Topic: Wii Lineup for First Quarter 2007 Expands Nintendo's Global Phenomenon

[Gahiggidy]

NOA promises to increase Wii library from 34 games to 46 through the first-quarter

Fans Will Find Dozens of New and Classic Games Everyone Can Play    

   

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- After watching everyone from gamers to grandmas fall under the spell of ground-breaking Wii(TM) games during the holidays, Nintendo fulfills its promise to continue the flow of fun for veteran and new gamers alike. Nintendo's first-quarter lineup is filled with new games that expand the breadth and depth of the Wii library and build on the kind of fun that has made Wii such a smash hit. The first three months of the year are filled with games for everyone, from sure-fire favorites like Wii Play(TM) to SSX(TM) Blur and The Godfather(R) Blackhand Edition from EA and a new Prince of Persia(R) Rival Swords game from Ubisoft. Fans can enjoy the classic Nintendo franchises such as The Legend of Zelda(R): A Link to the Past(R) and the upcoming Mario Kart 64(TM) for the Wii Shop Channel. And on Jan. 27, the News Channel goes live with global coverage provided by the Associated Press.

   

"Our tremendous worldwide launch shows people, from experienced players to non-players, are hungry for the kinds of entertainment only Wii provides," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Wii hardware production continues full bore, and every week we're delivering more incredible content to further expand the experience."

   

Casual game players who recently discovered or rediscovered the thrills of video games through games like Wii Sports(TM) and WarioWare(TM): Smooth Moves will be glad to know Wii Play, a collection of nine new games in the Wii Sports style, will be available Feb. 14. Wii Play includes games like Billiards, Fishing and Shooting Range, a target-practice game in the style of Nintendo's classic Duck Hunt(TM). Wii Play comes packaged with a Wii Remote(TM) to highlight the fun multiplayer aspects of Wii, and to provide an incredible value.

   

Veteran gamers who spent countless hours playing through The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess will find new challenges by entering worlds populated by everyone from Tiger Woods to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, thanks to a deep list of new offerings from third-party publishers.

   

Beyond the current library of 34 new Wii titles, the schedule for upcoming Wii releases includes:

   

                                                                                                                           

Feb. 14	Wii Play with Wii Remote	Nintendo
March 27	Disney's Meet the Robinsons	Buena Vista
March	Bust-A-Move Bash	Majesco
March	Prince of Persia Rival Swords	Ubisoft
March	TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)	Ubisoft
March	Bionicle Heroes	Eidos
March	Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII	Ubisoft
Q1	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07	EA
Q1	SSX Blur	EA
Q1	The Godfather Blackhand Edition	EA
Q1	Medal of Honor Vanguard	EA
Q1	Sonic and the Secret Rings	Sega

   

But new titles don't begin to describe the array of game action available on Wii. With yesterday's Virtual Console release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from the NES(R), the library of downloadable Wii titles grows to 42. Also, next week will see the addition of an all-time favorite, Mario Kart 64. Nintendo will continue to make weekly announcements to update Wii owners about upcoming releases.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Quote
...next week will see the addition of an all-time favorite, Mario Kart 64.

Well, my head asplode.  I may not be able to resist this one, even though I own it and played it to death already.  I really wanted to avoid buying games I already own, but I didn't expect this particular big gun to be brought to bear.

[MysticGohan]

Quote
Originally posted by: NewsBot
NOA promises to increase Wii library from 34 games to 46 through the first-quarter

Fans Will Find Dozens of New and Classic Games Everyone Can Play    


<small>    




REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- After watching everyone from gamers to grandmas fall under the spell of ground-breaking Wii(TM) games during the holidays, Nintendo fulfills its promise to continue the flow of fun for veteran and new gamers alike. Nintendo's first-quarter lineup is filled with new games that expand the breadth and depth of the Wii library and build on the kind of fun that has made Wii such a smash hit. The first three months of the year are filled with games for everyone, from sure-fire favorites like Wii Play(TM) to SSX(TM) Blur and The Godfather(R) Blackhand Edition from EA and a new Prince of Persia(R) Rival Swords game from Ubisoft. Fans can enjoy the classic Nintendo franchises such as The Legend of Zelda(R): A Link to the Past(R) and the upcoming Mario Kart 64(TM) for the Wii Shop Channel. And on Jan. 27, the News Channel goes live with global coverage provided by the Associated Press.

   




"Our tremendous worldwide launch shows people, from experienced players to non-players, are hungry for the kinds of entertainment only Wii provides," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Wii hardware production continues full bore, and every week we're delivering more incredible content to further expand the experience."

