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ActionLoop and Mario Slam Basketball bounced into 2007

Nintendo Europe drops the ball

ActionLoop and Mario Slam Basketball bounced into 2007
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We like to think we're reasonable people at Pocket Gamer, but the simmering issue of release dates is really starting to get us boiling.

How difficult can it be to release a game in Europe that's already been out – on identical hardware – in Japan and America for six months?

And today that question is pointed in the direction of Nintendo, which is really getting its balls in a twist over casual coloured ball puzzler, Actionloop.

First up was the strange decision to rename it – it was released in the US as Magnetica, a more interesting title, we reckon, back in June.

OK, we can live with a bit of marketing tomfoolery, but more worrying has been Nintendo's seeming inability to actually release the game in Europe.

Even accounting for language localisation, this is a game that's been functionally complete since April. Still with a 27th October release date promised, the delay didn't seem too bad.

Which makes the news that Actionloop has been pushed back to spring 2007 something of a mockery.

Indeed, Nintendo seems to have a general problem when it comes to hard, round objects. Metroid Prime Pinball, released in the US in October 2005 (last year!) seems to have completely fallen off the European release schedule. And Mario Slam Basketball (released in the US as Mario Hoops 3-on-3 in September) has also been bounced back to 2007.

Frankly, it's all a bunch of balls.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.