Mario & Luigi & More in 3DS Nintendo Direct round-up

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Tons of release dates, new titles confirmed

The Nintendo Direct this morning had all kinds of good news for 3DS fans, and even a few surprises for Wii U players. Even better, the news didn't end with returning classics like a new Legend of Zelda, Yoshi's Island, and a release date for Pikmin 3.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D updates the Wii platformer with several new levels and an easier mode with extra health and items (the original difficulty is still available). The journey to Bananambhala begins on May 24 internationally.

Further ahead, Nintendo confirmed that Square Enix RPG Bravely Default: Flying Fairy and Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy will arrive in 2014. Need something to play all these new titles on?

If you're an Animal Crossing fan, a New Leaf 3DS XL bundle could be just the ticket. The $220 set will land on June 9 in North America and June 14 in Europe, with a special body featuring colorful icons from Animal Crossing and the game pre-installed.

Level 5's Guild 02 collection will bolster the 3DS eShop's selection of original "soon," with suspenseful adventure The Starship Damrey, giant monster slice of life game Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, and Keiji Inafune's ant-battler Bugs Vs. Tanks.

The downloadable titles keep coming with pipe-puzzler Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move launching on May 9, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons confirmed for May 30.

Finally, dust off your Sound Stones, for your prayers have been heard: classic RPG Earthbound will arrive on the Wii U virtual console this year. It's not Mother 3, but it's a start.

Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.