It's a new year, and Justin is back with his first list to kick off 2017. So, check back on a monthly basis to find out what the biggest and most notable releases are!
Gravity Rush 2
The original Gravity
Rush was one of the few Playstation Vita exclusive titles that justified
its existence as anything but a mobile platform for PS1 and indie games. It was
unique and beautiful, and while it didn’t do much for me, it seemed like a
great jumping off point for a sequel. Fortunately for the sake of the series
and us as PS4 owners, the follow-up will be on consoles and not the handheld.
Control gravity with Kat and Raven January 20th on the PS4.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The prodigal series returns, with a much needed mechanical
facelift. Resident Evil 7 returns to
its horror roots in theming, while moving the gameplay style to first-person
for some full on jump scares and tension. The demos released so far have been
well received, and considering the direction of the series after 4, I think
fans of the series will enjoy the return to form of exploring a scary and
mysterious house and unlocking its secrets. Resident
Evil 7: Biohazard is available January 24th on PS4, Xbox One, and Windows
PCs.
Yakuza 0
This prequel to the popular Japanese Yakuza series takes players back to late 1980s Japan to expand on
the character’s rich history. Published by sega, the series has its roots in
open world gameplay and mini games, and is often considered the spiritual
successor to the Shenmu series. It
may be a few years until the lauded Shenmu
III, so if you need your arcade game
inside of an open world game fix, Yakuza
0 has you covered on the PS4, January 24th.
Double Dragon IV
Just announced recently, Double
Dragon IV seems to be taking the Mega Man 9 route of reviving an old
series while still keeping up its classic aesthetic. This particular revival
seems to be based on the NES ports of the classic titles over the more detailed
arcade sprites, and while I think that approach is disappointing, it should
still pull at the heartstrings of those of us who grew up with these games.
There isn’t a lot of footage out of yet, but I am excited to see what am 8-bit Double Dragon game is in 2017. Double Dragon IV is available January 30th
on PS4 and Windows.
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers
Not unlike the relentless passage of time, Koei Tecmo
continues to make Dynasty Warriors games
like clockwork. The series has been running now for over 16 years, and Godseekers offers more of the one man
army combat with a new focus on the character Zhao Yun and takes place in an
alternate dimension version of the late Han dynasty. Team up with Lu Bu and
engage in honorable combat on January 31s for the PS4 and Vita.
-Justin Wicker