Make a date with Nintendo

There’s always a sense of excitement when one of the big three console manufacturers release a list of what’s due out on their consoles from now until the next six months or so. Part of this excitement comes from the fact that often there are games mentioned that haven’t been officially announced, or haven’t been previously reported as being released outside of Japan or whatnot.

This time round it’s Nintendo, with a list of what’s being released in US this year.

For Wii and DS owners it isn’t very good news. Nintendo’s own titles aside, the majority of games for both platforms are either licensed or child friendly. In fact, every DS and Wii game from Activision, Disney, Sega, Konami, D3, THQ, Ubisoft, Take-2 and Warner Bros has a license attached.

Incidentally, WB lists LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 for release on DS and 3DS but not on Wii. A mistake, surely?

EA’s Wii line-up makes for even more depressing reading – four titles based on board games and this year’s Madden and Need for Speed updates. Looks like they aren’t even going to bother releasing FIFA 12 in the US.

There are of course a few exceptions: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 on DS should be worth an import. Two new WiiWare games are on the list too: La-Mulana and MotoHeroz. On DSiWare meanwhile there’s the excellent sounding Pro Jumper! Chimaki’s Hot Spring Tour Guilty Gear Tangent.

More exciting is the list of titles for the 3DS’s eShop – five GameGear games from Sega, Let’s Golf 3D from Gameloft, something called Picture Lives! and confirmation that The Rolling Western – shown at E3 – is an eShop title. That’ll explain why it looks so barren in the screenshots.

After a few months of silence, Nintendo are unleashing three big titles on 3DS – Kid Icarus: Unrising, Mario Kart and Super Mario are all due in time for Christmas while Starfox 64 3D is out in September. Paper Mario and Animal Crossing still have ‘TBA’ next to them. It’s not long until Kirby Mass Attack on DS though – that’s due in September as well.

Anything else? Ubisoft are stinking up the 3DS with no less than four virtual pet games – Petz Fantasy 3D, Cute Puppies, Horses 3D and Imagine Babyz. Shudder. It would also seem that Sega are holding back Thor on 3DS to tie-in with the DVD/Blu-ray release – it’s not due out until “Fall”. The DS version gained some favorable reviews; this could turn out alright too with the extra development time behind it.

To only see one DS game from Ubisoft is a bit of a suprise and it looks like THQ aren’t releasing any more uDraw games now that the uDraw for Xbox 360 and PS3 has been announced. Odd.

The US Nintendo release list in full:

Nintendo 3DS

Activision
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – June
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure – Oct. 16
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence – October
Spider-Man: Edge of Time – Fall

Aksys Games
BIT.TRIP SAGA – End of Q3

ATLUS
MAHJONG CUB3D – July 19
Shin Megami Tensei :Devil Survivor Overclocked – Aug. 23

Capcom
RESIDENT EVIL: THE MERCENARIES 3D – June 28
RESIDENT EVIL: Revelations – TBA

D3Publisher
Angler’s Club: Ultimate Bass Fishing 3D – Summer
BEN 10 GALACTIC RACING – Fall

Electronic Arts
Need for Speed The Run – Nov. 15
FIFA Soccer 12 – Fall
The Sims 3 Pets – Fall

Konami
Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights – Summer
Frogger 3D – Fall
Nikoli Pencil Puzzle – Fall
METAL GEAR SOLID 3D SNAKE EATER – Winter

Majesco Entertainment
Face Racers Photo Finish – Sept. 6
The Hidden – Oct. 4
Cooking Mama 4 Kitchen Magic – Oct. 11
Pet Zombies – Oct. 11
Nano Assault – Nov. 15

NAMCO BANDAI Games America
ACE COMBAT 3D (working title) – 2011
DualPenSports – 2011
PAC-MAN & GALAGA DIMENSIONS – 2011
PAC-MAN Party – 2011
Tales of the Abyss – TBA
TEKKEN 3D (working title) – TBA

Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – June 19
Star Fox 64 3D – Sept. 11
Kid Icarus: Uprising – Holiday
Mario Kart – Holiday
Super Mario – Holiday
LEGO City Stories – 2012
Luigi’s Mansion 2 – 2012
Animal Crossing – TBA
Paper Mario – TBA

NIS America
Cave Story 3D – Aug. 9

SEGA
CRUSH 3D – Sept.
Shinobi – September
Captain America: Super Soldier – Fall
Thor: God of Thunder – Fall
Sonic Generations – November
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games – February 2012

Square Enix
Heroes of Ruin – Early 2012

Tetris Online
Tetris – October

THQ
WWE’12 – Nov. 22

Ubisoft
Cubic Ninja – June 14
Petz Fantasy 3D – June 21
Driver Renegade – Aug. 30
James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes – Aug. 30
Puzzler Mind Gym (working title) – Sept. 6
Imagine Fashion Designer – Oct. 11
Cute Puppies – Oct. 25
Horses 3D – Oct. 25
Imagine Babyz 3D – Oct. 25
Michael Jackson The Experience – Oct. 25
NCIS (working title) – Oct. 25
Raving Rabbids 5 (working title) – Nov. 1
Farm (working title) – Nov. 15
The Adventures of Tintin (working title) – Dec. 6
Rayman Origins – (working title) – March 13, 2012

