Release This: Persona 4 Hits U.S. Shores; Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Launches in 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. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 highlights this week's North American console lineup. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom headline Wii offerings in Japan, meanwhile, as the Nintendo DS receives sequels to Elebits and Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon. The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending December 13th, 2008. Games Released in the United States:

Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 hits store shelves this week, arriving as what may end up being the last major release for the PlayStation 2 platform in North America. The anticipated sequel to 2007's RPG hit Persona 3 (which saw an expanded rerelease earlier this year in Persona 3: FES) remained a top seller in Japan for several months following its debut in July, and this week's U.S. version is currently the PS2's top preordered title at online retailer Amazon. Other highlights for this week include a sequel to the PSP dungeon creation title Dungeon Maker, a PC port of Ubisoft's Prince of Persia, and a variety of puzzlers and educational releases on the Nintendo DS. Games Released in Europe:

New releases slow to a crawl in the UK this week as retailers prepare for the holiday season. The Wii hosts this week's only console offerings in Ellen Whitaker's Horse Life and the minigame compilation Family Party, while DS owners get a new entry in Natsume's Harvest Moon series. Games Released in Japan:

The Nintendo Wii is set to host several anticipated releases in Japan in the coming week, including Namco's taiko drumming title Taiko no Tatsujin Wii, a Wii-enhanced remake of the GameCube platformer Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and the crossover fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. Xbox 360 owners will get Banjo to Kazooie no Daibouken: Garage Daisakusen (Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts), along with a localization of EA DICE's Mirror's Edge. On portables, the Nintendo DS offers up Elebits: Kai to Zero no Fushigi na Tabi and Square Enix's Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon: Majo to Shoujo to 5-Jin no Yuusha, while the PSP receives a remake of Falcom's 2001 PC RPG Zwei!!