Gamers have the perfect escape for the cold this winter.
As the air continues to stay chilly, it only becomes more enticing to curl up at home on the couch playing an exciting video game. Luckily for gamers, this winter season promises a wonderful selection of new, captivating games that will keep them busy as they wait out the frigid cold.
Read on for the Daily Bruin’s curated list of all the best video games releasing this season.
“Resident Evil Requiem” (Capcom) – Feb. 27
Welcome back to Raccoon City. Population? Evil.
Five years in the making, the ninth mainline entry of the Capcom series “Resident Evil” releases Feb. 27, commemorating the franchise’s 30th anniversary. Players will follow Grace Ashcroft, a timid intelligence analyst for the FBI, as she visits the infamous town of Raccoon City to investigate a series of mysterious deaths. The latest incident takes place at the Wrenwood Hotel, the site of Grace’s mother’s death eight years prior. Grace will have to confront more than her own demons in this action-packed horror.
Koshi Nakanishi, the acclaimed mind behind “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard,” returns to direct the new nightmare. Incidentally, the game also sees the return of the beloved character Leon Kennedy, playing directly into the game’s main mechanic. The story sees the player switching between Grace and Leon, alternating between the familiar third-person action gameplay of the fourth game and the claustrophobic first-person playstyle of the seventh.
Prepare to roundhouse kick and run for your life this February.
– Parsa Arshi
“World of Warcraft: Midnight” (Blizzard Entertainment) – March 2
It’s almost Midnight, but Azeroth won’t be sleeping anytime soon.
On March 2, Blizzard Entertainment is breathing new life into the massive multiplayer online roleplaying game “World of Warcraft” with its “Midnight” expansion, the second and penultimate release within the “Worldsoul Saga” trilogy. The launch picks up mid-conflict with Xal’atath, a once dormant villain trapped inside a dagger whom players must confront in the reimagined Quel’Thalas to preserve the Sunwell and save Azeroth from peril.
With “World of Warcraft” now over two decades old, players will reap the benefits of the years of development, namely through features like player housing, a fresh Devourer specialization for the Demon Hunter class, a novel Prey system for conquering powerful targets and excitingly, a new playable allied race, the Haranir. The bioluminescent ancient elf-troll hybrids are just one facet of “World of Warcraft”‘s new era. In an exclusive interview with Game Informer, game director Ion Hazzikostas emphasized Blizzard’s desire to mitigate players’ reliance on third-party add-ons in the new launch, restricting access to external combat “brains” and moving core functionality into the default user interface.
As the days grow shorter, “Midnight” awaits players who dare to stand against the Void.
– Emily Berkowitz
“Pokémon Pokopia” (Nintendo) – March 5
This March, the world of Pokémon invites you to stop and smell the flowers.
The beloved franchise is evolving into the life simulation genre with the release of “Pokémon Pokopia” on Nintendo Switch 2. For the first time, players will be able to create their own utopias alongside Pokémon as they build, craft and garden in a sandbox world. As players take on the role of a Ditto transformed into a human, they will befriend other Pokémon and learn their moves to shape the environment while restoring a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
With its slow-paced gameplay and quaint graphics, “Pokémon Pokopia” is reminiscent of games like “Minecraft” and fellow Nintendo title “Animal Crossing,” where the environment mimics everyday life and fosters a relaxing atmosphere. Alongside the playable Ditto, the game introduces several loveable characters as recognizable Pokémon, such as mentor figure Professor Tangrowth, the ghostlike Peakychu and a foliage-covered Mosslax. Additionally, an online multiplayer option will be available for groups of up to four players.
Once players get cozied up in the paradise of “Pokémon Pokopia,” they surely will never want to leave.
– Gwendolyn Lopez
“Life Is Strange: Reunion” (Square Enix) – March 26
It’s time to rewind, one last time.
On March 26, the “Life Is Strange” franchise will conclude with “Life Is Strange: Reunion,” the devastating fifth chapter in the beloved series.
The game follows the first entry’s protagonist, Max Caulfield, as she uses her abilities to prevent a devastating inferno from striking her university after a series of haunting visions. Max’s reality gets even stranger when the first entry’s deuteragonist Chloe Price mysteriously arrives into town in need of her help – an exciting appearance for veteran players of the franchise.
“Life Is Strange: Reunion” will provide the long-awaited narrative closure of Max and Chloe’s storied past as Max faces the consequences of her past time manipulation. With the help of Max and Chloe’s time-rewinding and “backtalk” powers, players will be able to manipulate both time and opponents with the familiar butterfly-effect mechanic, working in tandem to solve the dual mysteries at hand.
The fate of Max, Chloe and Caledon is waiting – and yours to decide.
– Davis Hoffman
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