Release This: Pokemon, LOTR Attack Retail Shelves

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. The United States is gripped with Pokemon fever, as both Pokemon Diamond Version and Pokemon Pearl Version lead as the week's most anticipated titles across all platforms. Later this week, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is set to make a big splash on the PC front in the United States and Europe, while Japan will soon host a Nintendo DS-exclusive spinoff of Final Fantasy XII. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending April 28, 2007. Games Released in the United States:

It comes as little surprise to find Nintendo's Pokemon Diamond Version and Pokemon Pearl Version at the top of this week's GamerMetrics charts. Gathering more than half a million preorders total in the weeks leading up to their release, both Diamond and Pearl have accumulated almost 60% of this week's Mindshare data -- a figure that is all the more impressive when considering that the games faced competition from a total of 20 other titles debuting this week. On other platforms, the PlayStation 3 port of F.E.A.R. is also generating a lot of interest prior to its upcoming release, as is The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Demand for Shadows of Angmar is currently strong enough to drive the title to become the week's single most-preordered item among all upcoming games at Amazon.com, and sales are expected to be brisk in the days following its release. Games Released in Europe:

Europe sees a healthy lineup of upcoming titles this week, the likes of which include The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, a PlayStation 3 port of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and God of War II, which continues to lead PlayStation 2 software sales in the United States more than a month after its debut there. The week will also bring new entries in the Europe-born Buzz! and SingStar series, both of which currently rank high in preorder numbers at Amazon.co.uk. European gamers will additionally enjoy another region-exclusive title in Demon Chaos, an English localization of the Genki-developed beat'em up Ikusa Gami, originally released in Japan in late 2005. Games Released in Japan:

A flood of games will reach Japan in the coming week, with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings in particular generating a high amount of positive buzz and critical praise prior to its release. Other likely hits soon to hit retail include Momotarou Dentetsu DS: Tokyo & Japan, a PS2 port of the popular PC adventure title Shinkyouku Soukai Polyphonica, and brain trainer sequel Wii de Yawaraka Atama Juku (to be released in the United States as Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree in June). Other titles of potential interest to Japanese gamers and importers alike include Panel de Pon DS (an upgraded version of a game previously released on other platforms overseas as Tetris Attack and Puzzle League) and Rogue Hearts Dungeon, a direct descendent of the 1980 PC dungeon crawler Rogue. [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.]