Drip, drip, drip Nintendo Q2 releases
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Mar 11th 2007 at 1:33AM }
Nintendo released their Q2 games list (found after the jump) in the middle of all the GDC hoopla this week. It's not a "drought" with games like Mario Party 8 and Gamecube's mid-semester transfer Super Paper Mario, but we still aren't seeing the Wii original titles that give the system purpose. It's almost as if the Wii is just two duct-taped Gamecubes with gimmicky controls and no real purpose -- nahhhhhhhhh.On the other hand, the DS is getting more Pokemon with Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. We're expecting commercials featuring Prince and the New Power Generation singing Diamonds and Pearls. And honestly, isn't Pokemon all Nintendo really needs?
Wii
April 9: Super Paper Mario - Nintendo
April: Prince of Persia Rival Swords - Ubisoft
April: Bust-A-Move Bash - Majesco
April: Bioncle Heroes - Eidos
May 15: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - Midway
May 29: Mario Party 8 - Nintendo
May: Tamagotchi Party On - Namco Bandai
May: Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End - Disney Interactive
May: Escape from Bug Island - Eidos
May: Spider-Man The Movie 3 - Activision
June 11: Big Brain Academy - Nintendo
June 25: Pokemon Battle Revolution - Nintendo
June: Cosmic Family - Ubisoft
Spring: Heatseeker - Codemasters
Q2: Legend of the Dragon - American Game Factory
Summer: Shrek the Third - Activision
Summer: Transformers the Game - Activision
Nintendo DS
April 22: Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl - Nintendo
May: Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Buena Vista
May: Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu - Atari
May: Pony Friends - Eidos
May: Diner Dash - Eidos
May: Touch the Dead - Eidos
June 4: Nintendo DS browser - Nintendo
June 4: Planet Puzzle League - Nintendo
June 11: Touchmaster DS - Midway
June: Zendoku - Eidos
Spring: Naruto Ninja Council 3 - Tomy
Spring: Time Ace - Konami
Spring: Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom - Konami
Q2: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon - Natsume
Summer: Shrek the Third - Activision
Summer: Transformers: Autobots - Activision
Summer: Transformers: Decepticons - Activision
Game Boy Advance
Summer: Shrek the Third - Activision
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
gates @ Mar 11th 2007 1:39AM
Wii. How I hate thee. Let me count the ways. Major Suckage! Worst. System. Ever.
rom @ Mar 11th 2007 1:48AM
Ugh...I'm so tired of hearing the name "Pokemon". When will it end?!?!
Thexhatchet @ Mar 11th 2007 1:49AM
2. < pokemon is like the new coke, it`ll be around forever
Demaar @ Mar 11th 2007 1:51AM
While #1 is a fanboy that's exaggerating beyond belief (You HATE Wii? What? Did it run over your dog?), I too am heavily disappointed by this release list. Even the DS release list is poor... maybe 3 games TOPS that are worth buying over the next quarter? Pitiful.
KC @ Mar 11th 2007 1:55AM
From that list I will buy,
- Super Paper Mario (looks FANTASTIC! calssic mario with stylish fun paper mario aspects)
- Mario Party 8 ( I loved the first one, felt the 2nd was ok, and never played anymore after that. i'm due to return to the mario party, and what better way to do than with the current console to have the best 4 player games!)
- Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl (a REAL sequel to the franchise after ruby and sapphire. The series main games have always been awesome. Being able to bring my other pokemon onto it with ease will be a nice touch as well.. I enjoy catching em all, and making a really awesome team to compete against friends)
That all from that list. Pretty much not a whole going on for the system. I'm still waiting for CardFighter on the DS though! or is it out already?
Elatis @ Mar 11th 2007 1:56AM
I'm thankful for the break. My other consoles are getting jealous.
Now if they would stop releasing interesting VC games
my Wii would get the rest it needs.
Super Paper Mario looks great, but it's the only thing on the list I want.....we'll see how Mortal Kombat turns out. Controls could breath some new life into the series for me.
KC @ Mar 11th 2007 1:58AM
and by the way, NO console has a good line up of games for the end of spring, majority of summer months.
