REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Leaves won’t be the only things turning gold this fall as Nintendo prepares to launch an extraordinary lineup of games for its Wii™, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ game systems. At a recent meeting of GameStop retail store managers from across the United States, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing Scott Moffitt revealed new details about upcoming releases for several fan-favorite franchises:

A special limited-edition The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword bundle containing the game and a gold* Wii Remote™ Plus controller will be available when the game launches on Nov. 20.

Also for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, every copy in the initial production of the game will come packaged with a special music CD featuring orchestral arrangements of select songs that will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert.

Nintendo will launch the upcoming Tetris®: Axis game for Nintendo 3DS systems on Oct. 2.

The Professor Layton and the Last Specter™ game for the Nintendo DS family of systems will launch Oct. 17.
“Nintendo has something for you this fall, no matter what type of gamer you are, no matter what Nintendo system you’re playing,” said Moffitt. “Whether you’re looking for a world-spanning epic like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the pick-up-and-play puzzle fun of Tetris: Axis or the mind-bending adventure of Professor Layton and the Last Specter, we’ve got you covered.”

The limited-edition gold controller bundle for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be offered at a suggested retail price of $69.99. The game will also be sold separately at a suggested retail price of $49.99, though the gold controller will only be available as part of the special bundle. As an additional 25th anniversary treat for fans who purchase the game early, every copy in the initial production, whether sold by itself or as a part of the limited-edition bundle, will come with a free CD featuring select orchestral arrangements of iconic music spanning the history of the franchise which will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert performances in October 2011. For more information about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, visit http://www.zelda.com/skywardsword.

The original portable Tetris® game was a smash hit on the Game Boy™ system. The new Tetris: Axis game lets players use the magic of the Nintendo 3DS system to jump into the action in 3D without the need for special glasses. The game includes more than 20 different modes – some familiar, some new. Up to eight players can compete in wireless multiplayer battles, even if only one player has a game card**. Tetris: Axis also makes use of the augmented-reality and SpotPass™ features of Nintendo 3DS. Tetris: Axis is part of a stirring fall lineup for Nintendo 3DS that also includes Pokémon™ Rumble Blast (launching Oct. 24), Super Mario 3D Land™ (November) and Mario Kart™ 7 (December).

Professor Layton and the Last Specter for the Nintendo DS family of systems is the fourth installment in the Professor Layton puzzle adventure series. It begins a new trilogy that is a prequel to the original games, set three years before the events in Professor Layton and the Curious Village™. The game contains more puzzles than any in the series to date. As a North American exclusive to the overall Professor Layton and the Last Specter package, a bonus role-playing game called Professor Layton’s London Life™ containing more than 100 hours of additional content will be available to players from the start of the game.

Nintendo press release

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@Simbabbad

You almost got me. Bravo.

@Jargon

This. I'm SO getting the LE version and I don't even know if I can wait 3 months.

$50 says the disc will be a sexy gold.

Posted by

casper884

on: 08/29/11, 23:40

rebonack said:

V_s said:

I wouldn't pay extra for the CD or Wiimote, but they're both things I'd be interested in having otherwise.

The CD comes with the standard version of the game, which is awesome.

That is awesome. I only read the OP, so I wasn't sure if they meant that the CD came with every version or just the special edition, but that's great to hear!

Posted by

V_s

on: 08/29/11, 23:42

I hope Skyward Sword basically mixes WInd Waker's style and heart with Twilight Princess' substance and shear list of shit to do, if that makes any sense.

Posted by

PogueSquadron

on: 08/30/11, 00:05

@PogueSquadron
Sounds good to me!

Posted by

TriforceBun

on: 08/30/11, 00:13

Hinph said:

$70 with the gold MotionPlus Wiimote? Sold. I don't have a controller with MotionPlus built in yet.

This

Posted by

carlosrox

on: 08/30/11, 00:15

@Simbabbad

I was getting ready to come at you with gnashing of teeth. Good thing my sarcasm detector kicked in.

Posted by

casper884

on: 08/30/11, 01:13

Edited:

08/30/11, 01:15

LOVE LOVE LOVE the art. I think Twilight Princess still takes the cake as my favorite packaging though.
Will be snagging that bundle, cannot wait!

Posted by

MikeD487

on: 08/30/11, 01:52

Don't buy it from Gamestop... they might take the CD out

Posted by

thefly

on: 08/30/11, 01:52

Edited:

08/30/11, 01:54

@thefly

LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by

casper884

on: 08/30/11, 01:53

$70 for the game and a controller? Standalone Wiimote+ is $40, so the game should be $30 alone! RABBLE RABBLE.

Posted by

nate38

on: 08/30/11, 01:58

Wowsers... That Zelda box art is amazing! The Wii remote is also quite spectacular, and I'm not even a fan of gold colored wares. I'll definitely be preordering this bundle. Hopefully Amazon offers it soon, otherwise I'll have to head to GameStop.

Posted by

NoName

on: 08/30/11, 02:05

I'm a sucker for all things Zelda, so $70 isn't a big deal. Plus, I've only got one controller with WM+ and I'll likely be giving that to my parents.

Posted by

missypissy

on: 08/30/11, 02:16

Pretty awesome box art except for the face peeking out just beyond the tilted sword. Looks strange to me, compositionally.

Posted by

carlosrox

on: 08/30/11, 02:22

@nate38 True, but on the other hand I already have a WiiMotion+ and there are what... like 3 games worth playing that use it? I don't really need another.

Posted by

Zero

on: 08/30/11, 02:41

@Zero

But none of them are gold.

No, any self-respecting Zelda fan NEEDS this Wii Remote Plus. Consider it just a collectible that you can sell later on ebay.

Posted by

casper884

on: 08/30/11, 02:57

Of all the factors that determine how big a fan you are of something, buying extraneous accessories probably ranks last.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 08/30/11, 03:12

@Guillaume Are you saying my Zelda action figures and board game don't make me a bigger Zelda fan? What a waste of money.

Posted by

rebonack

on: 08/30/11, 03:15

@rebonack@rebonack

Your knowledge of all things Zelda and AoL in particular is far more impressive!

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 08/30/11, 03:17

@Guillaume

It's not about how big of a Zelda fan you are. It's about the minimum threshold to be considered one in the first place!

Posted by

casper884

on: 08/30/11, 03:25

Edited:

08/30/11, 03:26

@Guillaume QFT. I'm a fan because I play games. Everything else is just wasted money to me. Sure, on rare occasions I buy a cheap plushie or something, but for the most part I don't collect anything but GAMES. I don't see how a gold controller would help me enjoy Zelda more, so I don't need it.

Posted by

Zero

on: 08/30/11, 03:34

Edited:

08/30/11, 03:36