Nintendo Japan opens up 101-game Wii catalog

The rush of Wii launch information today keeps coming, as Nintendo of Japan has updated its official Web site with a lineup of release dates for 101 games. While a lot of the dates are vaguely listed as "tba," Nintendo was very specific when it came to the system's day-one titles.

When the Wii drops in Japan on December 2, purchasers will have at least 16 games to choose from on their new systems, including a quartet of Nintendo games, according to the publisher. Joining expected first-party launch titles Wii Sports and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Hajimete no Wii: Your First Step to Wii. The other dozen launch titles feature new Tamagotchi, Gundam, and Super Monkey Ball games, as well as original properties like Necro-Nesia and Red Steel.

It also appears as if Nintendo might avoid the postlaunch drought of new releases that typically affect new systems. Another 10 titles are scheduled to hit Japanese shelves by the end of the year, including Western imports Need for Speed Carbon and Rayman Raving Rabbids. Nintendo will also release Pokèmon Battle Revolution in Japan sometime in December, before starting 2007 off with the US launch title Excite Truck in January, and a new Fire Emblem game in February.

[UPDATE] Among the 101 games are a few eyebrow-raising entries. First of all, Super Paper Mario (working title) is listed among the Wii games. Originally announced as a GameCube game, Super Paper Mario takes the aesthetic of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario and places it in a platform game. Nintendo has not yet returned GameSpot's request for a status update on the GameCube version of the game.

Nintendo itself included a number of previously unannounced games it will be publishing, most of them new entries in successful franchises, and all saddled with working titles. Wii Yawaraka Atama Juku, is a next-gen version of the popular Nintendo DS brain training game Big Brain Academy. Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race should be the rhythmic platforming primate's first outing for the system. Hoshi no Kirby apparently stars the pink puffball Kirby, while the Animal Crossing brand is being brought to the system as Doubutsu no Mori. Cash cow Mario also had a new title slipped into the mix in Mario Party 8, which won't arrive until 2007, making 2006 the first off year for the long-running franchise.

However, Nintendo's also going beyond its firmly established franchises. It will publish a Wii game based on Eyeshield 21, the football-themed manga that spawned a DS game earlier this year. Finally, the company is working on a new game called Forever Blue. While Nintendo didn't detail exactly what Forever Blue would be, it's a safe bet it has nothing to do with the Chris Isaak album of the same name.

Nintendo games aren't the only interesting entries on the list. It appears the Wii debut of the Resident Evil series has been given the Japanese name Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles. In the Resident Evil series (known as Biohazard in Japan), Umbrella is the name of the evil corporation whose sinister research is more often than not behind apocalyptic zombie invasions.

It appears Sega is down for a gun-shooting game on the Wii, but the listing gives no hint as to which of the company's existing gun games franchises--if any--the game is based on. Sega created the successful Virtua Cop and House of the Dead franchises, as well as less memorable offerings like Confidential Mission, The Ocean Hunter, and The Maze of the Kings. There's also a listing for Pac-Man Carnival from Namco Bandai, although again, no details have been given about the title.

JAPANESE LAUNCH TITLES:
TITLE / PUBLISHER / RELEASE
Elebits / Konami Digital Entertainment / 12/02/2006
Ennichi no Tatsujin / Bandai Namco Games / 12/02/2006
Hajimete no Wii: Your First Step to Wii / Nintendo / 12/02/2006
Kororinpa / Hudson / 12/02/2006
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess / Nintendo / 12/02/2006
Machi-Kuru Domino (Working Title) / Success / 12/02/2006
Necro-Nesia / Spike / 12/02/2006
Red Steel / Ubisoft / 12/02/2006
SD Gundam Revolution (Working Title) / Bandai Namco Games / 12/02/2006
Super Monkey Ball: Ukiuki Party Daisuugou / Sega / 12/02/2006
Swing Golf Pangya / Tecmo / 12/02/2006
Tamagotchi no Pikapika Daitouryou / Bandai Namco Games / 12/02/2006
Trauma Center: Second Opinion / Atlus / 12/02/2006
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves / Nintendo / 12/02/2006
Wii Sports / Nintendo / 12/02/2006
Wing Island / Hudson / 12/02/2006

