Games To Watch In January

05 Jan 2010 at 16:38:24 by Andy Alderson

A happy new year to all and welcome to our look ahead to the month in gaming, as we compile all of January's biggest releases into one tasty preview. Who else would do that for you? No-one, that's who. With the holiday lull behind us, January looks set to kickstart 2010 in style with some huge titles for your consideration.

Bayonetta
Release date: 5 Jan (US), 8 Jan (EU)

The first major release of the month, Bayonetta, may well set a high standard for 2010 with industry buzz suggesting that it’s nothing short of excellent. The player takes on the role of the titular Bayonetta, a witch with a penchant for handguns and dispatching foes with her barnet in a third person action title that has already scored a perfect 40/40 from Japanese mag Famitsu. With the man behind Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry – Hideki Kamiya – at the helm, you can expect a compelling mixture of ranged and melee action and a hefty dollop of style. The demo is already up on Xbox LIVE and PSN so give it a whirl or check out some of the trailers for the game here.

Darksiders
Release date: 5 Jan (US), 8 Jan (EU)

Heaven, Hell, Man and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in a four way ding-dong: it can’t be bad, surely. Vigil Games’ third person action RPG may prompt cries of “God of War” from certain corners of the gaming community, but we suspect the combination of ranged and close combat place it squarely in DMC (and now Bayonetta) territory while the developer has likened it to the Zelda series. The player takes on the role of War, the most interesting of the Four Horsemen, who finds himself accused of prematurely starting the Apocalypse in what promises to be a grand, and potentially confusing, conspiracy. From what we know of the plot it sounds a little on the labyrinthine side but with some quality voice actors on board like Mark Hammill, it should at least be entertaining. But, of course, action is the focuswith players able to use a selection of impressive melee weapons and guns to help War get to the bottom of the fakepocalyspe.

Army of Two: The 40th Day
Release date: 12 Jan (US), 15 Jan (EU)

To be honest, we weren’t expecting to see another instalment in the Army of Two series, following the mixed reviews for the first game which criticised a storyline dripping with cheesy, meathead machismo and inconsistent gameplay. But apparently EA Montreal found the feedback to the first game to be a “humbling experience” and has crafted a sequel which offers a new setting, more action and better co-op gameplay. And, from the demo we saw at E3, more dumbass dialogue. Well, you can’t have everything.  Set in a Shanghai devastated by a PMC attack, The 40th Day follows Salem and Rios as they attempt to survive the chaos in a tale apparently inspired by disaster movie Cloverfield. Only, you know, without the big lizardy bastard. While the heavy-handed moralism we saw in the decision-making sections didn’t exactly impress, the gameplay seems tighter this time around with a more intelligent co-op system and increased customisation. 

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