Release Date: Wednesday, January 18th
Platforms: PS4
Gravity Rush 2 takes the gravity defying action of the original game away from the Vita and onto the big screen only the Playstation 4 can provide. Boasting more missions, different types of gravity traversal and destructible environments, Gravity Rush 2 looks to surpass it’s predecessor in practically every way.
Matt said: “Great to see Sony not letting a good IP die like they have in the past. Though it would have been a little nicer for the fans to get a Vita version (Rest in peace, sweet prince) the fact that Sony hasn’t let the series fade into obscurity is a good sign.”
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Release Date: Friday, January 20th
Platforms: PS4 / Vita
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a character action game that lets players team up with spirits to fight large numbers of enemies. Following on from and taking place in the same universe as the Japanese visual novel Fate/stay night, Fate/Extella is a new step for the series. When playing, each spirit can be summoned mid-combat to deal damage and each spirit also has their own character class – some use swords, others use magic.
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Release Date: Tuesday, January 24th
Platforms: PS4
Pretentious nomenclature aside, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue includes three pieces of Kingdom Hearts content, two of which are brand new. The first is a high definition remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance – previously available only on Nintendo 3DS.
The new pieces of content – Kingdom Hearts Chi Back Cover – fills in vital story elements of the convoluted series. Finally, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep – Fragmentary Passage is an all new game that takes place after the events of Birth By Sleep, following fan favourite character Aqua.
Raymond said: “Kicking off the year on a high note, I look forward to the next instalment of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Even if the collection features a remaster, it’s always exciting to embark on an adventure with some of my favourite childhood characters.”
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Release Date: Tuesday, January 24th
Platforms: PS4 (VR) / Xbox One / PC
After the commercial success but absolutely dismal critical reception of Resident Evil 6, Capcom has returned to the drawing board to reinvent their flagship franchise yet again. The result is a dingy, scaled back mid-Western horror inspired by the likes of The Hills Have Eyes and The Blair Witch Project.
Now first person, low fidelity and more understated than ever, Resident Evil 7 doesn’t just go back to it’s horror tinged roots, it’s completely reinterpreting them. The result looks to be something creepier than the series has ever seen before.
Steven said: “There’s not much going on for me in January, and Resident Evil 7 stands out as the sole new release to grab my interest. Curious to see whether the latest in this genre defining franchise is going to present something new and interesting, or just follow along closely with the current first-person horror trends. We’ve seen a little from the demo, but it’ll be cool to see how this plays out into a full game.”
Ewan said: “January is a lovely time here in Australia. The sun is shining and the weather is warm; it’s the perfect time to go to the beach or play some backyard cricket. However, I’m tempted to spend my summer in a dingy, haunted, weatherboard house instead. Resident Evil 7 has many excited and for good reason. It looks like a return to form for the franchise, going back to its horror routes. Being built from the ground up for VR is pioneering, and I can’t wait to see what it means for the future of horror games.”
Brodie said: “In what is a lean month for gaming, I’ll mainly be keeping a keen eye on Resident Evil 7 with the hopes it might be enough to sway me to the land of VR so that I can begin my second life inside the machine. The horror stood up in the Beginning Hour demo we were treated to months ago, so hopefully the action — which looks glacial and cumbersome in preview footage — can pass the test and result in a decent enough sequel to the much maligned sixth Resi game.”
James said: “While Resident Evil is easily one of my favourite franchises – I even went to great lengths to see the positive in Resident Evil 6 – I have to admit that I am not fully sold on Resident Evil 7 just yet. The demo was great and the recent Midnight update was even better – but whether it’s got enough variety and interesting scenarios to keep me interested has yet to be seen. The Bakers are great villains but I’m not sure (or even sold on the idea) that they could carry a game themselves entirely.”
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Release Date: Tuesday, January 24th
Platforms: PS4
SEGA’s cult classic franchise Yakuza gets another release in the west and this time it’s a prequel to all the events portrayed in the series thus far. Originally released for the Playstation 3 in Japan in 2015, the Playstation 4 version features better visuals.
Damian said: “I’ve never played any of the Yakuza games but a prequel to the series as a whole seems like the perfect place to start. I’m looking forward to finding out exactly why this series has been revered for so long!”
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Release Date: Friday, January 27th
Platforms: PS4
Digimon World: Next Order attempts to recapture that charm and nostalgia many of us have from the original Digimon World for the Playstation.
This time, players can take two Digimon along with them on their trip and battles carry out in real time. Players can issue strategic commands to influence how they behave during battles too.
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Release Date: Friday, January 27th
Platforms: PS4 / PC
Tales of Berseria is the next mainline entry in Namco Bandai’s long running Tales series, acting as a very distant prequel to the events of Tales of Zestiria. Berseria includes all the mainstays of the series fans have come to love thus far – including real time battles and quirky character interactions with the games “Skits” system.
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