Early details on Nintendo DS launch lineup

On the eve of the Gamer's Summit event, at which Nintendo will reveal the full launch lineup and other tantalizing details on its forthcoming Nintendo DS portable, USA Today is reporting a few early details.

The article confirms that one of the system's launch titles will be Super Mario 64 DS (formerly known as Super Mario 64x4), and reveals a few new details about the game. New playable characters Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario will all have different abilities, which may mean significant redesigns to the game's levels. Each character will also have his own set of "impressive" minigames that use the stylus.

Spider-Man 2 will be another DS launch title, and it is described in the USA Today story as "graphically remarkable though not nearly as innovative" as Super Mario 64 DS. The gameplay will be in 2D, and the use of the touch screen will apparently be confined to scrolling through Spider-Man's ability list.

Other launch titles that the USA Today article confirms are Electronic Arts' The Urbz: Sims in the City and Madden NFL, as well as Asphalt GT from publisher Ubisoft. There will be 8 to 10 launch titles in total, each of which will retail for $29.99, which is about $5 less than top-tier Game Boy Advance titles.

GameSpot will have further updates on the Nintendo DS early tomorrow, and throughout the next few days, as the Nintendo Gamer's Summit unfolds.