AU Shippin' Out August 13-20: Darksiders II, Sleeping Dogs

Death is here. This week marks the release of Darksiders II from developer Vigil Games on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The direct sequel to Darksiders, this third-person action game is set in an apocalypse-torn landscape and follows the horseman Death instead of the original game's protagonist, War. The game tells a story that runs in parallel with the original, as Death attempts to clear War's "good" name, after his brother is accused of starting the end of times a little early.

Death makes his debut in Darksiders II

Are you more swinging fists than slashing scythes? We've got you covered when the open-world game Sleeping Dogs finally sees release this week after some development troubles.

Originally set to be published by Activision, the game formerly known as True Crime: Hong Kong was dropped in 2011 and bought by publisher Square Enix, who renamed the title Sleeping Dogs. It's an open-world crime game set in the East, and the voice cast includes some of the biggest names in Asian and American movies and television, such as Emma Stone and Lucy Liu.

Other titles worth looking out for this week include New Super Mario Bros. 2, Dust: An Elysian Tail, and Summer Challenge: Athletics Tournament--for those wishing to relive the spirit of the games.

To see what else is out this week, check the full list below:

August 15, 2012
Dust: An Elysian Tail (360)

August 16, 2012
Darksiders II (PS3, 360, PC)
Sleeping Dogs (PS3, 360, PC)

August 18, 2012
New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)