Nintendo has just been popping out games, both on disc and in downloadable format, like crazy, and they are defiintely looking to keep this momentum for this holiday season. We’ve recieved a huge list of Wii and DS/DSi releases. I will highlight some of them below, and for those interested, the list will be posted at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!

First and foremost, check out these Wii Remotes! Starting February 14th, 2010, gamers will be able to play the Wii  with Blue and Pink Wii remotes. They will come bundled with the Wii MotionPlus accessory. Now, onto the games!

This is the game I’m looking forward to, above all, from Nintendo: Tastunoko VS Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. This is going to be awesome! Some of you may remember that I played this at PAX back in September. The control scheme is very different from any of the VS fighting games that capcom has released, creating a unique feel to this title. Fighting fans are definitely in for a treat with this one. This one is set to release for January 26, 2010

I’m gonna be honest with you guys here; I’m looking forward to the next Pokemon installment. I’m not ashamed to say it. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the next gen portable remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver, released back in 1999. Pokemon Gold was the first Pokemon I played, and none of its predecessors nor successors have come close to beating my initial Pokemon experience. I’m excited to relive that experience on the DS, with enhance gameplay and graphics. There. I said it. I like Pokemon. Watch out for this in on March 14, 2010.

One more game worth looking into is WarioWare D.I.Y. This will be the newest installment of the WarioWare series, and arguably the most interesting one. You will actually be able to design your own micro-games and share them with others via a broadband Internet connection and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You will have total control over the micro-games, from characters and environemtns, to the action and purpose of these micro-games. This one is set for release on March 28, 2010.

Phew! and now for a list of games set for release, by

Wii

2K Sports
Major League Baseball 2K10 – March

Activision
How To Train Your Dragon – March 23

The American Game Factory, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop – Friendship Valley – March 17

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
Shiren the Wanderer™ – Feb. 9

Capcom
TATSUNOKO VS. CAPCOM™: ULTIMATE ALL-STARS – Jan. 26

City Interactive USA
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII – Feb. 16
Chicken Riot – Feb. 9

Collision Studios
City Builder – February

D3Publisher
Family Party: 30 Great Games™ Winter Fun – February

Deep Silver, Inc.
Let’s Play Ballerina – March
Let’s Play Garden – March

Disney Interactive Studios
Alice in Wonderland – March

Hudson Entertainment
Rooms: The Main Building – Spring
Calling – Spring

Konami
Walk it Out – Jan. 10
Yu Gi Oh! Duel Trancer – Q1
DanceDanceRevolution – Q1

Majesco Entertainment
Data East Arcade Classics – January
The Daring Game of Girls – February
Pizza Delivery Boy – March

Nintendo
Endless Ocean: Blue World – Feb. 22

SEGA of America
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll™ – Feb. 9
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ – March

SouthPeak Games
Sled Shred™ featuring the Jamaican Bobsled Team – Feb. 1
Fast Food Panic™ – Jan. 5

Storm City Entertainment
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral – February

UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Arcade Shooter: Ilvelo – Q1
Rock Blast – Q1
Jaja’s Adventure – Q1

Ubisoft
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle – late January
Sleepover Party – Jan. 12
Racquet Sports – March
Red Steel 2 – Q1

XSEED Games
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces – Jan. 5
FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON – March 16

WiiWare™

Akaoni Studio S.L.
Zombie Panic in Wonderland – Q1

Broken Rules
And Yet It Moves – Q1

Capcom
Phoenix Wright™:Ace Attorney™ – January
Mega Man® 10 – March

Ghostfire Games
Rage of the Gladiator – Q1

Hudson Entertainment
Military Madness: Nectaris® – Q1

Nabi Studios
Toribash – Q1

Nintendo
WarioWare™ D.I.Y. Showcase – Q1

Press Play ApS
Max & the Magic Marker – Q1

Team Meat
Super Meat Boy – Q1

Nintendo DS/Nintendo DSi

2K Sports
Major League Baseball 2K10 – March

Activision
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief™ – Feb. 2
How To Train Your Dragon – March 23

Aksys Games
World Cup of Pool – Feb. 9

The American Game Factory, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop – Welcome to Hugsville – March 17

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
Shin Megami Tensei®: Strange Journey™ – March 10

Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Ace Attorney Investigations™: Miles Edgeworth – Feb. 16

City Interactive USA
Animal Country: Life on the Farm – Feb. 16
Art of Murder – March 16

Deep Silver, Inc.
Let’s Play Flight Attendant – March
Let’s Play Ballerina – March
Let’s Play Garden – March

Disney Interactive Studios
Sonny With a Chance – Spring
Alice in Wonderland – March

