Today's Smash Bros. focused Nintendo Direct was a little light on the kind of news we were hoping for. There was no mention of Ness, Lucas, or any of the items, stages, or trophies relating to the EarthBound/MOTHER series to be seen in the more than half an hour of game footage on display. However, a recent batch of new screenshots from a press packet sent out to the media proved to be a little more fruitful. The Franklin Badge and Mr. Saturn items are making the jump to the new Super Smash Bros. game. The screenshots displayed are from the Wii U version. No word on if they'll also be included in the Nintendo 3DS version, or if anything else from the series will be coming back.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is slated for release this summer, while Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is expected to have a Winter release.

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-- J_Spade

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NES RPG title Mother, Studio Ghibli has announced that Gorō Miyazaki will be working with Shigesato Itoi to direct Earth Bound, an animated film based on the game's sequel, Mother 2. Gorō Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki, previously directed the films Tales from Earthsea (2006), and the more recent From Up on Poppy Hill (2011).

Earth Bound will tell the story described in the 1994 video game, following the journey of a young American boy and his friends as they travel the world, searching for the strength required to make one last stand against an evil that threatens to destroy the world.

Continued after the jump...