Developers and publishers simply dont release their games this time of year. Everything is saved for fall/winter.
So its not just Nintendo, its EVERY console that goes through the summer drought.
Optimus Prime @ Mar 11th 2007 3:00AM
The biggest problem here is that none of those Wii games are online multiplayer, except for Pokemon which is friend code based and turn based... thats NintenLame. They're lost.
What happened to all the third party support that Reggie et al. were touting/hyping? Maybe they're done porting all the last gen platforms and have nothing left.
And, look at the game releasing:
Super Paper Mario - last gen port with tacked on wii controls
Prince of Persia Rival Swords - last gen port with tacked on wii controls
Bust-A-Move Bash - last gen port with tacked on wii controls
Bioncle Heroes - last gen port with tacked on controls
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - ??? lame waggle controls
Mario Party 8 - Nintendo
Tamagotchi Party On - kiddie game
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End - kiddie game
Escape from Bug Island - kiddie game
Spider-Man The Movie 3 - movie tie in
Big Brain Academy - ds port
Pokemon Battle Revolution - ds port (bombed in Japan)
Cosmic Family - kiddie game
Heatseeker - kiddie game
Legend of the Dragon - kiddie game
Shrek the Third - movie tie in
Transformers the Game - movie tie in
chill @ Mar 11th 2007 3:33AM
I see early burn out for Nintendo...
KC @ Mar 11th 2007 3:03AM
Some of us gamers(especially hardcore gamers) dont care for Online multiplayer.
We have friends who are happy to play in the same room as one another.
The wii has some GREAT 4 player game to keep myself, my bros, and my friends to play.
tmmoore_nc @ Mar 11th 2007 3:08AM
Here's a question. Are any of these games newly announced? Nope. When were they announced? At GDC. And what couldn't Nintendo do? Announce new stuff.
FinalBoss @ Mar 11th 2007 3:14AM
stupid stock sale.
Gansly @ Mar 11th 2007 3:20AM
#7
Yeah, I wish 360 and PS3 were getting games unlike the mighty Wii. Maybe if there were something like Crackdown, or Motorstorm, or Virtua Fighter 5...you know some GOOD title (disclaimer: not available on Wii) to keep me busy I would actually play those two.
Thank god people are finally getting over Wii.
Next-Gen-Gamer @ Mar 11th 2007 3:34AM
You mean there's not very many interesting games coming in Q2?! ZOMG?! Teh Wii is D0000M3D!!!1
Doesn't this happen every year on every console? I'm not trying to defend the Wii, as that list still sucks. However, I fail to understand why this deserves coverage. The list itself deserves coverage, because people want to know. That said, the constant blogs about how the Wii has a drought going into the Summer is straight-up dumb. It wasn't that important the first six times we heard it.
Online multiplayer games are on their way, and it's not just PBR (which, btw, has friend codes due to DS connectivity). You should find some of the comments GSI_jago has posted on my blog regarding that (ya know...if certain Joystiq bloggers don't threaten to beat you to death for reading his comments).
I'm not saying Joystiq is biased, and I'm not defending the Wii. I just wish Joystiq (and various other sites) would leave it alone. It's the same crap that happens to every console, every year.
Nessuno @ Mar 11th 2007 3:35AM
Can we stop pretending that "hardcore" gamers don't own more than one console? And, to be totally frank, you'd be an idiot if you owned two consoles and the Wii wasn't one of them.
So, having said that, why do we look at release lists and consoles in general as if they exist in a vacuum?
And worse, why do we attack weakness in a particular quarter of releases from the "hardcore" perspective, as if it's so terrible that we'll have nothing to do if for 3 months if we don't get 5 new games a month on the one console?
Let's end the silliness, please.
Unit @ Mar 11th 2007 3:37AM
lol, it must eat you ps3/360 fanboys from the inside out that a underpowerd,waggle,port station,last gen gfx's console is outselling your consoles! That would explain why every time there's a post on anything about the wii,no matter how much you hate it ya'll find the need to write a comment that basically repeats it's self over and over...YOU HATE THE WII!! maybe ya'll should start a "i hate wii" petition and when you get enough people, email it to nintendo and then nintendo might stop making wii's cuz everyone hates it so much...yeah ya'll should do that.
