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 marks the North American premieres of
NCAA Football 09 and
Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1. Gamers in Europe anticipate the upcoming release of
Guitar Hero: On Tour, meanwhile, as Japan's portable release lineup features a pair of heavy-hitters in
Gundam Battle Universe and
Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome.
The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending July 19th, 2008.
Games Released in the United States:
| Nintendo Wii:
- NCAA Football 09: All-Play
- Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1
- Space Chimps
- We Love Golf!
- Yamaha Supercross
Xbox 360:
- NCAA Football 09
- Space Chimps
PlayStation 3:
- NCAA Football 09
PlayStation 2:
- B-Boy
- NCAA Football 09
- Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1
- Space Chimps
- Yamaha Supercross | Nintendo DS:
- Mister Slime
- Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society
- Space Chimps
- Yamaha Supercross
PlayStation Portable:
- Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity
- NCAA Football 09
PC:
- 1701 A.D. Gold Edition
- City Life 2008 Edition
- Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
- The Golden Horde
- Hunting Unlimited 2009
- Yamaha Supercross |
EA Sports'
NCAA Football 09 headlines this week's multiplatform lineup in the United States. All home consoles will receive a port of the anticipated college football sequel this week, while the Nintendo Wii in particular gets a specially tailored version aimed at casual audiences.
Also premiering this week is
Rock Band Track Pack Vol 1, an expansion that provides Wii and PlayStation 2 owners a compilation of music tracks previously released as downloadable content on other platforms.
The Nintendo DS is expected to see the bulk of next week's release activity in North America, where the portable console will host a remade
Final Fantasy IV, Konami's
New International Track & Field, and
Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns.
Games Released in Europe:
| Nintendo Wii:
- Pool Party
PlayStation 2:
- The Incredible Hulk
- Riding Star | Nintendo DS:
- Animal Genius
- Guitar Hero: On Tour
PC:
- Beijing 2008
- The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure |
Another quiet release week awaits gamers in Europe, with only a small selection of titles premiering across all platforms.
Guitar Hero: On Tour is likely to emerge as the week's top European debut, as the previously released U.S. version continues to chart among the DS's top sellers overseas.
Games Released in Japan:
| Nintendo Wii:
- Boom Blox
Xbox 360:
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements
PlayStation 3:
- Metal Gear Online
- Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi
PlayStation 2:
- Poi! Hito Natsu no Keiken!? | Nintendo DS:
- Denjirou Sensei no Fushigi na Jikkenshitsu
- Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu No Hanayome
- Gachapin Challenge DS
- Gakkou no Kaidan DS
- Hello Kitty no Panda Sport Stadium
- Metal Slug 7
PlayStation Portable:
- Gundam Battle Universe
- HimeHibi: Princess Days Portable |
Few titles dare to compete with the combined strength of the PSP's
Gundam Battle Universe and Square Enix's remade
Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome in this week's Japanese release lineup. Both titles currently lead multiplatform presales at Amazon.co.jp by a wide margin, and both are expected to rank high in regional sales for many weeks to come.
Nintendo DS owners can additionally expect to see
Metal Slug 7, the first portable-exclusive sequel in SNK's arcade-born shooter franchise. On consoles, Japanese gamers will soon receive a standalone version of Konami's
Metal Gear Online and a localized version of EA's
Boom Blox, along with the adventure titles
Poi! Hito Natsu no Keiken!? and
Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi.
