Nintendo's Early 2009 Release List

New Releases Also Include New Play Control! Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis for Wii, Fire Emblem for Nintendo DS

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 17, 2008 – Continuing its commitment to create fun and engaging experiences for everyone, Nintendo of America Inc. today unleashes a broad list of exciting new games for the first quarter of 2009. Topping the list is Pokémon™ Platinum version for Nintendo DS™, a remarkable new entry in the beloved Pokémon series, slated for a March 22 launch across North America. Nintendo's roster of more than 100 new games includes an impressive array of challenges and experiences for new players and loyalists, as well as everyone in between. Notable titles include the enhanced New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis™ and New Play Control! Pikmin™ for Wii™, and Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon, Personal Trainer™: Math and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS.

"Our fans expect a diverse selection of entertainment options, and we're eager to deliver exactly that," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're building on the momentum of a strong holiday season by offering new and experienced players an even greater library of game titles in 2009."

Pokémon fans in particular will have plenty to cheer about as Pokémon Platinum is readied for its U.S. debut. Following the vast popularity of Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum is the newest in the core series of Pokémon games. Pokémon Platinum features a new story full of adventure, never-before-seen forms of powerful Pokémon – including the legendary Giratina's Origin Forme – and the Distortion World, a mysterious new world that suddenly appears in the Sinnoh region. In addition, with Pokémon Platinum up to 20 players can interact with other Pokémon fans from around the world in the new Wi-Fi Plaza, featuring mini-games and activities. Players can also enjoy the new features in the Global Terminal, such as posting battle videos using the new "Vs. Recorder." In addition, Pokémon Platinum features a new Battle Frontier, where the toughest Trainers can test their skills in new ways. Pokémon Platinum already has broken previous Nintendo DS sales records in Japan, selling more than 1 million copies in its first two days of release.

For the portable Nintendo DS, Personal Trainer: Math builds on the new Personal Trainer™ series, which launched with Personal Trainer™: Cooking, now extends its reach beyond the stomach to the brain. Personal Trainer: Math introduces 40 fast-paced exercises to give players a fun way to improve their arithmetic skills. The Personal Trainer series is designed to help users enrich their lives and learn new skills in fun and interesting ways. Also for Nintendo DS, fans of the Fire Emblem franchise will enjoy the arrival of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, a revamped and re-imagined version of the NES™ classic, featuring touch-screen controls. Players with a broadband Internet connection can enjoy worldwide battles over Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's online gaming service.

Meanwhile, for the Wii console, Nintendo is offering up two classic Nintendo GameCube™ games: New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin enhanced for play using the Wii Remote™ controller. The enhanced New Play Control! Pikmin game lets players point the Wii Remote controller at the screen and use it as a cursor, making it easy to select either a single Pikmin or an entire army. When a player tosses Pikmin, they fly wherever the cursor is pointing. New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis lets players enjoy an afternoon on the court as their favorite characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, complete with motion-controlled serves and swings. With Wii controls, players can swing the Wii Remote controller to hit forehands and backhands and to apply spin. Experienced gamers can also attach a Nunchuk™ controller for additional precision. Both games are scheduled to launch next March.

Third-party publishers continue to bring diverse, creative games like FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ from Square-Enix for Wii and Nintendo DS. These games offer unique features that allow users to play multiplayer across Nintendo platforms. MADWORLD™ from Sega will be available exclusively for Wii, and the highly acclaimed franchise Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from Rockstar Games will be available for Nintendo DS.

Below is a partial list of upcoming games for Wii and Nintendo DS. Note that game titles and launch dates are subject to change.

Wii

Activision
Monsters vs. Aliens - March 24

Crave Entertainment
Monster Pals™ - March
Solitaire & Mahjong - February
Puzzle Challenges and More! - February
Crayola Colorful World - March

D3Publisher
Onechanbara™ Bikini Zombie Slayers™ - February
Coraline - January

Destineer
WordJong Party - January
Battle Rage - February
Cradle of Rome - February
Cate West: The Vanishing Files - March
Burger Island - March

Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year - Winter

DreamCatcher
Play the World - March

Electronic Arts
NASCAR® Kart Racing - Feb. 10
SimAnimals™ - Jan. 27
TRIVIAL PURSUIT - Early spring

Hudson Entertainment
FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR - Jan. 6
Marble Saga Kororinpa™ - Spring

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
DanceDanceRevolution® Disney Grooves - March

Majesco Entertainment
Escape the Museum - January
Major Minor's Majestic March - March

Marvelous Entertainment USA
Little King's Story - Feb. 17
Rune Factory: Frontier - March

