Top 5 Video Games Releasing in February 2019
We are just in the second month of 2019, and it is already shaping up to be something special. January brought us Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts III, two highly anticipated games that people have been waiting years for (and in the case of Kingdom Hearts over a decade). The following are the best games that you can expect to see this February.
- Anthem
Release Date: February 22
Bioware is making their presence known once again in the gaming industry with Anthem. Announced at E3 2017, Anthem is an online multiplayer game that sees players play as “Freelancers.” These are the people that don mech suits called Javelins. These are Iron Man-like exo-suits that allow the player to fly and rain ammunition on the many monsters that inhabit Anthem’s large world.
The story behind the game is the gods created this world with “The Anthem.” Upon arrival of the many monsters, the gods vanished, leaving the Anthem behind to an incomplete world, infested with many dangers. Many have tried to claim the Anthem as their own, and take advantage of its deity powers, only to lead to more dangerous events happening within the world. The Javelins are man created armor, suited to give humankind a chance at survival in the widely unfinished world.
Bioware are mostly known for their work on the massively popular Mass Effect and Dragon Age games. Games that are widely considered to have the best worlds in them and Anthem should be no exception. Since the first footage of the game was revealed almost two years ago, many people have been highly excited for the gorgeous environments and unique gameplay that the game is bringing to the table. Although there are concerns about how big of a hand EA has in Anthem (which is a common response for any games published by them), Bioware’s track record of delivering large worlds that players get lost in and feel apart of makes Anthem not only one of the most anticipated games of the month, but for the whole 2019 year as well.
The VIP Demo recently came and went which saw the masses get their first shot at playing Anthem. Aside from many server issues that are a common issue with new online multiplayer games, Anthem still excited many people. Flying around defeating various enemies for the best loot available is the kind of gameplay that can hook a person for a long time, and Bioware have the world-building skills to keep them hooked.
- Far Cry New Dawn
Release Date: February 15
Far Cry 5 was one of the most popular games to come out of 2018. Bringing the Far Cry franchise to America and fighting against a religious cult proved to be one of the craziest and most fun experiences of the year. Ubisoft heard everyone’s enjoyment with fighting Eden’s Gate and are bringing us back to Hope County, Montana to fight a new threat. Officially revealed at the Game Awards, the game is a quick turnaround for Ubisoft who released the previous game last March and an uncharacteristic sequel for the Far Cry series.
Far Cry New Dawn takes place 17 years following the ending in Far Cry 5 that saw the nukes fall. The world is destroyed, but Hope County has endured. A “super bloom” has happened and the entire country is covered in colorful flowers and wildlife. Survivors from the collapse have built new lives from the ashes of what once was. Not everyone wants to help build humanity up, however. The Highwaymen, a group of scavengers and modern-day thieves, have made it their job to travel to many different settlements to steal for their benefit and kill for their amusement. They are led by twins, Mickey and Lou, who were children when the bombs fell. They see the people of Hope County as being weak and vulnerable, a perfect target for the Highwaymen to do what they do best.
Returning in Far Cry New Dawn are the Guns for Hire and Fangs for Hire. These were the people and animals in Far Cry 5 who would travel alongside the player, assisting them with their various talents. Of course, following nuclear fallout and 17 years, a new generation of fighters must step up to the plate. With all this and being able to take advantage of many makeshift weapons, will Far Cry New Dawn end up being the post-apocalyptic game we wanted Fallout 76 to be?
- Metro Exodus
Release Date: February 15
Speaking of post-apocalyptic games, the Metro series is making its return this month with Metro Exodus. Based on the book series by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game is set in the wasteland of the Russian Federation which will host plenty of mutated monsters for the player to deal with. Although the game appears to have more of an emphasis on the outside world than the previous games, it is still a linear single player game.
The game follows Artyom, the main character from Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light. It is also a continuation of the good ending that players saw at the end of Last Light. Following a nuclear winter in the Moscow, Artyom has decided to leave and find a better life to the east. Traveling through a post-apocalyptic Russia with a small group of survivors, he must brave the many challenges and seasons that will face him over the year-long journey.
For PC players, publisher Deep Silver recently announced that the game would be exclusively available on the Epic Game Store. While Steam users will have to make a change to play the game, it will be available for $10 less than it was before.
Metro Exodus is a combination of the previous two Metro games while also adding a little bit of freshness to the series. To compensate for the player being outdoors much more now, a new AI system has been added to the enemies. Players will see a much larger variety of animals and monsters who will all act differently depending on where they are at and what season the game is in at the time. In an interview with PC Gamer, 4A Games co-founder Andriy “Prof” Prokhorov said, “We never use copy and paste development.” After seeing the many improvements and differences coming to the series with this game, it looks like the hard work the team has put together has paid off.
- Trials Rising
Release Date: February 26
Ubisoft’s popular motorcycle platform game series Trials is coming back on the 26th. Trials Rising is the newest easy-to-play, hard-to-master game in the series. Ubisoft promises the most ambitious title in the series to date.
Trials is a series that sees the player get his motorcycle through some crazy tracks in the fastest time possible while crashing as little as possible. Where Trials Fusion took a futuristic vibe, it seems that Rising will be more modern and focus on various parts of the globe. Some track locations will be Yellowstone Park, the Eiffel Tower, and Mount Everest.
The game also appears to have a career-like mode to it. On the official website, they talk about how the player starts as a smalltime rider and will gain sponsorships from bigger companies as you progress. One of the things that have me most excited for the game is being able to race against ghosts or other people in real-time multiplayer, both local and online. Trials games in the past have had very shallow multiplayer experiences, so this is a very welcome integration to the series. Included with the new multiplayer play is a mode that sees two players riding a tandem bike through tracks. There should be some hilarious lets plays coming from that mode.
Making a return, of course, is the Trials Track Editor. Since its debut in Trials Evolution, this has been one of the most popular aspects of the Trials games. Players get to create unique tracks that can be fun and challenging. I have spent many hours in past games searching through the tracks made for something new that the developers had not made. Trials Rising was a surprise announcement at last years E3, and it looks like the series is continuing to grow.
- Jump Force
Release date: February 15
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s release in December 2018 has helped settle the schoolyard argument of who would win in a fight between some of video game’s most popular characters. Jump Force is going to settle the argument of who would win in a fight between some of manga and anime’s most popular characters.
Characters from popular series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and more will be duking it out on Earth when Jump Force releases this month. As a celebration of Shonen Jump turning 50, Bandai Namco is publishing a game of some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters.
The game is a 3-on-3 tag team fight that sees realistic versions of many characters you grew up reading and watching. You can also create your own character with properties from all of your favorite manga series. Want a character that is Namekian wearing Naruto-style ninja gear? Go for it. Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has also created several original characters just for the game. Jump Force should be on any manga fans list just for the experience of crossing over the worlds alone.
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