Nintendo charges Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii

While Nintendo fans are looking to the company's press briefing at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo with hopes of new game announcements, the Wii maker today padded its release list by one more game. Or three, depending on how one looks at it.

Nintendo today announced Metroid Prime Trilogy for release on the Wii in North America. The compilation will include 2007's current-generation debut of the space-faring adventure franchise--Metroid Prime 3: Corruption--as well as revamps of the series' two GameCube installments on a single disc. Originally released in 2002, Metroid Prime brought the series into 3D to overwhelming acclaim and was followed up two years later by the similarly lauded Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Both the original Prime and Echoes will be updated with motion controls along the lines of those featured in Corruption. The two games will also support widescreen displays, and players will be able to unlock art and music by achieving a number of in-game objectives.

The first two Metroid Prime games have been included in Nintendo's Japanese "Wii de Asobu" line, a series of GameCube ports making their way West as the New Play Control line. The announcement leaves only two titles from the Wii de Asobu line that have yet to be confirmed for a North American release: Pikmin 2 (released in Japan in March) and Chibi Robo (set for a Japanese debut in June).

Metroid Prime Trilogy is set for an August 24 release with a retail price of $49.99.