What games should you be looking forward to this summer? Not many!
Hopefully, if you're a Nintendo fan, you're enjoying the solid 3DS launch line-up, the eShop, and the two solid June releases (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D) that are unfortunately, no matter how you shake it, more or less ports. The summer, specifically for 3DS, is filled with a few decent titles but no real standouts. Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (both unfortunately, no matter how you shake it, are kind of ports) headline the slate of (potentially) five 3DS games, none from Nintendo.
The bigger problem is the lineup on Wii. While I have my own little soft-spot for Madden, that is the marquee Wii title over the next two months. Every other game is licensed or from Ubisoft. While we had two Nintendo-published Wii titles in June (that makes it three in 2011), Mystery Case Files and Wii Play: Motion don't exactly make anyone that reads this site wet with anticipation.
If you're really curious about the lineup I'm looking at, check it out below:
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part Two Part 2 (Wii/DS) - July 12, 2011
- Just Dance Summer Party (Wii) - July 2011
- Mahjong Cub3D (3DS) - July 19, 2011
- Captain America (Wii/DS) - July 19, 2011
- Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions (3DS) - July 26, 2011
- Nicktoons MLB (Wii/DS) - August 2011
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS) - August 2011
- Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 (DS) - August 21, 2011
- Madden NFL 12 (Wii) - August 30, 2011
- James Noir Hollywood Crimes (3DS) - August 2011
- Driver San Francisco (Wii) - August 2011
- Driver Renegade (3DS) - August 2011
Now, I know I'm taking all this from a small sample size, and I'd be willing to hear people out if it weren't for the fact that I wrote a very similar article about the second quarter of 2011. I also know that people could go to their backlog. By all means, please do. You all have the luxury of totally ignoring the current nature of the industry. In my position, I don't. So, I'm going to foolishly hope that the fall will blow my mind away, and this summer pain is only temporary. Pretty soon, I'll just have a countdown to Star Fox 64 3D, Crush 3D, and Bit.Trip Saga, all slated for an early September release on 3DS. Unfortunately, no matter how you shake it, they are kind of ports.