Mastiff
Deer Drive™ - Jan. 20

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
We Ski™ and Snowboard - March

Nintendo
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis™ - March
New Play Control! Pikmin™ - March

Sega
The House of The Dead: Overkill™ - February
SONIC™ and the Black Knight - March
MADWORLD™ - March

Southpeak Interactive
Roogoo Twisted Towers™ - Feb. 17
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball™ - March 17
Brave: A Warrior's Tale™ - Feb. 17

THQ
Paws & Claws Pet Resort - Jan. 5
Neighborhood Games - Jan. 5

Ubisoft
Tenchu™: Shadow Assassins - February
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director's Cut) - March

XS Games
Super PickUps™ - Q1

Nintendo DS

Activision
Monsters vs. Aliens - March 24
Pimp My Ride 2™ - March 24
Animal Planet™ - March 10

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
My World, My Way™ - Feb. 3
Legacy of Ys™: Books I & II - Feb. 10
Trackmania™ DS - March 17

Crave Entertainment
Monster Pals ™ - March

D3Publisher of America
Puzzle Quest™: Galactrix™ - Q1
Coraline - January

Destineer
USA TODAY Puzzle Craze - January
DinoPets - March

Disney Interactive Studios
Phineas and Ferb - Winter

DreamCatcher
Inkheart - January
Learn Math - January
Drivers' Ed Portable - January
Monster Band - January
Zoo Quest - February
My Personal Diary - February
Music Star: Pop Star - February
Paint by DS - March
Matchstick - March
Dreamer: Top Model - March
Sarah - Keeper of the Unicorn - March
Learn Chess - March
Dragon Master - April

Electronic Arts
Zubo™ - March
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure™ - Q1
SimAnimals™ - Jan. 27

Empire Interactive
Jagged Alliance - Feb. 17

Gameloft
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity - March 9

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero™ - Q1
Suikoden Tierkreis - Q1
Little Magician's Magic Adventure™ - Q1

Majesco Entertainment
WonderWorld Amusement Park™ - January
Powerbike - January
Our House™ - Q1
Hot 'n' Cold - March

Marvelous Entertainment USA
Avalon Code - February
Flower, Sun, and Rain - March

Mastiff
Moon™ - Jan. 13

MumboJumbo
Chicken Hunter Star Karts - March 10

Nintendo
Personal Trainer™: Math - Jan. 12
Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon - Feb. 16
Pokémon™ Platinum version - March 22

ROCKSTAR GAMES
Grand Theft Auto™: Chinatown Wars - Winter

Southpeak Interactive
Big Bang Mini® - Jan. 6
Roogoo Attack™ - Feb. 17
Brave: Shaman's Challenge™ - Feb. 17

Square Enix, Inc.
FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ - Spring

THE GAME FACTORY
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES™ - Jan. 19

THQ
Paws & Claws Pampered Pets - Jan. 5

TOMY Corporation
My DoItAll™ - February

Ubisoft
Jake Power Fireman - January
Jake Power Policeman - January
Imagine™ Cheerleader - February
JoJo's Fashion Show - February
Petz® Horseshoe Ranch - February
Imagine™ Family Doctor - February
Imagine™ Ice Champions - March
Jake Power Handyman - March
My Fashion Studio Paris Collection - Feb. 17
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity - March 24
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director's Cut) - March

XSEED Games
Retro Game Challenge - Jan. 6

For more information about Nintendo games, visit www.Nintendo.com.

Well, that is certainly a big list. Anyone notice the lack of Disaster: Day of Crisis, Sin & Punishment 2, Punch-Out!!, Mario and Luigi 3, and Rhythm Heaven. I mean seriously Nintendo, wtf is wrong with you? No Wii games besides GC Wiimakes...

They could and should release Disaster Day of Crisis since the game has been finished and released everywhere except North America...it's not fair. Why should I have to import something that is already in English elsewhere, just release it in my territory. While I am criticizing Nintendo's list, there are games I'm looking forward to anyway, those would be:

The House of The Dead: Overkill™ - February
SONIC™ and the Black Knight - March
MADWORLD™ - March
Tenchu™: Shadow Assassins - February
My World, My Way™ - Feb. 3
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero™ - Q1
Avalon Code - February
Flower, Sun, and Rain - March
Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon - Feb. 16
Pokémon™ Platinum version - March 22
Retro Game Challenge - Jan. 6

Plus I have Captain Rainbow, Tatsunoko VS Capcom, Let's Tap, Animal Crossing: CF, and The World Ends With You to play, as well as my gigantic backlog of games I have already...