It's been another interesting year for Nintendo, and it heads to a close with a handful of key releases on the way and - let's face it - most attention on mysterious 2017 hardware. Yet Wii U and 3DS owners do have quite a few choices ahead of them for Fall / Winter gaming, through a mix of retail and download releases.

For this 'Biggest Games' list we gave you a chance to pitch in on your most anticipated titles with a 30-game poll. We did overlook two key releases when putting that poll together that make it into the final list here, but the community votes have helped determine the bulk of the main list of ten, and also the next 10 games that earn 'honourable mentions'; we have tried to favour games still due in both NA and EU for the top 10, too. For the Wii U the focus is mostly on the eShop, while on 3DS there's a healthy mix of downloads and retail games.

Some of these titles are predictable, a handful may be surprising, so let's get to it.

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Pokémon Sun and Moon [3DS] - 18th November (NA) / 23rd November (EU)

Since the announcement earlier this year The Pokémon Company has been cranking up the hype machine, unveiling plenty of details for these November titles. More reveals come every couple of weeks, and we're getting the sense that this title is suitably ambitious for a new generation of 'mon. There are some new ideas to be found in these entries, even if there's a relatively familiar look on the ageing 3DS hardware.

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS [3DS] - 2nd December

A bit of a surprise reveal in the most recent Nintendo Direct, this'll give the 3DS another useful big-name release for the Holiday season. It is going to lack the online sharing of the Wii U iteration, so creativity is supposed to be shared locally with other 3DS-owning buddies. Beyond that there'll be a lot of official and user created courses to play, so it could be fun for some platforming on the go.

Paper Mario: Color Splash [Wii U] - 7th October

E3 can either be hugely beneficial or damaging to a game's pre-release reputation, and it seemed like this title enjoyed a slight uptick in fortunes. A flashy trailer that was full of madness and imagination helped to dent (if not completely ease) concerns around this one, and the quirky 'Rescue V' video series has helped communicate its charms in more recent times. We enjoyed this in our preview and hope the final game will deliver.

Mario Party Star Rush [3DS] - 7th October (EU) / 4th November (NA)

Unveiled at E3 and, after early fears that it would be another Toad-fest, has transpired to have a bit more to offer. It maintains a solid tempo and has a decent range of minigames, all wrapped in the usual charm of the series. The free 'Guest' download is a brilliant touch to enable full local multiplayer with just one copy, and we quite enjoyed it in our preview.

Darksiders: Warmastered Edition [Wii U] - 25th October

One that we mistakenly overlooked in our community poll, this is certainly a notable release for the Wii U. Though it'll have half the target framerate of rival platform versions (30fps) it's a chance for Nintendo gamers to experience the series origins. Darksiders II was an enjoyable early release on Wii U, so we're looking forward to trying out the critically acclaimed original on the system; it'll be a bargain at £14.99 / €20 / $20, too.

Corpse Party [3DS] - 25th October (NA) / 26th October (EU)

Another one that shouldn't have been missed out in the community poll, and earns its place by virtue of the role the game can play for the 3DS this Fall / Winter. There aren't many adult-oriented Japanese horror games coming to the 3DS, naturally, which we described as "more interactive than a visual novel, but much less mechanically demanding than a typical JRPG" in our preview from E3. Definitely one to watch for horror fans interested in a different flavour of 3DS gaming.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Wii U] - Q4

This one has endured multiple delays, including a recent six week extension, but it should be almost go-time for this new and first exclusively HD entry in the franchise. It draws on various mainstays and features from previous entries as WayForward targets a new audience, and we had positive things to say in our E3 hands on impressions.

Stardew Valley [Wii U eShop]

This has been critically acclaimed and also a major success on Steam for developer ConcernedApe. It's not hard to see why - a beautiful retro-style aesthetic with lovely music, it incorporates farm management, material gathering, relationship building and a broad range of tasks, activities and areas to explore. Its breadth seems to be matched by its charm, and we're also hopeful that the Wii U GamePad screen can be put to good use considering the PC-centric user interface that the game naturally favours.

Chase: Cold Case Investigations - Distant Memories [3DS eShop] - 13th October

One of the reasons this project is eye-catching is that it's been led by Taisuke Kanasaki and the talents of multiple staff from the now shuttered CiNG studio. They're well known for narrative-driven titles on the DS in particular, including the likes of Trace Memory, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Last Window: The Secret of Cape West. This seems to adopt similar gameplay ideas, which is fine by us.

Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure [3DS eShop] - 13th October (NA) / TBC (EU)

Coming soon in North America and hopefully not far behind in Europe. A 3D action platformer that had a spruced up 2015 release on PC through Steam, its 3DS version is going to feature stereoscopic 3D, c-stick camera controls on the New 3DS and additional outfits. We enjoyed our look at it in a recent hands on session at PAX West.

Honourable Mentions

So there you have it, ten main titles and another ten 'honourable mentions' drawn largely from your votes. There are certainly some decent games on the way, and some narrowly missed out in the community votes.

Let us know which games are top of your wishlist.

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