Release This: Guitar Hero Goes 80s, Taiko DS Hits Japan

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. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s heads preorder numbers in the United States this week, while the UK releases of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are likely to be top sellers for the next several months. Japan, meanwhile, has a release lineup of more than 40 titles to look forward to, with games like Minna no Golf 5, Taiko no Tatsujin DS, and the Metal Gear Solid Collection currently ranking high in presales prior to their release. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending July 28th, 2007. Games Released in the United States: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s leads in Mindshare among all competing U.S. software in a week that offers a more varied lineup and less predictable results than in many recent weeks. The Civilization IV expansion Beyond the Sword is also pulling in large amounts of prerelease interest and anticipation among those surveyed, as are both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of NASCAR 08. Fans of the RPG genre, meanwhile, contribute large amounts of recorded awareness and purchase intent for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 and Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition. After a long RPG drought, this week's offerings -- along with recent releases like Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology and Riviera: The Promised Land -- appear to be revitalizing the genre's American presence. Games Released in Europe: A handful of potential blockbusters hide within this week's deceptively small European release lineup. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is expected to meet with the same success in the UK as it is likely to find in the United States this week, and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are all but certain to take over European bestseller lists for the next several months, as they previously have in other regions. Games Released in Japan: Japan's release lineup dwarfs other regions' this week, featuring almost twice as many titles as the U.S. and Europe combined. The list includes several high-profile releases of likely interest to importers, such as the Konami-developed Dewy's Adventure, the touch-based drumming simulation Taiko no Tatsujin DS, and one-on-one fighter sequels Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, King of Fighters Maximum Impact Regulation A, and Melty Blood Act Cadenza Ver.B. Judging by preorder sales at Amazon.co.jp, Japanese gamers currently show the greatest interest in Mario Party 8, Minna no Golf 5 (Hot Shots Golf 5) and the long-awaited Japanese-language release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the Xbox 360. Metal Gear fans are awaiting the release of the Metal Gear Solid Collection, an eight-disc set that encompasses the entire series across the PS1, PS2, and PSP. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is generating high presale numbers as well, and could become just as big of a PSP hit in Japan as it continues to be in the U.S. and Europe. [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.]