Here's something i didn't expect. Nintendo of Australia announced today that two major Wii games- Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M, would be coming much sooner than expected. Between June and August to be more precise, summer. I didn't expect these two until Christmas at least. I guess they've been in development longer than i thought.


Obviously, Mario Galaxy 2 is the direct sequel to Mario Galaxy and shall be built off the same engine as the first one. A trailer was shown at e3 2009, showcasing a couple of new powerups, and even the return of Yoshi as an important part of the gameplay. It's unknown if Mario Galaxy 2 is a working title or what they intend to call it. I'd wager the latter, as simplicity and selling it as a direct sequel should serve them well considering the first game's popularity.


Not as much is known about Metroid: Other M. Although apparently, it is an earlier game in the timeline. It seems unrelated to any of the Prime games, and is not a first person shooter/adventure (at least, not primarily). There seems to be some variety from the e3 2009 trailer, and actually hints at some sidescrolling portions at some points. But that was very early tech demo footage. It's just not much is known about this game yet. Except that it is being developed by Team Ninja this time.

Obviously i wanted to post this, not only for our Aussie friends, but the rest of us as well. If they made the commitment to announce these games for a summer release there, it's not unwise to speculate they will be coming to other regions at similar times. This also leaves the holiday season wide open, perhaps for the coming of Zelda Wii? We'll see. At any rate, i'd expect a date for the US as well, with tomorrow's press release by NOA.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/107/1071574p1.html