Last night’s Nintendo Direct wasn’t as earth-shattering as we had hoped it would be, but there were some decent announcements nonetheless.

Here are some of the highlights: On the 23rd of April, a free update to Mario Kart 8 will land, bringing a 200cc mode that will drastically boost the speed of the game’s vehicles. You might actually have to use the brakes for a change!

On the same day, the second DLC pack for the game will land, bringing with it a bunch of Animal Crossing shenanigans, including characters, vehicles, music and an Animal Crossing-themed track. Check it out:

The most exciting news for old longtime gamers was the announcement that classic Nintendo 64 and DS games are coming for the Wii U’s Virtual Console (via Eurogamer). DS titles will cost from $6.99 to $9.99, while N64 games will run the gamut from $9.99 to $11.99. (As of right now, Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, Mario Kart DS and WarioWare Touched! are all available via the European Nintendo eShop.) Time for a stroll down memory lane, perhaps? It’ll only cost a couple hundred bucks.

Nintendo also plans to put out a Special Edition Splatoon bundle that includes an exclusive Inkling Squid amiibo that arrives in Europe on the 29th of May. While we have no confirmation that SA will also get them yet, it’s safe to assume that they should arrive on our shores at some point in the near-ish future.

And then there are the new amiibo cards, tradeable character cards that will work with future games starting with the new Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer that’s set to launch later this year.

So, Nintendo fans, what do you think? Me, I was hoping for something Metroid-related or at least something about Paper Mario, but alas. Perhaps they’re waiting for this year’s E3 to drop those particular bombs.

Should you be keen to watch the latest Nintendo Direct in its entirety, you can catch it on YouTube here.

[Source – Nintendo Direct, Eurogamer. Image – MyNintendoNews.com]