GameMill Publishing
Escape the Museum – Jan. 12
Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace – Feb. 9

Hudson Entertainment
Rooms: The Main Building – Spring
DECA SPORTS™ – Spring

Konami
Scene It! Twilight – Q1
Puzzle Chronicles – Jan. 10

Majesco Entertainment
Super Speed Machines – February
The Daring Game for Girls – February
Dawn of Heroes – February
ATV Revolution – March

Nintendo
Glory of Heracles – Jan. 18
Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version – March 14
WarioWare: D.I.Y. – March 28
America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking – March 28

Natsume Inc.
Squishy Tank™ – February
Cheer We Go! ™ – March

PopCap Games
Bejeweled Twist™ – Q1

SEGA of America
Sands of Destruction™ – Jan. 12
Infinite Space™ – March
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ – March
Sonic Classic Collection™ – Spring

SouthPeak Games
Crime Scene™ – Feb. 1
Dementium II™ – Feb. 2
Fast Food Panic™ – Jan. 5
Sushi Go Round™ – Feb. 1
Montessori Music™ – March 1

Storm City Entertainment
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral – February
Myst – February
ATV Quad Kings – March
T.A.C Heroes: The Big Red One – March

TECMO
Monster Rancher® DS – March
AGAIN™ – March

Telegames, Inc.
Puzzle Overload™ -Spring
Solitaire Overload Plus™ – Spring

THQ
Daniel X: The Ultimate Power – Jan. 12

Tomy Corporation
Lovely Lisa™ and Friends (enhanced Nintendo DSi content) – February

Ubisoft
Imagine Reporter – Jan. 20
Imagine Party Planner – Jan. 13
Imagine Sweet 16 – Feb. 10
Imagine Gymnast – March 10

XSEED Games
KORG DS-10 Plus – Jan. 19
Ragnarok™ DS – Feb. 16

Nintendo DSiWare™

EA
Downtown Texas Hold’em Poker – Q1
Surviving High School™ – Q1

Gameloft
Legends of Exidia – Q1
Let’s Golf – Q1
Real Soccer™ 2010 – Q1
Gangstar 2: Kings of L.A. – Q1

Nintendo
Trajectile™ – Jan. 4
Number Battle™ – Jan. 25
Starship Defense™ – Jan. 18
Touch Solitaire – Jan. 11
X-Scape™ – February
Link ‘n’ Launch™ – February

Subatomic Studios
Fieldrunners – Q1

WayForward
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Q1

Oh man am I excited for Black Friday. I’m looking to purchase an HDTV this year (I’ve been playing on a monitor this whole time), and I’ve put more research than I ever have into the purchase… but I digress. I’m not here to tell you about my after Thanksgiving purchases. I’m here to tell you about Nintendo’s Black Friday bundle: Metallic Blue and White Nintendo DSis… oh and also my complaints.

This Black Friday, Nintendo’s packing either of the above mentioned DSis with $20 worth of DSiWare game and applications. Here’s what you can get:

Metallic Blue DSi:

• Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again: Can Mario and his Mini Marios rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong’s clutches yet again?
• Dr. Mario™ Express: Mario once again dons his stethoscope to battle the forces of illness in this downloadable version of the classic puzzle game.
• WarioWare™: Snapped!: Wario™ returns with more manic action made especially for the Nintendo DSi system. Ituses the built-in Nintendo DSi Camera to make players the star of the show by placing them right into fast-paced mini-games.
• Mario™ Calculator: Mario and Luigi™ take a break from their normal adventures to dedicate their heroic talents to working with numbers.
• Mario™ Clock: Mario Clock includes both analog and digital clocks that use the system’s internal clock or allow you to offset the time however you like.

White DSi:

• Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters: Test your spelling in Word Attack, enjoy literary classics in Reading Aloud and tune your musical skills in Piano Player.
• Brain Age™ Express: Sudoku: Solve a variety of puzzles at three different skill levels using the touch screen and an intuitive interface.
• Brain Age™ Express: Math: Players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar exercises, including Change Maker, Triangle Math, Sum Totaled and Multi Tasker.
• Clubhouse Games™ Express: Card Classics: Play familiar favorites like Blackjack and Five Card Draw, or test your ability in the fast-paced Last Card, Last Card Plus and President.
• Photo Clock: Experience all the enjoyment of a photo album while ensuring you won’t lose track of the time.

Ok, so I guess that’s pretty cool. But the thing is, your aesthetics may collide with your taste in DSiWare. What if you wanted a Metallic Blue DSi, but are a brain teaser addict? Or you want the White DSi and can’t get enough of Mario? I suppose that’s the problem with most bundled packages. I have NEVER purchased a bundle that involves a system and a game because the bundles always included something I didn’t want. I’m not saying its not a great deal. It is a good deal, maybe if you’re looking to get started with a DSi. For me, I usually know which games I want, so bundles almost never workout. But again, that’s just me.

