Nintendo reveals Japanese fall-winter lineup

TOKYO--Nintendo spokesperson Mitsuaki Hagishima revealed details on Nintendo's fall and winter game lineup while talking with Nintendo Dream magazine. Among the GameCube games set for release in Japan through the end of the year are Mario Tennis, Kururin Squash!, and Mario Party 6, while Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Star Fox may be available in December.

The GameCube version of Mario Tennis will join Kururin Squash! on Nintendo's release schedule this October. Nintendo will release more information on Mario Tennis next month. Kururin Squash is the third installment in the Kururin series of action games, and it's being codeveloped by Nintendo and Eighting. While details on the game haven't been revealed yet, the other games in the series require players to navigate a rotating stick through various obstacle-strewn mazes.

Following the two October titles, Nintendo said it will be releasing Mario Party 6 in November. In its corporate-strategy conference in June, company reps stated that Mario Party 6 will not require the use of controllers, purportedly so that anyone can play without previous gaming experience. Some speculate that Mario Party 6 may use a camera--Nintendo filed for trademarks on two camera products, Manebito/Camera and Ningen-Copy/Manebito, in March.

While the company currently has no games slated for release in December, Hagishima noted that the games scheduled for release this winter, namely Fire Emblem: Seima no Kouseki, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and Star Fox, may be released by the end of December. He also hinted that there might be other unannounced titles popping up before the year's end.