Release This: U.S. Anticipates Juarez, Tomb Raider

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. Call of Juarez and Tomb Raider: Anniversary lead gamer interest and anticipation in the United States, where both titles can be expected to remain in demand for weeks to come. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport 2 will make its debut in Europe after finding success in other regions, while Japan is set to receive several awaited releases like Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition and Bokujou Monogatari: Yasuragi no Ki. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending June 9th, 2007. Games Released in the United States:

Nearly 75% of this week's Mindshare data is dedicated to the PC and Xbox 360 ports of Call of Juarez and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Given this extremely high level of awareness and purchase intent (and considering that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is already off to a strong sales start in Europe), both titles are expected to generate impressive sales in their first week of release and remain top sellers for weeks thereafter. Few other titles will be facing off against these potential blockbusters on U.S. store shelves this week. The Nintendo DS Web Browser is seeing a large amount of interest from IGN's users in the days leading up to its release, however, and Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu and Planet Puzzle League (aka Panel de Pon DS) are receiving their share of attention as well. Games Released in Europe:

Forza Motorsport 2 stands out as one of the week's most anticipated upcoming titles across all platforms in the UK, with both the regular edition and the Europe-exclusive Limited Edition currently raking in big preorder sales at Amazon and other retailers. The H&M Stuff expansion pack for The Sims 2 is seeing significant preorder interest in the days prior to its release as well, while Hospital Tycoon and the PC port of Halo 2 also rank high among PC preorders. The week will additionally bring a number of exclusive releases and worldwide debuts to Europe. Brothers in Arms DS will see a UK release several weeks before it hits U.S. shores, while no release date has yet been set for an American release of the Nintendo DS version of Impossible Mission. The PC version of The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome is also apparently a European exclusive for the time being, while the PS2 port will find a U.S. release next week. Games Released in Japan:

It's another slow week for new releases in Japan, though a select few standout titles are amassing impressive preorder sales at Amazon's Japanese site. Hisshou Pachinko*Pachi-Slot Kouryoku Series Vol. 10 currently leads as Amazon's single most-preordered title among this week's lineup, while Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 and both versions of Yamakawa Shuppansha Kanshuu are also performing well prior to their release. Japanese gamers and importers alike are awaiting this week's release of Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition, as the title is likely to contain an option to display all text in English, as was the case with April's release of Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition. Fans of the Harvest Moon series should also be interested in this week's release of Bokujou Monogatari: Yasuragi no Ki, which will mark the first time the popular series will hit the Nintendo Wii. [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.]