Release This: Final Fantasy XII: Vice City Stories

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. It's a huge week for new releases in the United States and Europe, with future chart-toppers like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Need for Speed Carbon, and Neverwinter Nights 2 being among the biggest titles to debut in the coming days. The United States will additionally receive the greatly anticipated RPG Final Fantasy XII this week, while Japanese gamers can soon expect to see titles like Hoshi no Kirby Sanjyo! and LEGO Star Wars II. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending November 4, 2006. Games Released in the United States:

This week will see the debut of a number of big-name titles in the United States. On the console front, highly anticipated sequels like Final Fantasy XII and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories are expected to move significant units in the coming weeks, while Neverwinter Nights 2 promises to keep PC gamers enthralled for months. Of particular note is the strength of this week's PSP lineup. While Sony's portable console has been somewhat lacking in terms of exclusive, non-ported content recently, titles like Vice City Stories, Lumines II, Every Extend Extra, and Killzone: Liberation should go a long way in providing the PSP the software variety it needs for the upcoming holiday season. Games Released in Europe:

Much of Europe's release list for this week should seem familiar, as the majority of titles within have already been released in the United States in previous weeks and months. Many of the week's biggest games will see almost simultaneous release in both regions, however, ensuring that gamers in the U.S. and the UK will enjoy titles like Vice City Stories and Need for Speed Carbon in the same week. A scant few exclusive titles will also make their way to Europe this week. Neither of the EyeToy-compatible titles debuting at the end of the week in Europe currently have U.S. release dates, nor does the PSP shooter Space Invaders Evolution. The DS port of Crazy Frog Racer and Bratz Babyz will also remain European exclusives for the time being, unfortunately. Games Released in Japan:

Japan will finally get a shot at the U.S. and UK best-seller LEGO Star Wars II this week, though only the PS2 and DS versions are currently scheduled to see Japanese release. Japan's offerings this week also include a portable entry in Konami's popular Winning Eleven soccer series, along with the platformer Hoshi no Kirby Sanjyo!, which will be released in the United States in December as Kirby Squeak Squad. Among the week's more interesting titles is Chotto Shot, a photo and video manipulation tool that comes bundled with a PSP-compatible camera. It remains to be seen whether this camera will be used in future PSP games, though Chotto Shot suggests that the peripheral is better suited as an inexpensive digital camera alternative, rather than an EyeToy-like gameplay input device.