Nintendo Boasts Game Diversity (with Punch-Out! Release Date)

Diversity, and video games are two great things we have going on in the world right now. Following this sentiment, Nintendo has announced how diverse their lineup for this year is going to be. This is the line up only going into Q2 of this year. So, hopefully they plan to diversify even further later in the year.

The press release is really nothing more than a huge list of release dates. One important date to take notice of is Punch-Out! Until now, we only had a Gamestop release date to go by. Nintendo has made it official now, Punch-Out! will be releasing May 18th of this year.

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 26, 2009 – While everyone is still buzzing about the upcoming April 5 launch of the Nintendo DSi™ system, video game fans will have plenty of great games and experiences to keep them busy. Nintendo has an extensive, diverse library of about 120 games on the way for both the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Upcoming Nintendo-published video games for Wii include:

Excitebotsâ„¢: Trick Racing has elements that make it one of the more unique racing games on the market. It launches April 20 and lets everyone in the family use the Wii Wheelâ„¢ accessory in unique and changing environments, play fun minigames and perform crazy tricks in a game that builds on the Excitebikeâ„¢ and Excite Truckâ„¢ franchises.

Donkey Kong® Jungle Beatâ„¢, originally made for the Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢ system, launches May 4 with newly added motion controls. It’s the latest in Nintendo’s New Play Control! series of games.

Punch-Out!!™ launches May 18 and brings back all of the fun of the beloved, classic NES® game that thrilled players in the early 1990s. Boxers battle as iconic hero Little Mac as they fight their way through a cast of new and familiar boxing opponents on their quest to win the coveted WVBA (World Video Boxing Association) Championship Belt.

Nintendo’s downloadable WiiWare service continues to be a showcase for new games, new concepts and new ideas. A selection of upcoming titles includes:

• BIT.TRIP BEAT, developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games: BIT.TRIP BEAT is what you get when you mix classic video gaming with modern gaming sensibilities. What may seem like a simple “paddle” game turns into a psychedelic trip down memory lane which has you hitting “beats” in rhythm to Chiptune style music. While the game can be difficult, if you crank up the tunes and get in the zone, you’ll have a great time. Performing perfectly isn’t required to experience all the game’s content, but the extra challenge will keep score-hunters coming back in search of each level’s elusive “PERFECT” score.

• Eduardo the Samurai Toaster, developed and published by Semnat Studios LLC: Fight your way through 13 diverse locations on your own or with up to three friends in this frenetic and stylish side-scrolling action game. Play as Eduardo and his fellow toaster buddies as you fire an assortment of pastries at all kinds of dastardly food products. Hop onto laser-mounted scooters and fly across the screen in rocket packs, and learn to cooperate with your teammates or simply annoy each other in an awesomely fun way by throwing each other around the screen. The choice is up to you.

• Night Game, developed and published by Nicalis: Exclusively for WiiWare, Night Game (working title) is part action game and part puzzler. It invites players into a beautifully atmospheric world, where they must use real physics to maneuver a mysterious, glowing sphere through vastly different locales. Night Game pushes the boundaries of design with its unique art style, and professionally produced music score. This title is a 2009 Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Award nominee and from the same developers responsible for Cave Story on Wii.

• Swords & Soldiers, developed and published by Ronimo Games: Swords & Soldiers is a side-scrolling real-time strategy game, in which three distinct factions battle for the powers of the gods. The goal is to destroy the enemies’ castle on the other end of the level, while protecting your own. This can be done by training powerful units or casting devastating spells. The game will feature a single-player campaign and a competitive split-screen multiplayer mode as well as several other game modes.

Great titles are also on the way for the portable Nintendo DS system. Some Nintendo-published video games for Nintendo DS include:

Rhythm Heavenâ„¢ is an infectious video game that has been a huge hit in Japan. Players tap and slide the stylus on the touch screen in time to the beat. This fun, stylized game launches April 5.

A new entry in the Personal Trainer series is Personal Trainerâ„¢: Walking, which launches May 25. Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users’ progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.

In The Legendary Starfyâ„¢ game, which launches June 8, players dive into a spectacular undersea adventure with Starfy, the legendary hero of Pufftop. Players swoop into enemies like a shooting star, glide over bottomless chasms and transform into powerful creatures to help a mysterious, bunny-eared visitor find his lost memory.

In recent weeks, multiple third-party publishers have announced plans to boost their support of Nintendo systems. Between now and June, Nintendo fans will enjoy games like: The Conduit™, a first-person shooter from Sega that pits players against a terrifying group of alien invaders intent on taking over a futuristic Washington, D.C.; EA SPORTS Active™, a Wii exclusive from Electronic Arts that offers players fun, easy-to-learn exercises and activities that users can do with family and friends; and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10, the newest iteration of the popular golf game from Electronic Arts that lets players hit the links to prove their driving and putting prowess.

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

2K Sports
Major League Baseball® 2K9 – March 3
Don King Boxing – March 31

Activision
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – May
Ice Age 3 – June 30
Transformersâ„¢: Revenge of the Fallen – June

Aksys Games
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus – May 12

Atari
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution – March 17
Backyard Baseball 10 – March 31

Capcom Entertainment Inc.
MotoGPâ„¢ – Spring

Codemasters Inc
Overlord Dark Legend – Summer

Conspiracy Games
Real Heroes: Firefighter – April

Deep Silver, Inc.
Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity – April
Fritz Chess – May

Disney Interactive Studios
Hannah Montana The Movie – April

Electronic Arts
TRIVIAL PURSUITâ„¢ – March
MySimsâ„¢ Party – March
EA SPORTS Activeâ„¢ – May 19
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 – June
BOOM BLOXâ„¢ Bash Party – Spring
MySimsâ„¢ Racing – Summer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princeâ„¢ – Summer
G.I. JOEâ„¢ The Rise of Cobra – Summer
EA SPORTS Tennis (working title) – Summer

Hudson Entertainment
Help Wanted – Summer

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
DanceDanceRevolution® Disney Grooves – April 2
Yu-Gi-Oh! â„¢ 5D’s Wheelie Breakers – May 19

LucasArts
Indiana Jones® and the Staff of Kingsâ„¢ – Late Spring

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Klonoa® – Q2

Nintendo
New Play Control! Pikminâ„¢ – March 9
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennisâ„¢ – March 9
Excitebots: Trick Racing – April 20
New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat – May 4
Punch-Out!! – May 18

SEGA of America
Virtua Tennisâ„¢ 2009 – May
The Conduitâ„¢ – June
Let’s Tapâ„¢ – June

Southpeak Interactive
Roogoo Twisted Towersâ„¢ – April 7
Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeballâ„¢ – April 21

Zoo Games, Inc.
M&M’s Beach Party – March 10
Puzzle Kingdoms – March 31
Garfield Gets Real – April 7
Pennzoil’s Build-N-Race: “Speed Demons” – April 14
Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans – April 21
Smiley World Island Challenge – April 28
Garfield’s Pet Force – June 9