Shippin' Out Feb. 5-11: Darkness II, Kingdoms of Amalur

For being the second week of February, the game industry has a surprising number of desirable releases on tap. These range from a sequel to 2007's acclaimed The Darkness, to the maiden effort from Curt Schilling's 38 Studios, to a 3DS Resident Evil and a downloadable Batman game from the creators of F.E.A.R.

First, to The Darkness. Digital Extremes takes over from Starbreeze Studios, and The Darkness II picks up several years after the events of the original. Players once again take the role of Jackie Estacado, now the don of the Franchetti clan. While he has controlled the chaotic powers inside him since the events of the first game, a reasonless attempt on his life kick-starts a full-on mob war in New York, a perfect situation for the Darkness to reemerge.

Co-published by EA and 38 Studios, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning began life under the auspices of THQ at Big Huge Studios. The fantasy-themed role-playing game will feature a number of genre staples, from skeleton warriors and cave trolls to swords and sorcery. Players will be able to dictate the progression of their protagonists, choosing and developing a variety of skills that will determine an optimum play style as well as character classes.

Already deemed a critical success, Resident Evil: Revelations follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine in an episodic story-driven adventure set between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. The agents are once again on a mission to discover the truth behind a zombie outbreak, with this one stemming from the T-Abyss virus.

Building on the success of Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City, Monolith Productions' Gotham City Impostors is a farcical team-based first-person shooter. The multiplayer-only downloadable title lets players create heroes and antiheroes based on DC Comics' roster and then duke it out with custom-built and/or off-kilter weaponry.

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

Tuesday, February 7
The Darkness II--X360, PS3, PC--EA
Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition--X360, PS3, PC--Bethesda Softworks
Forza Motorsport 4: February American Le Mans Series Pack--X360--Microsoft
Gotham City Impostors--X360, PS3, PC--WBIE
The House of the Dead III--PS3--Sega
Jak and Daxter Collection--PS3--Sony
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning--X360, PS3, PC--EA
Resident Evil: Revelations--3DS--Capcom
Shank 2--X360, PS3, PC--EA

Wednesday, February 8
Jewel Link Chronicles: Mountains of Madness--DS--Maximum Family Games
Smash 'N' Survive--PSN--Version2Games Limited

Friday, February 10
Pearl Pink 3DS