Shippin' Out February 19-25: PS Vita, Syndicate

Last week, Sony said the PlayStation Vita will perform better in the United States than it did in Japan. The process of judging whether or not that claim is true begins this week, as the PS Vita is officially released on Wednesday alongside Syndicate, Asura's Wrath, Metal Gear Solid 3D, and a host of PS Vita launch games.

Leading all new releases this week is the PS Vita hardware in North America, Europe, and Australia. Sony's newest portable gaming device will be available on Wednesday in two editions: a $250 Wi-Fi model and a $300 3G version.

While many of the PS Vita's launch games, including Little Deviants and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, debuted last week, even more Vita games drop this week. These include Army Corps of Hell, Dynasty Warriors Next, Michael Jackson The Experience, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, and Touch My Katamari.

Also out this week is Starbreeze's new shooter Syndicate for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3. The game takes place in a grim corporation-run future and has players controlling the technologically augmented EuroCorp prototype agent Miles Kilo. The game also sports multiplayer in the form of cooperative missions.

Another big-name game out this week is Capcom's Asura's Wrath for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game follows the variably armed and very angry Asura as he pursues a group of seven "Guardian Generals" who killed his wife (framing him in the process) and absconded with his daughter.

While the PS Vita might be the portable highlight of the week, Nintendo's 3DS also welcomes a new marquee title this week. Gamers can pick up Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D for the system this week. The title is a port of the PlayStation 2 stealth game with tweaks designed to take advantage of the 3DS hardware. These include 3D visuals, as well as touch-pad and camera support.

On the downloadable front, Remedy's Alan Wake's American Nightmare arrives on Xbox Live this Wednesday. In the follow-up to Remedy's 2010 horror action game, the titular author journeys to another remote town full of spooky secrets. There, he faces off against a new supernatural villain, Mr. Scratch, and the two do battle using the powers of light (for Wake) and dark (for Scratch).

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 21
Asura's Wrath--PS3, X360--Capcom
Dynasty Warriors Next--Vita--Tecmo Koei America Corp.
Fractured Soul--DS--Graffiti Entertainment
Fractured Soul: Deep Void--3DS--UTV Ignition Games
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan--X360--Mastiff
Hustle Kings--Vita--SCEA
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D--3DS--Konami
Outdoors Unlimited--PC, X360, PS3, Wii--Mastiff
Out There Somewhere--PC--Miniboss
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen--Vita--Namco Bandai
Sledge Hammer--X360--Maximum Family Games
Syndicate--X360, PC, PS3--Electronic Arts

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Alan Wake's American Nightmare--X360--Microsoft Game Studios
Army Corps of Hell--Vita--Square Enix
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus--Vita--Tecmo Koei America Corp.
PlayStation Vita Wi-Fi model--Sony
PlayStation Vita 3G model--Sony
StarDrone Extreme--Vita--Beatshapers
Touch My Katamari--Vita--Namco Bandai Games America