Wii gets Super Mario Galaxy

Via Eurogamer

Nintendo has finally shredded the wraps around Shigeru Miyamoto's new Mario game. It's called Super Mario Galaxy and it uses the Wii's freestyle controller to allow Mario to run, jump, catch hold of shooting stars using the pointer, and flick objects at enemies on rotating worlds.

As you may already have read, Nintendo's also planning to release Zelda: Twilight Princess in Wii and GameCube versions - the latter shorn of the gesture and pointer control options, and also devoid of widescreen - with both due out on the same day as the console during Q4 2006.

Also on show during Nintendo's pre-E3 conference were Excite-Truck, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Warioware: Smooth Moves, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Sonic Wild Fire (also referred to as Hyper Sonic at one point), and several original titles.

Those included Ubisoft's FPS game Red Steel, one called Necro-Nesia, Nintendo title Project HAMMER, which is what it sounds like, and Wii Sports, the focal point of several demonstrations. Sports includes tennis, baseball and golf games with stylised bobblehead-esque characters, all played using the freestyle controller. During a demo, Miyamoto was racing back and forward across the stage to return forehands and backhands, showing how you can serve, lob and apply top-spin.

Many of the games were shown as CG videos, or in some form of video - and there was also a crowd-pleasing introduction featuring Miyamoto in full conductor's get-up using the wand like a baton to control an orchestra, whose music soared and slowed to reflect the speed and character of his movement.

What's more, Nintendo said there would be 27 games playable on its stand tomorrow, as well as many more on video.

For more on Nintendo's conference, check out our walkthrough of the important points, including depthier looks at how some of the games work, or dive directly into our archive of live-text commentary, delivered line by gasp by line by rubbish joke during the conference this morning. We'll have video on Eurogamer TV as soon as humanly possible.