As is customary at the start of a new financial year, Nintendo have announced the stars of their line-up as we head into the spring/summer, and things finally start to thaw after the winter from hell. As is to be expected, Nintendo's new 3DS handheld takes the limelight here, although the DS puts up a surprising fight too, with a bevy of great looking games set for release, proving there's still life in the handheld yet. The Wii release list, on the other hand, seems disturbingly barren, as Zelda: Skyward Sword misses the Spring/Summer window, and is all but confirmed as this year's Christmas game.
Nintendo 3DS
Leading the way in the 3DS's summer line-up is Steel Diver, which docks onto the 3DS come the 6th May - so if you've ever fancied yourself as a submariner, make sure you check it out. You'll be piloting your submarine through three different game modes, avoiding obstacles and sinking enemy ships. There's also the Periscope mode, where you make use of the 3DS' built in gyroscope as you swivel yourself and your 3DS to take out enemy ships as you go.
Dead or Alive: Dimensions fights its way onto the console on the 20th May, with a roster of crazy stereotypical characters, who can all perform complex combos with a quick touch of the Touch Screen. Using StreetPass, you can even have battles with AI characters as you walk past people, collecting special prize character figurines as you go.
On the 17th June, you'll be able to return to the land of Hyrule once more, in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. You'll need to help Link save the land from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf by exploring dungeons and temples, defeating enemies, and of course - playing the Ocarina.
Slay spiders in Zelda on the 3DS
That's not all though, the full list of Spring/Summer 2011 3DS titles is as follows:
- Puzzle Bobble Universe, 21st April
- Steel Diver, 6th May
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, 13th May
- Dead or Alive: Dimensions, 20th May
- Sudoku: The Puzzle Game Collection, 26th May
- Sports Island 3D, 2nd June
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, 17th June
- Naruto Shippuden 3D The New Era, 17th June
- Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions, Q2
Nintendo DS
Not forgotten in the wake of the 3DS, the DS gets a new Dragon Quest game on the 20th May in the form of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie. You play a hero sent to defeat Murdaw, the Demon Lord of Darkness, and will need to battle your way across large mystical worlds, exploring new towns and wandering through dungeons, defeating enemies as you go. The new Slippin' Slime mini-game - found at certain inns and bars - lets you use the Touch Screen to play the slime curling mini-game and score points by sliding the stylus in front of slime to make it change direction or go faster.
Another new role-playing game makes it's way to the DS too, in the form of Solatorobo: Red the Hunter on the 1st July. In this game, you play as Red Savarin, a dog capable of taking human forms as he battles 'mecha' as he explores the floating islands of the Shepard Republic.
Here's the full list of DS games:
- Valet Parking 1989 (DSiWare), 22nd April
- Thor: God of Thunder, 29th April
- Cradle of Rome/Cradle of Egypt Double Pack, April
- Plants vs. Zombies, 6th May
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, 13th May
- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie, 20th May
- Pucca Power Up, May
- Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles 2, 17th June
- Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, 1st July
- Miffy's World, Q2
Nintendo Wii
Perhaps one of the games we're most looking forward to here at Outcyders, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is set to sail onto Wii consoles on the 13th May. The game will retell the stories of the first three films - as well as the new film, On Stranger Tides - in it's usual bricky style. The co-op platform games are always chock full of unlockables and collectables, as well as a big helping of humour - if it's anything like LEGO Harry Potter, you'll be playing it for months (we were).
While light on big releases, the Wii's Spring/Summer release schedule does have a few games which promise to tide you over till The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes out (all we have is a vague 2011 release date so far). If that's not really your sort of thing, Nintendo are promising Wii Play: Motion, a set of 12 motion-controlled mini-games bundled with a new red Wii Remote Plus, as well as Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident - a hidden object adventure game - and Xenoblade Chronicles, a new role-playing adventure.
Sadly, none of these have fixed dates as of yet, so don't appear in the following list of Wii games coming out in the next few months:
- Spongebob Squigglepants (uDraw), 15th April
- Conduit 2, 22nd April
- DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 4, 28th April
- Virtua Tennis 4, 29th April
- National Geographic Challenge!, April
- Greg Hastings Paintball 2, 6th May
- Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011, 6th May
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, 16th May
- Let's Dance with Mel B, May- We Dance, May
- FAST: Racing League (WiiWare), May
- Champion Jockey, May/June
- Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, 10th June
- Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles 2, 17th June
- MotoHeroz (WiiWare), June
- Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2, Q2
- Attack at the Movies, Q2- Dance Sensation, Q2
- ExerBeat, Q2- Chrono Trigger (Virtual Console), Q2
