Ichiban riding a dolphin

January 22 - 28

Posted by Felix Threepaper –

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IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-13445.jpg)   Felix “Eric Andre Simulator” Threepaper

Welcome folks, and happy “449th Anniversary of Tallis and Byrd’s Musical Monopoly” week!

Thomas Tallis and William Byrd were English composers during the Renaissance. On 22 January 1575, Queen Elizabeth granted them a licence which stated that they were the only people allowed to print and publish music in England for 21 years. Unsurprisingly, most of the music they published in that time was in praise of their Queen. You may all celebrate by playing a game that sells you its songs separately.

Suddenly, the release list is long again. It’s like when everyone floods back into the office after a public holiday.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the 8th entry in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, and promises to be the biggest one yet. For the first time, both protagonists are here: OG protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and the goofier Ichiban Kasuga. Also for the first time, the action is set mostly outside Japan, as Ichiban and his crew from the previous game go to Hawaii to track down Ichiban’s mother. Hawaii is to Japan as Vice City is to GTA 3: tropical and sunny, but otherwise just as full of criminal gangs, street fighting and side activities. The signature brawling, storytelling and RPG elements that form the backbone of the franchise are there as always, but it’s the minigames that show the most expansion. Franchise stalwarts like Karaoke and arcade games make a return. On top of that, there’s a dating sim, a Crazy Taxi clone and, most mind-bogglingly, they put whole-ass Pokémon and Animal Crossing clones in there too. There’s months of fun in here, even if you ignore the main story and just do the side stuff.

Tekken 8 is the first Tekken that won’t come out in arcades. To compensate, there’s a new arcade mode that will let you make a chibi avatar and play in a virtual, in-game arcade. This is not just a novelty, but has its own progression and rewards, as well as serving as a training ground to teach you how to play each character. This is also the first Tekken, and the first fighting game, to use Unreal Engine 5, so the visuals are turned up to 11: the detail of the character models and backgrounds, the grandeur of the cutscenes, the scale of the set-piece battles. The devs have poured a ton of effort Into the story mode—often the only indicator that you have left a cutscene is the health bars appearing at the top of the screen. Super Ghost Battles feature AI that adapts to your playstyle in real time, to break you out of spamming a few favourite combos. Tekken Ball makes a comeback. Overall, it’s the most feature-rich and visually impressive fighting game this generation. Let’s see how the core fighting holds up.

On the indie front, Howl is by a Vienna-based developer. It surprise-released on Steam late last year but is coming out on consoles this week and got a shout-out on Conference Call 901 as an Anticipated Game. The premise is that you’re in a medieval land that is beset by a howling plague that turns anyone who hears it into a feral beast. You play as a deaf girl, who is thus immune to the plague (but not the beasts’ claws and jaws) and is searching for a cure. It plays out as a turn-based puzzler: each level is on a 2D grid and you have so many turns to get to the exit. On the way, there will be beasts and hazards. You plot out your turn’s actions, press play and then you and any beasts take their turns simultaneously. While simply reaching the exit unlocks the next stage, you need to dispatch beasts to earn the currency that unlocks and upgrades your moveset. This opens up replayability. It’s presented in a hand-drawn art style that reminds you of a dark childrens’ book. It looks like a nice sessional game.

Lil’ Guardsman is an adventure game where you play as Lil, the daughter of a medieval guardsman who is filling in for her dad at the guardhouse. The gameplay is like Papers, Please but way more whimsical. People come to the guardhouse and you interview them and decide their fate. It’s a bureaucratic power trip with slapstick fantasy silliness.

Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil is a port of a 2021 horror game where you play as a 74-year old priest, armed with your trusty crucifix to exorcise the evil from a spooky house. It’s weird that more horror games don’t have you play as an elderly person, to give a reason for why you can’t move fast and beat everything up.

This week is between two contenders. Tekken 8 looks amazing, but I dropped off fighting games years ago. I’m giving the GOTW to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Like a Dragon games are just a great hang, and the change of scenery affords plenty of opportunities for the series’ trademark humour.

GWJ Word of the Week: Indie — short for independent video game. Originally it meant a game designed by one person in their bedroom, without money or marketing from a major publisher. Now, after years of layoffs and turmoil in the big game studios, it refers to games made by smaller studios, made up of people who left the big game studios and still have contacts at Kotaku to spread the word about their upcoming projects.

Here's the list, in release-date AND alphabetical order!