Rubang B @ Mar 11th 2007 3:48AM
Oh crap Halo 3 isn't coming out in April for the Wii! It's gonna fail! Haha suckers!
::has sex with my PS3, explodes::
Coolie @ Mar 11th 2007 3:51AM
Are you guys idiots? The Wii has been out for less than FOUR MONTHS. By your rationale, the PS2 should've been dead meat, considering triple A titles didn't come out until a full year after its launch. The Xbox360 should be in the bargain bin. Sony should discontinue PS3.
Purple Haze @ Mar 11th 2007 3:59AM
To me it looks like this droughts gonna last until the end of this year when mario,metroid and super smash bros come out. Does anyone know what happening with fire emblem, for NZ or anywhere other than japan?
Gavin @ Mar 11th 2007 4:00AM
So wait, the release schedule for the Gamecube 1.5 is just as weak as the first one? Well, who saw this coming?
Anyone not blinded by the hype, that is who.
Joe @ Mar 11th 2007 4:09AM
How could one blame Nintendo for a release drought when they're releasing two major titles in Q2?
Its the third parties that are the problem, still.
However, one thing that Nintendo does need to do, is get original content on the VC asap, that'd help all the whiners out there.
AzaMcWazza @ Mar 11th 2007 4:17AM
You know, Nintendo is right when it says there's no drought, but the level and type of games is upsetting. Remove the shitty ports/licenses, never-ending party/puzzle games and you have a tiny selection of offerings. There's nothing there, apart from *maybe* Prince of Persia (I liked Sands of Time on Ps2, not played Two Thrones) that I might look at. So it's basically another 3 month drought for me to go along with the current 3 month drought. Although I will take a look at Godfather.
Nintendo has basically lost several thousand dollars of my money now. I am going to purchase another system (prob 360) and of course titles for it, which is money Nintendo could have had if they had of had a better offering.
They're not pulling a gamecube, but if you take out all the crap, they are, it's the same sad release schedule and sub-par games.
NintendoFanbot @ Mar 11th 2007 4:19AM
Aw look at Optimus Prime, all fussy, the poor kid hasn't had his juice.
You keep tryin', kiddo.
*forgets to give the juice and goes to buy Super Paper Mario and Pokemon Diamond*
bootsielon @ Mar 11th 2007 4:20AM
Coolie:
Is there a truly Epic game exclusively on Wii? Zelda is on gamecube, and it was released earlier on Wii to push sales, but that doesn't mean it's better (and it's not). Suckas.
bootsielon @ Mar 11th 2007 4:25AM
NintendoFanbot:
Other than your childish comments, is there any point where Optimus Prime is wrong, or are you pissed off enough to not give a good reason?
Anyway, Wii is not for hardcore gamers at the moment. Nintendo doesn't give a shit anyway, so I recommend you not to buy one unless you've played everything else available on every other system. Let the casuals have fun with Wii Sports and suchlike; I'm sure Nintendo will get tired of the low attachment rates of the casuals some time, that they'll start releasing a few hardcore titles like Zelda and Mario RPG (turn based).
Mikeo @ Mar 11th 2007 4:36AM
NintendoFanbot:
At least Optimus is rather right. And what real counterpoint do you have?
The majority of Wii's titles are uninteresting and rehashed for Q2 07. It does nothing to sell the console to PS2/XBX (or using another case, non- "Nintendo fans"). The console is selling on media hype and Wii sports alone now. We'll see how high frustration tolerance can go, though.
(And it's obvious that production levels are so jarringly different- No More Heroes looks "great" while Bioshock or Lair gets a meh. You guys must be pretty desperate trying to downplay the competitors.)
NintendoFanbot @ Mar 11th 2007 4:34AM
Bootsielon:
Let's just say I've seen Optimus Prime spout the same garbage IN EVERY THREAD I've seen him in and I've had enough of it to not take it seriously anymore.
Being 'hardcore' is overrated. You like what you like. While I consider myself a fanboy, I can enjoy any game that finds its way in front of me, with the sole exception that they should at least be of decent quality.
