Also, happy two year anniversary I believe. The first Games of the Month thread (well when I took them over) was January 2010. Here's to another two years! If you want to see how far we've come, you can read the old DS thread here and the old Wii thread here.
If I missed a game you really want coverage on then simply send your write up to me (via PM). If it's good enough and follows proper formatting I'll add it here with credit to you! Check the "Other Releases" section at the bottom to see what games I would want write ups for but am not all too qualified to do myself. You can also do write-ups for games I didn't even list. Sometimes things slip my eye.
Some rules and stuff.
- This is mainly North American releases, sorry. I'll, on occasion, do a European or Japanese release if it's big enough and not already out in America.
- If a game is already released in English and is being released again for another region, I won't bother adding it. Like say if Half Life 2: Episode 3 was out in America in April (it won't) and it came out in May in Europe, I won't list it for May. I'll also do the same if a game was released in English (aka Europe or America) and is being released in Japan.
- I get my dates from GameFaqs, Wikipedia, and IGN, so if a date is wrong don't blame me. You can, of course, point it out and ask me to fix it if you have the right date.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Release date: January 26th (Japan), January 27th (Europe)
Genre: Action
My Hype Level: Okay, change of heart
GBAtemp Hype Level: Relatively high
Despite my reverence for "Re" words (Resident Evil: Revelations Redux: The Return Resolution), I've had a change of heart on Revelations. I had my continunual doubts about it which I voiced openly in threads only to have people tell me that they weren't the case. It makes the game look rather good actually. Only issue is that I don't want to be spending $170 on the console then $50 for the game and $10 for that add on. I'll hope for a console port but otherwise one of the stronger looking 3DS titles so far.
Side note to Americans: It has an early February release so don't fret over the missed January date.
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: Konami
Published by: Konami
Release date: January 24th (North America)
Genre: Horror
My Hype Level: I've played Silent Hill 2 already
GBAtemp Hype Level: Meh
I can't really say I'm a big fan of horror games, but I have tasted a bit of Silent Hill. My friends and I have both had parties where we played through Silent Hill 2 and Shattered Memories, both of them rather good games, even for the resident pussy over here. I already got my prized HD Collection (MGS HD) and I don't really see much to go for in Silent Hill HD. It's Silent Hill 2 and 3, while plenty of other collections boast three titles (MGS, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, etc). They're probably worth playing for survival enthusiasts and honestly, the HD redux did look good in MGS at least so it should look good here, so surely you can do worse.
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: Square Enix
Published by: Square Enix
Release date: January 31st (North America)
Genre: RPG
My Hype Level: May pick it up when FFXIII is cheaper and I can finish it
I played a bit of FFXIII and it wasn't that bad, but sadly never finished it. I had it on loan from a friend for months but never really found the time or desire to play it over other games. While still completely cliched, it's serviceable for your turn based itch and it feeds your inner HD graphics whore. With XIII-2 coming out, I hope a good price drop hits XIII so I can pick it up for cheap and finish it, then probably try XIII-2 based on that. It's supposed to fix a lot of what fans thought was wrong with XIII, and despite low Japan sales, still gathered a good review from Famitsu (but no one gives a shit about Famitsu). Still a bigger release this month.
For Aussies and Europe, it comes to you next month.
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: Project Soul
Published by: Namco Bandai
Release date: January 31st (North America)
Genre: Fighting
My Hype Level: One of the few fighting games I'm psyched for
GBAtemp Hype Level: Will probably get more love
I'm pretty picky on my fighters. Generally I'm not a fan of fighting games, but Soul Calibur is a rare exception. They're pretty much the only 3D fighter I'll play (unless you consider Dissidia a "fighter") and they're consistently strong titles. V looks just as exceptional as the rest, and if it weren't for the $60 I threw down today on a Mass Effect 3 pre-order, it'd be on my list of things to buy. Still, with plenty of friends into fighters and who are hyped to hell for this game, I'll probably play it with them some time or another.
For all other regions, you'll be seeing it early next month (February 2nd and 3rd)
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: From Software
Published by: Namco Bandai
Release date: January 26th (Japan)
Genre: Action
Hop's Hype Level: Insanely High
Armored Core 5 is gearing up to one of best Japanese PS3 games of the winter season, while the customization on the Armored Cores themselves are still following the same parameters with a few changes such as radar and generator being in the same unit and shoulder weapons replacing back weapons, it is now on an extreme level. You can customize nearly everything on and even where your AC is stored with the garage itself now being customizable and there is a long awaited customization option, the customization of weapons and depending on how you customize it, the performance and behavior will change. You can also customize a battle stage for use in online team play with gun emplacements and other offensive and defensive ordinance.
