Release This!: Week Ending February 17, 2006

Gamasutra's regularly weekly round-up of worldwide video game releases sees a good variety of titles available this week across all territories. The United States is dominated by a couple high profile releases, namely Sega's Full Auto for the Xbox 360 and the cross-platform graffiti action game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, along with a strategy game for the DS, a 2D puzzler for the PSP, and a childrens' animal raising sim for the Game Boy Advance. Europe sees the second high profile Majesco-commissioned game, Advent Rising, distributed this week, along with the Nintendo DS version of Super Monkey Ball and Sony's Shadow of the Colossus. And in Japan, there's a new DDR, the sequel to 2004's Monster Hunter, and a new PS2 game in the Bleach franchise. Games Released in the United States: Game Boy Advance: Paws & Claws Pet Resort Nintendo DS: Age of Empires: The Age of Kings PlayStation 2: Let's Ride: Silver Buckle Stables, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure PlayStation Portable: Exit Xbox: Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Rugby 06 Xbox 360: Full Auto PC: Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Star Wars: Empire At War, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown The big news here is Full Auto for the Xbox 360, a car racing/combat game published by Sega. Critical reception has been somewhat mediocre, but being one of the few new games available for the next-gen console should make it popular among the early adopters. Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is another high profile title, and combines combat, stealth and graffiti. Also notable: Exit for the PSP is a stylish 2D platformer/puzzle-solver that has raised more than a few eyebrows. Games Released in Europe: Game Boy Advance: Castlevania Double Pack, Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 Nintendo DS: Frogger: Helmet Chaos, Lunar Genesis, Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll PlayStation 2: BloodRayne 2, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Shadow of the Colossus Xbox: Advent Rising, BloodRayne 2, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure PC: Advent Rising, BloodRayne 2, George Romero's City of the Dead, Lula 3D, Mad Tracks, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Star Wars: Empire at War, The Regiment, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown As happens all too often, Europe plays catch-up with the rest of the world this week, finally seeing last year's apple of game critics' eyes, Sony Computer Entertainment's Shadow of the Colossus. Interestingly enough, the Shadow team's first game, Ico, has been reprinted, and hits European shops once again this week. The European version contains a number of extra features not available in any other regions. Also of note: two Castlevania products in Europe this week, including a double pack compilation for the Game Boy Advance and the series' latest console adventure, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. Games Released in Japan: Nintendo DS: Kono Quiz Yarou!! PlayStation 2: Bleach: Hanatareshi Yabou, Dance Dance Revolution STRIKE, Monster Hunter 2 PlayStation Portable: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 PC: Akumu, Hidamari no Hana, Kosuchu, Kougeki Shoujo Falselion, Sakurasaka It's a slow week in Japan, with the biggest news being Capcom's Monster Hunter 2, the sequel to 2004's original Monster Hunter, a game with perhaps the most self-explanatory premise in industry history. This follow-up includes a more diverse landscape, shifting time and weather, and connectivity with the PSP incarnation of the sequel, Monster Hunter Portable.