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.
This week will bring the U.S. and UK premiere of
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. Gamers in North America will additionally receive
Resistance: Retribution and
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, as Japan gets
Gardening Mama and
Super Robot Taisen K.
The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending March 21st, 2009.
Games Released in the United States:
Nintendo Wii:
- Crayola Adventures: Colorful World
- Marble Saga: Kororinpa
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
- Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution
- Rune Factory Frontier
- Totally Spies: Totally Party
PlayStation 3:
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
- SingStar: Queen
PlayStation 2:
- Pimp My Ride: Street Racing
- SingStar: Queen
Nintendo DS:
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Great Empires: Rome
- Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
- Mind Body & Soul: Big Word Puzzle Book
- SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
- Scrabble
- Suikoden Tierkreis
- TrackMania DS
- Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
- World Championship Games
PlayStation Portable:
- Resistance: Retribution
- Scrabble
PC:
- Grand Ages: Rome
- Men of War
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
- Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey
Grand Theft Auto makes its Nintendo DS debut this week with the release of
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, a portable-exclusive entry in Rockstar's flagship crime drama series. Joining
Chinatown Wars on the DS this week are two awaited RPG releases: Konami's
Suikoden Tierkreis and the TriAce-developed
Valkyrie Profile sequel
Covenant of the Plume.
The PlayStation Portable will host a port of
Scrabble, along with the
Resistance spinoff title
Resistance: Retribution. North America's console lineup is more subdued, with highlights including an all-Queen version of
SingStar and the Nintendo Wii release of
Rune Factory Frontier.
Games Released in Europe:
Nintendo Wii:
- Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Directors Cut
- Castlevania: Judgment
- Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
- MadWorld
- Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution
Xbox 360:
- Legends of Wrestlemania
PlayStation 3:
- Legends of Wrestlemania
- SingStar: Queen
PlayStation 2:
- Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
- Jelly Belly: Ballistic Beans
- SingStar: Queen
Nintendo DS:
- Bella Sara
- Football Academy
- Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
- Military History: Commander: Europe at War
- Petz: My Baby Panda
- Scrabble Interactive: 2009 Edition
- Wonder Pets! Save the Animals!
PlayStation Portable:
- Military History: Commander: Europe at War
- Resistance: Retribution
PC:
- Bella Sara
- The Last Remnant
- Military History: Commander: Europe at War
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
Europe is set to see several region-exclusive titles this week. Nintendo DS owners will receive the UK-only EA Sports soccer training sim
Football Academy, while multiple platforms will get an early look at
Legends of Wrestlemania and the history-based strategy title
Military History Commander: Europe at War. The UK will also receive the Nintendo Wii adventure title
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Directors Cut a week in advance of its planned U.S. release date.
Games Released in Japan:
Nintendo Wii:
- Darts Wii Deluxe
- Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Next
- Monopoly: Classic and World Edition
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play
- Winter Sports 2009: The Next Challenge
PlayStation 2:
- Amagami
- Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2009
Nintendo DS:
- Card de Asobu! Hajimete no DS
- Choco Ken: Otodoke! Sweets Wagon
- Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus
- Gakken Hangul Sanmai DS
- Gakken Shin Toeic Test Kanzen Kouryaku 2
- Gardening Mama
- Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost
- Ouran Koukou Host Club DS
- Super Robot Taisen K
- Tantei Jinguuji Saburo DS: Fuserareta Shinjitsu
PlayStation Portable:
- Ayaka Shibito Portable
- Bokujou Monogatari: Sugar Mura to Minna no Negai
- Brandish: Dark Revenant
- Dragon Ball: Evolution
- Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 with Izayoiki Aizouban
- Hitsuji-kun nara Kiss Shite Ageru
- Musou Tourou
- Rei Choaniki
- Saru Get You: Pipo Saru Senki
- Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life - CS Edition
PC:
- Grand Theft Auto IV
The Nintendo DS hosts the majority of this week's biggest Japanese releases, with highlights including the
Cooking Mama sequel
Gardening Mama and
Super Robot Taisen K. The PSP gets a somewhat oddball selection in comparison. Sony's platform will soon receive a game based upon the upcoming live-action
Dragon Ball movie, an RPG spinoff in Sony's
Ape Escape series, and a remake of the famously bizarre TurboDuo shoot-em-up
Choaniki.