Between God of War: Chains of Olympus, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Army of Two, and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, there are an unusual number of top-tier releases set for March this year. This last week of February is no slouch either, given that it sees the birth of multiple new franchises, including Frontlines: Fuel of War, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, and Patapon (Lack of Subtitle).

　　Though THQ canned the PlayStation 3 version of Frontlines, players can step into the near-future open-world shooter and fight for control of the world's diminishing natural resources on the PC and the Xbox 360 this week. For shooter fans who like their fiction but not the near-futuristic setting of Frontlines, Spark Unlimited's Turning Point: Fall of Liberty arrives on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Published by Codemasters, Turning Point is set in an alternate-history 1950s in which the Allies lost World War II and Nazis have invaded America.

　　The final notable new intellectual property of the week is Patapon for the PlayStation Portable. With a visual style reminiscent of LocoRoco, the game combines real-time strategy and rhythm-game conventions with a budget price tag of $19.99.

　　Beyond franchise-starters, this week sees a number of spin-offs as well. THQ brings its Destroy All Humans! franchise to the Wii with Big Willy Unleashed. A PlayStation 2 version had been planned, but the publisher announced its cancellation at the same time it killed the PS3 Frontlines. Meanwhile, TV megahit Lost gets an interactive spin-off, Lost: Via Domus, for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. On a similar titular note, Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition finds its way to the PS3 this week, over a year after the game originally arrived on the Xbox 360.

　　For gamers who don't feel like making the trek out to the store, Nintendo is bringing the Nintendo 64 game Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards as well as the TurboGrafx-16 shooter Psychosis to the Wii's Virtual Console. Kirby will sell for the standard Nintendo 64 game rate of 1,000 Wii points ($10), whereas Psychosis will hit the usual TG-16 price point of 600 Wii points ($6). Meanwhile, Microsoft is releasing the Japanese arcade and Dreamcast top-down shooter Trigger Heart Exelica on the Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points ($10) this Wednesday.

　　This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

　　FEBRUARY 25, 2008

　　Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed (Wii)

　　Frontlines: Fuel of War (Xbox 360, PC)

　　Bratz: Super Babyz (DS)

　　Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (Wii)

　　The Sims 2: FreeTime (PC)

　　Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii VC)

　　Psychosis (Wii VC)

　　FEBRUARY 26, 2008

　　Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (Xbox 360, PS3)

　　Patapon (PSP)

　　Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3)

　　Lost: Via Domus (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

　　Bubble Bobble Double Shot (DS)

　　Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship (PSP)

　　Naruto: Ninja Destiny (DS)

　　Farm Vet (PC)

　　Bass Fishing (Wii)

　　Brain Assist (DS)

　　Disney Friends (DS)

　　Petz Wild Animals: Tigerz (DS)

　　Fantasy Aquarium (DS)

　　FEBRUARY 27, 2008

　　Triggerheart Exelica (Xbox 360)

　　Spitfire Heroes: Tales of the Royal Air Force (DS)

　　Stand-alone Guitar Hero controller (Wii, PS3)

　　FEBRUARY 28, 2008

　　Rhem 3: The Secret Library (PC)

　　FEBRUARY 29, 2008

　　Powerboat GT (PC)