Holy cow it's 2017 already - where the heck did that year go? Bemusement aside, we're now facing 12 more months of games, and boy does this year look packed from where we're sitting. January may not be flaunting too many blockbusters on PlayStation 4, but if you're a fan of Japan's output, you're going to have to keep a very close eye on your wallet.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star
Release date: 17th January (EU) 20th January (NA)
Publisher: XSEED Games
Perhaps best described as a psychedelic Dynasty Warriors title, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star mashes together a bunch of mad characters and has them battle each other's armies across strange futuristic arenas. It looks flashy, action packed, and above all, fun. Maybe the world isn't begging for more musou games, but when they promise combat that seems as stylish and as fluid as this, we're prepared to give any newcomers a shot.
Gravity Rush 2
Release date: 18th January (EU) 20th January (NA)
Publisher: Sony
Gravity Rush 2 strives to top its predecessor in virtually every department, and what we've seen of the sequel so far would suggest that this is a PlayStation 4 exclusive to watch. The property's not reinventing itself and lead character Kat is back for another round of physics-defying stunts, but the game's shift to Sony's home console means that there's room for a bigger, more detailed world and some stunning visuals.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Release Date: 24th January
Publisher: Square Enix
Wow, and we thought Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star had an unfortunate name. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a title that's beyond redemption, but at least the game itself should be pretty good - as we've come to expect of Square Enix's long-running action role-playing series. Packaging an HD remake of past 3DS exclusive Dream Drop Distance together with a new chapter named Birth By Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage, this confusing collection should keep fans somewhat happy while the wait for Kingdom Hearts III continues.
Resident Evil 7
Release Date: 24th January
Publisher: Capcom
Believe it or not, Resident Evil 7 is in slight danger of flying a little under the radar, but by all accounts this is the return to the franchise's horror roots that so many fans have been asking for. Trapped in a creatively creepy house with a cannibalistic family, it's fair to say that a lot is riding on Capcom's first person foray. It's a risk that the Japanese publisher is clearly willing to take, so here's hoping that it fills the Silent Hills shaped hole in the PlayStation 4's library.
Yakuza 0
Release date: 24th January
Publisher: SEGA
The year is 1988, and a young, ambitious Kazuma Kiryu is ready to take to the neon streets of Kamurocho and smash some skulls for money. SEGA's stylish series is being pushed more than ever here in the West, and as far as we're aware, 0 is going to be a great place to start. The prequel's somewhat cheesy 80s setting could well be the star of the show, but we can't underestimate the inevitably dramatic storylines, charismatic characters, and brutal combat.
Tales of Berseria
Release date: 24th January (NA) 27th January (EU)
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Tales of Zestiria, the series' last outing, proved to be a little divisive, so we're hoping that Berseria can get the action role-playing property back in the limelight. The Tales games have always had a charming core to them - they don't boast the budget or perhaps the finesse of something like Final Fantasy, but hectic battle systems and a solid history of endearing characters keep the series afloat more often than not. Berseria, with its tale of pirates, demons, and everything in between, could be great.
Digimon World: Next Order
Release date: 31st January (NA) 27th January (EU)
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Following on from the success of least year's Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Digimon World: Next Order brings our digital pals back to the PlayStation 4 at the end of the month. With a focus on raising and caring for your creatures, Next Order is a very different beast to Cyber Sleuth, featuring a more open world to explore. If you've been hankering for more Digimon, then this one is obviously going to be on your wishlist, but for everyone else, this could be another surprisingly good monster mashup.
So, is January looking like a good month for the PS4? Tell us which game you're most looking forward to in our poll, and then give us your reasoning in the comments section below.
Which January release are you most looking forward to? (134 votes)
- Digimon World: Next Order
- Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star 0.8%
- Gravity Rush 2
- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
- Resident Evil 7
- Tales of Berseria
- Yakuza 0
- Other
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments 47
Yakuza 0 looks soooooo good.
Fate extella for me im always ready to hack an smash...
I still can't believe Resident Evil 7 is out in a matter of weeks. This is like Christmas for me: Yakuza 0, Gravity Rush 2, and Resident Evil 7 are all right near the top of my most wanted list — and they're all out this month!
Gravity rush 2 and kingdom hearts... But wow this line up is strong
Its no surprise that Resident Evil is the only game I am interested in. I don't really enjoy 'Japanese' games - I know RE is a Japanese game but its more universal and I do like Horror Survival games. Its still not a game I expect to buy day 1 but a game I expect I will pick up in the very near future. Mainly because of RE5 and 6 and the change of perspective so waiting to see how it reviews before spending money...
I vote none because you keep ignoring Hatsune Miku Future Tone that releases a week from today and boasts a 200+ songs lineup, 1080p and 60fps.
So ready for Gravity Rush 2!
Also somewhat interested in Yakuza 0. Haven't played one before but everyone seems to love the series!
