After their mostly-maligned spread at 2008's E3 expo, Nintendo came back this year with a wholly impressive selection of titles coming our way in the next year. Far and away the headline-stealers were Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the new 'Other M' Metroid project featuring the input of Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive developers Team Ninja - but conference spectators had already been softened up by a hefty list of games due out in the next few months. These games were playable at E3, but Nintendo Europe recently held a swish, sushi-fed soiree for UK journos to take a gander. Here are our impressions and reactions of some of the games we tried out.

Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Out: TBA (2009?)
Anticipation Level:

Little is still known about the actual story of Spirit Tracks, the new Zelda DS title (and sequel to 2006's Phantom Hourglass), but the preview demo we played through fleshed out certain aspects of the game's trailer from this year's Games Developers Conference. The demo was split into three sections: a tutorial for the train driving gameplay, a tutorial dungeon for the Phantom and Cyclone item, and a boss battle.

The train, a development from Phantom Hourglass' sailing mechanic, has been a source of some consternation since its appearance in the first trailer. True, exploration seems to be restricted, as you are tied to travelling on tracks, but the train riding seems to be more perilous than sailing the high seas.

In the demo, Link passed through a green countryside, but the journey was far from peaceful. The train is controlled by a gearbox, governed by the stylus, with four settings (reverse, stop, go, go faster). The fields are brimming with roaming boars (similar to the Bullbos in Twilight Princess), who stray onto the track, requiring the player to pull the train's whistle (by dragging on a cute little cord icon on the touch screen), to shoo them off. Certain wild boars need more convincing, but Link's packing his trusty cannon, so tapping them with the stylus should teach them a lesson. Other obstacles include barrels on the line, and exploding trains that run in a circuit - bringing a nice amount of strategy whenever Link is faced with a break in the track, and has to decide which path to take. The demo ended with a boss encounter with a large stone spider creature, which had a suitably epic, careening feel to it.

The dungeon demo was entirely based around showing off Link's Phantom chum and the Cyclone item. The Phantom, a big bulky fellow similar to the Guardians in Phantom Hourglass, operates like other buddy characters in the Zelda series, although he is controlled with the stylus. Like with the boomerang and bombchu items in the previous game, the player draws the Phantom's path with the stylus. Typical duo-based puzzles present themselves, such as two trip switches needing to be stepped on simultaneously, or orbs having to be hit in sequence, to open a door. The Phantom isn't hurt by lava, and blocks flame, which means he can protect Link from both, with the hero jumping on his shoulders if necessary. Also, he can slice through yellow (electric) ChuChus without batting an eyelid. It's a cool addition, certainly, but nothing revolutionary. Likewise, the Cyclone acts as a step-sibling to the Gale Boomerang in Twilight Princess, although the player aims, blows through the DS microphone, and a gust of wind comes out - putting puff in wind wheel switches, clearing air of noxious fumes, and stunning enemies.

Even though the demos allowed a lot of playtime, there's still little given away. The items are interesting, and look to put a slightly different spin on the Zelda formula we've been enjoying for over 20 years now, but their application depends on the level design. The look of the game is understandably close to Phantom Hourglass, and the boss battle, against a large fly-like monster with a purple gas-spewing backside, plays well and looks promising. Zelda fans need little convincing that Spirit Tracks will be a must-buy, but this preview build still holds many of the games key cards close to its chest.

Professor Layton And Pandora's Box
Out: TBA (August 24th in NA)
Anticipation Level:

Professor Layton And The Curious Village is one of the brilliant new franchises native to the DS. Its mix of brain-teasing puzzles, beautiful Studio Ghibli-meets-Tintin animated cut-scenes, strong characters and whimsical tone is original and fresh, with it (thankfully) receiving worthy sales in compliance with its review scores. In Japan, they're already onto the fourth instalment of Level 5's series, but here in the West we've got to make do with the second. Titled Professor Layton And The Diabolical Box in North America, it will be released here in Europe as Professor Layton And Pandora's Box, and will continue the story of Layton and his sidekick Luke, as they solve the mystery associated with Elysian Box (which kills anyone who opens it).