Or do you want to see me in every thread complain about what's wrong with the things you like? Rest assured I don't do that now but if you find Optimus Prime's presence and posting habits tolerable than I guess there's no objection.
yoshi likes boys @ Mar 11th 2007 4:37AM
If you've really completed everything there is to offer for the Wii (including some awesome third party offerings), both on the shelves and on the VC, then please, go outside, bask in the global climate change. Personally, I keep falling into these long Wario's Woods sessions starting at level 70. That game turns into a real bitch.
Remember the "risk" part of the "the Wii is a huge risk?" Well, that risk meant that most third parties had a wait and see attitude, until Nintendo hit a home run out of the park with WiiSports. The one that didn't (Ubi) doubled its profit. Now, you better believe most developers (EVEN Maxis) are working on Wii stuff just like everyone jumped on the DS bandwagon when that system hit it big.
If you're THAT hardcore to the point where if you don't have enough AAA titles to last you through the nuclear winter in the next 3 months you'll blow your brains out then please, buy a different system, or another system, Nintendo's not targeting you. Personally, I don't have NEARLY enough time to finish the games I HAVE. Speaking of which, am I the only one who sees fucking PUZZLE LEAGUE DS on the DS schedule? My poor life....
Mikeo @ Mar 11th 2007 4:40AM
Aargh, 2 mins late.
But the point is still there. Trying to ignore it= major FAIL.
Rubang B @ Mar 11th 2007 4:43AM
Optimus called PBR a DS port. It's not. Calling Bust-A-Move "last gen" is hilarious. Do we have any info on the Wii's Big Brain Academy? I doubt it's a port of the DS one. It's probably a sequel.
And if you want to talk about "tacked on Wii controls" look at the Sixaxis.
Mikeo @ Mar 11th 2007 4:53AM
@Rubang:
Bust-a-move: Do we REALLY need another one? It's been EVERYWHERE and it's almost always the same 1:1. This applies to the game, not the console, but it's been everywhere and not even close to a remarkable addition to the Wii arsenal.
Big Brain Academy: Methinks it'll be like Trauma Center- semi converted. (It was a "sequel".) BTW, I doubt the concept works as good on the Wii- the original was superb at public places, but you'd be up to much better forms of entertainment at home.
NintendoFanbot @ Mar 11th 2007 4:56AM
#28
Read my reply to Bootsielon.
I don't care about the competitors. Nintendo should watch them but not actively 'play catch up'. There's no reason to do that. As for the 3rd-Party support that's the respective developers' doing. It doesn't reflect on the philosophy of the Wii development. If the 3rd-Parties get poor sales based on the majority "quality" of their Wii support they'll have no one else to blame.
What is Nintendo supposed to do about it? Do they clap their hands together so more titles appear in the quarter of complainers' choosing? They've got big titles in the works for the future (READ: BEYOND Q2 2007) from both themselves and 3rd-Parties.
A year will give an adequate summary of how successful Wii has been as well as potentially can be. One quarter means NOTHING compared to what a year's worth of titles will show.
I don't presume that one quarter of low sales or poor VF5 sales will guarantee PS3's doom or say the same about PSP. I don't downplay anyone, no. I only called out Optimus because he does it in every thread he posts in.
Believe me, I'd rather (and usually do) ignore it, but there are times when one has seen enough.
Rubang B @ Mar 11th 2007 5:03AM
I'm not saying we need another Bust a Move. I've got the DS one and my roommate still plays the N64 one. I just thought calling it last gen was funny. It's like calling Tetris last gen. Or Asteroids.
scepia @ Mar 11th 2007 5:33AM
"Super Paper Mario - last gen port with tacked on wii controls"
A port is a game that was RELEASED on 1 system and then slapped on another. SPM was never RELEASED for the GameCube.
Next-Gen-Gamer @ Mar 11th 2007 5:36AM
After reviewing that list, I have a question. Why aren't there more games? You listed Bust-a-Move Bash!, but you couldn't list Cooking Mama: Cook Off (which actually has a full release date of April 15th). Shrek the Third gets listed for Summer, meanwhile five other games (most of which will probably provide a better gaming experience than Shrek) don't make it.
