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Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M head to Wii

E3 2009: Popular plumber gets second interstellar jaunt on Nintendo's console, while Tecmo's Team Ninja prepping Samus-led action adventure for 2010.

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LOS ANGELES--Nintendo led off its Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 press event with New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii, a co-op heavy side-scrolling platformer. As Nintendo's press event wrapped up, the publisher trotted out two arguably even more sought after titles, announcing Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M for the Wii.

An early look at Super Mario Galaxy 2.
An early look at Super Mario Galaxy 2.

While Nintendo typically limits its flagship 3D Mario titles to one per console generation, the publisher said that it was making an exception for the Wii with Super Mario Galaxy 2. The 3D platformer draws its aesthetic heavily from the highly acclaimed first installment in the Galaxy series, with a brief trailer for the game showing Mario and his dinosaur friend Yoshi navigating a variety of interstellar planets.

A hallmark of the Mario franchise, the game features a number of themed levels, with the demo showing a snow-coated planet, an underwater section, a haunted castle, and a lush, flora-heavy world. Super Mario Galaxy 2 also maintains the original's puzzle design, showing Mario and Yoshi grappling with tricky environmental hazards and wandering enemies. Nintendo did not reveal a release window for Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Closing out its E3 press event, Nintendo surprised attendees with the unexpected announcement of Metroid: Other M. Nintendo has tapped Tecmo's Team Ninja studio--best known for its Ninja Gaiden franchise--to develop the 3D action adventure. The game is expected to arrive for Nintendo's console in 2010.

Team Ninja is known for delivering intense gameplay, and that reputation was on full display with the brief Metroid: Other M trailer that was shown. After a cutscene showed a young woman later identified to be Samus in a sci-fi military base, the trailer shifted to in-game action of Samus in her iconic armor battling a variety of enemies both with ranged and melee combat.

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