POSTLAUNCH 2006 JAPANESE TITLES:
TITLE / PUBLISHER / RELEASE
Bleach Wii / Sega / Dec-06
Cooking Mama: Minna to Issho ni Oryouri Taikai! / Taito / Dec-06
Crayon Shin-chan / Banpresto / Dec-06
Furifuri (Working Title) / Taito / Dec-06
Mahjong Wii (Working Title) / Koei / Dec-06
Need For Speed Carbon / EA / Dec-06
Pokemon Battle Revolution / Pokèmon / Nintendo / Dec-06
Rayman (Working Title) / Ubisoft / Dec-06
Sengoku Musou Wave / Koei / Dec-06
Sudoku / Hudson / Dec-06
Tsuri Master (Working Title) / Hudson / Dec-06

FUTURE WII RELEASES:
TITLE / PUBLISHER / RELEASE DATE
3D Action game (Working Title) / Takara Tomy / TBA
3D Boxing Action game (Working Title) / AQ Interactive / TBA
Action Game (Working Title) / ASNetworks / 2007
Action Game (Working Title) / Epoch / TBA
Action game (Working Title) / Takara Tomy / TBA
Action Game (Working Title) / Banpresto / TBA
Action Game (Working Title) / From Software / TBA
Action RPG (Working Title) / From Software / TBA
Bachindaa / Hudson / Feb-07
Barnyard (Working Title) / THQ Japan / TBA
Baseball Game (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
Battle Action game (Working Title) / Takara Tomy / TBA
Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles (Working Title) / Capcom / TBA
Bokujou Monogatari Wii (Working Title) / Marvelous Interactive / TBA
Bomberman Land (Working Title) / Hudson / Mar-07
Call of Duty 3 / Activision / TBA
Cars (Working Title) / THQ Japan / TBA
Crossword / Hudson / Mar-07
Dairantou Smash Bros. X / Nintendo / 2007
Densha de Go! (Working Title) / Taito / TBA
Disaster (Working Title) / Nintendo / Spring 2007
Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Doubutsu no Mori (Working Title) / Nintendo / TBA
Downhill Jam (Working Title) / Activision / TBA
Dragon Ball Z Sparking! NEO / Bandai Namco Games / Jan-07
Dragon Quest Swords / Square Enix / Spring 2007
Excite Truck / Nintendo / Jan-07
Eyeshield 21 (Working Title) / Nintendo / TBA
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearer (Working Title) / Square Enix / TBA
Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami / Nintendo / Feb-07
Fishing Game (Working Title) / ASNetworks / Summer 2007
Forever Blue (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
GT pro series / MTO / TBA
Gun Shooting game (Working Title) / Sega / TBA
Harry Potter (Working Title) / EA / 2007
Heroes / Spike / 2007
Horce Racing Action game (Working Title) / Koei / TBA
Hoshi no Kirby (Working Title) / Nintendo / TBA
Java / Spike / Spring 2007
Jigsaw Puzzle / Hudson / Mar-07
Kawano Nushi-Tsuri Series (Working Title) / Marvelous Interactive / TBA
Mario Party 8 (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Mario Strikers Charged (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Marvel Ultimate Alliance / Interchannel-Holon / TBA
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Mobile Suit Gundam (Working Title) / Bandai Namco Games / TBA
Music simulation game (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
New Action Adventure Game 1 (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
New Action Adventure Game 2 (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
New RPG (Working Title) / Koei / TBA
Noumiso Konekone Puzzle Takoron / Compile Heart / Summer 2007
One Piece: Unlimited Adventure / Bandai Namco Games / TBA
Original Action game (Working Title) / D3 Publisher / 2007
Original Simulation game (Working Title) / Marvelous Interactive / TBA
Pac-Man Carnival (Working Title) / Bandai Namco Games / TBA
Princess Company / Starfish SD / TBA
Project Hammer (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
RPG (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
San-X Allstar for Wii (Working Title) / MTO / TBA
Shooting Game (Working Title) / ASNetworks / Summer 2007
Simple series (Working Title) / D3 Publisher / 2007
Soccer Game (Working Title) / Konami Digital Entertainment / TBA
Sonic and the Secret Rings / Sega / 2007
Soothing character action game (Working Title) / MTO / TBA
Sponge Bob (Working Title) / THQ Japan / TBA
SSX (Working Title) / EA / 2007
Super Mario Galaxy / Nintendo / 2007
Super Paper Mario (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Sword Fighting Action game (Working Title) / Interchannel-Holon / TBA
Sword of Legendia (Working Title) / Bandai Namco Games / TBA
The Dog Island (Working Title) / Yukes / 2007
Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Working Title) / EA / 2007
Totsugeki Famicom Wars W (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Wii Music (Working Title) / Nintendo / 2007
Wii Yawaraka Atama Juku (Working Title) / Nintendo / Spring 2007