Release This: Football Fever Grips U.S. with NCAA 08, All-Pro 2K8

Gamasutra's regular round-up of worldwide video game releases, "Release This!", takes a look at every game title we know to be shipping to stores this week, in an exclusively compiled list. Football fans in the United States will celebrate the release of two highly anticipated titles this week, with NCAA Football 08 and All-Pro Football 2K8 set to meet with a warm reception on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile, Transformers: The Game will make its multiplatform debut in Europe, while Japan prepares for the release of awaited titles like Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14, Tantei Jinguuji Saburou DS: Inishie no Kioku, and Nodame Cantabile. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending July 21st, 2007. Games Released in the United States: Presale numbers are high for the Xbox 360 port of NCAA Football 08, and judging by IGN GamerMetrics' recorded anticipation and purchase intent, the game is on track to be the week's biggest-selling title across all platforms. All-Pro Football 2K8 is also likely to be a popular choice in the upcoming week, while the PlayStation 3 ports of both games trail close behind their 360 counterparts in this week's Mindshare results. Though the bulk of gamer attention will be devoted to sports titles this week, the Tales series spin-off Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology is generating positive buzz among RPG fans, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 could meet with a similarly enthusiastic reception among PC gamers as well. Games Released in Europe: The Civilization IV expansion Beyond the Sword will see release in the UK a few days before it hits American shores, but otherwise, the entirety of this week's European lineup has already been seen elsewhere in the world. Next week looks to offer a much better release list in terms of quality, however, as Pokemon Diamond, Pokemon Pearl, and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s are expected to rack up sales in quantities yet to be seen by any title released so far in Europe this month. Games Released in Japan: Amazon.co.jp reports a rush of preorders for baseball sim Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14 and the Arc System Works-developed Tantei Jinguuji Saburou DS: Inishie no Kioku in the days leading up to their releases this week. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Wii, the Sengoku Basara Double Pack, and the anime-licensed Nodame Cantabile are expected to showcase strong sales performances as well. Japanese gamers are already looking forward to the following week, however, which will bring more anticipated fare like Mario Party 8, Minna no Golf 5, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. [About IGN GamerMetrics: IGN GamerMetrics is an interactive tool designed to report the real-time behavior and interests of visitors to IGN Entertainment's network of gaming enthusiast web sites. Using data collected from IGN's readers, GamerMetrics shows the levels of consumer awareness, engagement, and purchase intent in every video game title released in the U.S. market.]