Shippin' Out January 9-15: DC Universe Online

Around this time last year, the gaming industry saw a glut of big-budget titles that missed--or dodged--the holiday release window, including the likes of Darksiders, Bayonetta, and Army of Two: The 40th Day. This year is shaping up to be a bit less front-loaded, though it does still have a few potential hits arriving during the second full week of 2011.

Perhaps the biggest launch this week is DC Universe Online from Sony Online Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The PC and PlayStation 3 game lets players create their crime fighter or villain, and because it is set in the DC Universe, such locales include Superman's Metropolis and Batman's Gotham City. Also, a range of heroes and villains from the comic book publisher's immense stable will lend their presence to the game. The game will also benefit from heralded comic artist Jim Lee and scribe Marv Wolfman, who are contributing to the project.

Handheld gamers have a number of options this week. On the DS, fans of the Disney-Square Enix crossover series Kingdom Hearts can pick up Re:coded, which follows a digitized version of Sora. Fans of Capcom's Ace Attorney series may be interested in Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, an investigative adventure game from Shu Takumi.

As for the PSP offerings, NIS America returns with its infernal penguin brigade in Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!. A spin-off of the Disgaea franchise, Prinny is an action platformer that the developer billed as the most "challenging side-scrolling action game ever." Prinny 2 follows in those footsteps, taking place after the original and telling the story of Netherworld overlord Etna's missing panties.

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 Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

JANUARY 11
101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix--WII--Atlus Co.
DC Universe Online--PS3, PC--Sony Online Entertainment
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective--DS--Capcom
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded--DS--Square Enix
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!--PSP--NIS America

JANUARY 12
SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny--PC--JoWooD Entertainment
Zeit 2--X360--Ubisoft