Nintendo just announced a press release, showcasing a number of their portable titles for the fourth quarter:

Oct. 9: Clubhouse Games™
Oct. 16: Nintendogs™ (Dalmatian)
Oct. 23: Magical Starsign™
Oct. 30: Pokémon® Ranger
Oct. 30: Children of Mana®
Nov. 6: Final Fantasy™ V Advance
Nov. 6: Elite Beat Agents™
Nov. 13: Yoshi's Island™ 2
Dec. 4: Custom Robo™ Arena
Dec. 4: Kirby™ Squeak Squad

And in light of the topic, I thought it would also be worth referencing Greenpanda's most excellent upcoming portable games thread from NGAF as well.  It's enough to not make me even think about another console game for a long, long time.  ^_^

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110266

I so want Children of Mana, EBA and FFV-A...however this confirms we aren't seeing FFVI-A this year unless it's just been left off

Yikes...New Kirby and New Yoshi within biting reach of each other. I foresee my DS library growing quite huge by the end of the year...Just bought Big Brain Academy the other day (my brain=museum curator) and hoping to get Cooking Mama when it comes out.

I'm kind of interested in Children of Mana, but I've heard a LOT of comparisons with Legend of Mana (not a good thing).

It also strongly hints that Chibi Robo: Park Patrol, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and Tingle's Rose Colored Rupee Land are probably not hitting the U.S. this year either.  With so many major DS titles on the way from Nintendo, we don't need them all at once anyway, but I was under the impression that Phantom Hourglass was a 2006 title (unless Nintendo is planning on releasing this the same day as Twilight Princess and that's why it's not on the list).

Edit: Other titles not mentioned include Hotel Dusk, DS Air, and Diddy Kong Racing.

I haven't heard any comparisons to LoM other than the fact that both titles are let downs.  My understanding of CoM is that it's basically a dungeon hack.  I hope SD4/DoM brings the series back, but based on what I've seen, I highly doubt it will.  On another note, EGM's rumor column suggests that an MMORPG Mana title could be in development for Wii.  I think this could be interesting, but I'd like to see a different take on the MMORPG genre if it involves Mana.  I have no interest in any online game that is a dungeon hack like PSO or glorified chat-room like WoW.  Wouldn't it be cool if it was more like a combination of The Sims/SimCity/Animal Crossing but with gorgeous Mana art?  I'd buy that.

I still have to finish the last three Kirby games.  :-(  I got pretty far in both Kirby 64 and Nightmare in Dreamland, but I barely touched Amazing Mirror.  I think Squeak Squad (what an awful subtitle, BTW) will probably be one for the pile, unfortunately.

I still have Canvas Curse and haven't broken the ice on it yet. I can't really tell if I like it that much, but it'll probably come with time.

But give me "traditional" Kirby anyday.

Yeah, Canvas Curse wasn't for me.  I have really crappy handwriting and I can't draw to save my life.

Eh, from this list all I want is Yoshi Island 2.

YI2 is definitely the most exciting title on this list, though I have to admit I'm worried how it'll turn out since Artoon (Blinx) is developing.  Still, I'll probably buy CoM, Kirby, Magical Starsign, FFV, and Elite Beat Agents as well.  How many of those I will actually play seriously, of course, is an entirely different matter. :-)

Children of Mana is such a crying shame.  Just looking at the screenshots alone, you can't help but think that they could've made something really incredible -- if they'd just stick with the tried and true gameplay mechanics of the SNES Seiken Densetsu titles.  Based on what's being said about CoM, though, I think I'd even prefer a Legend of Mana style game over what we're getting.

I liked Canvas Curse a great deal.  As good as Amazing Mirror and Nightmare In Dreamland were, playing Kirby with the stylus was like a breath of fresh air.  I sure wish they'd release a GBA or DS port of Super Star someday, though.

But yeah, no..... November 6th is definitely my most anticipated day.  To think we'll be getting both a sequel to one of the greatest DS games ever, AND a portable version of my most favorite FF.  I just released a crapload of endorphins.