The demo on show was achingly short, consisting of (presumably) the game's opening cinematic, featuring the two main characters boarding the Molentary Express, and a flashback puzzle concerning the map to the house of Layton's mentor, Dr. Schrader (who has supposedly found the legendary Elysian Box). Certain squares of the map have been cut out, and the player must put them back in correctly. Not the most complex trick in the bag, but it's an easing-in sort of trifle. After solving the puzzle, it was game over. A bit premature, but the familiar whimsy, and sighing accordion soundtrack gripped us nonetheless. Stay tuned for more information; there's no firm EU release date, but North America are due to get the game in August, so hopefully it won't take too long to cross the Atlantic.

Sin And Punishment 2
Out: Q1 2010
Anticipation Level:

Sin And Punishment 2 is a bizarre game. A sequel to a N64 title only released in Japan, which gained huge cult appreciation due to being developed by Treasure (Gunstar Heroes, Bangai-O, Ikaruga), it's hard to see the grand scheme of making and releasing it, outside of Nintendo offering peanuts to the moaning anti-casual fans. That said, it looks to be sweet succor for those who adore action and intense gameplay.

Again, a short demo of only one level, gave little of the story away. Sin And Punishment 2 features two characters, Isa and Kachi, who progress through on-rails stages (like Lylat Wars), shooting everything on screen. The player aims with the Wiimote, fires with the trigger (or holds for a charged special shot), and dodges/flies around on the screen's fixed horizontal and vertical axes. The pace is frenetic, with some unforgiving moments that approach bullet-hell sadism - so much so that, at times, the framerate stutters a little when the going gets really tough (something not uncommon in Treasure games). The game looks beautiful, though, and has the potential to become a hardcore treat, although this was a very shallow playthrough.

Mario And Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Out: Autumn 2009
Anticipation Level:

AlphaDream have garnered quite a reputation for their solid, polished Mario And Luigi psuedo-RPGs, and this third iteration looks to continue the legacy. The unique spin here is that Bowser is a playable character, with his own quest. We played a short demo as King Koopa, which looked promising and charming. The bright, bold design work is there, and the quirky humour, with players traversing an overworld map with a 3/4 isometric view. Bowser can bash through stones, and burn down trees with his fiery halitosis. One of the hooks of the series is the more action-oriented take on turn-based battles, where the player can time button presses in order to boost damage or block enemies' attacks. In Bowser's case, he can defend by reverting into his shell, or can lash out with a well-timed punch to send a ranged attack back to its source. Even from the quick playthrough, this particular aspect was damn satisfying - and should turn on those bored by the cliched JRPG fascination with micro-management.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Out: TBA (2009?)
Anticipation Level:

Easily the star of the show, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the console-based big-brother of the hit DS game. On the handheld, NSMB peeled back all of the layers of 3D that the Mario franchise has amassed over the last decade or so, and brought back the simple, 2D platforming entertainment of the plumber's classic outings on the NES and SNES (while retaining some gameplay flourishes such as wall-jumping). It was gaming crack for nostalgics, and served as a great gateway game for newcomers. The Wii iteration takes the simplicity and beauty of the colourful 2.5D approach, and adds to it many of the possibilities of the home console. With Wiimotes held horizontally, NES-style, the game flaunts its nostalgia-stirring undercurrents (with lots of nice touches that will move any Mario lover), yet boldly states its welcoming pick-up-and-play approach.

The main aspect touted in previews and trailers so far is the multiplayer mode. Restricted to sofa-based antics, the up-to-four-player possibilities are wholly fun and surprisingly deep. The characters on screen (Mario, Luigi, and, at the moment, 2 variations on Toad) have actual weight and dimension, meaning that players nudge up against each other and can bounce off one another's heads; this is great for some crafty team work, making it a bit easier to bag Star Coins and take on the Koopaling bosses. However, on some of the harder levels, where platforms get smaller and jumps become tighter, scrambling around in selfish speed-run style isn't going to get you far. Case in point: if one player jumps on a pal's head, they get a height boost, with the other losing their upward motion - so, if that unfortunate player is attempting to clear a gap, they'll almost certainly fall to their death.

Not that death is a major issue. Downed characters will float back onscreen in a bubble, similar to the Baby Bros. in Yoshi's Island, and as long as there is still one player left standing, they can revive their chums. Although, this provides many opportunities for gleefully sadistic, aggressive play, as players can shake the Wiimote, to pick up and chuck their companions off in different directions, or willfully sabotage their jumps - not to mention throw shells to knock them down a peg or two.

