Release This: Civ Rev U.S.-bound; Japan Gets Persona 4, Wii BioHazard 0

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. A release schedule slowdown hits western territories this week, with Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon serving as highlights in a small multiplatform U.S. lineup, while Secret Agent Clank and Summer Athletics headline in the UK. Japan is set to see a more robust cross-console lineup in comparison, with standouts including Persona 4, Densetsu no Starfy: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan, and a Wii port of BioHazard 0. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending July 12th, 2008. Games Released in the United States:

A slow release week awaits gamers in the United States, though a few standout titles make the upcoming lineup worth a look. Notably, this week marks the U.S. multiplatform launch of Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution -- the first console-specific release in the long-running Civilization strategy franchise. Also premiering this week is an Xbox 360 port of the previously PS3-only Unreal Tournament 3, along with the Final Fantasy roguelike spinoff Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Nintendo Wii. On other platforms, the Wii casual hit Carnival Games sees a port for the Nintendo DS, while the popular Nancy Drew series of PC adventure games receives a sequel in The Phantom of Venice. Games Released in Europe:

The UK's recently busy release schedule slows to a crawl this week, with only eight new games debuting across all platforms. Among these are localizations of recent U.S. releases like Secret Agent Clank and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress for the PSP, in addition to Europe-exclusive worldwide debuts for Summer Athletics and Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. Games Released in Japan:

Japan sees the most active release lineup of any region this week, with a large number of major titles set to hit all platforms. Console offerings are headed by Atlus' much-anticipated Shin Megami Tensei subseries sequel Persona 4 on the PlayStation 2, while Wii owners await the release of an upgraded port of Capcom's BioHazard 0 (previously released on the GameCube in other regions as Resident Evil 0). Portables see a broader selection of releases, with the DS soon to receive Nintendo's Densetsu no Starfy: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan and Custom Beat Battle: Draglade 2, along with a variety of licensed fare and budget-priced releases. The PSP gets a Steambot Chronicles follow-up in Poncotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot: Vehicle Battle Tournament, meanwhile, in addition to a localization of God of War: Chains of Olympus.