   




Casual game players who recently discovered or rediscovered the thrills of video games through games like Wii Sports(TM) and WarioWare(TM): Smooth Moves will be glad to know Wii Play, a collection of nine new games in the Wii Sports style, will be available Feb. 14. Wii Play includes games like Billiards, Fishing and Shooting Range, a target-practice game in the style of Nintendo's classic Duck Hunt(TM). Wii Play comes packaged with a Wii Remote(TM) to highlight the fun multiplayer aspects of Wii, and to provide an incredible value.

   




Veteran gamers who spent countless hours playing through The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess will find new challenges by entering worlds populated by everyone from Tiger Woods to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, thanks to a deep list of new offerings from third-party publishers.

   




Beyond the current library of 34 new Wii titles, the schedule for upcoming Wii releases includes:</p>    


<table style="width: 80%; margin: auto">  <tr>  <td width="20%">Feb. 14</td>  <td width="60%">Wii Play with Wii Remote</td>  <td width="20%">Nintendo</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March 27</td>  <td>Disney's Meet the Robinsons</td>  <td>Buena Vista</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March</td>  <td>Bust-A-Move Bash</td>  <td>Majesco</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March</td>  <td>Prince of Persia Rival Swords</td>  <td>Ubisoft</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March</td>  <td>TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)</td>  <td>Ubisoft</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March</td>  <td>Bionicle Heroes</td>  <td>Eidos</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>March</td>  <td>Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII</td>  <td>Ubisoft</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>Q1</td>  <td>Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07</td>  <td>EA</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>Q1</td>  <td>SSX Blur</td>  <td>EA</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>Q1</td>  <td>The Godfather Blackhand Edition</td>  <td>EA</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>Q1</td>  <td>Medal of Honor Vanguard</td>  <td>EA</td>  </tr>  <tr>  <td>Q1</td>  <td>Sonic and the Secret Rings</td>  <td>Sega</td>  </tr>    


</table>    




But new titles don't begin to describe the array of game action available on Wii. With yesterday's Virtual Console release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from the NES(R), the library of downloadable Wii titles grows to 42. Also, next week will see the addition of an all-time favorite, Mario Kart 64. Nintendo will continue to make weekly announcements to update Wii owners about upcoming releases.</p></small>

Shouldn't that be SNES? Gotta correct the bot

[wandering]

Quote
Shouldn't that be SNES? Gotta correct the bot

It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before and it has always been due to human error.

[Galford]

Zelda 3 was suppose to be in development for the NES before moving to the SNES.
That's another thread for another time.


Well I'm glad to see we're getting more Wii games.
Downside, they all seem to be movie licenses and ports.

Well I guess I can't complain about a drought.

[TrueNerd]

Not that I care even a little bit about this game, but I thought Mario Party 8 was coming out in March, no? Unless my eyes are deceived by a spell, it's not here. Delayed until Q4 confirmed?

Everything on that list are distractions to pass the time until Super Paper Mario.

[Ceric]

Know correct me if I'm mistaken but arent the Q's done by the companies Fiscal year.  Which if memory serves for Nintendo is March?

[UltimatePartyBear]

Quote
Nintendo will continue to make weekly announcements to update Wii owners about upcoming releases.

Does this mean more press releases like this one on a weekly basis?  Considering this release is for the entire quarter, they must be expecting a lot of changes, and hopefully additions, to the list.

[Spak-Spang]

That does it.

Monday I am buying 2000 more VC points.

800-Link to the Past
800-Super Mario World (Rumored from GoNintendo)
1000-Super Mario Kart 64

(I think I have left over points to help with the 600 additional Points I will need for all those games.)

Now I must get 2 more virtual console controllers for some intense Kart multiplayer racing...and this should look stunning since the Mario 64 looked better on the virtual console than the original.

[IceCold]

Donkey Kong Country should be here soon too.. I love the VC!

EDIT: Wasn't Mortal Kombat Armageddon supposed to be out in March also?

[Pale]

Quote
Originally posted by: TrueNerd
Not that I care even a little bit about this game, but I thought Mario Party 8 was coming out in March, no? Unless my eyes are deceived by a spell, it's not here. Delayed until Q4 confirmed?

Everything on that list are distractions to pass the time until Super Paper Mario.

I'm wondering the same thing.  Mario Party was confirmed as march and it has officially delayed.  After reading that press release, I checked out Nintendo's official release schedule and it says Q2.  Bummer.

Also, the virtual console sucks for not releasing Super Mario Kart.  I wish Nintendo could do something right!

[Jonnyboy117]

Mortal Kombat Armageddon is coming in April.

