Seven GameCube Games to be Re-Released on Wii

As part of Nintendo’s plan to re-release select GameCube games on Wii as part of the company’s new “Play on Wii” label, seven titles from Nintendo’s purple party box have been chosen to open the campaign.

Seven titles are currently on the way for the lineup. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat kicks things off on December 11, and will be followed by Pikmin on December 25. In 2009, Nintendo plans on releasing Chibi Robo!, Pikmin 2, Mario Tennis GC, Metroid Prime, and Metroid Prime 2 Dark Echoes. — IGN

Re-releasing the Pikmin and Metroid Prime games makes sense to me, as it gives new fans of those franchises a chance to catch up on the exploits of Captain Olimar and Samus. Seeing Mario Tennis on the list was a little surprising, as it leads me to believe Nintendo isn’t planning on a Wii-specific version of the game anytime soon. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong.

Also, while Nintendo is assuredly planning the “Play on Wii” label for release in Japan, it hasn’t been confirmed just yet that the program will be coming to other markets. We’ll keep you posted.