We fail to recall a January anywhere near as busy as this one. Dead Space and Forspoken are less than two weeks away, while this week sees Monster Hunter Rise, Fire Emblem Engage, and a whole lot more. Rumours also persist of Microsoft launching GoldenEye 007 during their upcoming conference.
After a successful launch on Switch in 2021, Monster Hunter Rise comes to PlayStation and Xbox formats, hitting Game Pass on day one. We awarded the Switch version 9/10: “It’s a perfect blend of everything I loved about the series when I first discovered it, and the modern quality of life changes make it so addictive and accessible,” we said. Screenshots suggest it has brushed up well for horizons new – not that it was visually sloppy to begin with.
Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden also gain belated conversions on all formats this week, with the latter often regarded as the PS Vita’s best title. Xbox owners can grab them on Game Pass.
Nintendo’s first major release of 2023 – Intelligent Systems’ Fire Emblem Engage – launches Friday, offering tactical role-playing with grid-based battles. Emblem Rings can be used to summon legendary heroes, while battles require different approaches based on terrain and positioning.
Then there’s Tortuga – A Pirate’s Tale, which appears to be a continuation of the Port Royale series. It features tactical turn-based naval battles on a hexagonal grid, and a story mode said to last around 25 hours. Also look out for A Space For The Unbound – a pixel art adventure set in ‘90s Indonesia, with an emphasis on puzzle solving. RE:CALL, likewise, is a pixel art affair with a puzzle solving slant.
Colossal Cave should be out later in the week. This 3D remake of an extremely early (1976!) adventure game is due Jan 19th on all formats, but was oddly absent from Xbox Wire’s release list, and is yet to show up on any UK digital storefront other than Steam. The trailer is below should it emerge as planned.
Shoot’em up duo Graze Counter GM and Wings of Bluestar hit all formats too, where they join last week’s surprise Xbox re-releases of Zero Gunner 2 and Dragon Blaze.
New release trailers
Monster Hunter Rise
Fire Emblem Engage
A Space For The Unbound
Tortuga – A Pirate’s Tale
Persona 3 Portable/Persona 4 Golden
Colossal Cave
RE:CALL
Trenches
Wings of Bluestar
Graze Counter GM
Ballotron Oceans
New multiformat releases
- Monster Hunter Rise
- A Space for The Unbound
- Tortuga – A Pirate’s Tale
- Colossal Cave
- Persona 3 Portable
- Persona 4 Golden
- Trenches
- OmegaBot
- RE:CALL
- Wings of Bluestar
- Graze Counter GM
New on PSN
- A Matter of Principle
- Arcade Archives SENJYO
- Fight of Animals: Arena
- Fight of Steel: Infinity Warrior
New on Xbox Store
- Gunbarich
- Zero Gunner 2
- Dragon Blaze
- Ballotron Oceans
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- Fire Emblem Engage
Next week: Dead Space, Forspoken, Risen, Startup Company Console Edition, OddBallers, Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters, Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, Miracle Snack Shop, Sissa’s Path, Kingdom Rush, Clunky Hero, Shoulders of Giants, and TRANSIRUBY.