On Shelves This Week: April 14 to April 20, 2008

Grand theft what? This April isn’t exactly rocky even if you’re not a fan of the upcoming sandbox behemoth, because other major releases can go neck to neck. For the week ending April 20, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will race to North America with an expansion for The Sims 2 and Okami‘s waggle reincarnation tailing behind. Hit that jump to see the rest of games about to reach retail.

Last week’s releases of games were modest to say the least, and we can’t really blame publishers if they don’t want to be the undercard prior to Grand Theft Auto 4‘s impending launch. Fortunately, good things are in store headlined by Sony‘s visually mind-blowing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.

Other anticipated titles are scheduled for release, as the hottest expansion of The Sims 2 is going to beautify the kitchen and bathroom, while Okami turns waggle-friendly in the much awaited Nintendo Wii port. Read on to find the rest.

Cory in the House. Cory is indeed in the house, and just like how we see him on Disney Channel, the Official White House Chef’s son will set off in wacky adventures. This time, he’s got an evil toymaker to deal with. Play as Cory, Newt, or Meena to prevent toys from causing harm by using stealth tactics and cool gadgets.

• Nintendo DS – April 15, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Disney Interactive Studios

Emergency Mayhem. When you’re done taking on the streets of Crisis City aboard firetrucks, ambulances and police cars on the Wii, it’s time to save lives in Emergency Mayhem where chaotic driving and fun mini-games constitute this title.

• Nintendo Wii – April 15, 2008
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Codemasters

Europa Universalis: Rome. Set foot on ancient Rome yet again in a strategy game portraying the first Punic War. Play as Roman, Celtic, Greek or Egyptian to unite the Mediterranean World by expanding and conquering neighbor civilizations.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Paradox Interactive

FFXI: Collection 2008. If you’ve been planning to enter Vana’diel, this is the package that can keep you up to date with all the expansion packs of Square Enix’ epic MMORPG including the most recent Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Square Enix

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The latest installment in Sony’s best-selling franchise already ran laps around the competition in Japan and the UK, and it’s finally time to take North America by storm this week. Get your engines running, because intense racing with state-of-the-art graphics is right around the corner!

• Sony PlayStation 3 – April 15, 2008
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Sony Computer Entertainment and Polyphony Digital

High School Musical 2: Work This Out! High School Musical in all its harmonic adventure game glory on the DS offers all 10 songs from the movie, and a feature to turn the handheld into a music player which can strike notes even when the DS is closed.

• Nintendo DS – April 15, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Disney Interactive Studios

Jack Keane. Fans of classic point -and-click adventures on PC who loved Monkey Island are promised to enjoy another hilarious trip in the shoes of Jack Keane. Visit London and explore India to challenge Doctor T’s armies of apes and cannibal plants.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• ESRB T (Teen)
• 10TACLE Studios and Deck 13

MLB 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars. Going for the grand slam has never been easier, since MLB 2K8 on the DS fully utilizes touch screen controls for the intuitive crowd-pleasing experience. Add that to unique stadiums and several game modes, then you’ve got exciting baseball that’s easy to pick up and play on the go.

• Nintendo DS – April 14, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• 2K Games and Deep Fried Entertainment

Okami. Celestial Brush meets the best platform where you can wave your arms to pretend you’re painting, as Clover Studios’ masterpiece before it disbanded gets ported to the Wii. Itching for innovation and unique art in video games? Look no further than the sun goddess’ reincarnation.

• Nintendo Wii – April 15, 2008
• US$ 39.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Capcom and Ready at Dawn

Rondo of Swords. Tokyo-based developer Success, known for modest cult hits Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja and Metal Saga, brings deep turn-based strategy action with a medieval fantasy backdrop to the DS. This is the real deal for Japanese RPG enthusiasts who enjoy healthy customization options and multiple storylines.

• Nintendo DS – April 15, 2008
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Atlus and Success

Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis. The world’s most popular detective is back to play cat and mouse, this time with the popular gentleman thief in another point-and-click affair. Sherlock Holmes will face Arsene Lupin in a legendary showdown of wits with England’s pride on the line.

• PC – April 14, 2008
• US$ 19.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• The Adventure Company and Frogwares

Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! Forget mutant ninja turtles; zombies are the real heroes. Alien “thingys” equipped with ray-guns and extra-terrestrial powers have come to invade Earth, and it’s up to three teen zombies to save the world. Beneath the intriguing zombies-versus-aliens gig, Teenage Zombies is a side-scrolling adventure filled with mini-games and puzzles.

• Nintendo DS – April 15, 2008
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Ignition Entertainment and InLight

The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff. There’s never enough things to do in The Sims 2, but Maxis apparently wants to keep players’ heads spinning with overwhelming amounts of content for toying around. The latest expansion is all about pimping your Sims’ kitchen and bathroom, made more fun when you’ve got a plethora of appliances, bathtubs, and other stylish items at your disposal.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• ESRB T (Teen)
• US$ 19.99
• Electronic Arts and Maxis

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Solid squad-based action in form of a sequel to one of the most successful Tom Clancy games is about to land on PC. Pick up modern guns, shoot terrorists – you know the drill, so gear up and prepare for another round of anti-terrorism in Vegas.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montreal

Turok. It’s difficult to think of any better way to enjoy stabbing dinosaurs than doing so on a high-end PC for the highest resolution, optimal frame rate, and accurate mouse-keyboard controls. Luckily for those on the same page, Turok will soon be born on PC.

• PC – April 15, 2008
• US$ 49.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Touchstone and Propaganda Games

Buy: [Cory in the House]
Buy: [Emergency Mayhem]
Buy: [Europa Universalis: Rome]
Buy: [Final Fantasy XI Vana’diel Collection 2008]
Buy: [Gran Turismo: 5 Prologue]
Buy: [High School Musical 2: Work This Out!]
Buy: [Jack Keane]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars]
Buy: [Okami]
Buy: [Rondo of Swords]
Buy: [Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis]
Buy: [Teenage Zombies]
Buy: [The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff]
Buy: [Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2]
Buy: [Turok]