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In our latest releases post, we mentioned the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and there are a few cool things related to that to share with you here. First of all, the game is in a red box, which is kind of crazy given that every other Wii game to date has been in a white one.

Second, Nintendo has made a lot out of saying how difficult this game will be, much like the classics, but there is a new “Super Guide” feature that will let Luigi take on an especially tough level for you, basically.

As bonus material, check out this video of the Super Mario museum at New York City’s Nintendo Store.

For this week’s “Nate categorizes several games he knows that share an oddball common theme with some other game that came out this week” post, I’m going to mention some awesome photography games, because Afrika is coming out this week. Let’s see here, there’s:

1. Pokemon Snap, the sorta famous game in which you ride around and take pictures of pokemon doin’ stuff. Way, way more fun that that sounds, even if you aren’t a Pokemon fan.
2. Endless Ocean, which is a lot like Afrika underwater. Probably even more chilled out than Afrika will be.
3. Fatal Frame, if you get your parents’ permission to play it (rated Teen), is an old PS2 horror game in which you take pictures of the ghosts to defeat them. Does that sound like an odd Japanese game to you? Then you’re right!
4. Beyond Good & Evil, the cult classic, involves photography in its gameplay quite a bit. Of all these four, you should definitely try this one first if you’ve never heard of it. It’s also rated Teen, though, so get permission first, and let your parents watch some gameplay or trailers or something so they can decide.

E3 2009 was a resounding success in everyone’s mind. While previously downsized for various reasons, it has now fully returned to its former glory, much to the excitement of gamers everywhere.

However, it is important to calm down and sit away from the edge of your seat. After all, the vast majority of the really cool stuff shown at E3 this year won’t be released before the new year. And that’s not including the delays and other complications that games are heir to.

During the Nintendo press conference, many games were announced, but of the video games previewed, those that we can expect this year are: Super Mario Bros Wii, Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Wii Fit Plus, and Mario and Luigi DS. These are the only upcoming games that we can hope for before Christmas. (Gift ideas guide: lots of great games come out around Christmas, so keep a close eye on them if there is a gamer on your list!)

Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, Golden Sun, and the mysterious Zelda Wii game are far off in the distant future and will probably get a reprised role at E3 2010. Remember that Nintendo is nefarious for delaying game releases, so curb your enthusiasm even more regarding Big N first party games.

As for the motion capturing trend that was demoed this year, Sony is hoping to bring it to store shelves by next year while Microsoft has yet to even release a projected date (but it can be assumed to be sooner than Sony as their presentation featured a nearer-to-completion demo). At the very least, as far as hardware goes, we can expect to see the PSP Go this year.

While all the announcements are very exciting, it is important to not burn yourself out and become desensitized to the hype surrounding these products. After all, you will want to save some of that giddiness for when you actually have the product in your hand.

Be sure to check our safe kids website for our video games guide to third party games shown at E3 2009.