Mario Golf GBA, Pikmin 2 dated in Europe

Nintendo has confirmed European release dates for two of the titles we're most looking forward to playing this year: Pikmin 2 for GameCube, and Mario Golf: Advance Tour on the Game Boy Advance. Both titles will touch the ground at around the end of September.

To be more specific, Pikmin 2 is due out on October 8th, while Mario Golf will tee off on September 17th. This reporter will probably then be killed on September 18th for inserting too many awful golf related jokes into his copy. How many? Fore. (You can tell the editor's just flown off somewhere, can't you?)

For those with no idea, Pikmin 2 'piks' up where its predecessor left off, as cute little astronaut Olimar returns to the planet of the Pikmin to try and rescue his company from debt. Much puzzling with troops of strange plant-like creatures ensues, sometimes involving a second player.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour, on the other hand, breaks with the traditional handheld golf game dynamic and includes a story mode where you have to train your character, take on challenges and watch their abilities in certain areas grow. Imagine a golfing RPG and you're not far off.

Sadly there's no discussion of the wireless multiplayer GBA adapter that accompanied Mario Golf's Japanese release, but we reckon we might just import one of those anyway to take advantage of the four-player modes. We haven't made any speculative expenses claims in a while.There we go. We'll have a few of those.

Check back soon for more on Mario Golf and Pikmin 2, which should be with us in less time than it takes for the official warning to land on our desks.