While 2021 was overall, uh, less than stellar, it turned out to be a pretty good year for gaming — and 2022 could be even better. The year starts slowly, however, with some of January’s biggest releases being PC ports and a remaster.
Let’s check out what video games are hitting storefronts this month.
God of War (1/14)
Following in the mechanical dinosaur steps of another of the PS4’s best games, God of War releases on PC this month. PC features include NVIDIA Reflex enhanced responsive gameplay, AI-boosted performance from NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), DualShock 4 and DualSense support, customizable bindings for mouse and keyboard, and, of course, higher resolution and better framerates. God of War was one of my favorite games from last gen, and now PC players can also experience it in time for 2022’s sequel, Ragnarok.
Monster Hunter Rise (1/12)
Switch-exclusive Monster Hunter Rise also gets ported to PC this month. It was widely regarded as one of 2021’s best games, garnering nominations for Best Role Playing Game and Best Multiplayer Game at 2021’s The Game Awards, and now PC players will be able to hunt monsters until their heart’s content. Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, an expansion for the game, is due out sometime in mid-2022 for both the Switch and PC versions. It’ll add new weapons, armor, quests, and, of course, monsters.
Rainbow Six Extraction (1/20)
Rainbow Six Extraction retains the tactical, teamwork-based gameplay of its predecessors while giving players new enemies to face — aliens. Missions involve infiltrating alien-infested, procedurally generated levels to complete objectives or extract fallen operators. The game will be multiplayer only, with three players taking on a mission at a time. Ubisoft is being player-friendly with Extraction: crossplay is supported, the game’s price has been lowered from $60 to $40, and every copy of the game will come with two tokens allowing other players to download a 14-day trial of the game.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (1/28)
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy are remastered and packaged together for the PS5. The visuals, performance, and audio all received upgrades while adaptive triggers have been added to take advantage of the DualSense’s fantastic haptic feedback. The Uncharted series is a one hell of an adventure, and now that adventure comes to the PS5. A PC version of the Legacy of Thieves Collection is due out sometime in 2022 as well.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus (1/28)
I saved the best, and most anticipated, for last — Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The upcoming Pokémon game looks to break slightly away from the tried and true Pokémon formula of games past and give players something new yet familiar. The setting is moved out of modern-day metropolises and to a past era of Sinnoh (inspired by 1800s Japan). Pokéballs in this era are made of wood and steam and can be used from stealth to capture some Pokémon without battling them first. Story-wise, players will be tasked with exploring the Hisui region (as Sinnoh was once called) and creating the first Pokédex. While graphically the game looks unimpressive — human characters, Pokémon, and the environment could all use texture upgrades — Arceus looks to be a step in the right direction for the franchise.
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