We're in the midst of a post-launch drought of Wii games. Yet, even a cursory glance at the 2007 release lists reveals a wealth of top-tier, triple A releases set for both Nintendo's Wii and DS consoles. But how do you know what to spend your hard-earned wonga on? That's what we're here for- sorting the gaming chaff from the wheat. Yes, this time, the N-Europe staff select their picks for the biggest and best games of 2007- before they even come out. How is this possible? Well, that would be telling. Just trust us. We're not going to bang on about the virtues of Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 though, for obvious reasons.

What games are you most looking forward to on Wii and DS this year?

Franklin:

Well, for the DS, it's got to be Pokemon Diamond: Hello, it's Pokemon, on the DS and it's ONLINE, need I say more? Ok I will then, the GBA Pokemon games were somewhat disappointing for me, they felt like the franchise had taken a step backwards. Where the Gold/Silver generation was such an improvement over the Red/Blue one, Ruby/Sapphire felt somewhere in between. Too many new monsters, too few of which were any good, the loss of the time feature and over complicating features (beauty contests, berry making and such all pointless).

Although I'm aware some of the features in the GBA games I didn't like will return in the DS games, I'm still feeling optimistic about it. The return of the time feature, online battles and trading, I'm hoping to see this be a return to form of the greatness of the Gold/Silver generation, I think I'm looking forward to the online battles more than anything, I'm gonna try get a US import so I can get to building my team ASAP and (hopefully) pwn (Franklin, we're serious games journalists! -Ed.) everyone in online battles. Who knows, maybe we'll have some sort of online tournament on N-E to crown the N-E Pokemon Champion? Since I took up one of the main DS games I'll pick a "less obvious" Wii one so someone else can use one of the "bigger" titles. One Wii game I'm really looking forward to the Dragonball Z game, yes I realised it's just a PS2 port, but if graphics were all I cared about chances are I wouldn't have a Wii in the first place.

I'm a big fan of the anime and one of the first things i imagined when the motion sensitive controllers were revealed (right after sword swinging) was the possibilities in a DBZ game, the chance to actually "perform" the signature moves of your choosen character and it actually translates into the character doing it. No more pretending or imagining. A few of my cousins/mates are also big DBZ fans and we all have our different favourite characters. So when I get my hands on this game, multiplayer sessions will definitely be interesting, with the house filling with shouts of "kamehameha" and "final flash".

Iun:

I have to agree with Franklin, I am very much looking forward to getting my Pokem - On when Diamond and Pearl are finally released to the English speaking world in April. Naturally, this will ba another one of those games that I import from the US as the odds are that we will not see these titles in the European territory until December. Over a year after the Japanese launch. Over. A. Year. Sure, that's purely speculative, but speaking honestly, and even if Nintendo really tried for a simultaneous launch, it still wouldn't happen. A friend of mine said it best when he speculated on the following conversation at Nintendo Europe HQ: "Listen to me, that's the ass!" "No, I'm telling you, that's the elbow!" Cute. Anyway, Nintendo-bashing aside, I'm hoping for more traditional Pokemon, rather than monsters that look like they have been thought up by a five year old high on "Sugar Free" Ribena. The best kind of Pokemon are the ones that look like real-world or mythical creatures, not slugs with wheels. Still, every Pokemon title has been extremely enjoyable and highly addictive since the original Red and Blue launched, and I am sure this will be no different.

As for the Wii... you're going to laugh... I am hoping (hoping) that Donkey Kong Country 3 from the SNES will be released on the Virtual Console. And not the bastardised version that came out on the GBA not so long ago, no. The real version with all those great sound effects and the humour that was natural, not cartoony and shoe-horned in by a second set of developers nearly ten years after the original game.

Why do I love DKC3 so much? Simple: it is the most well-rounded two-dimensional platform game ever made. Combining great graphics with a fun story, well-honed play mechanics and an immense set of sub-quests, it really does represent the pinnacle of platforming evolution in the two dimensional era. The sheer difficulty of the game after the first four worlds really tests every skill that the player presumed he or she has up until that point.

I remember completing the game and feeling such a surge of pride, I had really BEATEN the game, not just come to the end of it. Most modern titles leave you with a sense of dissatisfaction on seeing the ending, the impression is that you have not really been tested at all. When was the last time you fought your way through a level that entirely reversed the game controls and forced you to advance at breakneck speed? When was the last time you fought all the way to the "end" of a game, engaged in an epic battle only to find out you got the "Okay" ending, and that if you continued on and REALLY tested your mettle, then you could see it all?

It's not often, I have to say.

Nik:

My most anticipated DS game for this year is Hotel Dusk: Room 215. I'm a big fan of the adventure game genre, so I'm pretty happy my favourite handheld proved in the past two years that it's almost made for these games. Although the amount of adventure games is rather�uhm� limited. So far we had the very average, hardly funny Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (kidding, kidding) and Another Code: Two Memories. Both very good games with excellent controls but my intense hunger for adventure game lives on.

Maybe my hunger can be stilled this year with the Phoenix Wright sequel, Touch Detective and� Hotel Dusk: Room 215. This last one appeals to me the most. It has very moody graphics � the game appears to be mostly in black and white � and the story seems to be very dark and mysterious. Both excellent ingredients for a fantastic adventure game.