Again, the list isn't phenomenal, but it's quite a bit bigger than what you've listed.
Gavin @ Mar 11th 2007 5:37AM
Super Paper Mario was designed for an older system and then ported to the Wii. Sorry, but you can't apologize your way out of that. The game is a port...doesn't matter if the original was never released and Nintendo gave the shaft to Gamecube owners waiting for that title. It still is a port...and doesn't look to be worth $50 either. $20, maybe.
NintendoFanbot @ Mar 11th 2007 5:41AM
OH PLEASE.
A lot of early Xbox360 games were on PC first as well and the early PS3 library had some 360 ports. They might 'look next-gen' but it doesn't change the fact that they are ports.
Does that lessen the enjoyment?
scepia @ Mar 11th 2007 5:42AM
Gavin, i assume you have never seen footage of SPM, let alone understand the concept. If you honestly don't like it, go play Barbie Horse Adventure Online on the 360.
Zamnation @ Mar 11th 2007 5:45AM
Actually, from what I played at GDC the DS Big Brain Academy is a completely different game, and the multiplayer aspect + "something that will help my kids learn" will do good to both sell the title and tack in more parents playing games with their children.
Super Paper Mario was fun as hell from what I played, and the Wii controls aren't tacked on. You basically play it like it's an NES game. You have some spots where you shake the control to increase damage or spread for some item attacks but its no more gimmicky then having to twiddle an analog stick or tap a button.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's demo was short but fun. If you don't like Pokemon you won't like Diamond and Pearl. If you do, you'll love it and Battle Revolution. I did. In fact, I talked to the QA guy who was demoing PBR.
I'd also like to wonder what sort of person is the man or woman who complains about "kiddy" games. Do they wake up, sledgehammer an elderly woman in the back before sticking a bundle of lit firecrackers in a babies face before they punch a box full of kittens? I don't even see how Nintendo makes games that are "kiddy." They make games that are for all ages. It's more of a family game than a kiddy game, and what's wrong with that? It'd be really cool to be a kid and to have parents that want to play video games with you, and it'd be really cool to be a parent who likes video games, and to know that you can sit down with your son or daughter and share your hobby with them without having to subject them to a bit of the old ultraviolence.
At any rate, I don't plan on buying (or having enough to buy, what with an apartment, college, food to pay for) much more than one game a month per any system and Nintendo gives me enough to look forward to over this quarter with this list. It may be disappointing that they just don't throw all their chips on the table now, but then everyone'd be complaining about the game drought after Mario, Smash Bros, and Metroid.
Concerning the fact that all systems are facing a drought for the quarter, I offer this advice: if you do have enough money to spend for more than one or two games a month, then why don't you try looking backwards. Unless you have bought them all I'm sure there are more than enough games from either the PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube to satiate your appetite for gaming until such time comes that you may feast upon newer titles.
Slaziman @ Mar 11th 2007 5:45AM
@Bootsielon
What the hell are you talking about? LOZ:TP is better on the Wii, no contest. Have you played both versions? I have, and the Wii version IS better.
That being said, this list is lame, but Super Paper Mario looks like good fun. I just want the bombs to drop already (SSBB, SMG, MP3), my Wii is collecting dust right now :(
Slaziman @ Mar 11th 2007 5:47AM
Super Paper Mario isn't a port, it was being developed for the GameCube, but you don't know how far into development it was before they switched to making it on the Wii. I'm pretty sure it wasn't 90% done when they decided to release it for the Wii instead and bolt on some motion controls.
cc123 @ Mar 11th 2007 5:57AM
The Wii is doing just fine, it isn't going anywhere. There is no way Nintendo would ever let such a huge cash cow die out.
They are making a killing on the console itself. Selling old tech for $250 was a great idea. Someone got a huge promotion at Nintendo for that one.
They charge $5 for 20 year old NES games on the VC, more for "newer" games. Newer meaning 15-10yrs old.
They charge for a god damned web browser.