Came ready to complain about the omission of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 glad I was wrong
In the past I would be writing on here that the game im most looking forward to in this list is resident evil 7... Now however it has to be yakuza 0. Absolutely can't wait. Feels like ages since it was first announced and then the long painful wait since its release in Japan... I almost caved and bought it when I was in Tokyo back in March 2015 despite knowing I wouldn't understand a word of it.
Will get gravity rush 2 at some point, and then will see about resi in a couple of months. Ive bought every kh game to date, but not sure I will double dip this time.
Definitely Gravity Rush 2.
@sinalefa To be fair, I did remind @ShogunRok about Miku. We'll have a review very soon anyway!
Really nice that RE is recovering after the action game detour it went on starting with RE4. Hopefully this game won't have you suplexing enemies, somersaulting through closed windows and dodging laser beams with QTEs.
I just think they might have overdone it a bit. RE was never really that scary. It had a few jump scares like the dogs through the windows but that was about it. I found the 7 demo pretty hard to play since it was so tense and harrowing. A far cry from "Jill sandwiches" and deus ex rocket launchers. What did go missing along the way from 4 onwards was the slower pace and focus on puzzles. That definitely seems to be back now.
But I'm actually looking forward to all these games apart from the Fate one and the Digimon one. Even then, they both look enjoyable.
Once upon a time I would of been more excited about the latest Tales of game but seeing as I'm still halfway through FFXV and have World Of Final Fantasy and The Witcher 3 to start I doubt I'll get round to it anytime soon so I chose Gravity Rush 2..that demo was amazing!
@get2sammyb Did you? I'm a disgrace.
Aaargh! Sqeenix numbering systems! KH 2.8? Really? I'm not a fan of that series, but was there a 2.6 and 2.7, and are you expecting a 2.9 before 3? Don't get me started on FF naming convention (or absolute lack thereof). Watch out Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, you're next.....
In their defence, they seem to put out sensibly titled Dragon Quests.
@get2sammyb
Well, that's good to hear. I know I am one of the few Miku fans in here, but the biggest Miku game yet should not be omitted from a Jan. list focused on Jap. titles.
@Matroska
'Hopefully this game won't have you suplexing enemies, somersaulting through closed windows and dodging laser beams with QTEs.'
Harsh but true.
I'm not sure on the whole 'dead crow in a cooking pot'/Texas chainsaw massacre vibe, but other than that I thought the demo looked promising. Those mannequins....
Nothing for me.
Horizon at the end of Feb will be my first of the year, along with a Pro.
Not too excited about anything but GR2, but that is a whole lot of games for January, and then Horizon in Feb. That's some way to start the year.
How bad is it that I'll be buying 5-6 of these at some point.
Day 1 in Gravity Rush 2, Resident Evil 7 (PSVR), KH2.8 and Digimon World
Jakuza 0, Black Friday 2017
Tales of Berseria if reviews are good.
After this onslaught it's just Nioh and Horizon in Febuary for me.
Res evil in VR......cant wait. Anyone who has played the Kitchen demo will know exactly what i mean when i also say....im nervous already
I want Resi Evil in VR just because it is a full game in VR and I am intrigued. Of course, I am spent up and am saving for Horizon so this might have to wait...
I was amused by the first question and answer on the amazon page for Resi 7.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/PC-Video-Games/Capcom-5050013406363-Resident-Evil-Biohazard-PS4-PSVR/B01GVN0CQ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1483455245&sr=1-1&keywords=resident+evil+7
I'll take gravity rush 2 and yakuza 0
Already preodered yakuza 0 business edition but still undecided whether to buy gravity rush 2 digitally & watch the anime on youtube, or buy the special edition with the anime bluray..
Want to buy kh 2.8 if it has special edition, want to buy tales of berseria if I have the time.
@CountFunkula78 I agree with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre thing. Fortunately, that angle on it does seem to go away when you get to the monster in the basement and the usual infection/biohazard angle comes back. The icon on the helicopter in the photo upstairs looks like the Umbrella logo as well. I've seen more footage that has the "welcome to the family" guy in it but he seems more like a Tyrant in terms of his toughness whereas the Texas Chainsaw Massacre guys are just normal humans IIRC. This guy is like a "realistic" version of Nemesis, it seems.
@CountFunkula78 Well I'm not going to say it's 100% logical, but the idea is that 1.5 goes in between 1 and 2. It's KH1 improved and with additional stuff that - I think - is chronologically set before 2. Then 2.5 is the same deal but between 2 and 3. That was all there was going to be originally, I think. A bridge between 1 and 2, then between 2 and 3.
But SE then came up with a new one, only on PS4. What's between 2.5 and 3? Well, 2.75 but maybe that sounds too technical? Too hard to say in Japanese? I don't know, but they rounded it up to 2.8.
I think in their heads it actually clearly explains that these are to fill in the gaps rather than just looking like a huge confusing mess.