Hm, I tried Artoon's Blinx and really didn't like it at all.  That does have me somewhat concerned, but here's hoping they are competent at 2D design (and Nintendo's oversight helped out too).

To be honest, I'm cutting out most purchases in anticipation for the Wii launch; in fact, I'll probably just keep my Gamefly account going, especially since 360 games are ridiculously priced.  There are a few 360 games out in August alone that interest me.  Portable gaming is something I rarely do, but there is an hour and a half gap in the middle of classes this fall, so that may well change.

Speaking of the Wii, I'm assuming Nintendo's curbing most ports now, Angela.  Perhaps you'll be able to at least get it on the Wii Virtual Console?

Magical Starsign? That sounds interesting just for the title alone. Children of Mana...hmm, I have yet to crack open Sword of Mana, but I might get it just because I loved LoM so darn much. FF5 -- hoo, I certainly hope they change the names back to their original ones. And Kirby Squeak Squad? Haha! Sounds cute. I have no idea what it's about, but that'll probably warrant a rental.

An RPG from the people who made Magical Vacation and the Sword of Mana remake for GBA, if I recall. FFV is a hell-yes, provided they don't ARR MATEY every single bit of Faris' dialogue again. The rest is a tentative wait-and-see (Though BOO to Phoenix 2 being moved to January so it doesn't get Christmas-crushed again).

Also, why's everyone all moody about CoM being like LoM? Replaying the earlier Manas on ZSNES proved to me that Legend is the only one in the series I still really like.

Legend of Mana is the only game in the Mana series I've ever been able to force myself to finish, if that says anything.  I'm actually rather hopeful about Children of Mana, since I've heard a lot of places that it works very very well as a multiplayer game and one of my friends here just picked up a DS.  I can see that being something fun to do in the winter months (and it's been so long since I've gotten to play games in person with other people)!

Yes, Magical Starsign is Magical Vacation 2 (actually it was Magical Vacation: [insert subtitle here] for the Japanese release, if I'm remembering right).

Man, I LOVED SoM and LoM -- both games have beautiful music and were action-adventure during a time when I was getting tired of turn-based RPGs. (Although, considering that was also the era in which I played Soul Blazer and Secret of Evermore, I'm surprised I didn't get turned off by action-adventure, too.) I'm getting goosebumps just THINKING about the music in those games. I was also attempting to play SD3 on ZSNES, but I kept dying at the FIRST BATTLE. I either suck that much or my CPU couldn't handle the action.

Augh, so many games to play...I think I'm on the verge of finishing Chain of Memories, but if my battle with Long-Haired Boss Dude On The 10th Floor is any indication, it'll be a looooong time before I manage to beat the game.

I found Children of Mana rather boring.
A friend of mine tried to sell it to me because he was sick of it, but after some playtesting I decided I didn't want to lose any money over it. It's nowhere near as good as any of the previous titles, including LoM which I actually really enjoyed.

I'm definitely going to get Yoshi's Island 2 no matter what though.

Legend of Mana is one of those polarizing games that people either really love or really hate. I belong in the latter category. While I admire its artistic style and musical score, the game is practically unplayable, IMO. Snow Dragon's review pretty much sums up my own problems with the game, although he fails to mention the terrible implementation of multiplayer.

Personally, I blame it all on Akitoshi Kawazu. The second I heard he was involved in FFXII, I knew that I wouldn't be getting it. I can certainly appreciate the technical aspects of his games, but they're just no fun for me. After suffering through SaGa Frontier II and Legend of Mana, I absolutely know whatever he concocts for FFXII won't be to my taste (and that's putting it nicely).

BTW, Schala, do try out Sword of Mana. It's more of a compromise between the original SoM and LoM, and I enjoyed it quite a bit despite it being far too easy and having no multiplayer. The music is also a bit lacking, but I thought the gameplay was much closer to Secret of Mana than LoM was.

More on topic, I'm still waiting on a price drop for the DS Lite, so FFV is the only game I'm likely to get from the list. It's the only game from IV-X that I haven't played yet, so I'm very interested in seeing what the hoopla is all about.