Some of the power-ups have been seen in the trailer, shown at E3, such as the Penguin suit - an awesome variation on the Fireflower, which allows the player to traverse slippery surfaces with ease, belly-slide on slopes and shoot chilly projectiles, turning enemies into blocks of ice - and the Propeller suit. A surprise in the demo was the return of Yoshi - which caused us and our playmates to simultaneously shriek in recognition. Scrambling for the green dinosaur, one of the other players mounted him first - but was unexpectedly dethroned when Mario aimed a ground-pound on his smug bonce.

It is evident that the game is gripping and fun from how the groups of journos and industry bods were bawling, shouting and laughing their heads off. The demo came with a choice of ten levels, spread throughout the game's worlds (offering various levels of difficulty and locales) - the demo ended after three stages had been completed, but most cheeky players snuck in a couple of extra playthroughs to have one more go. New Super Mario Bros. Wii still doesn't have a firm release date, but it will most likely be a must-buy whenever it is coming out.

Wii Sports Resort/Wii Motion Plus
Out: July 24th
Anticipation Level:

Nintendo are getting a lot of flak for the Wii Motion Plus accessory, but it's out now and we had a chance to get to grips with it with Wii Sports Resort, which is due out next month. Whereas Wii Sports was a pack-in with the Wii, essentially a light tech demo on the Wiimote's capabilities, it still captured the attentions and hearts of many non-gamers, and it seems to still be one of the more played games in the library.

What is immediately impressive about Wii Sports Resort is that it has the content of a full game. The first installment had a choice selection of a handful of sports (Bowling, Golf and Tennis for instance), but Resort bumps that total up to 12 sports, or more accurately 'categories'. Seemingly (we didn't have time to go through all 12), each sport has between one and three 'events', often featuring entirely different gameplay opportunities.

Keen to see the difference the Motion Plus attachment (extending the Wiimote, but not greatly affecting its weight), we tried out the re-vamped sports carried over; indeed, whereas Bowling, Golf and Tennis could originally be tricked by lazy slackers flicking their wrists from the comfort of their beanbag, this requires much more attention and participation. The more three-dimensional awareness in the controller means that subtle movements of the wrist, or lackadaisical sloppiness, are reflected on screen, with a much more precise spin mechanic on the bowling ball, and more variation in slicing/hooking the golf ball. Tennis has been replaced by Table Tennis, which plays out similarly, but with a very detailed approximation of your form - simply jerking around isn't going to cut it this time.

However, the most promising application of the Wii Motion Plus is the Sword-fighting section, which accurately represents the angling of the Wiimote, with each swipe coming through clearly. We played through the 'Showdown' mode, where you're faced with taking out a legion of oncoming Miis with cheeky leg-slashes and head-jabs. We didn't try the 2 player 'Duel' multiplayer mode, but it looks like it could be awesome fun. Wii Sports Resort currently looks to be out in late July, which leaves plenty of time to brush up on your samurai movie quotes.

Wii Fit Plus
Out: Q4 2009
Anticipation Level:

Unlike Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus comes across more of an expansion than a real sequel. There are a selection of new muscle workouts and yoga poses, and a more complicated bunch of balance games, such as Perfect 10, where the player must swing their bum around, hitting numbered mushrooms in order to achieve a total of 10. The games do show more complexity than those bundled in with the original software, and show Nintendo experimenting around with the Balance Board hardware - whereas initial games relied almost solely on variations on balance and step-based mechanics, these games have you juggling while perched on a ball, traversing obstacle courses and flapping around in between islands in a chicken suit.

Other than this, Wii Fit Plus adds in some extra tweaks in the exercise aspects, such as the ability for the player to compile their own regimes (i.e. going through various yoga poses seamlessly), and to sort through the workouts by which areas of the body they tone. These are all welcome additions, but nothing here fully supports a £30+ investment; although, I'm sure Wii Fit freaks will be more than happy to get another dose.

Honourable mentions: Flipnote Studio, a forthcoming DSiWare app geared around art- and animation-making and Picross 3D, a classic nonogram-based puzzler, now with an added dimension, coming to DS.