Release This: Def Jam, GRAW 2, MotorStorm

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. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and MotorStorm are expected to dominate U.S. sales charts this week, while Europe will soon see the introduction of awaited sequels like Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Japan, meanwhile, will find itself inundated with multiple puzzlers, brain training titles, and occasional standout releases like Yoshi's Island DS and Karous. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending March 10, 2007. Games Released in the United States: One of the Xbox 360's most enduringly popular titles is set to see a sequel this week in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, which lies at the top of many gamers' wish lists in the days prior to its release. The highly anticipated PS3 racing title MotorStorm trails close behind in gamer awareness and purchase intent, while NBA Street Homecourt and two different ports of Def Jam: Icon round out the top five most wanted releases for the week. The PS2 port of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, on the other hand, only manages to take eighth place in this week's findings. This modest amount of gamer anticipation is somewhat unexpected, given the popularity of the GTA series and the previously released PSP-to-PS2 upgrade of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Sales figures could tell a different story by the end of the month, however, despite this tepid prerelease buzz. Games Released in Europe: Big names like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will see simultaneous release in both the U.S. and the UK this week, while Europe also catches up with several popular titles that originally hit American shores in months past. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis in particular stand out as major releases that were proven hits overseas, and should find similar success among gamers in the UK. Europe will see little in the way of exclusive titles this week, however, aside from Dogz 2 for GBA and a select few PC titles that will not be released in the U.S. until later this month. The coming weeks should feature more and better exclusive releases, along with the usual localizations of popular titles from other regions. Games Released in Japan: An obscene number of puzzlers and brain training titles will hit the Nintendo DS in Japan this week, as unique releases like Yoshi's Island DS and Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana are left to drown in a sea of double-digit sequels and edutainment software. Elsewhere, Bomberman will set out on his first adventure on the Nintendo Wii, while the Virtua Tennis series makes its next-gen debut with Power Smash 3. Other notable releases include the retro compilation Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection (which captures Sega's convoluted Wonder Boy series in its entirety) and Karous, which is purported to be the very last Sega Dreamcast game that will be officially produced. Given the console's longevity and popularity among shooter fans, however, future Dreamcast releases still remain very likely.