Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M Lead Nintendo First-Half Lineup

At a Wednesday press event, Nintendo of America revealed its first-half U.S. software lineup, confirming release dates for Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, and Capcom's Monster Hunter Tri. Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to the 2007 original, will launch on Wii on May 23, Nintendo said. Tecmo developer Team Ninja's take on the classic Metroid franchise, Metroid: Other M, will launch on the console June 27. Also coming to Wii is Capcom's Monster Hunter Tri, due April 20. The game, unlike its Japanese counterpart, will sport free online play and will be compatible with the Wii Speak microphone. Online text chat will also be available. Capcom will also sell a version of Monster Hunter Tri with a pack-in black Classic Controller Pro for $60 -- the game alone will sell for $50. One game aimed squarely at core gamers is the shooter Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, developed by fan-favorite Tokyo developer Treasure, and slated for June 7 in North America on Wii. The original Sin and Punishment released in Japan in 2000, but only saw North American release with a launch on the Wii Shop channel in 2007. Due this summer is the side-scrolling, MotionPlus-only FlingSmash, a new game in which players control a ball-like character through various stages. In a partnership with Square Enix, Nintendo of America also said that it will publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in North America for summer. The Level 5-developed game has sold 4.15 million units in Japan since its July launch last year. Also releasing for the Wii and DS in the U.S. this year: Picross 3D (DS, May 3) 100 Classic Books (DS, June 14) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii, DS, May 18) Disney Guilty Party (Wii, second half 2010 -- also the first effort from Wideload studios since its acquisition by Disney) Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal (DSi, October) A number of notable games are also launching for WiiWare and DSiWare digital services this year: WiiWare: Mega Man 10 (March 1) Max & the Magic Marker (March 8) Cave Story (March 22) WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase (March 29) Art Style: light trax (spring) Art Style: Rotozoa (spring) Rage of the Gladiator (spring) And Yet It Moves (spring) Super Meat Boy (summer) DSiWare: Photo Dojo (spring) Metal Torrent (spring) X-Scape (spring)