For the Wii I'm pretty excited about the title that will probably � hopefully - be the first one to go online on the Wii (that is, if the Pokémon game or Battalion Wars Wii won't come out first) Mario Strikers Charged. I played this game for a short bit on the Games Convention last year and it proved to be incredibly simple fun. Especially tackling felled satisfying; a short shake with the Wii Remote was enough to ram down another scared opponent. I'm also very eager to see how Nintendo's online play will work. They promised us the possibility of online tournaments, they promised us plenty of options, they promised easy setup. Are they going to fulfil their words?

If they do, Charged can become one of the most-wanted Wii games this year (besides the obvious Mario and Metroid). With an excellent online mode I might be playing this game for a VERY, VERY long time. (I expect a leaderboard in this game, Nintendo!)

Oh� And of course the online mode helps us to find out who the real N-E Strikers Charged champion is� (cough, like we don't know who's going to win that one...)

Fierce_Link:

God, trying to narrow it down to one title for the DS and the Wii is a very, very difficult task. Seriously, there's so many good games on the horizon. I think I'd better address the Wii first. My most anticipated game of the year, for the Wii is...Excitetruck. Ok, I know I heard a few groans back there, but I seriously can't wait for this game. I love my racing games to be fast, a bit wacky, and just good ol' fashioned fun.

This definitely looks fast, a bit wacky, and it looks like a whole lot of fun, too! I'm really interested to see how the Wiimote works out for this, as it looks fairly intuitive. Plus, it'll quench my racing thirst until F zero or Mario Kart arrive, which looks doesn't seem to be anytime soon.

So, that's the Wii covered. Now, onto the DS. My most anticipated title for the DS has to be..Final Fantasy 3. This will probably shock a few people, as I'm not really that great a fan of RPGs. But, something about this game is seriously drawing me in. I'm not a massive fan of the final fantasy series, but I did enjoy what I played of Mystic Quest years ago. So, the fact that this is a remake of a very old game that I have never played just instantly appeals to me. I'm hoping that this game will kick start my lust for role playing games.

Justin:

2007 is looking to be a great year for Nintendo already; full of so many games we just have to have. To start off on the DS front, who doesn't want to see Hotel Dusk? It looks really fresh and interesting, and is sure to be good as it is being published by Nintendo. Also, Diddy Kong Racing is shaping up; that will be a really fun one to play online. New Mario Kart? We can hope. Although so far I've not been a huge fan of the way Zelda Phantom Hourglass has been shaping up, hopefully it will be better than I expect.

On the Wii front, things are looking even better. (Likely due to Nintendo pouring most of it's resources to it's new console) Anyhow, several games I look forward to are Metroid Prime 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, BWii, and since I am in America, Wii Play. You don't honestly think I would leave out Super Mario Galaxy, do you? I am really looking forward to seeing more of that game, and I hope it turns out really good. I was an enormous fan of Super Mario Sunshine, so hopefully this will dwarf my expectations.

Overall, looking to be a good year for Nintendo. I expect we will see a lot more out of them, although without E3, we just don't know when. Go Nintendo!

RedShell:

My most anticipated Wii game at the moment has to be Animal Crossing. I know there's been nothing shown of this game yet and that we know next to nothing about it, but it's the potential I can imagine for the Wii version that makes me want it. Firstly, the likelihood of integration with the Mii channel could make the improved customization of Wild World even better, (we'll finally be able to look like ourselves in the game!) Then there's the possibility of how the controls will benefit with the Wii Remote / nunchuck, imagine fishing, digging, chopping ect... all performed with the appropriate motions. And last but by no means least, there's the online aspect of the game. WiiConnect 24 is going to undoubtedly make AC for Wii the most enjoyable and long lasting version of the series so far.

For DS I'm really looking forward to Tingle RPG, (if the rumours of a Euro release are to be believed.) From what I've seen of the Japanese game though it'll be very interesting to see this makes it over here intact, or if they'll choose to tone down its wackiness a bit. I for one hope they just do a straight translation and leave it at that. The way I see it, the game's off the wall humour is vital to it being a success outside of Japan. But yeah, it looks great, sounds great, is supposedly very funny and it's technically a Zelda game, what more could you want?

Siman.M:

For the Wii, there's only one: Super Smash Bros. Brawl... What can I say?

Who isn't looking forward to this one? Many hours have been spent with friends round my house screaming 'help' and 'get him with the hammer' at eachother in a friendly yet somewhat unsettlingly serious manner while playing the still incredible (and higlhy addictive) SSBM. Now take that image and include wii remotes x4 and you've got something verging on a completely crazy, fun and above all original muliplayer experience. It's almost like you can see you and your friends swinging, spinning and laughing at eachother as you compete with two young links against two ganondwarfs. Then all of a sudden as the final seconds draw to an end the smiles fade to concentration, hands tighten on the wii-mote and things get alittle more competative... I can't wait.

As for the DS, it's New Zealand Story Revolution that gets my vote. Perhaps a strange choice given that many peope might not remember the original, but let me assure you this was one of the hardest, most challenging, and in turn most rewarding platformers of my younger years. The bright colourful kiwi and surroundings captures the hours of enjoyment gained as you jump from ledge to ledge (or from baloon to baloon) as happy as can be despite all the danger surrounding you. The sheer simplicity harkens back to a time when gamplay came before graphics as a necessity not as a secondary consideration- as this is something to look forward to for that very reason.

What's your response then? Have you only eyes for Mario Galaxy, or has Hotel Dusk caught your imagination too? Or is Fifa 2008 on your most wanted list? We want to see your comments below. We read them all, promise.