‘Madden NFL 2005’ and ‘Spider-Man 2’ are among the dozen video games Nintendo Co. says it plans to offer for its new DS handheld system within a month of the product's November launch.
Nintendo said it expects about 25 games for the dual screen player by early next year. About 120 games are in development.
Analysts said the relatively large number of games being made by third-party developers such as Activision, Electronic Arts and THQ bodes well for Nintendo heading into the busy holiday shopping season.
The DS version of the popular Madden games will show 22 players on the field on one screen, with the other showing key action. People will be able to compete against each other using the system's built-in wireless capability.
EA, the world's largest game maker, also will have Tiger Woods PGA Golf Tour and The Urbz: Sims in the City, which puts characters from the Sims in an urban setting.
The DS debuts in the United States on Nov. 21 and in Japan 10 days later.
The black and silver paperback book-shaped device will come pre-loaded with demo version of the sci-fi shooter Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt to "whet gamer's appetites," said Nintendo of America spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan said.
A completed version of the game -- one of the company's marquee franchises along with Mario -- comes out early next year.
Two other remakes of popular Nintendo titles that will see new life on the DS are Super Mario 64 DS and the racing game Mario Kart.
IDC analyst Schelley Olhava said Nintendo's lineup had a good mix of genres that should appeal to a variety of tastes.
"They have brands that resonate well with gamers," she said.
The $149.99 DS has a chat and messaging program so users can scribble notes or pictures on the touch-sensitive screen.
Prices for the games will be in the $30 range, Kaplan said. Additionally, it can play more than 550 older Game Boy Advance games.
"It's launching in every way that consumers are going to want to have it at the beginning: the right price, the right package, the right features and the right games," she said.
A handful of games already have been announced for rival Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable, including the racer Need for Speed Underground Rivals and Tiger Woods, both from EA.
The sleek black PSP arrives in the United States next year.