Nintendo releases yet another 8 titles for the WiiWare, Nintendo DSiWare, and Virtual Console.

Nintendo DSiWare
Sparkle Snapshots
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi points

I knew this was going to happen. I’m sure some of you know this, but a popular pass time for Japanese youth at one point was to go to “Purikura” (short for Print Club). The “Purikura” is a booth where you and your friends can go in, take a picture, and then add all kinds of effects like sparkles, birhgt lights, draw, paint, etc and print them out. Well now you can do that all in the palm of your hands with the Nintendo DSi. You can even send these pics to friends via the DS wireless communications.

Viking Invasion
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi points

Finally! A tower defense game for the NDSi! Fortify your castle as Olaf the Viking and his horde of pillagers raid your land. They’ll be coming at you with armies of vikings, and legions of fantastic creatures straight out of the mythical land of Asgard. As you gain experience, you’ll be able to build even stronger defenses. With a Campaign and Survivial Mode, as well as three difficulty levels, this one looks to be a fun little purchase.

Battle of Giants: Dragons – Bronze Edition
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi points

Play as the last Bronze Dragon as you venture on a quest ot defeat the evil SLAMU dragons and reclaim the 25 exclusive bronze gems they stole. Explore, customize and battle with your bronze dragon, and even enter into a 4-player tournament!

WiiWare
Carnival King
Price: 700 Wii points
Visit three different amusement parks; Arcadia, Dreamland and Lagoon with your friends to compete in all of your favorite carnival games. Each park provides 4 sets of gamea and a Bonus Round. With adjustable difficulty settings, this game is suitable from the novice players to the keenest of sharpshooters.

“Aha! I Got It!” Escape Game
Price: 500 Wii Points
So it’s Milo’s birthday today. What did he get for his present? A room full of puzzle! You’ll have to shake, push and twist the Wii Remote to collect and use items to solve all the puzzles to escape the room. I’m not sure if I personally would like incarceration in a room full of puzzles for my birthday. But then againa, it might fun…?

Family Card Games
Price: 500 Wii Points
I know, it sounds like another lame family game. But I was surprised to find that this game offers Daifugo as one of their card games. This is a Japanese card game. The title literally translates to Big Rich Man, and plays a lot like a game of Thirteen, or A$$hole. Who knows, maybe this could be your next drinking game.

Virtual Console
Fighting Street
Price: 800 Wii points
A port of the original arcade version of Street Fighter. I’m sure there are a good handful Street Fighter fans that have never actually played the original Street Fighter. Honestly, there’s no comparison to the recent Street Fighter games, but as a fan, I think it’s definitely worth trying out; you’ll definitely gain a new found respect and appreciation for how far this series has come.

R-Type
Price: 500 Wii points
Yet another classic. A unique side-scrolling shooter developed in 1987, R-Type is one of the most famous shooters out there. You must navigate through 8 levels  to defeat the evil Bydo Empire. And like any good side-scrolling shooter, this game will test the extremities of your reflexes. Relive the intensity!

The ever-expanding library of Nintendo’s downloadable games keeps growing as they add eight new games to their line-up.

WiiWare
Lostwinds: Winter of the Melodias
Price: 1,000 Wii Point
Lostwinds: Winter of the Melodias is the sequel to the WiiWare launch title, Lostwinds. If you are a Wii owner, you’ve probably heard, if not own this title. Using Enril the Wind Spirit’s power through your Wii Remote,  protect and guide the main character Toku as he jumps, glides and smashes his enemies. This time around, you have even more powers, such as changing the seasons themselves.

Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem
Price: 500 Wii Points
This game looks hilarious. You are basically a monkey, trying to survive in the jungle the only way you know how: by shooting things. As you progress in the game, your moneky “levels up” the evolutionary ladder, ultimately becoming a modern soldier. I don’t know about you, but I find that hilarious.

Nintendo DSiWare
The following games are all about Domo-kun. For those of you not familiar with Domo-kun, here he is:

 Yup. That’s Domo-kun. He’s the mascot of NHK, a Japanese Television station. Pretty much everyone in Japan recognizes him, and he has gained an impressive following here in the US as well. The games listed below all feature Domo-kun as the star. There’s nothing super innovative about the gameplay, but I’ve added a little info for each.

Crash-Course Domo
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi points
Guide Domo-kun across the finish line in six increasingly difficult bicycle races.

Hard-Hat Domo
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi points
Match ladder colors to floor colors as you help Domo-kun the construction worker reach the top of the building.

