Topic: Nintendo Reveals Japanese Wii Release Schedule

[NWR_MattB]

Upcoming slate of games includes an unannounced title, as well as a release window for a highly-anticipated one.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=20852

 As part of its recent financial report, Nintendo has provided its upcoming Japanese release schedule.  The Wii games listed are:    

 
• The Legend of Zelda (Wii, TBA)
 
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii, 2010)
 
• Metroid Other M (Wii, Summer 2010)
 
• Xenoblade (Wii, Spring 2010)
 
• The Last Story (Wii, 2010)
 
• Span Smasher (Wii, TBA)
 
• Hoshi no Kirby (Wii, TBA)
 
• Kensakusu (Wii, TBA)
 
• Line Attack Heroes (Wii, TBA)
 
• Start With 100 Words: English Conversation (Wii, TBA)

   

Most notable is the summer release window for Metroid: Other M, the first confirmation of when the Team Ninja-developed action game will be launched in any territory.    

Xenoblade is the new name for Monolith Soft's Monado: Beginning of the World, while The Last Story is a new title from Mistwalker. Cosmic Walker appears to have fallen off the list released last October.    

Thanks to BlackNMild2K1 for the news tip!

[Jonnyboy117]

Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.
Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.
Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.

[Ian Sane]

I expected this to be a pretty decent lineup to begin with and the two RPGs really add to it.  2010 looks to be one of the Wii's better years.

Someone want to refresh my memory on what Hoshi no Kirby is?

[ThomasO]

The Kirby franchise in Japan. It's basically Kirby Wii, and was originally going to be for GameCube.

[KDR_11k]

Someone want to refresh my memory on what Hoshi no Kirby is?

Translates to Kirby's Star, I believe that's been on release lists for ages now so maybe we could call it Kirby Forever.

[broodwars]

So many TBA release dates...That Zelda still has "TBA" as its release date gives me no confidence we'll be seeing it at all this year.  Looks like RFN was on the nose about Metroid: Other M, though.  Given that that franchise is infinitely more popular in the West than in Japan, I'd be surprised if Japan got that game first.

Also, is there a reason all our replies are in Italics? 

[KDR_11k]

Runaway tag in the newspost I assume.

[Kairon]

Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.
Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.
Please don't cancel Cosmic Walker.

This.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nobody knows what Kensakusu is?

And I'll assume that Wii Relax isn't on the list since it hasn't been officially announced yet.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Nobody knows what Kensakusu is?

Google turned up a screen grab that looks a lot like the Wii Play shooting gallery.

[NWR_pap64]

It should be noted that Kirby appears every year on the list, and every year it doesn't show up at retail. So Kirby Wii is the game that refuses to die.

[Ian Sane]

It should be noted that Kirby appears every year on the list, and every year it doesn't show up at retail. So Kirby Wii is the game that refuses to die.

It makes you wonder if there's some employee at Nintendo who has dirt on Iwata or something so they keep him on the payroll but he just hangs out at the office and goofs off.  They need to come up with some fake job duty he's performing for the shareholders and this Kirby game is just the cover.

[Chozo Ghost]

Not bad.

I expected this to be a pretty decent lineup to begin with and the two RPGs really add to it.  2010 looks to be one of the Wii's better years.

With a TBA behind many of those, we shouldn't count that all these chickens are going to hatch in 2010.

[NWR_pap64]

Not to mention that there's also the chance that Nintendo won't release Last Story (Monado appears in the US schedule list) in the US and any of the other titles.

[Matthew²]

It should be noted that Kirby appears every year on the list, and every year it doesn't show up at retail. So Kirby Wii is the game that refuses to die.

There's a lot of speculation, however, that the game may hit Japan in March. Nintendo Dream is apparently supposed to announce a new key title that'll release in Japan soon.

[TJ Spyke]

"Hoshi no Kirby" means "Kirby of the Stars". It's what the Kirby franchise is called in Japan (as has been pointed out).

The game was announced back in 2003, we haven't seen any pics of videos in several years. The game is basically Nintendo's version of Duke Nukem Forever (although at least that game got new media once in awhile). Matthew, there is no chance in hell of it coming out in March, at this point I think it would be a shock for it to even get released in 2010.

[Ymeegod]

Very small list IMO--I don't get how Big N makes billions in profit but their games profiles is actually shirking?  Kinda surprised that Mario Party 9 wasn't announced (the last one did sell 7 million copies). 

Still two RPG for the hardcore gamers--that's something and Span Smashe is being made by the guys that made Blink (yeah the games wasn't that great but it had NEW ideas at the time).

And I googled •Kensakusu and found a pic with Cows and a fence?  Yeah I don't think we'll see this one ported.

[TJ Spyke]

Remember that Nintendo said they are gonna announce fewer games ahead of time, and also that Nintendo has announced games at GDC and E3 before too.

[NWR_insanolord]

Yeah, we didn't know about the biggest game of last year, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, until E3.

[Mop it up]

I love Kirby games, I hope that turns into something!

Kinda surprised that Mario Party 9 wasn't announced (the last one did sell 7 million copies). 

Somebody pointed out (I think it was TJ Spyke?) that it probably isn't worth it for Hudson to create another Mario Party game, as Nintendo takes a large cut of the profit, and Hudson's party games seem to sell well enough on Wii without a franchise name attached to them. It's a shame, because I want a Mario Party 9.

[KDR_11k]

I thought Deca Sports 2 bombed? Seems to me that they're no longer selling well.

[TJ Spyke]

Mop, I think it was me indeed. Hudson Soft gets paid a set fee to make the games, they don't make a commission. So they make the same amount of money whether the game sells 1 copy or 10 million copies.

[broodwars]

Mop, I think it was me indeed. Hudson Soft gets paid a set fee to make the games, they don't make a commission. So they make the same amount of money whether the game sells 1 copy or 10 million copies.

Well, that explains why the Mario Party games were crap, since Hudson never had any incentive to make a good game.

[Kairon]

Very small list IMO--I don't get how Big N makes billions in profit but their games profiles is actually shirking?  Kinda surprised that Mario Party 9 wasn't announced (the last one did sell 7 million copies).

I think mario party 8 is managing to sell so well BECAUSE Nintendo hasn't gone out and undercut it with a sequel. They're just gonna let 8 sell year after year after year...

[Mop it up]

I thought Deca Sports 2 bombed? Seems to me that they're no longer selling well.

Such games probably don't need to sell well in order to make a profit. If it's true that they work on commission when Nintendo publishes any of their games, then Hudson receives 100% of its profit when they develop and publish it themselves. Not to mention that when they create a game for Nintendo, it would have to meet a certain quality threshold in order to see release.

I think mario party 8 is managing to sell so well BECAUSE Nintendo hasn't gone out and undercut it with a sequel. They're just gonna let 8 sell year after year after year...

Yes, but previous entries in the series were always released even when the current entry was selling well. This actually means they may have been paid a fixed amount for each title, and that's why they were constantly churning out more even when the current one was still selling.

Well, that explains why the Mario Party games were crap, since Hudson never had any incentive to make a good game.

You're crap!

I know what you're saying though, there's little evolution in the series with each entry.