Release This: F.E.A.R. 2, Retro Game Challenge Premiere Stateside

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's North American multiplatform lineup includes awaited titles like F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, Retro Game Challenge, and LocoRoco 2. Retailers in the UK will soon see an early release for Shellshock 2, while Japan prepares for the debuts of Street Fighter IV and Mario & Luigi RPG 3. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending February 14th, 2009. Games Released in the United States:

North America recovers after last week's disappointingly shallow lineup, as this week will see several anticipated releases debuting across all consoles. Monolith's FPS sequel F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin headlines multiplatform offerings, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will also receive the 16-bit compilation Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. A pair of Onechanbara releases will make their way stateside this week on the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, arriving alongside a Wii-exclusive chapter in Sega's The House of the Dead shooter series. Portable highlights for this week include the Game Center CX spinoff title Retro Game Challenge and the action-puzzler sequel LocoRoco 2. Games Released in Europe:

Though the majority of the UK's offerings for this week consists of casual and licensed titles, the lineup also features a handful of interesting region-exclusive releases. Notably, the PlayStation 3 will host a UK-exclusive version of Destroy All Humans: Path of The Furon, a port that was previously denied U.S. release late last year. The Nintendo DS title Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sacrifice is not currently planned for release outside of Europe, either, while the multiplatform shooter Shellshock 2: Blood Trails will enjoy a UK premiere several days in advance of its release elsewhere in the world. Games Released in Japan:

The latest entry in Capcom's flagship fighting game franchise gets an awaited home port with this week's release of Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Localizations for North America and the UK are scheduled for release next week. On portables, the Nintendo DS hosts a sequel to the Mario & Luigi RPG series this week, as PSP owners receive Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou - Axis no Kyoui V and the Acquire-developed Tenchu 4.