Nintendo gives public peek at Zelda and more new GC titles

On the eve of the American Thanksgiving holiday, during which Nintendo has traditionally launched a flagship holiday title, the company released new screens for four upcoming games for the GameCube. Of the four games, only one had been previously announced: the newest entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise. The three new shots from this title appear to be pulled from the trailer shown at E3 and offer fans the opportunity to scrutinize the work Nintendo is doing on what will likely be the final Zelda game on the GameCube.

Since the other three titles, Mario Baseball, Donky Konga 3, and an all-new adventure starring Kirby, had just been officially announced, information on them was scarce.

Mario Baseball appears to be another sports-oriented branch in the Mario series, in the same vein as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf. The screens show glimpses of the usual suspects for the game's cast. It's possible to make out Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach Koopa, Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi out on the field. In the case of Mario and Bowser, it's also worth noting their bats appear to be customized, with Mario's sporting his trademark "M" and Bowser's being shaped like a Bullet Bill. The gameplay screens also show off power meters that suggest a Mario Golf-style swing system or something similar.

Donkey Konga 3 will be the next entry in Nintendo's popular rhythm action series, whose first installment hit US shores this year. This latest entry appears to incorporate more familiar faces from the Donkey Kong series, including Funky Kong. The screens show off a display that's similar to the one employed in the previous versions of the game.

Finally, the new Kirby game features the popular power-absorbing puffball in a number of locales doing what he's known for: fighting with an absorbed power, floating to safety with an umbrella, inhaling foes, swimming underwater, and hopping around rainbows.

The only official information out of Nintendo at the moment is that the games are "in development." No information about the US launch dates has been released.