Mario’s had a busy end to the year. Whether he’s been racing through the air, across the land or at the bottom of the sea in Mario Kart 7 which launched on 2nd December 2011 or donning his favourite Tanooki Suit to master a mixture of new and classic abilities on his quest through the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario 3D Land which launched on 18th November 2011. Mario isn’t finished there, however; he will be picking up a tennis racket in Mario Tennis  and heading to the 2012 London Olympic games with Sonic in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (SEGA),  both launching in 2012 for Nintendo 3DS.

It is not just Mario fans who will be busy this month and into the New Year. The end of 2011 will see Nintendo 3DS owners fighting for the supremacy of the skies in Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy (NAMCO BANDAI Games), racing in exotic locations across the globe in Formula One: F1 2011 (Codemasters) and playing football against some of the biggest teams on the planet in PES 12 (KONAMI).

Moving into 2012 Nintendo will be keeping it in the Mario family; fans and newcomers alike will be thrilled to hear the buzz of a vacuum cleaner on the horizon - Mario’s brother, Luigi, is back in a brand new adventure, looking to suck up some ghosts. Luigi’s Mansion 2 launches in 2012 and sees you helping Luigi to rid the large mansions of the ghosts and ghouls who are lurking in the corners, under the tables and in the cabinets. Explore the mansions and collect coins as you go but use Luigi’s trusty flashlight wisely – you never know who you’ll need to stun.

Fan of puzzles? Missing your favourite professor? Fear not, as Professor Layton and his trusty companion, Luke, is back in 2012 with the launch of Professor Layton 5*. Set across two time periods, Luke and Professor Layton explore a mysterious town where strange happenings are taking place. Who is the Miracle Gentleman and why do people keep being transformed into horses and stone statues?

The wait is almost over, as Kid Icarus: Uprising is soon to be in the hands of fans who are chomping at the bit to spend some quality time with the angelic protagonist, Pit. Flying through the air, after being granted the ‘Miracle of Flight’ by Palutena, Pit battles the forces of Medusa who has been reborn and seeks to wipe out mankind.  Help Pit to fly to different worlds to take on an array of terrifying monsters.

The words Resident Evil  strike fear into the hearts of fans across the world and you can now look forward to playing the latest offering from Capcom exclusively on your Nintendo 3DS when Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom) launches on 27th January 2012. Packed with terrifying moments and an intense canon storyline, all in stunning 3D, this game heralds a return to the classic Resident Evil gameplay.

Fans of serious, story driven action will be pleased to know that Hideo Kojima's legendary Metal Gear series steals onto Nintendo 3DS in the form of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (KONAMI) in 2012. This classic stealth action title now comes with stunning updated 3D visuals and the Nintendo 3DS outer cameras and gyroscopic motion sensor are used as integral elements in the gameplay.  

Other Nintendo 3DS games to look forward to in early 2012, include the fighting epic from Namco Bandai, Tekken 3D Prime Edition (NAMCO BANDAI Games),   and SEGA’s officially licensed Olympic-themed video game Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (SEGA), launching in February 2012. With over 50 exciting events, including football, equestrian, athletics and aquatics, there are plenty of ways to compete for a coveted gold medal.   

Below are just some of the upcoming games which will be launching across Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS family of consoles and Wii in 2012.

Nintendo 3DS/Release Date

• Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom/27th January 2012)
• Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro (27th January 2012)
• CRUSH 3D (SEGA/January 2012)
• 3D Game Collection (Mastertronic/January 2012)
• VVVVVV (Nicalis/January 2012)
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (SEGA/February 2012)
• One Piece Unlimited Cruise Special (NAMCO BANDAI Games/10th February 2012)
• SpeedThru: Potzol's Puzzle (Nintendo eShop/February 2012)
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo/March 2012)
• Landwirtschafts-Simulator 2012 (astragon Software/31st March 2012 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
• Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (KONAMI/Winter)
• PAC-MAN Party 3D (NAMCO BANDAI Games/Q1 2012)
• BEN 10 Galactic Racing (NAMCO BANDAI Games/Q1 2012)
• TEKKEN 3D Prime Edition (NAMCO BANDAI Games/Q1 2012)
• Crash Time 4 (PQube/Q1 2012)
• 3D Classics: Kid Icarus (Nintendo/DSi Shop/eShop/Q1 2012)
• Colors! 3D (Collecting Smiles/eShop/Q1 2012)
• Dillon's Rolling Western (Nintendo eShop/Q1 2012)
• Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH! (Shin’en Multimedia/eShop/Q1 2012)
• Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid/eShop/Q1 2012)
• Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (SEGA)
• Early 2012
  • Mario Tennis (Nintendo/early 2012)
  • Luigi’s Mansion 2 (Nintendo/2012)
  • Professor Layton 5 (Nintendo/2012)

Nintendo DS family of consoles/Release Date

• Antipole (Saturnine Games/DSi Shop/eShop/5th January 2012)
• Doodle Fit (Gamelion Studios/DSi Shop/eShop/January 2012)
• Hidden Object Show (Intenium Console/January 2012 in Benelux)
• Inazuma Eleven 2 Firestorm (Nintendo/Q1 2012)
• Inazuma Eleven 2 Blizzard (Nintendo/Q1 2012)
• Amoebattle (Grab/DSi Shop/eShop/Q1 2012)
• Flip the Core (Engine Software/DSi Shop/eShop/Q1 2012)
• VICTORIOUS : Hollywood Arts Debut (NAMCO BANDAI Games/DSi Shop/eShop/Q1 2012)

Wii/Release Date

• Boom Street (Nintendo/Square Enix/6th January 2012
• (Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy - 23rd December 2011)
• The Last Story (Nintendo/24th February 2012)
• Mario Party 9 (Nintendo/March 2012)
• PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Nintendo/March 2012)
• Winter Sports 2012 (PQube/Q1 2012)
• We Sing Pop (Nordic Games Publishing/Q1 2012)
• We Sing 80's (Nordic Games Publishing/Q2 2012)
• La-Mulana (Nicalis/Wii Shop/Q1 2012)
• Pandora’s Tower (Nintendo/Q2 2012)
• Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise (Nintendo/2012)