I'm going to stick with my new year's resolution and not buy anything new until I get through at least 6 of the games I bought last year! It's going to be hard, but it is necessary. I have so many games either unopened or not finished that I'm a little disgusted with myself.
Gravity Rush and Tales this month for me. Might be tempted by Miku too depending on price... Need to crack on with finishing FFXV and somehow squeeze Titanfall 2 in before them.
Then Ni-Oh and Horizon in March, might be hard to finish them both before the Nintendo Switch and hopefully Zelda arrive in March...
@TripleGK Agreed 100%
Damn this is a crazy month for games. Sony's starting 2017 strong!
I am actually pretty upset with Sony at the moment... Here in Venezuela ISPs gives some group of individuals ONE IP... well Guess what? Some dude that shares my IP did something stupid and they banned my IP...
I ain't buying anything until that gets resolved
Looks like a pretty good start this year. Gravity Rush, Kingdom Hearts, Tales, Resident Evil, and Yakuza (Never played it but everyone seems to have good words about it) in one month sounds pretty darn great.
Gotta finish FF15, Doom, and Mad Max before I get anymore games (not to mention all the sales games I picked up for cheap). Yakuza 0 and RE7 are looking tempting though....
Awesome January games, I'll be getting Gravity Rush 2. but RE7, Yakuza 0 and Digimon all look great in my opinion.
For me the only thing I'm interested in is Digimon which I may or may not get at launch but will for sure at some point.
I didn't even know that Digimon game was coming this soon, I'm considering getting that one. Yakuza too, but I need to still get 5 first.
Gravity rush 2 for me
Gravity Rush 2 will be the one I'll be buying this month, once I get paid.
2017 is looking amazing for PS4. Very excited for Yakuza 0 and Gravity Rush 2.
I would love to get into kingdom hearts but im worried that ill just be too confused by the plot...
It's been a blessing having such a strong lineup on PS4 lately. I really appreciate that. I mean, I'm a multiconsole gamer, so that's the whole idea really.
Each console has their ups and downs, strong waves of games and little drought periods. And right now, Nintendo is transitioning to Switch so there hasn't been many games to play since Paper Mario Color Splash, and there won't be anything until Zelda and the Switch launch.
And 3DS is kind of in a phase of getting Wii U ports I already played. Good for others... just not so much for me. Nothing new until Pikmin 3D releases, which still doesn't have a date.
And Xbox One, although they have done very well with the BC releases, hasn't had much since Gears of War 4 and won't really have much until Halo Wars 2.
And PSVR and Vita have absolutely nothing on deck aside from RE7 which doesn't interest me at all (too creepy). Well, Farpoint VR is coming, but when is the question.
So it's been great timing. Perfect timing, really. A strong Q1 for Sony has filled the gaps perfectly. Looking forward to Gravity Rush 2, Tales of Berseria and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Remix, and Horizon Zero Dawn, Nioh and Nier, and a few others.
it's a good lineup but they completely ignored the first 2 weeks of January. it worries me a bit. Either way i'm excited for Gravity Rush 2, amazing world building and cutesy anime graphics. I hope it is going to be a constant stream of releases and not just sporadic with loads of empty weeks and months.
I'm getting Gravity Rush 2, Yakuza Zero and Resident Evil VII, but Yakuza will be the one I put most of the focus on first. Looks like a lot of quality on that list, will be interesting to see how many flop, given the current state of the industry, and what will constitute a flop. Forza example, if Yakuza Zero manages to push 300K to half a mil, could that still be considered a success given it's budget and niche following? Resident Evil VII is the one I'm most interested in because Capcom has high expectations, but that company also screwed the pooch twice last year. Started off poor with Street Fighter V and then decided it would be funny to make Xbox One and PC owners have to buy a season pass on top of paying $60 up front to get the complete Dead Rising 4 experience. Surely that will be fresh in consumers' minds. I'm a Resident Evil fanboy (even go and watch the horrid live action movies) so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt but most people likely won't be as forgiving and I don't blame them.
January is Gravity Rush 2 month for me. Nothing else comes close.
@Miles_Edgeworth 2017 is probably the best time to get into Kingdom Hearts. I'd wait till march & pick up KH1.5+2.5 remix collection.
Once you're done with that I'll imagine KH2.8 will be less than half price.
If you play them in order of release or how they pop up in the collection you'll be more than fine.
The notion that the plot is confusing just comes from gamers that haven't played the in between titles that fill in the gaps. Just because a game doesn't have a number doesn't mean it's any less important.
Admittedly that was Squares fault by spreading the plot out across platforms with exclusivity deals, but as of March 28th you'll have everything on PS4.
The wait for KH3 will also be shorter for you, cause fans such as myself have been waiting for 11years + & keep on waiting & waiting &...
Oddly enough, I'm not interested in buying any of these games. Looking forward to what folks say about RE7 though.
None of these games are for me, although gravity rush 2 might be a buy at a sale later...
@Fight_Teza_Fight Thats true, thanks for the reply! Im definitely gonna pick them up!
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