Release This: Metal Gear Solid: Squeak Squad

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. Big releases for this week include a pair of hotly anticipated DS titles in the United States (Kirby: Squeak Squad, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin), a sequel for Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan, and more than a dozen Wii titles accompanying the console's launch in Europe. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending December 9, 2006. Games Released in the United States: Kirby: Squeak Squad leads preorders across all platforms in the United States this week, with Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin trailing close behind. Sony's consoles will also receive a number of awaited titles this week, with Full Auto 2: Battlelines and Fight Night Round 3 soon to be available to PS3 owners, while the PSP's Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops stands as a probable system-seller for Metal Gear diehards. In other news, the GameCube will receive its last slated third-party release this week in Zatch Bell: Mamodo Fury, while next week's debut of the ported The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess currently stands as the console's final release. Games Released in Europe: The Nintendo Wii is set to debut in the UK this week alongside a spate of launch titles, all of which have been seen before in other regions. One of the more interesting titles finding its way to Europe this week is Wii Play, a Nintendo-published minigame collection released in Japan last week as Hajimete no Wii. The localized English version of the title will remain a European exclusive until Wii Play premieres in the United States in January of 2007. Releases across other platforms are scaled back in the wake of the Wii's launch, though popular names like Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 and Cooking Mama could still find a home with many European gamers in the meantime. Games Released in Japan: The Xbox 360 continues to see strong releases on a weekly basis in Japan, with the Mistwalker-developed RPG Blue Dragon predicted to move big numbers following its release this week. Other highly anticipated titles soon to debut in Japan include a PSP port of rhythm genre pioneer PaRappa the Rapper and the GameCube port of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Currently leading preorders among all software to be released this week are Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II Plus and Yakuza sequel Ryu ga Gotoku 2.