Top 5 Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

Lost Sphear

(PC, PS4, Switch – Jan. 23)

Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

Lost Sphear is the latest title from the studio behind last year’s wonderful JRPG, I Am Setsuna, which it also happens to be the spiritual successor of. Lost Sphear follows the story of a young man who suffers from a mysterious phenomenon and now faces a power that threatens the fabric of reality. With its stunning visuals and turn-based combat, Lost Sphear is shaping up to be another throwback to the glory days of the JRPG genre.

Though the gameplay will largely feel the same to anyone who played I Am Setsuna, there are some changes. Active Time Battle 2.0 provides more freedom when it comes to combat, allowing players to move and position characters around the battlefield. This seems to play into the idea of new AoE spells and a range of different abilities to help keep the combat feeling fresh, too. Oh, and if that hadn’t sold you already, you can capture robots and use them to your advantage as you travel around the world or take on enemies in battle.

The Inpatient

(PSVR – Jan. 23)

Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

Horror and virtual reality are a match made in the cruelest kind of heaven. VR brings your deepest, darkest fears to life and makes you face them in their own environment. So, of course, The Inpatient is making its way exclusively to PSVR. Based in the same world as the critically acclaimed 2015 hit, Until Dawn, The Inpatient takes place 60 years earlier and sees you assume the role of a patient at the Blackwood Sanitorium. The problem is, you’ve lost your memory and have no recollection of how you got here.

The Inpatient tasks you with uncovering exactly why you’re trapped in Blackwood Sanitorium, as well as the dark secrets the establishment hides. Plus, with the experience largely being driven by the story, The Inpatient has a number of choices that’ll send you down its numerous branching narrative paths to one of its different endings. Considering how well this mechanic was implemented in Until Dawn, we’re excited to see it appear once again in a VR experience. If you’ve been looking for a proper VR game rather than an experience for your PSVR, The Inpatient may be exactly what you’re after.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

(PC, PS4, Xbox One – Jan. 26)

Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

Dragon Ball FighterZ is already going to be at the top of any fan’s wishlist for January 2018, but for fans of the fighter genre in general, there’s plenty of reason to have this one on your list. On top of the expected Arcade mode, Dragon Ball FighterZ also manages to pack in a campaign that lets you soak up the action from three different perspectives – the Saiyans, the enemies, and the Androids.

As can be seen in the image above, Dragon Ball FighterZ also implements the team battle mechanic seen in the Marvel vs. Capcom series previously, as well as “easy to learn but difficult to master” fighting gameplay, according to Bandai Namco. With stunning anime visuals that bring your favorite characters to life, and up to eight-player multiplayer in both Casual and Ranked play, Dragon Ball FighterZ may be the first big contender for the title of best fighting game for the year. Only time will tell if it can last the rounds.

Monster Hunter World

(PS4, Xbox One – Jan. 26)

Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

For a while now, Monster Hunter has been a bit of a niche series in the grand scheme of things. It’s got a loyal fan base, sure, but it’s never managed to really hit global levels of popularity. That might be set to change, though, with Monster Hunter World, as the series branches out onto the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The general gameplay loop here will be familiar for fans of the series. You’ll find yourself in a new, hostile environment, and will need to hunt and defeat the various different monsters roaming the land. In order to do that, you’ll need gear, and so you’ll craft gear to defeat monsters, then use their resources to craft even better gear to take on even more powerful monsters. It’s not a simple case of using the same method to defeat each monster, though. Each new foe you face off against will post a unique challenge and will have its own strengths and weaknesses you’ll need to factor into your plan of attack.

If you’re looking for an ARPG that offers generous servings of strategy and up to four-player drop-in, drop-out cooperative play, Monster Hunter World is definitely a viable option for these quiet opening months of 2018.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

(PS4 – Jan. 30)

Best Games to Look Forward to in January 2018

If you’ve ever wanted to see who would truly reign supreme out of the iconic cast of Final Fantasy characters, then Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is doing its best to let you do just that. Releasing at the very end of January, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a PS4 port of the arcade game that hit Japan back in 2015. Packed with over 20 playable Final Fantasy heroes and villains, 10 iconic arenas, legendary summons, and a ton of equippable weapons and even Moogles, there’s definitely enough content for countless hours of experimentation.

This isn’t just a direct port of the arcade game, though. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT also manages to pack in a new story not found in the arcades told through event scenes rather than a traditional ‘Story Mode’. If you’re not a Dragon Ball fan, but wouldn’t mind flexing your fighting game muscles, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has you covered.