Metroid Prime 3 primed for August 20

In recent years, the August release of Electronic Arts' annual Madden NFL installment has signaled the end of a slow period on the release schedule. It has also been the beginning of a gradual ramp-up in releases, culminating with a mid-November bounty of holiday launches.

However, this year could unfold differently, as Microsoft has already announced a late September arrival for Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, and Take-Two Interactive's Grand Theft Auto IV will follow in October. The gap between Madden and Halo 3 won't exactly be barren of highly anticipated releases, either. Nintendo today detailed its summer release schedule for first-party and third-party games, with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption set to arrive on the Wii August 20, less than a week after Madden NFL 08.

Nintendo gave release dates or windows for a dozen other summer Wii games, with a reiteration that Electronic Arts' Boogie will arrive in the fall. Of those, two more are first-party titles: arcade-style soccer game Mario Strikers Charged on July 30 and the action strategy sequel Battalion Wars 2 in September.

The Nintendo DS's new-release shelves will be much busier than their Wii counterparts for the summer season, as Nintendo gave release windows for 37 games on its portable. As predicted by retailers, Picross and Brain Age 2 are definitely getting North American releases. GameStop correctly pegged the Picross date as July 30, but only had the month right for Brain Age 2, which is now set for an August 20 release. As for Nintendo's other first-party DS releases, DK Jungle Climber (formerly DK: King of Swing) is set to arrive September 10, followed by Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol September 24.

[UPDATE] Gamers who might have been panicked at the omission of Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 from the list below need not worry. A Rockstar Games representative blamed Manhunt 2's absence on a miscommunication, and has confirmed to GameSpot that the violent action-adventure game will be released in North America on July 10 for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.

Wii
July 30--Mario Strikers Charged--Nintendo
August 20--Metroid Prime 3 Corruption--Nintendo
August 14--High School Musical: Sing It!--Disney Interactive Studios
August 14--Madden NFL 08--EA
August--Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08--EA
August--Space Station Tycoon--Namco Bandai
August--Brunswick Pro Bowling--Crave
August--Dave Mirra BMX Challenge--Crave
August--Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection--Crave
September--Battalion Wars 2--Nintendo
September--Brothers in Arms--Ubisoft
September--Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal--Warner Bros.
September--George of the Jungle--Crave
Fall--Boogie--EA

Nintendo DS
July 30--Picross DS--Nintendo
July--SimCity--EA
July--Namco Museum DS--Namco Bandai
July--Drake & Josh--THQ
July--Glory Days 2--Eidos
August 14--Madden NFL 08--EA
August 14--High School Musical: Makin' the Cut!--Disney Interactive Studios
August 14--Heroes of Mana--Square Enix
August 20--Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day--Nintendo
August--I SPY: Fun House--Activision
August--Jewel Quest Expedition--Activision
August--Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08--EA
August--Worms: Open Warfare 2--THQ
August--Luminous Arc--Atlus
August--Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus--Capcom
August--Mega Man Star Force: Leo--Capcom
August--Mega Man Star Force: Dragon--Capcom
August--Operation: Vietnam--Majesco
August--Turn It Around--Majesco
August--The Wild West--Majesco
August--Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game--Destineer
September 10--DK Jungle Climber--Nintendo
September 24--Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol--Nintendo
September--Drawn to Life--THQ
September--Zoey 101--THQ
September--Crayola Teasure Adventures--Crave
September--Nancy Drew and The Deadly Secret of Olde World Park--Majesco
September--Holly Hobbie & Friends--Majesco
September--Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations--Capcom
September--Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck--Warner Bros.
September--Pet Luv Spa & Resort Tycoon--Activision
September--Animal Genius--Activision
September--George of the Jungle--Crave
September--Jam Sessions--Ubisoft
September--Professor Brainium--Destineer
September--Indy 500 Legends--Destineer