Pro-Putt Domo
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi points
Domo-kun is going for the gold in the world putt-putt golf championship! On his journey to become a putt-putt champion he’ll collect coins and earn bowls of meat-and-potato stew too!

Rock-n-Roll Domo
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi points
Help Domo on his quest for fortune and fame by hitting the right notes at the right time. Rhythm Domo!

White-Water Domo
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi points
Domo on Kayak. Done.

Virtual Console

Rygar
Price: 600 Wii Points 
Anybody remember this one? Side-scrolling fans from the late 80’s to mid 90’s have probably played this badboy. For those not familiar with this classic, you control the legendary warrior Rygar in an attempt to save the human race from the resurrected ancient Beast Lord. Armed with the Diskarmor, a shield attached to a long chain, you must fight your way to slay the Beast Lord.

These titles, along with all new downloadable games are made available at 9 am PST on Mondays. Enjoy!

The Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop has a hole slew of new downloads available this week. This whole downloading thing with Nintendo is really kicking off! I’m looking forward to seeing where and how far Nintendo will go.

Nintendo DSiWare

• Art Academy: Second Semester
  Increase your knowledge of the fine arts with the second semester of Art Academy!
  Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
• DRAGON QUEST WARS
  Now you can use all of your favorite quirky monsters from Dragon Quest in a grid-based stratgey game!
  Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

WiiWare

• ARKANOID Plus!
  Relive and re-experience the classic arcade hit! With a host of new game modes and settings.
  Price: 600 Wii points
• DRiiFT Mania
  Experience the ultimate top-down multiplayer racing. Challenge your friends in the many different racing environments.
  Price: 800 Wii Points

Virtual Console

• Altered Beast
  “Rise from your grave!” Now you can relive the ultimate audio… and I suppose side-scrolling action experience on the Genesis! Plow through your quest as a Werewolf, Weredragon, Werebear, Weretiger and the Golden Werewolf.
  Price: 1,000 Wii Points

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With dx and their superb track record with busy gaming content sites behind them, Nintendo Life will grow even larger and provide an even better user experience. dx has planned  period of duality so that Nintendo Life was able to configure and test the new system, ensuring a smooth transition. Definitely an awesome leap forward for Nintendo Life. Check out more at www.nintendolife.com

While there were many announcements Nintendo didn’t quite provide us with at E3 (Zelda for Wii, anyone?) they certainly came through on another major first-party front: Mario. Mario vs Donkey Kong, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, etc. It is the latter that I myself had a chance to play.

Let me start this by saying that I was a huge fan of Four Swords on the Gamecube. Working (ostensibly) as a team, but really just struggling individually to get ahead, it provided a unique and entertaining multiplayer experience. Super Mario Bros. Wii is…a little different, perhaps.

The game has all the elements you’d expect from a classic Mario Game. Hammer Brothers hurling a barrage of weaponry at you, Dry Bones that just won’t stay dead, and a few million Piranha Plant teeth. Graphically, the game is extremely standard. With four players pulling in four different directions at any given time, the game doesn’t have the opportunity to zoom in and provide too much detail. Fair enough. My only complaint is that the game is relying too much on nostalgia for its gameplay dynamics. The biggest new thing we encountered during our time running through the levels was the Propellor/Penguin Suits. Give the Wiimote a shake, and you go soaring for a short time. Lock unsuspecting enemies in blocks of ice. As for the rest of it, there just wasn’t much there. What I loved about games like Yoshi’s Island and even Super Mario Land 2 on the Game Boy is that they weren’t afraid to do things a little differently. By not clinging to the Mario canon, they actually gave us a reason to push forward and explore the new ideas–fun new items, secret levels, altered enemies, you name it. Now, perhaps I am being too hasty in my judgment of NSMBW (the title’s something of a mouthful). Maybe all of those things exist and we didn’t get far enough to see them, but I somehow doubt it. Time will tell.

Criticism aside, it is always fun to leap on the heads of your quasi-allies to be the first to reach the big shiny coin. It is satisfying to be the last man standing, carrying the team on your back. And yes, it’s still fun to lose control on the ice levels and feel that last rush of adrenaline as you know you’re not quite going to make it. Maybe online multiplayer would have given a more competitive feel to the game, but there certainly is something to be said for four people spread across a living room, clambering for superiority. You can be one of those four in late 2009. In the meanwhile, you might want to dust off that Super Mario World 2 cart and give it a spin.

Ah, sibling rivalry. Quick solutions for nagging problems.

A another very cool looking thing made by Sean Kenney and his legos. Impressive!
I guess that if you’re a gamer, you just can’t hate legos.

Check this video out!

Good job, Sean. Good job.