Portable Planet

The Wii lineup has been pretty diverse so far, with a solid mix of both first and third party titles. But Nintendo Wii will be facing some serious competition globally this March, when PS3 finally makes its worldwide debut. So what does the company have in store for Q1?

Here’s what Nintendo has to say on the matter:

After watching everyone from gamers to grandmas fall under the spell of ground-breaking Wii games during the holidays, Nintendo fulfills its promise to continue the flow of fun for veteran and new gamers alike. Nintendos first-quarter lineup is filled with new games that expand the breadth and depth of the Wii library and build on the kind of fun that has made Wii such a smash hit. The first three months of the year are filled with games for everyone, from sure-fire favorites like Wii Play to SSX Blur and The Godfather Blackhand Edition from EA and a new Prince of Persia Rival Swords game from Ubisoft. Fans can enjoy the classic Nintendo franchises such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the upcoming Mario Kart 64 for the Wii Shop Channel. And on Jan. 27, the News Channel goes live with global coverage provided by the Associated Press.

Our tremendous worldwide launch shows people, from experienced players to non-players, are hungry for the kinds of entertainment only Wii provides, says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. Wii hardware production continues full bore, and every week were delivering more incredible content to further expand the experience.

Casual game players who recently discovered or rediscovered the thrills of video games through games like Wii Sports and WarioWare: Smooth Moves will be glad to know Wii Play, a collection of nine new games in the Wii Sports style, will be available Feb. 14. Wii Play includes games like Billiards, Fishing and Shooting Range, a target-practice game in the style of Nintendos classic Duck Hunt. Wii Play comes packaged with a Wii Remote to highlight the fun multiplayer aspects of Wii, and to provide an incredible value.

Veteran gamers who spent countless hours playing through The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will find new challenges by entering worlds populated by everyone from Tiger Woods to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, thanks to a deep list of new offerings from third-party publishers.

Beyond the current library of 34 new Wii titles, the schedule for upcoming Wii releases includes:

Feb. 14 Wii Play with Wii Remote Nintendo
March 27 Disneys Meet the Robinsons Buena Vista
March Bust-A-Move Bash Majesco
March Prince of Persia Rival Swords Ubisoft
March TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Ubisoft
March Bionicle Heroes Eidos
March Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII Ubisoft
Q1 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 EA
Q1 SSX Blur EA
Q1 The Godfather Blackhand Edition EA
Q1 Medal of Honor Vanguard EA
Q1 Sonic and the Secret Rings Sega

But new titles dont begin to describe the array of game action available on Wii. With yesterdays Virtual Console release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from the NES, the library of downloadable Wii titles grows to 42. Also, next week will see the addition of an all-time favorite, Mario Kart 64. Nintendo will continue to make weekly announcements to update Wii owners about upcoming releases.