Release This: U.S. Gets PS2 Rock Band, NiGHTS; Patapon, FF4 DS Hit Japan

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. As the UK's release schedule goes into hibernation until the end of the year, the United States will find a pair of anticipated debuts this week in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams and a PlayStation 2 port of Rock Band. Japan gears up for another busy week filled with dozens of new titles, meanwhile, including Final Fantasy IV, Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel 2, and Patapon. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending December 22nd, 2007. Games Released in the United States:

A PlayStation 2 port of Rock Band and Sega's long-awaited NiGHTS Into Dreams sequel NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams serve as the biggest highlights in this week's North American release lineup. Judging from preorder data at Amazon and other retailers, Rock Band promises to be just as popular on the PlayStation 2 as it has become on other platforms, despite recent announcements that certain gameplay features would not be present in the new PS2 edition. Former (and current) Sega Saturn owners, meanwhile, are likely to find interest in the first sequel the Saturn-born NiGHTS Into Dreams has seen since its original debut in 1996. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams has received large amounts of press coverage and fan interest since its release was first announced earlier this year, and quickly became one of the Wii's most anticipated upcoming titles of the year in the months thereafter. Games Released in Europe: UK retailer GAME.co.uk reports that no new titles will be shipping in Europe this week. Regular UK release schedules are expected to resume at the beginning of the new year, but in the meantime, no further titles are listed as having 2007 release dates. Games Released in Japan:

Japan continues to enjoy an accelerated release schedule as other regions scale back during the holiday season. This week's most anticipated Japanese releases include the Nintendo-published Kousoku Card Battle: Card Hero and a DS remake of Square Enix's Super Famicom classic RPG Final Fantasy IV. Anime fans and importers will find interest in the awaited Naruto franchise sequel Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel 2, meanwhile, as the PSP receives the acclaimed rhythm-action title Patapon and two new releases in the Sora no Kiseki series.