As for the single play it is looking to be an excellent experience with a story mode with long missions that last between 27-30 minutes not to mention that also 80 side missions are confirmed that last 5-10 minutes. Other great stuff in AC5 include overedweapons which are very large shoulder weapons that can be used once or some can be used more than once with a very long reload time, the return of true massive MTs.
The team play aspect is where this game shines as not only you can battle as a team, you can also have the option of giving orders to the team you are on as an operator, I like this option but I can see this being a pain if you have for example a FPS veteran who doesn’t normally like tactics and of course since this is PSN online title a language barrier for some who end up playing the Japanese players, the 360 version won’t have the language problem so much since as a member of the Armored Core community (both on US and Japanese sites) I can tell you from experience that 99% of the Japanese players run Armored Core titles on PS3, if you want to challenge JP players, always get the PS3 version. Namco-Bandai is localizing this as well for the US, so if you don’t want to import, it’s worth the wait, and definitely worth playing.
Thanks to Hop for the write-up!
Platform: Playstation Vita
Developed by: Namco Bandai Games
Published by: Namco Bandai
Release date: January 26th (Japan)
Genre: RPG
Hop's Hype Level: Very High
An entirely redone port with new moves, Hi Ougis, skits, and redesigned dungeons and combat system, the combat system utilizes DI-LMBS for the remake. New additions include two new characters Kongwai and QQ, a Rave Ability System which lets you equip rave abilities that are purchased at the grade shop using grade points which can be used in battle and activate according to a character’s rave level on the rave gauge, and a grid system for learning new abilities similar to Tales of Xillia. There’s also new music and artwork. This is a welcome addition to the Vita despite being a remake; however, before you start pre-ordering from your favorite import site or brick and mortar import store, rethink it for a minute as this is one of the few Vita titles that have a major discount attached to it if you buy it off the PSN as a digital download. Also, buying the game in digital format saves on the shipping costs. I wouldn’t buy physical unless you want the clock app code and chances are the download may have it anyway. It’s 4980 Yen ($64.64) for the digital download with the discount, but it’s for a limited time, discount expires March 31 in Japan. I recommend this option over paying $70-80 with shipping, pick up a 5000 yen card and a free JP PSN and enjoy from there.
Thanks to Hop for the write-up!
Platform: PC
Developed by:UNIGINE Corp.
Published by: UNIGINE Corp.
Release date: January 25th
Genre: Strategy
Scott-105's Hype Level: Looks pretty cool
GBAtemp Hype Level:None
This game is an RTS with some Tower Defense in the mix. The game is set in a post apocalyptic war for oil. The game features a variety of multiplayer maps. I think it's worth a look.
Thanks to Scott-105 for the write-up
Most of these are titles I really don't know much about so write-ups are much appreciated
- Gotham City Imposters: 1/10 (North America, Europe)
- NeverDead: 1/31 (North America)
- Gears of War 3: Fenix Rising Map Pack: 1/17 (North America)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations: Medeterranean Traveler Map Pack: 1/24 (North America)
- Gundam Extreme VS: Gottrlatan: 1/11 (Japan)
I'm looking for a few people to help me with these Games of the Month threads. It's not a terribly large commitment, it's only monthly and I'll still be doing a majority of the stuff. I'll of course give you credits on each thread. I'm looking for...
- A banner graphic. Make it say "Games of the Month" and have it themed with GBAtemp and stuff (include the logo, color scheme, etc). It's probably best to leave the month blank so it can easily be inserted every month. I may occasionally call on you for the holidays to make it more holiday themed. Could also use a front page graphic for the front page post on this.
- PC gamer writer: Since I'm not really into the PC gaming scene and there are important PC releases, it'd be nice to have someone do write-ups for PC games. Like I completely missed The Old Republic getting released last month and that was a rather big name release.
- Japanese game writer: Just someone to do write ups on Japanese games. I'm mainly talking more obscure stuff that typically wouldn't get a western release (or a big name western release on that).
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