Some juicy new info is coming in from Japan right now, some in the form of release timeframes, some in the form of whole new games. On the Nintendo DS front, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest IX was shown off in video form. Joining it was the video revelation of Fire Emblem DS well into development, evident by the footage shown.
For the Wii, footage was shown for Mario Kart Wii, Battalion Wars, WiiMusic, and the first video clips of Mario Baseball Wii. For release dates, we now know that Wii Fit will be released in Japan by December 1st, and will retail for ¥8800 (about US$75). Mario Kart Wii is set for Spring 2008 and will come with a bundled Wii Wheel that you’ll be able to control your go-karts and – get this – motorcycles with. Monster Hunter 3 and Pokémon Ranch were also announced, the former seeing huge, recent success on Sony platforms via its series predecessors, while the latter will allow gamers to transfer their Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Pokémon onto the Wii, and will serve as a Day Care.
Beginning March 2008, Japan will see the official launch of WiiWare, which will sport new versions of Star Soldier R and Dr. Mario. Square Enix will launch the WiiWare-exclusive, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Little King and the Promise Country. Also coming soon is the DS Demo Station Channel that we’ve all been waiting for.