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters – June 7
Happy Feet Two: The Videogame – Fall
LEGO Harry Potter : Years 5-7 – Holiday

Coming to the Nintendo eShop

Gameloft
Let’s Golf! 3D – Summer

SEGA
Columns
Dragon Crystal
Shinobi
Sonic Drift 2
Sonic The Hedgehog: Triple Trouble

Nintendo
Picture Lives! – TBA
The Rolling Western – TBA

Wii and DS

2K Play
Wii:
Nicktoons MLB – August
Nickelodeon Dance – November

DS:
Nicktoons MLB – August
Dora and Kai-Lan’s Pet Shelter – November
Team Umizoomi – November

Activision
Wii:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – June
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure – Oct. 16
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence – October
Spider-Man: Edge of Time – Fall
X-Men: Destiny – Fall

DS:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – June
Generator Rex: Agent of Providence – October
Zoobles – November
X-Men: Destiny – Fall
Spider-Man: Edge of Time – Fall
Wappy Dog – Holiday

ATLUS
DS:
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 – Q1 2012

D3Publisher
Wii:
Ben 10 Galactic Racing – Fall

DS:
Ben 10 Triple Pack – Summer
Ben 10 Galactic Racing – Fall

Deep Silver
Wii:
Winter Stars – Q4 2011

Disney Interactive
Wii:
Cars 2: The Video Game – June 21
Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension – Aug. 2
Disney Universe – Fall

DS:
Cars 2: The Video Game – June 21
Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension – Aug. 2

Electronic Arts
Wii:
Madden NFL 12 – Aug. 30
FAMILY GAME NIGHT 4: The Game Show – October
FAMILY GAME NIGHT Fun Pack – October
MONOPOLY Collection – October
TRIVIAL PURSUIT Bet You Know It – October
Need for Speed The Run – Nov. 1

DS:
Madden NFL Football — March

GameMill Entertainment
Wii:
Country Dance 2 – Nov. 1

DS:
Moxie Girlz – Nov. 1
Pillow Pets – Nov. 1

Konami
Wii:
DanceDanceRevolution II – Fall
Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3 — Fall

DS:
Beyblade Metal Masters – Fall

Majesco Entertainment
Wii:
Zumba Fitness 2 – Nov. 8

DS:
Camping Mama Outdoor Adventures – Sept. 6

Mentor Interactive
Wii:
ThinkSMART Crazy Machines – June 7

DS:
ThinkSMART Crazy Machines – June 7
ThinkSMART Labyrinth – June 7
ThinkSMART Scotland Yard – June 7
ThinkSMART Chess for Kids – September
ThinkSMART NARABA: The Labyrinth of Light – October
ThinkSMART NARABA: The Mysterious Palace – October

Namco Bandai
Wii:
Go Vacation – Fall
Power Rangers Samurai – Fall 2011

DS:
Power Rangers Samurai — Fall 2011

Nintendo
Wii:
Wii Play: Motion – June 13
Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident – June 27
Kirby Wii – Fall
Fortune Street – Holiday
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – Holiday
Mario Party 9 – TBA
Rhythm Heaven – TBA

DS:
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 – Aug. 28
Kirby Mass Attack – Sept. 19
Professor Layton and the Last Specter – Fall
Super Fossil Fighters – Holiday

SEGA
Wii:
Captain America: Super Solider – July 19
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games – November

DS:
Captain America: Super Soldier – July 19

Tecmo Koei
Wii:
Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer – Q4 2011

Telegames
DS:
Ultimate Card Games – Q4
Ultimate Brain Games – Q1 2012

THQ
Wii:
UFC Personal Trainer – June 28
WWE ‘12 – Nov. 22

Ubisoft
Wii:
The Smurfs Dance Party – July 19
Family Feud 2012 (working title) – Sept. 27
The Price is Right Decades – Sept. 27
Just Dance 3 – Fall
The Adventures of Tintin (working title) – Dec. 6

DS:
The Smurfs – July 19

WB Interactive
Wii:
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters – June 7
Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover! – Summer
Happy Feet Two – The Videogame – Fall

DS:
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters – June 7
Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover! – Summer
Happy Feet Two – The Videogame – Fall
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 – Holiday

WiiWare
La-Mulana – Summer
MotoHeroz – Summer

DSiWare
AfterZoom – July 14
Pro Jumper! Chimaki’s Hot Spring Tour Guilty Gear Tangent – June 23
Moto eXtreme – June 30
Zoonies — Escape from Makatu – Summer
House, M.D. – Blue Meanie – August
House, M.D. – Skull & Bones – November