Perhaps suddenly aware that 2011 is nearly finished and that it is literally out of new games to sell for the near future, Nintendo has gone ahead and pushed out release dates for a number of first quarter 3DS and Wii titles in order to replenish the anticipation coffers among the fan base. Yes, new Wii games are coming! Excitement?
Well, you should be excited, because the sure-to-be insane Rhythm Heaven Fever releases on February 13th for the delightfully budget price of $29.99. Later that month, PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond drops on the 27th. Depending on your fondness for PokeParking, that's either great, or a non-event, but perhaps you'll be a bit more tantalized by the March 11th release of Mario Party 9, which is, of course, the ninth Mario Party.
But let's say you've already put your Wii away and don't plan on dusting the old girl off any time soon--no worries! There's always the 3DS to keep you busy. While the Q1 3DS lineup is far heavier on third party releases than Nintendo published titles--Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater, Resident Evil: Revelations, and Tales of the Abyss chief among them--Nintendo does plan to bring out Kid Icarus: Uprising on March 23rd.
Also releasing in the first quarter of next year is the much-talked-about Circle Pad Pro, which adds a second analog stick and additional shoulder buttons to a handheld that for some reason lacked those things to begin with. The peripheral launches on February 7th for the price of $19.99. Interestingly, the item is yet another GameStop exclusive, joining the recently announced North American release of Xenoblade Chronicles (which arrives in April). I don't know if this is good news, terrible news, or barely news at all. I just...don't...know...
Thus ends our tri-monthly communique on Nintendo release dates. We'll see you again in March.