Nintendo Direct- The Announcements Guide

The Year of Luigi continues, and more revelations are in store during Nintendo's December conference...
Today's Nintendo Direct UK broadcast conveyed a number of key announcements regarding new projects coming to the Nintendo WiiU and 3DS in the not too distant future. Just as with our E3 and Gamescom round-ups in the Summer, our coverage of today's broadcast will consist of this cohesive round-up feature in order for us to instantly recognise the most important developments that have occurred for the industry in the past few hours.

In the words of Star Trek Into Darkness' Khan, then, shall we begin? Here's our definitive compilation of all of the latest video game reveals in the December Nintendo Direct showing:

• HYRULE WARRIORS ANNOUNCED- The big announcement of today's conference was a WiiU crossover between the The Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors franchises. Launching in 2014, Hyrule Warriors is developed by Nintendo and Tecmo Koei, with more details on the project expected to be revealed in the New Year.
• SONIC LOST WORLD DLC EXPANSION ANNOUNCED- Nintendo also unveiled a downloadable expansion to their exclusive WiiU/3DS platformer Sonic Lost World, featuring a series of new levels based on the acclaimed Game Boy classic Yoshi's Island. This pack will launch simultaneously with the 3DS side-scroller Yoshi's New Island in Spring 2014.
• DR LUIGI ANNOUNCED, TRAILER DÉBUTS- A new spin-off to the Super Mario Bros series, Dr. Luigi, was subsequently confirmed as a continuation product to take the Year of Luigi in 2014. Launching exclusively on Nintendo WiiU and premièring via a teaser trailer (below), Dr. Luigi will be available on the WiiU Store this January 2014 in the UK.
• NEW SUPER SMASH BROS CHARACTER ANNOUNCED, TRAILER RELEASED- Although no definitive release window beyond 2014 has been announced for Super Smash Bros for WiiU and Super Smash Bros for 3DS, today's Nintendo Direct did at least bring with it a new trailer for the product that unveiled a new character...or two. Super Mario Galaxy's Rosalina and her pet Luma will work in tandem against the sequel's various other brawlers, with magical powers deriving from the two hit Wii-exclusive Galaxy instalments!
• DONKEY KONG COUNTRY: TROPICAL FREEZE RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED- After their confirmation of a February shipment of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in the US at the Spike VGX Awards, Nintendo UK were proud to announce that the WiiU-exclusive platforming sequel lands in our region on February 21st, 2014.
• MARIO KART 8 RELEASE WINDOW TRAILER RELEASED- Last up, the publisher's latest trailer for their upcoming racing title Mario Kart 8 affirmed the game's release window. Yep, Mario Kart 8 will retail exclusively for Nintendo WiiU in Spring 2014, so start the countdown to March 20th and the new season right now...

For all the latest news, reviews, previews and features on Nintendo's video game roster, keep it On-Screen in the months ahead!