Nintendo announces release dates for Cube games

Nintendo has announced the release dates for two new Gamecube titles, Mario Baseball and Battalion Wars - due to hit stores across Europe this winter.

Mario Baseball features more than 30 characters from previous Mario games, including Wario Ware, Donkey Konga and Bowser Jr. There are several game types to choose from including Exhibition mode, Challenge mode, Mini-game mode and Toy Field mode for up to four players.

Battalion Wars follows on from the recent release of hit Nintendo DS title Advance Wars: Dual Strike. The game puts players in charge of an army of troops, land vehicles and aircraft, and features twenty different missions to play through.

Mario Baseball is out on November 11, while Battalion Wars will hit the shops on December 9. Both titles will carry an RRP of GBP 40.

The confirmation of the dates will bolster Nintendo's Christmas schedule for the GameCube - although the console is still left lacking its biggest title of all for the period, with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess having recently slipped to 2006.