Super Mario Galaxy 2 Coming on May 23, Other Titles Detailed

Nintendo held a media summit during which it unveiled release dates for a host of titles set to populate the Nintendo Wii home console and the Nintendo DS line up of handhelds in the coming months. The big news is that gamers now have a release date for both Super Mario Galaxy 2, which is set to be released on May 23, and for Metroid: Other M, which has a definitive release date of June 27.

Nintendo will actually begin a blitz-like release campaign, aiming for the heart of the hardcore fans of the company, on April 20 in North America, when it plans to launch Monster Hunter Tri.

The company is talking about 500 Nintendo Points being offered as a pre-release bonus for those who are interested in picking it up and GameStop should receive a demo disc showing players what the game is all about. Monster Hunteri Tri is set to offer underwater environments for the first time in the series, add more than 18 new monsters that can be taken down and has revamped the weapon system.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is set for May 23 in North America, which is a curious move for one of the flagship titles Nintendo has to offer. Most people were expecting the game to hit in time for Christmas and the new date might mean that the fresh Mario-powered adventure, that again moves to space, will cannibalize the sales of its older sibling, New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Wii. Super Mario Galaxy 2 will keep most of the gameplay mechanics introduced by the previous iteration in the series, like 3D fully explorable planets.

Metroid: Other M, launching on June 27, completes the summer blitz, and offers long time fans a chance to control Samus Aran on the Nintendo Wii, as she explores an abandoned space station.

Nintendo also revealed WiiWare and DS titles, like Max & the Magic Marker, Cave Story, Rage of the Gladiator, Super Meat Boy, And Yet It Moves, Picross 3D, WarioWare D.I.Y., and Art Style Light Trax.