March of the mascots

Mario (New Super Mario Bros.) and Link (Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass) won't be the only Nintendo characters finding a comfortable new home on the Nintendo DS. The dual-screen handheld is getting a truckload of franchise games from Big N itself, ranging from monkeys throwing barrels to foxes flying spaceships.

Star Fox DS will arrive for the DS, giving gamers their first chance to pilot the Arwing starfighter on the portable. Yoshi's Island 2 will have the long-tongue dinosaur protecting a baby Princess Peach in his first solo game on the portable. Donkey Kong will be hitting the DS both solo and alongside Mario in two sequels, Donkey Kong: King of Swing DS and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. If koopa-stomping in New Super Mario Bros. and monkey-thwarting in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 isn't enough plumber for you, Mario is also heading to the basketball court with Mario Hoops: 3 on 3. Finally, the lovable carnivorous pink marshmallow Kirby is coming to the DS with the simply named Kirby.

Metroid Prime: Hunters is already here, and New Super Mario Bros. is coming out in a few days, but that won't be the end of Nintendo's franchise titles. The coming months will see a whole lot of Nintendo love.