Nintendo has put out its 2012 release schedules for Europe and America and things are looking decidedly barren for Wii and DS owners. Admittedly this dearth of games is not exactly a surprise given that 3DS is Nintendo's handheld du jour and Wii U is on the way. But still, it's never nice to see the inevitable 'thinning out' of a retiring console's release schedule. It reminds me of that bit in The Beach when one of the Swedish dudes gets bitten by a shark and they leave him to die in a tent because nobody can be assed to look after him. Have a look:
Nintendo DS (Europe)
Hidden Object Show (Intenium Console GmbH): January 2012
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Inazuma Eleven 2 Firestorm (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Inazuma Eleven 2 Blizzard (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Nintendo DSiWare (Europe)
Antipole (Saturnine Games): 5th January 2012
Doodle Fit (Gamelion Studios): January 2012
Amoebattle (Grab): Q1 2012
Flip the Core (Engine Software): Q1 2012
Victorious: Hollywood Arts Debut (Namco Bandai Games): Q1 2012
Nintendo DS (USA)
MLB 2K12 (2K Sports): March 6 2012
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (Atlus): February 2012
Silverlicious (GameMill Entertainment): March 20 2012
Xia Xia (GameMill Entertainment): March 20 2012
Gogo's Crazy Bones (GameMill Entertainment): March 20 2012
Chess for Kids (Mentor Interactive): February 14 2012
Naraba: The Labyrinth of Light (Mentor Interactive): February 21 2012
Naraba: The Mysterious Palace (Mentor Interactive) February 21 2012
Nintendo DSiWare (USA)
Box Pusher (Cosmigo): Q1 2012
Cake Ninja: (Cypronia): Q1 2012
So not really a whole lot of DS love going on. Sure there's a couple of Inazuma's for Europe and Shin Megami Tensei in the US. But if RPGs aren't your thing, well, you're a bit screwed. Unless you're really optimistic and positive, things really aren't any better on Wii:
Wii (Europe)
Boom Street (Nintendo/Square Enix): 6th January 2012
The Last Story (Nintendo): 24th February 2012
Mario Party 9 (Nintendo): March 2012
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Nintendo): March 2012
Winter Sports 2012 (PQube): Q1 2012
We Sing Pop (Nordic Games Publishing AB): Q1 2012
We Sing 80's (Nordic Games Publishing AB): Q2 2012
Pandora’s Tower (Nintendo): Q2 2012
Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise (Nintendo) 2012
Wii (USA)
Mario Party 9 (Nintendo): March 11 2012
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Nintendo): February 27 2012
Rhythm Heaven Fever (Nintendo): February 13 2012
Karaoke Joysound (Konami): Q1 2012
Country Dance Special Edition (GameMill Entertainment): February 1 2012
MLB 2K12 (2K Sports): March 6 2012
WiiWare (Europe/USA)
La-Mulana (Nicalis): Q1 2012
Obviously another Mario Party is going to please some people and Hironobu Sakaguchi's (aka Mr I Made Final Fantasy) RPG The Last Story will be something a lot of European gamers are going to be looking forward to. Personally, I can't see much of a future for my Wii once I'm done with Skyward Sword. Although, that said, Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise/Rhythm Heaven Fever looks entertaining in a kind of 'look at me I'm playing a crazy Japanese music-based mini-game button hitter game because I like crazy games' sort of way.
So, from the information Nintendo has released, it doesn't exactly look like Wii and DS gamers are going to be spoilt for choice in 2012. But it's not all doom and gloom. Things are - thankfully - a tad more fruitful for 3DS:
Nintendo 3DS (Europe)
Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom): 27th January 2012
Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro: 27th January 2012
Crush 3D (Sega): January 2012
3D Game Collection (Mastertronic): January 2012
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega): February 2012
One Piece Unlimited Cruise Special (Namco Bandai Games): 10th February 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo): March 2012
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (Konami): Winter
Pac-Man Party 3D (Namco Bandai Games): Q1 2012
Ben 10 Galactic Racing (Namco Bandai Games): Q1 2012
Tekken 3D Prime Edition (Namco Bandai Games): Q1 2012
Crash Time 4 (PQube): Q1 2012
Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (Sega): Early 2012
Mario Tennis (Nintendo): 2012
Luigi’s Mansion 2 (Nintendo): 2012
Professor Layton 5 (Nintendo): 2012
Nintendo 3DS eShop (Europe)
VVVVVV (Nicalis): January 2012
SpeedThru: Potzol's Puzzle (Nintendo): February 2012
3D Classics: Kid Icarus (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Colors! 3D (Collecting Smiles): Q1 2012
Dillon's Rolling Western (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH! (Shin’en Multimedia): Q1 2012
Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid): Q1 2012
Nintendo 3DS (USA)
Nicktoons MLB 3D (2K Play) March 2012
Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom) February 7 2012
Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater (Konami) Q1 2012
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (Konami) January 2012
Tekken 3D Prime Edition (Namco Bandai Games) February 2012
Tales of the Abyss (Namco Bandai Games) February 14 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo): March 23
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega): February 14 2012
Crush 3D (Sega): Q1 2012
NCIS The Video Game (Ubisoft): March 6 2012
Horses 3D (Ubisoft): March 6 2012
Funky Barn (Ubisoft): Q1 2012
Rayman Origins (Ubisoft): Q1 2012
Nintendo 3DS eShop (USA)
Colors! 3D (Collecting Smiles): Q1 2012
VVVVVV (Nicalis): Q1 2012
NightSky (Nicalis): Q1 2012
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Dillon's Rolling Western (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Kirby’s Block Ball (Nintendo): Q1 2012
Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid): Q1 2012
Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH! (Shin’en Multimedia): Q1 2012
Jett Rocket Super Surf (Shin’en Multimedia): Q1 2012
Mighty Switch Force (WayForward): Q1 2012
Zen Pinball (Zen Studios): Q1 2012
A bit disappointing that Paper Mario and Animal Crossing are absent from the list, but on the positive there are some big releases to get excited about. Resi Revelations, Kid Icarus, Metal Gear, Luigi's Mansion 2, Professor Layton, Mario Tennis... a decent early line-up.
There's also a few eShop offerings that should be worth a look. In particular there's VVVVVV, last year's acclaimed indie PC puzzler which we awarded an 8, and Mutant Mudds, an old-school platformer from promising developer Renegade Kid (who made the DS games Dementium and Moon).
Oh, and whatever you do, don't let Sega's Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure escape your attention. I'm not entirely sure what's happening in this Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure video, but it makes me want to play the game:
So that's how next year is shaping up for Nintendo's machines so far. All things considered, it's a bit shit if all you've got to play games on are Wii and DS.
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