Japanese dates confirmed for Wii, DS titles

Nintendo UK has confirmed release dates for a number of Wii and DS titles in Japan, including upcoming Wii games Wario Land Shake and Project Zero IV, both of which are on their way in the next two months.

Speaking to our pals at videogaming247, a Nintendo UK rep confirmed Japanese dates for seven titles in total - but, in a move sure to shock and surprise you all, revealed that there's "nothing announced for Europe right now."

The four DS titles are Band Bros DX on June 26th, Legendary Stafy on July 10th (that's presumably Legendary Stafy 5, the second DS title in the Kirby-like series), Rhythm Tengoku Gold on July 31st (the at-long-last DS conversion of the GBA and arcade classic) and, last but not least, Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light, on August 7th.

That new Fire Emblem game is worth keeping an eye on - it's a remake of the very first title in the franchise, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light, but more importantly it's the first Fire Emblem game to feature online play.

The really exciting stuff, though, is in the Wii schedule. First up is Super Mario Stadium Family Baseball, which is likely to be of limited appeal in Europe and appears in Japan on June 19th. It's followed, however, by Wario Land Shake on July 24th, the first Wario Land game to appear since 2001.

Topping off the list is Project Zero IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse on July 31st, the first instalment in the Project Zero (that's Fatal Frame for our US readers) franchise on a Nintendo console. It's looking mighty creepy in this week's Famitsu, too.