A Nintendo Wii version of Animal Crossing (when it finally arrives) will have been a long time coming. The title was first touted back in 2005 when Nintendo’s little white box was code-named ‘Revolution.’ Although it was expected to appear some time this year, the good news is that we now have confirmation in print alongside another ‘lost’ title arriving on a console near you - the gassy pink blob known as Kirby. Both are listed as ‘2008′ releases in Japan.

Gaming blog Kotaku has acquired a copy of Nintendo’s latest financial reports, which date a number of Nintendo Wii titles that include the likes of Mario Kart Wii and Disaster: Day of Crisis alongside Animal Crossing and Kirby.

Little is known about the Wii iteration of Animal Crossing, although we do known that Nintendo plan to make full use of the console’s WiiConnect24 service, sparking rumours that it could well turn out to offer a Massively Multiplayer Online experience.

Kirby, meanwhile, was first announced as a GameCube title way back at E3 in 2005 (screenshots above). Developed by HAL Laboratory, it is a 2D platformer with characters and backgrounds rendered in 3D. As well as gameplay elements borrowed from other titles in the franchise (the opportunity to receive abilities from allies and to ride on the backs of enemies), the title is said to include at least sixteen power-ups including beam, bomb and sword-wielding.

Looking forward to either Animal Crossing or Kirby on Wii? Let us know in the comments section below.