Another year has come to an end. As usual, December is not the most intense month on the gaming front, but we have had something good to play with. The Callisto Protocol offered atmospheric space horror, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion gave us a nice reunion with Zack, and the bizarre High on Life took us to a human-smoking planet.
We have also used the month to summarize how the years for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have been, but also which games we liked and didn’t like.
With 2022 firmly in the rearview mirror, we are getting ready to take a look at what the first month of 2023 has to offer.
One Piece Odyssey
Luffy and the crew face new challenges.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Windows
Out: January 13
With One Piece Odyssey, Bandai Namco celebrates 25 years of One Piece. The developers aim to mix classic JRPG elements with an unmistakable One Piece twist to create the ultimate One Piece adventure. With them on the team to make this happen, they have Eiichiro Oda, the author who created One Piece. He helps both with the story, but also with drawing new heroes and monsters to create precisely the authentic One Piece experience.
The story takes us to a whole new island after Luffy and the crew are caught in a violent storm. Stranded on the new island, the crew has been separated from each other, and it will be your job to not only guide Luffy through the tropical and mysterious landscape, but also to reunite the crew.
See pictures, read articles and find the best price on One Piece Odyssey »
Fire Emblem Engage
More tactics from Nintendo.
Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Out: January 20
If the actino party in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes wasn’t quite your thing, and you miss Fire Emblem tactics of the good, old variety, this is the year for you. Fire Emblem Engage gives us a new game with the traditional rock-scissors-paper combat system the series is known for. The game will let us bring in heroes from the entire history of the series, and one should not ignore the fact that it will be useful in a fight against a recently awakened dragon.
With the exception of the Warriors games, Fire Emblem Engage fits easily into the lineup of Fire Emblem games. It will offer well-known tactical gameplay where you move soldiers on a grid-like map, and upgrade warriors to reach new and stronger classes. Fire Emblem Eengage also gives the soldiers access to special fighting styles that offer unique characteristics.
See pictures, read articles and enter the best price on Fire Emblem Engage »
The prophesied
Could Forspoken be the next big thing for Square Enix.
Square Enix
Platform: PlayStation 5, Windows
Out: January 24
The new game from the team that brought us Final Fantasy XV has something to prove. Not only is this the first major PlayStation 5 title from Square Enix, but it is a new IP and with that they have no well-known brand name to lean on. We meet a young girl who is thrown into a dangerous world where one of the big highlights seems to be how quickly and efficiently you can navigate your way through the terrain. We took a look at it last year:
“Forspoken has all the ingredients to be a memorable experience when it launches on PlayStation 5 and PC. What I’m looking forward to most is certainly speeding around the big world and running, climbing and jumping at high speed. There is a reason why the developers call it magical parkour, so to speak. There are many possibilities here, the question is how to use them in practice.”
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Dead Space
Dead Space is back.
EA
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Windows
Out: January 27
Right after the Dead Space creator launched his fresh space horror game The Callisto Protocol, EA is ready with its remake of the original Dead Space. Again we meet Isaac Clarke who travels with the spaceship USG Ishimura to see what has gone wrong with a stranded ship. Dead Space will broadly offer the same story as in the original game, but the whole thing will be expanded and more detailed.
We were very excited about the game when it first appeared in 2008, and we especially liked the creative and brutal weapons that let us cut up the disgusting aliens like we were using a hot knife through butter. The whimsical atmosphere, the all-encompassing soundtrack, and the impressive graphics created such a memorable game that it has merited a new version. We can only hope that EA can recreate the magic.
See pictures, read articles and find the best price on Dead Space »
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
SpongeBob SquarePants aims to bring out the laughter in January.
THQ Nordic
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows
Out: January 31
One of the most unusual animated characters that has gained fans of all ages is definitely SpongeBob SquarePants. The character started his life in 1989, but did not become known around the world until he appeared in his own TV series ten years later in 1999. This was the start of an enormous popularity that not only includes TV series and films, but also a number of game for many platforms.
Last in line is SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. By all accounts, this looks to be a tribute to platform games from the 90s. In good and traditional platform adventure style, The Cosmic Shake will offer a number of different worlds, all of which offer their own unique challenges. There we also get to dress up with over 30 different costumes, all of which offer unique properties that will help you cope with the challenges. To create the truly authentic SpongeBob atmosphere, the original shoe players are back.
See pictures, read articles and find the best price on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake »
Monster hunting for everyone
Monster Hunter Rise is coming to PlayStation and Xbox.
Capcom
January offers a number of games for new platforms, and the most interesting here is a tiny bundle of Japanese gems. Monster Hunter Rise is coming to both PlayStation and Xbox, and on Xbox you get direct access if you subscribe to Game Pass. You get the same if you want to play Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, which were launched on modern consoles this winter. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot also gets a small upgrade for today’s consoles.
A bit more surprising is the role-playing game Risen from 2009. This is getting a console version on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition makes its way to Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, naturally via Game Pass.
The exciting adventure game We Were Here Forever is another game that gets a console version this month, and with that we say we’re done with older games, and look at some completely new titles.
Children of Silentown is a dark adventure game where we meet the girl Lucy, who lives in a forest full of monsters and people who disappear without a trace. Lone Ruin, on the other hand, is a roguelike sniper where you travel into a magical ruin full of dangers.
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree looks set to become something of its own.
Untold Tales
A Space for the Unbound is a pixel adventure that takes us to a small Indonesian town sometime in the 90s to unravel mysterious powers and mystery.
Finally, we bring Atone: Heart of the Elder Tree, a game that mixes Norse mythology, an interactive story, complex puzzles and a combat system based on rhythm.
That was all for now, good game.