Yeah, I'd imagine we'll be seeing little to no more ports, with the advent of the Virtual Console.  I'm all for the VC, of course, but there's just something with having those older, classic games on a portable.

All told, I'm pretty satisfied with the ports we did receive throughout the GBA's lifespan.  I'm glad we got the four Super Mario Advance titles, as well as A Link To The Past, the three Donkey Kong Countries, Legend of The Mystical Ninja (and Ganbare Goemon 2, to boot!) the Magical Quest games, Aladdin, Rock 'n Roll Racing -- as well as the Final Fantasy Advance games.  Still, I would've loved to see Castlevania IV, the TMNT arcade titles, Mega Man X, Front Mission, Chrono Trigger, and Super Punchout.  Would've been neat to see releases of the original Mike Tyson's Punchout and Contra as NES Classics, too.

I'm looking forward to Metal Slug, though -- and perhaps even the original Sonic The Hedgehog.

I dunno, I'm not seeing a price drop for the Lite anytime soon -- not with the major success in sales it's enjoying.  Dude, delay that next DM-related order, and go for broke! (By the way, finally picked up Misa Code..... it's JAM PACKED with awesomeness. ^_^)

Final Fantasy 5 is..... people don't necessarily come to it for the story, but for its insanely fun stats/customization and job system.  The playability is wonderful, the longevity satisfying; FF6 will be great to have, but it's FF5 that's going to make me most happiest whenever I switch on that GBA to play.

Agreed there.  That man should be locked in a small, humid room with a noose, TV, PS2, and a copy of Unlimited SaGa.  He can leave one of two ways: beat Unlimited SaGa or hang himself.  I know which one I would choose.

Metal Slug Anthology on the VC would make perfect sense, but Metal Slug Anthology is a an actual Wii title that will allegedly utitlize the Wiimote.  I sure hope it also lets you use the classic controller because I don't see how the Wiimote will possible work well with it (and by work well I don't mean simply holding it sideways like an NES controller).  Now, I could see the Wiimote functioning well with a Robotron-type title, but with Metal Slug?  I think not.

I'm definitely looking forward to FF5 Adv more than FF6 Adv, though that's mostly because I've never beat FF5.  I tried to on the PSX, but my crappy 5501 model caused some of the weirdest errors I've ever seen outside of the NES and I only got about 20 hours in.  By the time I got a PSone, I had lost interest in going back to it.  As for the game itself, the story is weak and I don't care for the job system.  I'm a much bigger fan of FF4's fixed character class system than the kind of system where anybody can be anything.  That said, the music is gorgeous and the experience is very charming.  I'd like to say I will play through it this time, but with so many games coming out this fall, that's just wishful thinking.

Yeah, same here. I have FF4 Advance but I haven't gotten far in it just because I've played and beaten the game so many times (on all the different systems). FF5 I played when it was first translated and I got pretty far but I never finished it. While the story and characters are dull as dirt, it's still a fun game thanks to the battle mechanics.

Children of Mana makes me wary. The last two Mana games I disliked (LoM and Sword of Mana) and the gameplay descriptions don't give me much hope.

this makes no sense

Mmm, Final Fantasy V Advance's box art.  Looks like a new piece from Amano, much like FFIV Advance's cover.  Might benefit by a splash of color, though.  Nice portrayal shot of the sisters:

http://media.gameboy.ign.com/media/774/ … 91422.html

I'm surprised you're not talking more about Elite Beat Agents, since it's that Ouendan game you've all* been importing/raving about. Now it'll be playable in english.

*like, 3 of you

Edit: Just realised Angela not only picked up on this, she posted a link to the box art. So much for my "surprise" and "exclusive" announcement. That's what happens when you live in a cave I suppose...

Eech, Final Fantasy V Advance's box art. I hate Amano, and I'd have preferred the chibi-Butz from the Super Famicom box.

YES.

No

I wonder what's different.

The in-game graphics look revised, and I'm guessing there will be new touch screen mini games.