[WuTangTurtle]

personally i can't wait for TMNT, the videos I've seen look a lot better than the ones Konami made.  If Ubisoft does it right I may just say Ubisoft is my 2nd fav publisher.

[couchmonkey]

Drought Get!  Reggie's a liar.

[MaryJane]

is there a full list somewhere?  

[King of Twitch]

Two WW2 games in the first 6 months, have we run out of FPS ideas

[Smash_Brother]

Damnit, I just reserved Mario Party 8...

The delay had better be due to the addition of online play.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Yeah for a 10$ pack in game that may get boring after 10 minutes and a ton of ports or licensed material. Can't wait!

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Indeed it seems we have a few months to be filled with good first party VC games (finally).  I expected this myself, so no surprise.  No huge titles in Jan-Feb-March doesn't strike me as terribly earth-shattering.  Besides, PoP and SSX should be decent releases, and I can always hope that Sonic on Wii will work out well.

[therat]

wow, nothing i care about!

[Spak-Spang]

There is nothing great from Nintendo in the opening Quarter of 2007, but there is still plenty from 3rd parties to keep us happy.

SSX Blur, looks very interesting...and if they can get the controls down should be great.
TMNT, this game is a game I want to be done right.  I have my fingers crossed, and I really hope this comes together well.
Bust-a-Move Fills out the Wii launch with a Puzzle game, which is always nice.

2 Mature titles with the GodFather and Medal of Honor should be something to keep your eyes on.  

To say there is NOTHING coming up for the Wii is shallow...there is just nothing from Nintendo.

[xanrastafari]

I'm really surprised no one's excited about sonic - it's supposed to be the best sonic in years, or so the people who've played it thusfar have said.

[KDR_11k]

Donkey Kong Country should be here soon too.. I love the VC!

That was a launch title in Europe.

[Kairon]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm planning on buying FIVE titles on that list. This is a great first quarter for me... too great actually, I still haven't had time to play Beyond Good & Evil!

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Donkey Kong Country should be here soon too.. I love the VC!

That was a launch title in Europe.

EEEEEEUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPEEEE!!!

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Ian Sane]

This is giving me flashbacks of the Cube around the same time.  I recall Nintendo sending out a "look how many great games we have" press release pull of nothing back then too.  And unsurprisingly just like back then there are a few people acting excited about some pretty unspectacular third party games.

But it doesn't look to be as long as the Cube drought was (assuming Super Paper Mario is released in April) and there are still a lot of people who want Wii's but have not been able to buy one yet so a good chunk of the future userbase will not notice the drought.  So far it's not as big of a deal.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

The Resident Evil remake was released in April.  Waiting till June for Eternal Darkness was an even worse wait.

Same drought length.  Same phail rate.

[Pale]

Ride on Sonic/Sonic Adventure 2: Battle sells extremely well because there are no other games to buy.

It's all just a little bit of history repeating....

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
This is giving me flashbacks of the Cube around the same time.  I recall Nintendo sending out a "look how many great games we have" press release pull of nothing back then too.  And unsurprisingly just like back then there are a few people acting excited about some pretty unspectacular third party games.

But it doesn't look to be as long as the Cube drought was (assuming Super Paper Mario is released in April) and there are still a lot of people who want Wii's but have not been able to buy one yet so a good chunk of the future userbase will not notice the drought.  So far it's not as big of a deal.

what What WHAT?!?!?!

Is anyone here confused as to why Ian isn't going negative? This is such a great opportunity too!

For instance, more people own Wiis now compared to the GC at the same time, so there are more people to disappoint and who might notice a drought.

Also, how can Nintendo prove that things have really changed with a completely empty month of February?

And do they truly believe we'll buy into the VC will carry us through droughts excuse? If so!!! ... okay, they got me there.

On the plus side, demand for the console itself is still apparently through the roof and mostly from casual/non-gamers who wouldn't be too affected by the drought anyways. "drought" is a hardcore gamer term.

~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Wii and controllers are so in demand, Wii Play reserves have sold out in several retail chains.

With so many people getting Wii Play, February must be empty, right?

[Pale]

I preordered Wii Play from ebgames.com back in december because I was worried about controller demand making it hard to find.  I better get one from the first round of shipments.

[Bloodworth]

Mario Kart 64.... I hope they have a big shipment of classic controllers coming.  Or else I might need to grab some extra wavebirds.

[xanrastafari]

Seriously though, how in hell is Sonic not a big name third party game?

[KnowsNothing]

Because of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Riders and the recently released...Sonic the Hedgehog.