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Link and Mario star in Nintendo's Q4 EU lineup

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Wii Fit Plus all due out in time for Christmas.

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With Nintendo's profits having slid somewhat in recent times, the company could do with a strong lineup of products for this holiday season. It seems this is the case, with Nintendo set to bring out the big guns in this year's autumn/winter software lineup, which places Mario and Link firmly in the spotlight.

Mario plays a big part in the Nintendo Christmas lineup.
Mario plays a big part in the Nintendo Christmas lineup.

Link will return for his second outing on the DS in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which is due out on December 11. Boasting the same cel-shaded visual style as its predecessor, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks sees Link travel around a magical island featuring an equally magical locomotive. Spirit Tracks looks set to contain some of the great puzzles and dungeons the series is famous for, and with the previous title receiving rave reviews, hopes are high for this new Zelda entry.

Elsewhere on the DS, Mario and Luigi return in Bowser's Inside Story, which is due out on October 9. The game is set inside Bowser's stomach and differs from the usual Mario fare with its action RPG gameplay. Pokemon makes a comeback on November 20 with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky. As ever, players must try to capture those pesky Pokemon, and the game features more than 490 different types. Other highlights include Spore Hero Arena, Need for Speed Nitro, and Lego Indiana Jones 2, all of which are due out before Christmas.

On the Wii, Mario is the star once again as he leaps into action in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, due out November 20. Featuring four-player cooperative play, the game requires players to work together to solve platforming puzzles and access hidden areas. New Super Mario Bros. Wii also ranks players at the end of every level, based on the number of coins collected.

The endless stream of Wii Fit sales also looks set to continue with the launch of Wii Fit Plus on October 30, available with or without the balance board. Nintendo says it will feature new games, online functionality, and lower-impact exercises for senior citizens. Other highlights from the Wii lineup include Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquillity, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, and F1 2009, all due out before the end of the year.

Wii Software 2009

Family Party: Outdoor Fun (D3Publisher)-2 October
Crazy Mini Golf 2 (Data Design Interactive)-2 October
FIFA 10 (EA SPORTS)-2 October
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquillity (Nintendo)-9 October
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (LucasArts)9 October
Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Oxygen Interactive)-9 October
All Star Cheerleader 2 (THQ)-16 October
Drawn to Life The Next Chapter (THQ)-16 October
Coutdown (Mindscape)-16 October
Family Fortunes (Mindscape)-16 October
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA)-16 October
Bakugan: Battle Brawlers (Activision)-23 October
The Ultimate Red Ball Challenge (Mindscape)-23 October
Super Hero Squad (THQ)-23 October
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (THQ)-23 October
Arcade Zone (Activision)-30 October
Science Papa (Activision)-30 October
Mountains Sports (Activision)-30 October
Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)-30 October
Wii Fit Plus with Wii Balance Board (Nintendo)-30 October
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS)-30 October
My Personal Golf trainer with David Leadbetter (Data Design Interactive)-30 October
Juon (Rising Star Games)-30 October
Cars: Race O Rama (THQ)-October
Casper's Scare School Spooky Sports Day (Blast Entertainment)-October
THE SECRET SATURDAYS: Beasts of the 5th Sun (D3Publisher)-October
Ballerina presented by Repetto (Deep Silver)-October
A Boy And His Blob (Majesco)-October
Go Play Circus Star (Majesco)-October
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SMASH-UP (UBISOFT)-October
Squeeballs (Zen United)-October
Playmobil Circus (HMH Interactive)-5 November
Animal Planet: Vet Life (Activision)-6 November
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Activision)-6 November
i Carly (Activision)-6 November
Madagascar: Kartz (Activision)-6 November
Rapala: We Fish (Activision)-6 November
My Baby 2 (NOBILIS)-6 November
Beat The Intro (Mindscape)-6 November
U-SING (Mindscape)-6 November
Muramasa (Rising Star Games)-6 November
World of Zoo (THQ)-6 November
SpongeBob Truth or Square (THQ)-13 November
The Biggest Loser (THQ)-13 November
Princess and the Frog (Disney Interactive Studios)-19 November
New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo)-20 November
Where the Wild Things Are (WBIE)-27 November (UK, DE)
Yoga (JoWooD)-November
Karaoke Revolution (Konami)-November
Let's Party (Konami)-November
Tornado Outbreak (Konami)-November
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS)-November
RTL Winter Sports 2010 The Great Tournament (RTL Sports)-November
Jambo Safari (SEGA)-November
ARTHUR AND THE REVENGE OF MALTAZARD (UBISOFT)-November
CSI DEADLY INTENT (UBISOFT)-November
Family Gameshow (zushi games ltd)-November
North American Hunting Extravaganza (zushi games ltd)-November
Planet 51 (SEGA) -November onwards
Tony Hawk®: RIDE™ (Activision)-4 December (DE, UK)
JUST DANCE (UBISOFT)-December
YOUR SHAPE (UBISOFT)-December
It's My Circus (2K Play)-Autumn
NBA 2K10 (2K Sports)-Autumn
NHL 2K10 (2K Sports)-Autumn
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 (EA)-Autumn
LITTLEST PET SHOP FRIENDS (EA)-Autumn
MySims Agents (EA)-Autumn
Need for Speed Nitro (EA)-Autumn
SimAnimals Africa (EA)-Autumn
Spore Hero (EA) Autumn
Formula 1 (Codemasters)-Q4
Pony Friends (Eidos)-Q4
PES 2010 (Konami)-Q4
Horrid Henry's Missions of Mischief (SouthPeak Games)-Q4
Miniclip Sushi Go Round (SouthPeak Games)-Q4
Build a Bear: Friendship Valley (The Game Factory)-Q4
AVATAR (UBISOFT)-Q4
MONSTER 4x4 STUNTRACE (UBISOFT)-Q4
RABBIDS GO HOME (UBISOFT)-Q4
SHAUN WHITE SNOW WORLD STAGE (UBISOFT)-Q4
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (Capcom)-Winter
Silent Hill Shattered Memories (Konami)-Winter
LEGO® Indiana Jones™ 2 The Adventure Continues (LucasArts)-Winter

