Pikmin, Pokemon revamp top Nintendo lineup

Nintendo has enjoyed tremendous success thanks to the forward-thinking innovations of its DS and Wii systems, but the company's lineup is focused squarely on the past. The publisher revealed today its first-party and third-party lineup of Wii and DS games through March of 2009, with a scattering of revamps and remakes comprising the majority of its own games.

For the Wii, Nintendo has only two releases planned, both remakes of GameCube games designed to support the Wii Remote's motion-sensing capabilities. The self-explanatory New Play Control Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control Pikmin will both launch in March.

Nintendo's DS lineup is a little more robust, spearheaded by the March 22 launch of Pokemon Platinum. Platinum reuses characters and settings from Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl in a franchise tradition dating back to Pokemon Yellow for the original Game Boy, a pseudosequel that incorporated elements of the previously released Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.

Beyond Platinum, Nintendo has two more DS games planned through March. Up first will be Personal Trainer: Math on January 12, an arithmetic addition to the practical game series that started with Personal Trainer: Cooking. Those looking for something a little more gamey can try Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon on February 16. The latest release in the turn-based strategy series will be a remake of the original NES Fire Emblem (which never made it to North America), with new touch-screen controls.

Wii
Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Disney Interactive Studios)--Winter
Neighborhood Games (THQ)--January 5
Paws & Claws Pet Resort (THQ)--January 5
Fishing Master World Tour (Hudson)--January 6
Deer Drive (Mastiff)--January 20
SimAnimals (Electronic Arts)--January 27
Coraline (D3Publisher)--January
Escape the Museum (Majesco)--January
Word Jong Party (Destineer)--January
NASCAR Kart Racing (Electronic Arts)--February 10
Brave: A Warrior's Tale (Southpeak)--February 17
Little King's Story (Marvelous)--February 17
Roogoo Twisted Towers (Southpeak)--February 17
Battle Rage (Destineer)--February
Cradle of Rome (Destineer)--February
House of the Dead: Overkill (Sega)--February
Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers (D3Publisher)--February
Puzzle Challenges and More! (Crave)--February
Solitaire & Mahjong (Crave)--February
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Ubisoft)--February
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (Southpeak)--March 17
Monsters vs. Aliens (Activision)--March 24
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Director's Cut (Ubisoft)--March
Burger Island (Destineer)--March
Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Destineer)--March
Crayola Colorful World (Crave)--March
DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves (Konami)--March
Madworld (Sega)--March
Major Minor's Majestic March (Majesco)--March
Monster Pals (Crave)--March
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (Nintendo)--March
New Play Control! Pikmin (Nintendo)--March
Play the World (Dreamcatcher)--March
Rune Factory Frontier (Marvelous)--March
Sonic and the Black Knight (Sega)--March
We Ski & Snowboard (Namco Bandai)--March
Super Pick Ups (XS Games)--Q1
Trivial Pursuit (Electronic Arts)--Early spring
Marble Saga Kororinpa (Hudson)--Spring

Nintendo DS
Phineas and Ferb (Disney Interactive Studios)--Winter
Paws & Claws Pampered Pets (THQ)--January 5
Big Bang Mini (Southpeak)--January 6
Retro Game Challenge (XSEED)--January 6
Personal Trainer: Math (Nintendo)--January 12
Moon (Mastiff)--January 13
World Championship Games (The Game Factory)--January 19
SimAnimals (Electronic Arts)--January 27
Coraline (D3Publisher)--January
Drivers' Ed Portable (Dreamcatcher)--January
Inkheart (Dreamcatcher)--January
Jake Power Fireman (Ubisoft)--January
Jake Power Policeman (Ubisoft)--January
Learn Math (Dreamcatcher)--January
Monster Band (Dreamcatcher)--January
Powerbike (Majesco)--January
USA Today Puzzle Craze (Destineer)--January
Wonder World Amusement Park (Majesco)--January
My World, My Way (Atlus)--February 3
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II (Atlus)--February 10
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo)--February 16
Brave: Shaman's Challenge (Southpeak)--February 17
Jagged Alliance (Empire Interactive)--February 17
My Fashion Studio Paris Collection (Ubisoft)--February 17
Roogoo Attack (Southpeak)--February 17
Avalon Code (Marvelous)--February
Imagine Cheerleader (Ubisoft)--February
Imagine Family Doctor (Ubisoft)--February
JoJo's Fashion Show (Ubisoft)--February
Music Star: Pop Star (Dreamcatcher)--February
My DoItAll (Tomy)--February
My Personal Diary (Dreamcatcher)--February
Petz Horseshoe Ranch (Ubisoft)--February
Zoo Quest (Dreamcatcher)--February
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity (Gameloft)--March 9
Animal Planet (Activision)--March 10
Chicken Hunter Star Karts (MumboJumbo)--March 10
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games)--March 17
Trackmania DS (Atlus)--March 17
Pokemon Platinum (Nintendo)--March 22
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity (Ubisoft)--March 24
Monsters vs. Aliens (Activision)--March 24
Pimp My Ride 2 (Activision)--March 24
Broken Sword: Shadows of the Templars Director's Cut (Ubisoft)--March
DinoPets (Destineer)--March
Dreamer: Top Model (Dreamcatcher)--March
Flower, Sun, and Rain (Marvelous)--March
Hot n' Cold (Majesco)--March
Imagine Ice Champions (Ubisoft)--March
Jake Power Handyman (Ubisoft)--March
Learn Chess (Dreamcatcher)--March
Matchstick (Dreamcatcher)--March
Monster Pals (Crave)--March
Paint by DS (Dreamcatcher)--March
Sarah: Keeper of the Unicorn (Dreamcatcher)--March
Zubo (Electronic Arts)--March
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero (Konami)--Q1
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (Electronic Arts)--Q1
Little Magician's Magic Adventure (Konami)--Q1
Our House (Majesco)--Q1
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (D3Publisher)--Q1
Suikoden Tierkreis (Konami)--Q1
Dragon Master (Dreamcatcher)--April
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix)--Spring