I would personally consider 2009 a fairly sub-par year for Nintendo, in which the company seemed to rest on its laurels and let Sony and Microsoft make (or lay the groundwork for) major advances on Nintendo’s market share.. Fortunately, as Nintendo’s new roadmap for early 2010 demonstrates, they are bringing out the big guns for 2010 and appear to actually care again. For gamers of all ages, that’s great news, as Mario and Samus Aran headline a potentially fantastic list of titles.

On the hardware side, the big news is the March 28 arrival of the Nintendo DSi XL, a.k.a. the DS for Grandma. With it’s larger screen and pen-sized stylus, it seems counter-intuitive to today’s mantra that portable devices needs to get smaller and smaller. But for certain users, who want that larger handheld device, there will be another option. One thing to note though, while the screen is bigger, the resolution is not. That’ll have to wait for the DS2.

On the gaming side, plenty of big names coming to both the Wii and the DS.

First and foremost is a direct sequel to the best first party title for the Wii, as Super Mario Galaxy 2 arrives on May 23. Rather than mess with a winning formula, the sequel promises an entirely new series of galaxies to explore, filled the same stunning designs and challenges. Mario will also be able to have Yoshi help out in some levels.

Next up on the Wii is Metroid: Other M, which hits store shelves on June 27. Developed by the folks behind the recent Ninja Gaiden games (and not Retro Studios who produced the Metroid Prime Trilogy), Metroid: Other M promises a tweaked control scheme and a never-before-told story of Samus’ past. Were I a betting man, I’d guess it involves an alien planet, space pirates and metroids.

Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri arrives on April 20, bringing the insanely popular title to the Wii. There will be plenty of monster hunting, and use of the Wii Speak microphone for on-line play. Certain versions of the game will also be packed with an improved Black Controller Pro.

Other announced titles include N64 cult classic rail-shooter Sin and Punishment getting the sequel treatment with Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, FlingSmash combining side scrolling, pinball, racket sports and Motion Plus,

For the DS, I think my favorite announced title is Picross 3D, because I’m one of those people who finds Picross games incredibly addictive. With 350 cube puzzles and more to be made available via download, this will be a definite pickup for me on May 3.

Other potential heavy hitters include Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, the latest iteration of the hugely popular Japanese RPG, and Majesco’s Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal, an alternate reality game taking advantage of the DSi’s cameras.

And in a unique move, Nintendo will unveil 100 Classic Books on June 14, which turns the DS into a sort-of ebook reader, featuring 100 classic titles from authors including William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Jane Austen and Mark Twain. Definitely an interesting idea to try on the DS, though who exactly is going to be buying this, I have no idea. Still, points for innovative thinking.

On the downloadable side of the ledger, there’s going to be plenty of options for both the Wii and the DSi. For the Wii, there will be the continued retro revival of Mega Man 10, the child-inappropriate indie title Super Meat Boy, WarioWare D.I.Y Showcase tying into the DS title of the same name, and the adorable sounding Max & the Magic Marker, in which you use the Wiimote as an orange marker to draw lines and objects on the screen.

For the DS, announced titles are Photo Dojo, in which you pose for pictures and make sound effects, which are then used to turn you into the main character in a side scrolling fighter, shoot-em-up Metal Torrent, and tank battler X-Scape.

So there you have it, the highlights of Nintendo’s plan for the first half of 2010. If you’re one of those Wii owners who has let your Wii go dusty, now would be a good time to clean it up, recharge your DS, and get ready for a busy next few months. Frankly, as a long-time Nintendo fan, it’s great to be excited about playing my Nintendo systems again.