Asia Shippin' Out: March 6-12

Gamers who favor role-playing more than the visceral amounts of entertainment garnered from the past week's releases will find a lot to like this week. First up is Dragon Age II. The game's story takes place after the first game's Blight of Ferelden, and players control a character named Hawke as they unfold a decadelong story that portrays his (or her) rise to power. While the game takes a more intimate narrative path a la the Mass Effect series, the core combat remains the same. The game will be out tomorrow and is set for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Next up is the Xbox 360 version (via Xbox Live Arcade) of the hit PC RPG Torchlight. Players traverse the ruins of Torchlight filled with all manner of monsters and loot to plunder. In addition to bright visuals and a choice of three classes with a variety of branching skills, the game's controls are reworked for the Xbox 360 controller. Check out our review of the port here.

For those who can't get enough of mobile role-playing and love to hunt down and collect all manner of tiny superpowered critters, there's Pokemon Black and White for the Nintendo DS. The game features new Pokemon for players to train and battle. In addition to improved visuals, the game features three-versus-three battles and new online features like Pass By and C-Gear communications that let you log on to the Internet to battle and trade. The game is out now; check out our review of Game Freak's next iteration of the series.

March 6
Pokemon Black and White (DS)

March 8
Dragon Age II (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac)
Dragon Age II: The Exiled Prince DLC (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac)
Dragon Age II: The Black Emporium DLC (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac)
Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle (PSP)

March 9
Torchlight (XBLA)