Fire Emblem: Awakening demo available January 17, plus plans for downloadable maps

Hooray! Instead of having to wait the the entire remaining three and a half weeks until Fire Emblem: Awakening's release date, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have put together a demo for us that will be available January 17. Only one week away! In addition, Nintendo has gone over plans to release a variety of content though assort means, such as standard in-game DLC, StreetPass and SpotPass. Considering how long it usually takes to get new Fire Emblem games, DLC will be welcome.

Fire Emblem: Awakening will periodically release maps for purchase and download, the first of which will be available at launch. The first of which will be free for a limited time, likely to persuade fans to buy the game early without the negative connotation of preorder DLC. These maps will have varying price points depending on size and scale.

SpotPass and StreetPass will both have implementation, as well. Nintendo will release free maps through SpotPass from time to time, with new stories, characters and items available. StreetPass will allow players to swap 10-man team information, and friends' teams will appear randomly in maps to battle against or make purchases from.

Expect Fire Emblem: Awakening's 3DS debut on February 4, or check out the demo on January 17 (next week). I ... think it looks good. It's hard to tell from a 10 second trailer.