see the opportunities stack together nicely.

That being said, the co-op did leave something to be desired. Basically, whoever is host is put at an unfair advantage as the screen moves along at their pace, leaving Player 2 completely at their merc??y in terms of getting knocked off screen and sent to an early death.

There are ways to steal this advantage, such a??s hitting checkpoints first or simply ground pounding Player 1, but even with this back-and-forth exchange all that is really happening is that one person is screwed while the other holds all the power. The best co-op games are the ones that make all participants equally important, and that doesn't seem to be the case here.

 Mine is better than yours

If a more competitive experience is what you are after, then perhaps Coin Rus??h will tickle your fancy. Essentially a ranked challenge mode, Coin Rush tasks players with running through sets of courses to see how many coins you can collect in a given run. You can earn multipliers by finding star coins and other hidden items, but be warned. Time is finite so don't expect to do your best until you've gained a good working knowledge of the level's layout.

The rankings comes into place via the 3DS StreetPass system, where players can pick up and share scores with others, offering new incentives to go back for more. Interestingly enough, if you do want to challenge another player's score, you can choose to do so normally, or with the white and gold Raccoon Suit. For those of you who didn't play Super Mario Land 3D, the white and gold Tanooki Suit granted invincibility to damage as well as the glide ability. The white and gold Raccoon Suit similarly grants invincibility and the fly ability, an odd addition to a challenge mode. There is no penalty to your score, either, if ??you choose to play that way, but there is at least an icon that saves next to whatever score you get, signifying your cheapness.

In any case, what's on offer with New Super Mario Bros. 2 is undeniably Mario, bringing all the ebullient charm we've come to expect. There are some oddities with respect to the multiplayer, but even so, the journey to one million coins is a challenge I cannot wait to ge??t started. Being back in the Mushroom Kingdom will feel so good come August.

The post Preview: Ne?w Super Mario Bros. 2 makes ??gold digging fun appeared first on Destructoid.

Straight from tonight's Nintendo Direct stream comes New Super Mario Bros. 2, available this August for 3DS. Mario appears to have a gold transformation of sorts, and the Raccoon Leaf makes a PROPER return, as in Mario can actually use it to FLY. Take that, 3D Land!

This is just the first?? bit of news from the strea??m. Expect more throughout the night and possibly tomorrow.

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