Nintendo struck gold. That company is a machine at seperating retards from their money. =)
Rubang B @ Mar 11th 2007 6:22AM
Every day after I wake up, I sledgehammer an elderly woman in the back, stick a bundle of lit firecrackers in a baby's face, and then punch a box full of kittens. I am tough as hell, but one of my favorite Wii games right now is Elebits. It's possibly the "kiddiest" game out right now, and it's just fun as hell. I can't wait to see what the same team did with Dewey's Adventure. I'm also looking forward to Manhunt 2 and No More Heroes, because I'm crazy and I need to kill shit.
P.S. The browser is free.
P.P.S. Also not on this list (not Q2), Tiger Woods is coming to the Wii on Thursday to fulfill our desires for more Wii Sports courses.
Yoshi Likes Boys @ Mar 11th 2007 6:23AM
cc123: Quality trolling. Because anyone who can have $5 worth of fun with an NES game is clearly a retard. Man, what about Fox, still selling Star Wars on DVD for money! It lost ALL worth the moment that it turned 10 years old, just like video games do.
And man, that Beatles #1 CD that came out a while back was a complete ripoff. I mean, Yesterday was written in the 60s! What a worthless piece of crap THAT must be.
I know what you mean about old tech, too, my GameCube is EXACTLY the same because the processor architecture is shared. Just like my last PC was exactly the same as the one before that because they both had Pentium chips. I was a retard when I upgraded my PC too, huh? That x86 archtecture is SO five-gens-ago.
Regarding the drought: Nintendo really needs to pick it up, because Wiis are just sitting on shelves all over the place, everyone who wants one has one, and their sales are SUCH CRAP. Did you SEE those January sales numbers? Pathetic.
automag5 @ Mar 11th 2007 7:23AM
I'm still on the fence with the Wii. I'm really waiting for a sandbox type of game to satisfy my gaming needs. I hope that Spiderman 3 is good enough to fill that big empty hole in my heart. I'm gonna pray for a surprise Rockstar announcement.
ouj @ Mar 11th 2007 7:15AM
"Well, that risk meant that most third parties had a wait and see attitude, until Nintendo hit a home run out of the park with WiiSports. The one that didn't (Ubi) doubled its profit."
The jury is still out whether third parties can be successful on the Wii in the long run. Ubisoft was the only major "decent" publisher supporting Wii at launch with multiple titles (apart from Nintendo).
Ubisoft games sold relatively well only because gamers had no choice. Even horrendous shit like Red Steel and Far Cry sold at launch, normally nobody would care.
Anyway, Wii will fizzle out in two years despite the great start.
Rico @ Mar 25th 2007 5:00PM
Seriously, where the fuck is Galaxy, Prime 3 and Smash Bros? These are the three big name titles (let's face it, we bought the Wii for Nintendo games, not the shitty Ubisoft offerings) and they can't all come out at Christmas. Right now I've played Zelda and I plan on playing Super Paper Mario - two games that could have easily ran on the Gamecube. Aside from Wii Sports, the Wii really hasn't justified its existence so far, and these Q2 releases aren't doing anything to change that.
t_m @ Mar 11th 2007 8:26AM
the reason nintendo consoles fail is because people "buy them for nintendo games" not third party games.
The gamecube sold great initially, and worldwide it was only a few percentage points behind the xbox... but it had WAY less third party games! Way less.
Third party publishers realised that gamecube owners bought their gamecubes for nintendo games.. so there was no point in releasing games on it.. so they shifted to xbox and ps2 where 1st party games sucked.
Avergage Wii fanboy: 30-35 with job, wife and kid.
Average PS3 fanboy: 12 year old boy in bedroom with lots of myspace friends.
(wii owner. 30. working in tokyo.)
tehArtist @ Mar 11th 2007 9:32AM
Well, whats odd, is EA has been left off the list, and I know for a fact that they have at least 2 titles, possible 3 headed out sometime around the end of may first of june.
tehArtist @ Mar 11th 2007 9:36AM
@49
I fall out of your demographic. Although I'm not a fanboy, I love the 360 and Wii equally.
You are correct to an extent about the first party games.
However, I am looking forward to 'The Godfather: Backhand Edition' due out sometime this month.(has some really good reviews from IGN) Manhunt 2, which is due out in june or july, and Scarface due out sometime late Q2 to early Q3.