A Look at Nintendo's Holiday Video Game Lineup

The holiday season is fast approaching. Filling Christmas list everywhere will be the latest video game titles that'll hit the shelves this winter. Nintendo's holiday lineup heavily relies on sequels but for fans that's not necessarily a negative. Nintendo has an arsenal of franchise characters and have a knack for finding good gaming niches for them. Here is a look at some of the titles coming this holiday season from publisher and developer Nintendo for their family of video game systems.

Gameboy Advance

Donkey Kong Country 3-This third installment of the hugely popular Nintendo 64 port Donkey Kong Country hits the shelves just in time for the holidays for the Gameboy Advance. This sequel sports all-new mini games as well as a slew of boat races. Players take on the persona of either Kiddy Kong or Dixie Kong and can use their unique abilities to get further in the game. Donkey Kong Country 3 carries an Everyone rating for mild cartoon violence.

Dr. Mario Puzzle League-This title is really two games on one GBA card. The Doctor is making house calls on the Gameboy Advance, bringing his bottle of puzzle pills just in time for Christmas. Puzzle League is a puzzle game where you line up three blocks of the same color in any direction to clear them from the board. Dr. Mario Puzzle League has an E for Everyone rating.

Mario Tennis Power Tour-Nintendo brings this sequel to Mario Tennis™ for Game Boy® Color to the Gameboy Advance this season. Mario Tennis Power Tour is tennis meets role playing as players vie to become champions at the Royal Tennis Academy. Players gain experience and improve skills through lessons and tournaments. To be champion players must take on Mario to earn the title. Mario Tennis Power Tour ships with a rating for Everyone.

Nintendo DS

Mario Kart DS-Kart racing makes it way to the Nintendo DS this Christmas with Nintendo's Mario Kart DS. The hugely popular game makes good use on the DS capabilities by using Wi-Fi, allowing players to play online with up to four karts at once. Up to eight players can race via the local wireless capabilities of the DS with a single game card. Mario Kart DS is rated E for Everyone.

Mario & Luigi Partners in Time-This sequel to Mario & Luigi™: Superstar Saga, the plumbers go back in time to save, as always, Princess Peach. On this adventure they meet baby counterparts of themselves, the princess and Bowser. Gamers will control both baby and adult characters. Superstar Saga uses the DS top screen to map the movement of both characters as well as maximize combo moves in battle. Mario & Luigi Partners in Time carries an E (Everyone) rating for crude humor and Mild cartoon violence.

Animal Crossing Wild World- This sequel to the very popular Animal Crossing will allow up to four people to interact in same village and in real time either through wireless LAN or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Animal Crossing makes use of the DS's touch screen by creating an easy management system and world navigation.Days and seasons in Animal Crossing Wild World pass in real time, giving players ample opportunity to accomplish many different tasks in the game. Animal Crossing Wild World ships with an Everyone rating.

Nintendo GameCube

Mario Party 7-The latest in the Mario Party games will be here by Christmas for the GameCube. Up to eight players can participate in the fun. Older versions of the franchise only allowed up to four players. Mario Party 7 will feature 86 new minigames, 11 of which use the Nintendo GameCube Mic. In Mario Party 7, there are two additional playable characters, Birdo and Dry Bones. The rating for Mario Party 7 is Everyone for comic mischief.

Super Mario Strikers-This Christmas will see the Mario universe introduced to a new sport, soccer. Players build a team then take on opponents. Strikers promises to be an easy to learn system and to bring a lot of fun. Gamers can also play through cup battles mode to compete for the cup trophy. Super Mario Strikers ships with an Everyone rating for mild cartoon violence.