Nintendo DS Software 2009

FIFA 10 (EA SPORTS)-2 October
Famous (NOBILIS)-2 October
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo)-9 October
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (LucasArts)-9 October
Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Oxygen Interactive)-9 October
Angel Cat Sugar (Rising Star Games)-9 October
Harvest Fishing (Rising Star Games)-15 October
All Star Cheerleader 2 (THQ)-16 October
Luminous Arc 2 (Rising Star Games)-16 October
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA)-16 October
Drawn to Life The Next Chapter (THQ)-16 October
Countdown (Mindscape)-16 October
Family Fortunes (Mindscape)-16 October
Blood Bowl (THQ)-18 October
Bakugan: Battle Brawlers (Activision)-23 October
Super Hero Squad (THQ)-23 October
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (THQ)-23 October
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Disney Interactive Studios)-29 October
Nintendo Presents Style Boutique (Nintendo)-23 October
Science Papa (Activision)-30 October
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS)-30 October
Cars: Race O Rama (THQ)-October
Casper's Scare School Spooky Sports Day (Blast Entertainment)-October
Shaun the Sheep: Off His Head (D3Publisher)-October
Carcassonne (Deep Silver)-October
Crosswords Italy (Deep Silver)-October
Let's play Flight Attendant (Deep Silver)-October
Ant Nation (Konami)-October
Ballerina presented by Repetto (Deep Silver)-October
Let's play Journalists (Deep Silver)-October
Agatha Christie: ABC Murders (The Adventure Company)-October
DOLPHIN ISLAND UNDERWATER ADVENTURES (UBISOFT)-October
GIRLS LIFE MAKEOVER (UBISOFT)-October
IMAGINE BEAUTY STYLIST (UBISOFT)-October
IMAGINE JOURNALIST (UBISOFT)-October
PETZ MY PONY CLUB (UBISOFT)-October
Squeeballs (Zen United)-October
Animal Planet: Vet Life (Activision)-6 November
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Activision)-6 November
i Carly (Activision)-6 November
Madagascar: Kartz (Activision)-6 November
Disney's A Christmas Carol (Disney Interactive Studios)-6 November
My Baby 2 (NOBILIS)-6 November
Beat The Intro (Mindscape)-6 November
Women's Murder Club Games of Passion (THQ)-6 November
World of Zoo (THQ)-6 November
SpongeBob Truth or Square (THQ)-13 November
The Biggest Loser (THQ)-13 November
Jewel Quest Solitaire (astragon Software GmbH)-16 November
Quest Mysteries (astragon Software GmbH)-16 November
Princess and the Frog (Disney Interactive Studios)-19 November
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky (Nintendo)-20 November
Where the Wild Things Are (WBIE)-27 November (UK, DE)
Buddy Maths/Scoyo Mathe (Deep Silver) -November
Buddy Vocabulary Trainer English (Deep Silver)-November
Buddy Vocabulary Trainer French (Deep Silver)-November
Scoyo Mathe lernen (Deep Silver)-November
Easy Learning: Discover Our Earth (JoWooD)-November
Wire Way (Konami)-November
Crash Time III (Playtainment)-November
Jambo Safari (SEGA)-November
Safecracker (The Adventure Company)-November
ARTHUR AND THE REVENGE OF MALTAZARD (UBISOFT)-November
CSI DEADLY INTENT: THE HIDDEN CASES (UBISOFT) -November
GIRLS LIFE FASHION ADDICT (UBISOFT)-November
GIRLS LIFE JEWELLERY DESIGN (UBISOFT)-November
GIRLS LIFE SLEEPOVER PARTY (UBISOFT)-November
PETZ DOGZ SUPERSTAR (UBISOFT)-November
PETZ HAMSTERZ SUPERSTAR (UBISOFT)-November
PETZ NURSERY (UBISOFT)-November
PRINCESS MELODY (UBISOFT)-November
JIGAPIX Range (zushi games ltd)-November
Planet 51 (SEGA) -November onwards
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo)-11 December
Nintendo Presents: Crossword Collection (Nintendo)-18 December
(UK Only)
Legend Of Kay (The Adventure Company)-December
Zenses: Zen Garden (The Game Factory)-Q3/Q4
Build A Bear: Welcome to Hugsville (The Game Factory)-Q4
Horrid Henry's Missions of Mischief (SouthPeak Games)-Q4
Miniclip Sushi Go Round (SouthPeak Games)-Q4
COP THE RECRUIT (UBISOFT)-Q4
It's My Circus (2K Play)-Autumn
LITTLEST PET SHOP FRIENDS (EA)-Autumn
MySims Agents (EA)-Autumn
Need for Speed Nitro (EA)-Autumn
SimAnimals Africa (EA)-Autumn
Spore Hero Arena (EA)-Autumn
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadro (LucasArts)-Autumn
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 (EA)-Autumn
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2 The Adventure Continues (LucasArts)-Winter

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