Now that we’re leaving January behind it feels as good a time as ever to look forward to what’s to come. February isn’t traditionally a fantastic month for video game releases but there have been some pleasant surprises in years gone by. The highlight of last year was Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors 9. Meanwhile, 2017’s February gave us Sniper Elite 4 and Halo Wars 2.
This year seems better than the past two with the highly anticipated Crackdown 3 leading the line. Releasing February 15th, Crackdown 3 is set to be the latest in Microsoft’s hit action-adventure series. Given the lack of quality first party Xbox has seen in more recent times, I’m sure fans will be expecting big things here. Crackdown 3 features Microsoft Azure allowing for worldwide, mass destruction of everything around you.
Just before Crackdown lands though you’ll be able to have some classic biking fun with Trials Rising. Trials have been a very reliable series since day one and I doubt this latest title will be any different. Early gameplay videos suggest the core hasn’t changed much from Fusions, Evolution or even Trials HD but that’s hardly a bad thing. I just hope it launches in a better state than Fusions which didn’t have online initially and lacked single-player content. Trials will be releasing February 12th.
Hype for Anthem has deteriorated after its demo unveiled some concerning performance issues. Not to forget its motion blur which Anthem is absolutely bathing in. Regardless of its flaws though Anthem did show some impressive ambition. It’s set for a February 22nd release but I reckon this is a game you’ll be better picking up down the line.
The final of my personal highlights for the month includes Dirt Rally 2.0. Codemasters’ original DiRT Rally was one of my favorite racing simulators of all time. Despite its lackluster online experience, the feel and flow of its physics engine were exceptional. It had a huge skill cap, looks amazing and featured plenty of suitable content. Its use of weekly challenges was also something I never expected to be so well implemented in a racing game. The main concern for Rally 2.0 is that Codemasters have to differentiate it from its predecessor. Failing to do so could hurt sales. Dirt Rally 2.0 will launch February 26th.
Ace Combat 7 gets its official PC port today along with Chucklefish’s tactics game Wargroove worldwide release. God Eater 3 comes to PC February 8th, Far Cry New Dawn releases February 15th with Jumpforce and Metro Exodus also launching on the same day. Hit anime series Steins; Gate has two of its visual novels getting western releases on February 19th, Elite and Linear Bounded Phenogram. There’s more visual novel action a couple days later too with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Collection coming February 21st. Finally, there’s Stellaris’ console port, Left Alive and The Lego Movie 2 Videogame all coming February 26th.
A pretty decent month of game releases if I may say so myself. Hopefully, there’s something in there that stood out to you but if not then don’t worry. There’s still a lot of 2019 left to go so it’s inevitable something you’re interested in will come sooner or later.
