Alas, the holiday season has come and gone. Many of us may have received the requisite dad gifts, provided you have procreated, such as socks, boxers, Starbucks cards and new games! Except there weren’t any new games. Because at this time of year new releases mirror partisan cooperation on Capitol Hill-both are nonexistent! Enough! Enough of the feeble attempt at witty political banter! Let’s move onto the games: as seems to be the case every week, there’s another Final Fantasy release, Marvel fans can get their Avengers fix and our PC gaming friends get the distinct pleasure of welcoming Lara into their realm.
AIPD: Artificial Intelligence Police Department
Release Date: January 29th, 2016
Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1
Styled in an 80’s neon art style, AIPD is a top down twin stick coop shooter. Battle evil artificial intelligences with up to four of your friends in an AI arena with a vast array of weapons and modifications. AIPD boasts thousands of arena and enemy combinations and allows players to both choose their favorite game mechanic modes and adjust the game’s skill level.
Bombshell
Release Date: January 29th, 2016
Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1
Players control Colonel Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, a fighter in the Global Defense Force, in this action RPG. After losing both her career and her arm in The Washington Incident, Colonel Harrison is offered both a second chance and a second, mechanical arm by a private military contractor. There’s some interesting history at work here: Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison was originally a supporting character in Interceptor Entertainment’s Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. A lawsuit by Gearbox prevented Interceptor from continuing work on Duke Nukem: MD and Bombshell was born.
Dragon Quest Builders
Release Date: January 28th, 2016
Platforms: PS4, PS3, PS Vita
Set in the original Dragon Quest world of Alefgard, players must rebuild their world after it is destroyed in Dragon Quest by the evil Dragonlord. Players must gather materials from the environment around them to restore Alefgard to its former glory. Early reviews on the game indicate it is similar to Minecraft so go get your build on!
Final Fantasy Explorers
Release Date: January 26th, 2016
Platform: 3DS
Players scour the world for crystals-the lifesource of the world around them-while battling classic Final Fantasy monsters and summons in this 3DS action RPG. Similar to early Final Fantasy titles, character jobs, such as a White or Black Mage, Paladin and Monk, are assigned to characters. The game features four character slots that can be assigned to other players or monsters you defeated in battle. Gameplay is quest driven and quest difficulty is adjustable. Players must navigate the world on foot as Chocobos are not available to ride in this latest FF installment.
Lego Marvel’s Avengers
Release Date: January 26th, 2016
Platforms: Everything, duh!
A must for every Marvel fan; it’s easier to ask which character is NOT in this game! Lego Marvel’s Avengers features over two hundred playable characters including characters from both the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plotlines include The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: The First Avenger (and a whole bunch of other Marvel canon that is way too much too mention here!). The game also features audio from the films and Stan Lee returns to voice himself! Hero up!
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Release Date: January 28th, 2016
Platform: PC
The long awaited sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider takes place a full year after Lara’s supernatural experience on Yamatai. She now suffers her father’s fate: Trinity, the evil entity in pursuit of its’ own devious agenda, covers up her experience on Yamatai and discredits her within the scientific community. In her relentless search for the truth behind immortality, she travels to the Siberian city of Kitezh with Trinity in close pursuit. Lara seeks to discover Kitezh’s secrets and thwart Trinity’s attempt at obtaining them. Players can craft items they need to survive from scavenging the environment. Crystal Dynamics updated the combat system to include many more options for stealth gameplay. Onward adventurer, many treasures and mysteries await you!
Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo
Release Date: January 29th, 2016
Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1
A racer that features guidance from Sebastien Loeb, nine time World Rally Champion, Rally Evo features over 50 car models, eight rallies, 300 kilometers of tracks, five rallycross tracks including the Pikes Peak track. Rally Evo is bound to race its way into Sarcasmo Jones’ console sometime within the near future.
This War of Mine: The Little Ones
Release Date: January 29th, 2016
Platforms: PS4, XB1
Players guide a group of civilian survivors trapped in a worn torn city in this survival strategy game based on the Siege Of Sarajevo. Critical to their survival, players must scavenge their environment at night for supplies: food, materials needed to create tools and supplies needed to upgrade their shelter. Snipers make daytime dangerous but provide players with the opportunity to prepare their food, upgrade their shelter with collected supplies and both heal and rest their survivors. The game features 12 playable characters each with their own unique traits that can either help or hinder their survival.
The Witness
Release Date: January 26th, 2016
Platforms: PC, PS4
Developed by Jonathan Blow of Braid fame, The Witness is a first person 3D puzzle adventure game similar to Myst. Players must solve the riddle of a mysterious island with a mountain at its center. The island is divided into ten sections; each section has its own puzzle theme and solving its puzzles reveals that section’s light that dutifully shines towards the mountain. Players must solve puzzles to reveal the mystery of the island. Blow estimates there are over 650 puzzles, 80 hours of gameplay and a puzzle so tough that less than 1% of players will solve it. Challenge accepted?
