Shippin' Out Nov. 15-21: Assassin's Creed II, New Super Mario Bros., Tony Hawk Ride, L4D2

Publishers are running out of time if they want to be represented on retail store shelves during Black Friday--the post-Thankgiving retail event which is the busiest of the year. That fact is evident in this week's release lineup, as some of the most high-profile titles of 2009 flood retail shelves this week.

Retail stores get dangerous this time of year...

Leading things off is Assassin's Creed II for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (The PC version won't ship until Q1 2010.) Ubisoft's sequel to the 2007 acclaimed original follows new hero Ezio through the streets of Renaissance-era Venice as well as the Tuscan countryside. In addition to other perks, a GameStop-exclusive $80 Master Assassin's Edition of the 360 and PS3 game includes an 8.5-inch-tall statue of Ezio.

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery for the DS tells a spin-off story, in which Ezio travels to Spain to rescue a fraternal brother held by the Spanish Inquisition. Lastly, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines for the PSP is a continuation of the original Assassin's Creed and picks back up with Altair as he battles Templars in Cypress.

With Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort already out the door, Nintendo now has its final tent-pole release of the year in the queue: New Super Mario Bros. Wii. One of a handful of Mario-themed games announced during the publisher's E3 2009 press conference, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a multiplayer-centric platform in which up to four gamers work cooperatively, yet also competitively, to work their way to the end of levels with the best time.

DJ Hero may have let the beat drop in October, but Activision returns with a new peripheral-backed game in Tony Hawk Ride. A reboot of Activision's long-running franchise, the $120 Robomodo-developed skater for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii includes a wireless full-sized skate deck. The board uses a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors and will require no other controller.

Activision's latest peripheral.

Zombies are never not well-represented at retail, and that goes doubly so this week. EA and Valve team to release the frenetic survival horror shooter Left 4 Dead 2 on the Xbox 360 and PC. Meanwhile, Capcom will test the inhospitable M for Mature market on the Wii with Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Hardcore PS3 gamers may also be interested in the God of War Collection, a high-def compilation of the first two God of War games that includes a demo for God of War III.

Casual gamers have a number of titles that may pique their curiosity. EA Sports Active: More Workouts will seek to reprise its lucrative debut on the Wii from earlier this year, while Sony and Media Molecule's platformer Little Big Planet hops to the PSP. Warner Bros. has Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! on tap for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, while its LucasArts collaboration Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues hits the Xbox 360, PSP, WII, DS, and PC.

EA's PC stalwart The Sims 3 sees its first expansion pack in World Adventures, while EA Sports tips off the college hoops season with NCAA Basketball 10 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Sony's newest karaoke rhythm game, SingStar Latino, brings Latin tunes to the PS3 and PS2.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

NOVEMBER 15, 2009
New Super Mario Bros. Wii--WII--Nintendo

NOVEMBER 16, 2009
Pokemon Rumble--WII--Nintendo

NOVEMBER 17, 2009
Assassin's Creed II--X360, PS3, IP--Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines--PSP--Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery--DS--Ubisoft
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral--DS--Storm City Games
Discovery Kids: Spider Quest--DS--505 Games
EA Sports Active More Workouts--WII--Electronic Arts
F1 2009--WII, PSP--Codemasters
Foto Frenzy--DS--Storm City Games
God of War Collection--PS3--SCEA
Imagine: Artist--DS--Ubisoft
Just Dance--WII--Ubisoft
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight--WII, DS--D3
Left 4 Dead 2--X360, PC--Electronic Arts
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues--X360, PSP, WII, DS, PC--LucasArts
Little Big Planet--PSP--SCEA
NCAA Basketball 10--X360, PS3--EA Sports
Petz Dogz Talent Show--DS--Ubisoft
Petz Hamsterz Superstarz--DS--Ubisoft
Planet 51--X360, PS3, WII, DS--Sega
The Princess and the Frog--WII, DS, PC--Disney Interactive Studios
Rec Room Games--WII--Destineer
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles--WII--Capcom
Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen!--X360, PS3, WII--WBIE
The Sims 3 World Adventures--PC--Electronic Arts
SingStar Latino--PS3, PS2--SCEA
Stoked: Big Air Edition--X360--Destineer
Tony Hawk Ride--X360, PS3, WII--Activision
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 4--PSP--Konami

NOVEMBER 18, 2009
Gyromancer--X360--Square Enix

NOVEMBER 19, 2009
No new releases scheduled.

NOVEMBER 20, 2009
No new releases scheduled.