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Gamasutra's latest "Release This!" this week sees U.S. gamers enjoying Boogie and Mega Man Star Force, while Japan receives SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive and Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System -- exclusive

Danny Cowan, Blogger

August 6, 2007

5 Min Read

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. Though the United States and Europe appear to be headed toward a typically quiet summer release week, standout releases like Boogie, Mega Man Star Force, and Impossible Mission could nevertheless warrant a trip to local retailers in both regions in the coming days. Dozens of new titles will be flooding Japan this week, on the other hand, with SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive and Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System pulling in big preorder numbers both from Japanese gamers and eager importers elsewhere. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending August 11th, 2007. Games Released in the United States:

Nintendo Wii:
- Boogie (#1 on GamerMetrics Most Anticipated New Releases, 30.88% Mindshare)

PlayStation 2:
- Call of Duty 3 Enhanced (Greatest Hits)

Nintendo DS:
- Mega Man Star Force: Dragon (#3 on GamerMetrics, 13.76%)
- Mega Man Star Force: Leo (#5 on GamerMetrics, 12.68%)
- Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus (#4 on GamerMetrics, 12.95%)
- Pet Alien (#10 on GamerMetrics, 1.07%)

PlayStation Portable:
- Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (#6 on GamerMetrics, 7.50%)
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary (#2 on GamerMetrics, 15.64%)

PC:
- Attack on Pearl Harbor (#8 on GamerMetrics, 1.56%)
- Combat Mission: Shock Force (#7 on GamerMetrics, 2.11%)
- Hidden Expedition: Everest
- Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst
- Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children (#9 on GamerMetrics, 1.40%)

EA's rhythm title Boogie emerges as this week's most anticipated title, garnering almost twice as much Mindshare as its nearest chart competitor. GamerMetrics reports that Boogie's observed amounts of awareness and purchase intent from IGN users largely mirror the levels of anticipation recorded for Cooking Mama: Cook Off prior to its release in March, and if these trends continue, Boogie is expected to sell upwards of 100,000 copies by the end of September. The PSP port of Tomb Raider: Anniversary is another of the week's more hotly anticipated titles, and Mega Man Star Force: Dragon stands out as the most popular of the impending Mega Man Star Force trio of releases. While these first entries in the Star Force subseries performed below expectations at Japanese retailers earlier this year, a sequel has already been announced, and could eventually find its way Stateside if this week's releases are a sales success. Games Released in Europe:

Nintendo Wii:
- Trauma Centre: Second Opinion

PlayStation 2:
- Falling Stars
- Impossible Mission

Nintendo DS:
- Top Trumps: Dogs & Dinosaurs

PC:
- Sword of the New World: Grando Espada

This week's sparse European lineup contains a number of unique curiosities and obscure titles. The PlayStation 2 RPG Falling Stars is not currently scheduled for release in any other region, and neither is Top Trumps: Dogs & Dinosaurs for the Nintendo DS. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 2 version of Impossible Mission will be the first remake of the classic computer title that Europe will see, despite the fact that DS and PSP versions were released in Australia in June. A Nintendo Wii version is also planned for release in both regions, though no announcement has been made as to whether any of these ports are U.S.-bound. Games Released in Japan:

Nintendo DS:
- 1500DS Spirits Vol. 1: Mahjong
- 1500DS Spirits Vol. 2: Shogi
- 1500DS Spirits Vol. 3: Block Kuzushi
- 1500DS Spirits Vol. 4: Reversi
- 1500DS Spirits Vol. 5: Hanafuda
- Akagi DS
- Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber
- DS ga Tehodoki! Hannya Shingyou Nyuumon
- Eijukugo Target 1000 DS
- Eitango Target 1900 DS II
- I Love Dolphin
- Itsuwari no Rinbukyoku
- Machi no Pet-Ya-San DS
- Minagara Oreru DS Origami
- SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive
- Simple 1500 Series Vol. 20: The Senkan
- Wantame Uranai Channel
- Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters GX Card Almanac

PlayStation 2:
- Castle Fantasia: Arihato Senki
- Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System
- Kawasemi no Shizuku: Hiiro no Kakera 2
- Simple 2000 Series Vol. 119: The Survival Game 2
- xxxHolic: Watanuki no Izayoi Sounashi

PlayStation Portable:
- Minna no Chizu 2 Chiiki-Han: Chuunichimoto-Han
- Minna no Chizu 2 Chiiki-Han: Higashinichimoto-Han
- Minna no Chizu 2 Chiiki-Han: Nishinippon-Hen
- Pro Atlas Travel Guide
- Shogi ga Tsuyokunaru: Gekishi - Jouseki Dojo
- Wild ARMs: Crossfire

Japan's release list once again trumps those of the U.S. and the UK this week, consisting of almost 30 titles spanning three platforms. According to Amazon.co.jp, the current biggest preorder seller of the bunch is SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive for the Nintendo DS, followed closely in popularity by the enhanced rerelease Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System, which offers a number of improvements over the version of Final Fantasy XII previously seen in the U.S. late last year. Fans of the RPG genre will also likely find interest in Wild ARMs: Crossfire, the first PSP entry in the popular Wild ARMs series. An English-language release has not been announced yet, however. Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber will hit U.S. shores next month, though, and this week's Japanese release appears to be a popular choice among those who enjoyed its predecessor title, DK: King of Swing on the Game Boy Advance. [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.]

About the Author(s)

Danny Cowan

Blogger

Danny Cowan is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist for Gamasutra and its subsites. Previously, he has written reviews and feature articles for gaming publications including 1UP.com, GamePro, and Hardcore Gamer Magazine.

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