New Releases for the Week of January 29th, 2012

With January’s gaming drought now behind us, the first week of February is ushering in a cornucopia of familiar ways to pass time during these frigid Winter months. From a homecoming for SoulCalibur‘s Mitsurugi and Siegfried to the return of Serah Farron and Noel Kriess in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and even an reappearance by our favorite tropical island jerk, Ryder White, expect to see the return of some well-known faces. We even have it on good authority that a well-known assassin may crash the new release party this week.

360
Dead Island: Ryder White (DLC)
Double Fine Happy Action Theater (XBLA, $10)
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Legends & Superstars Pack (WWE ’12 DLC)
NeverDead
SoulCalibur V

PS3
Dead Island: Ryder White (DLC)
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Legends & Superstars Pack (WWE ’12 DLC)
NeverDead
Puddle (PSN)
SoulCalibur V

Wii
Country Dance: Special Edition

3DS
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 3D
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (eShop)

DS
New releases announced 2/5

PSP
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee & Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip Dual Pack (PSN)

PC
Age of Enigma: The Secret of the Sixth Ghost
Command Ops: Highway to the Reich

DesertEagle’s Pick: Unmistakably, Square-Enix (as well as assisting studio, tri-Ace) listened togamers complaints about Final Fantasy XIII, as this week’s release of XIII-2 remedies almost every niggling problem with the 2009 JRPG. From elevating combat by allowing battle parties to be joined by domesticated beasts, the inclusion of maps which no longer feel like constricted hallways, as well as the Historia Crux system- a time travelling mechanic which advances the game’s non-linear vibe, the title serves as an absolving act of contrition.

BlueSwim’s Pick: After months of anticipation (and a nebulous “January” release date), WWE ’12 gets its Legends and Superstars DLC Pack. Making their WWE ’12 debuts at only $1/80MSP are legends Mick Foley (A.K.A. Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love), “The Animal” Batista, and “The Macho Man” Randy Savage. Also joining the your roster for the low, low price of free are Planet Funk’s own “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay and the Attitude Era’s Masked Kane, who is free only for two weeks after release. The DLC arrives hot on the heels of a significant patch that addresses numerous issues, including the ring texture glitch I complained about a few podcasts ago, which goes live the day before WWE ’12 feels “The Madness”.

SeanNOLA’s Pick: I really enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII. Sure, it was linear, and took hours before giving you any freedom whatsoever, but the tone was unique and combat was fairly engaging once it got going. That being said, I never got around to finishing it – and who knows when and if I ever will – so, the chances of me picking up Final Fantasy XIII-2 anywhere close to launch are somewhere inbetween 0 and 1% (that includes a 1% margin of error for the likelihood that someone else’s copy will be delivered to my apartment). Luckily, there is plenty to choose from this week, and I personally can’t wait to get back onto Soul Calibur V‘s Stage of History! I still miss Hwang, but I imagine that I can still tear it up as Maxi.

Samurage’s Pick: SoulCaliburV , Puddle, NeverDead, oh my. After weeks of waiting for something good to come out, this week brings enough titles to satisfy a wide assortment of tastes.  I’ve been looking forward to Puddle since E3; I love simple physics games and this one was well developed. SoulCalibur V is also a must have for me, as I’ve been an avid fan of the series since the beginning. And though NeverDead trailers have me thinking the game play may leave something to be desired, the monsters do look decently cool, and I’m interested to see how the storyline plays out. Call it a hat-trick week for me, and if NeverDead doesn’t pan out, there’s always the point and click puzzle solving of Enigma.