Release This: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Okami Wii Premiere in U.S.

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 brings Sony's racer preview Gran Turismo 5 Prologue to gamers in the United States, along with a Wii port of Okami and the DS strategy-RPG Rondo of Swords. Europe finds a variety of region-exclusive DS releases, meanwhile, including an early English-language release of Square Enix's The World Ends With You. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending April 19th, 2008. Games Released in the United States:

It's another lean week of new releases in the United States, though a selection of standout titles make for an interesting lineup nonetheless. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is set to debut on the PlayStation 3 in the coming week, offering series fans a preview version of Sony's upcoming racer sequel. Prologue currently ranks as a top seller in the UK, and given its preorder popularity at Amazon and other retailers over the past several weeks, its U.S. reception is expected to be similarly enthusiastic. On Nintendo platforms, last year's PlayStation 2 critical success Okami makes its Wii debut with an enhanced port, while Nintendo DS owners can expect to see the Atlus-published strategy-RPG Rondo of Swords. Next week will see the roguelike sequels Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness and Explorers of Time hit the Nintendo DS in North America, as Atlus readies its RPG expansion Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES on the PlayStation 2. Games Released in Europe:

Square Enix's action-RPG The World Ends With You makes its awaited English-language debut this week in Europe, arriving several days in advance of its planned U.S. release next week. Other DS titles seeing exclusive release in the UK this week include 8Ball Allstars, Allied Ace Pilots, and Pirates: Duels on the High Seas, none of which are currently scheduled for release in other regions. Games Released in Japan:

A pair of educational Nintendo DS titles and Takuyo's Hoshigari Empusa for the PlayStation 2 serve as the whole of this week's Japanese release lineup. Next week appears to offer a more robust multiplatform selection, however, with expected debuts including a Nintendo DS remake of Summon Night and Sega's awaited PlayStation 3 RPG Senjou no Valkyria.