Gaming
Games
The amazing games you must play this January
Grab a gamepad to play the hot new titles that missed Christmas but make it a welcome start to 2017.
Gravity Rush 2 is one of the must-play games
© Sony
Check out the hot new games below that didn’t quite make the Christmas rush but are still very much worth your time.
ABZÛ
Release: PS4, Xbox One, January
Gravity Rush 2
The best PlayStation Vita game almost nobody played, Gravity Rush, is back with a fully-fledged sequel for you to play on the big screen. Much like the original, and as the title implies, the cult classic PS4 sequel lets you manipulate gravity, letting you move around the world in different ways – and it’s been expanded this time around, with three types of gravity to work with.
The first is just like the original game, while Lunar will let you move quicker and jump higher, while Jupiter will make you feel heavier and land more devastating attacks. The cel-shaded title looks gorgeous and expands on the original, giving you a wider world to explore, more bad guys to beat, three times as many missions to complete and a game map that’s over two and a half times bigger. Pick this up to help you get over the January blues.
Release: PS4, January 20
Resident Evil VII: Biohazard
Resident Evil VII: Biohazard
© Capcom
Resident Evil is back, and Capcom are taking their survival-horror pioneer back to basics with the latest in the series – an all-new entry that takes place entirely in first-person, a first for the mainline franchise. Capcom look to have learned from Resident Evil 6, which was known for its frantic, rollercoaster-esque flamboyance and Gears of War-style gameplay, as VII looks to be a lot slower and way more focused on providing you with straight-up survival horror thrills. You’ll still have plenty of weapons at your disposal though, and of course, all the usual Resident Evil trimmings, including puzzle-solving, healing herbs and juggling a convoluted inventory. PlayStation VR headset owners are also in for a scary treat too, as you’ll be able to play the whole campaign with the game strapped to your face – here’s hoping you’ve got the stomach for it.
Release: PS4, Xbox One, PC, January 27
Tales of Berseria
Bandai-Namco’s long running JRPG series hasn’t really hit the highs of early Tales instalments in recent years. Tales of Xilia was a blast, sure, but did you try Tales of Zestiria? It looked and played like a PS2 game. With any luck, Berseria will be a return to form, with the fast-paced combo fighting you’d expect of a brawler rather than a roleplaying game, as well as an OTT plot, probably about souls or magic or something. We’re not going to lie: the odds of this being anywhere as frenetic and enjoyable as Final Fantasy XV are quite low, but if you’ve somehow managed to work your way through Square Enix’ epic JRPG, another solid adventure with realtime combat and super spiky hair awaits here.
Release: PS4 and PC, January 27
Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0
© Sega
Unfortunately, Western fans are only getting Yakuza 0 in 2017 – only Japanese players will get to enjoy the newly released Yakuza 6, which features cult Japanese movie star and TV personality Beat Takeshi literally throwing a baby.
Release: PS4, January 24
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
The wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 continues. As we’re checking our calendars for the umpteenth time for the next main entry in the Disney/Square Enix crossover series to appear – which looks to be a longer wait than the decade for Final Fantasy XV – Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (yes, that really is the title) hits the shelves in January, compiling three games in the franchise for your PS4 in high-definition, helping to ease the wait a little bit.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD is a high-def remaster of Dream Drop Distance, essentially remaking the 3DS game from the ground-up for PS4, while Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage is a new, short episode taking place after the events of the original Birth by Sleep and links in with the upcoming KH3, using tech from the upcoming game. Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, on the other hand, is a one-hour cinematic that focuses on events unseen in the original game, all to help dive deeper into the franchise’s lore. There’s lots here for dedicated fans of the franchise, while the full remake of Dream Drop Distance looks to be well worth the price of entry alone.
Release: PS4, January 24
Digimon World: Next Order
Often looked down on as Pokémon’s poor, younger brother, Digimon has still been going strong over the years, with new animated entries broadcast on TV and fans are still shouting out about the franchise – even petitioning for more of the games to be released in the west. It looks like Bandai Namco has been listening closely to those devoted fans of the series, as Digimon World: Next Order is the next title in the series to release. Originally released in Japan solely on the PS Vita, Bandai Namco is launching Next Order internationally on the PS4, letting you get your tiny critter RPG fix on your living room TV.
Release: PS4, January 27
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