Animal Crossing, Brain Training & More Set for Early '06

Several surprises as Nintendo reveals its winter line-up for all three its current systems. Tables inside.

It's never fun when games miss their release dates and slip past Christmas into the new year but it does mean the traditionally quiet period after the festive season is that much richer in content. Nintendo's major slippage for this autumn was that of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, now coming next spring, but the company is hoping to make up for it with a winter crammed with new games.

With the GameCube in bad shape and the Game Boy Advance losing momentum to its dual-screened brother, the DS is Nintendo's main system right now. The big game for portable in early 2006 is Animal Crossing DS, a new game based on the GameCube original that includes touch-screen control and online play.

Through a recent deal signed with Capcom, Nintendo will be bringing two highly sought after games from the company to the DS: Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble and the 10th anniversary remake of Resident Evil.

Nintendo has also confirmed that it'll have a raft of quirky games on offer in the new year, including the lawyer-'em-up Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, surgery simulator Trauma Centre: Under the Knife and the Western debut of the top-selling Brain Training series from Japan.

Game Boy Advance owners have things slimmer pickings, but those include the debut of Final Fantasy IV on a Nintendo machine in Europe. RPG fans can also look forward to Namco's Tales of Phantasia.

There's more Viewtiful Joe for GameCube owners too, who will also be able to while away the time until Link returns with Mario Party 7 and the pinball-cum-wargame Odama.

The biggest winter games for Nintendo's consoles are given below:

DS
• Resident Evil: Deadly Silence - Early 2006
• Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - 27 January
• Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble - February
• Brain Training - March
• Trauma Centre: Under the Knife - March
• Harvest Moon - March
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - 10 March
• Animal Crossing: Wild World - 31 March

Game Boy Advance
• Wario Ware Twisted! - 24 March
• Final Fantasy IV Advance - Early 2006
• Tales of Phantasia - 31 March

GameCube
• Mario Party 7 - 27 January
• Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble - February
• Harvest Moon: Magical Melody - March
• Odama - 31 March

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games