PC

  • 01-22

  • Absence of Light
  • Aim in Space
  • Animalistic Worlds
  • Brownie's Haunted Christmas
  • Caught On Camera
  • Death Penalty Hero
  • Dice of God
  • Disaster Golf
  • dont red: SIM Trading
  • Hailing from the Abyss
  • Kaiki Sando
  • Meow Moments: Celebrating Together
  • Mortal Glory 2 Prologue
  • NightCrawler
  • Peepo Hop!
  • Project Jeff
  • Quadruzzle
  • Real Coin Pusher
  • Save Giant Girl from monsters
  • Sky Base Venus
  • Super Monsters
  • TASOKARE HOTEL Re:newal
  • The Return of the King
  • The Street 10
  • The Universim
  • Virtual Jigsaw Puzzles
  • Writer's Rush

  • 01-23

  • Army of Tentacles: Assault on Rainbow Unicorn Island
  • Bomber 3
  • Desktop Tourney World
  • Eternal Quest
  • Foothold
  • Gods Against Machines Prologue
  • Graven
  • Lil' Guardsman
  • Little Loki & The Yggdrasil Maze
  • Luan Dan Three Kingdoms
  • Right and Down and Dice
  • Sect And Monsters
  • Snow Plowing Simulator - First Snow
  • Stargate: Timekeepers
  • Super Idol
  • Taddle Quest
  • The Source
  • The Way of Gods and Demons
  • Trans-Siberian Railway Simulator: Prologue
  • Veggie Quest: Offline

  • 01-24

  • Anomaly Agent
  • Astral Druids
  • Conquistadors
  • Crazy module
  • CubeCubeRubik
  • Drop Pane : Not Only Match-3
  • Escape From AMEXS-137
  • FLAKE The Legend of Snowblind
  • KRITIKA: ZERO
  • Noah City: Rise of the conqueror
  • NOSE
  • Ranch Battle
  • Red Glare
  • Roots of Yggdrasil
  • Saga of the Moon Priestess
  • Seqitaire
  • Sun-shot legend
  • Tale of the Seas
  • Tenka Touitsu SSB
  • The Retirement Life of Lao Wang Next Door
  • The Twilight Witch
  • The Witch's Cauldron
  • Toribash Next
  • Walls of Rust

  • 01-25

  • Abyss Manager Idle
  • Alpaca Wonders Why
  • Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
  • Black stone (King of the Times)
  • Core Devourer
  • DeepSea Serenity: VR Underwater Trip
  • DR3AMy
  • Elhosea
  • Flash of the Blade
  • Flipshot
  • Ghost legend
  • Go Mecha Ball
  • I commissioned some snails
  • Jaki's CSI Adventure
  • Jett Rider - Reduce, reuse and BLAST IT OFF!
  • Last Castle Guardians
  • Looking For Cats In a Badly Drawn City
  • MACROSS Shooting Insight
  • Mad World - Age of Darkness - MMORPG
  • Man in the Dark
  • Minimalist Tower Defense
  • Mortadelo y Filemon: Mamelucos a la Romana
  • MR 333 II: Planetbirth
  • N+1
  • Noxia Somnia
  • One Fine Tourney
  • Panda?
  • Phantom Abyss
  • Procrastinaut
  • REARVIEW MIRROR
  • RIN: The Last Child
  • Sudama Relation
  • Supermarket Simulator: Prologue
  • Surveillance Simulator
  • The Cauldron Kids: The Summoning of Mr. Vermicelli
  • Tiny Battles
  • UNDERDOGS
  • Weapon Meister
  • Wild Legion

  • 01-26

  • A Night at the Watermill
  • ARATAMAKAMI
  • BioGun: Clinical Trial
  • Birds vs Dragons
  • Boku no Sukinahito no Sukinahito wa, Josou sh*ta Boku de sh*ta
  • Carnaval Simulator
  • Chains of Acquisition
  • Chiccha Set
  • D.C.5 Future Link
  • Dawn of Gray
  • Detective Kiwi
  • Duck's Despair
  • F.I.T.
  • FLIP * FLOP TwinBox
  • Foot Serve
  • FREAKHUNTER
  • Hakkenden
  • Hospital 666
  • In Ju Kunoichi ~ Chuugi wo Koeru Reizoku ~
  • Intergalactic Ecstasy
  • Inyoku no Tsuugaku Densha
  • Jump Out
  • Kagura Genesis: Kuon's Story
  • Kan Ura Hito Itsuwari no Maid wa Uragiri ni Somaru
  • Koi ni wa Amae ga Hitsuyou Desu ~Motto Amaete Morau Dake MiniFanDisc
  • Kurikuri Click ~Ore no Renaissance~
  • Kurone's Feelings
  • Lagoon Lounge 2 : The Secret Roommate
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Mariam Game
  • Muso no Haramase Onaho Kishidan ~ Tsuyoi Mesu o Jutsu De Kuppuku sa Sete Ero Hidoi Koto Yaritaihodai no Zettai Chusei Harem o Tsukuru!
  • Netorare Ren'ai Jijou
  • Paper Flight - Relic Hunter
  • Paper Lily - Chapter 1
  • Powerless Heroes Boiled Eggs 2
  • Professor Goodboi's Ballistics
  • Quallet
  • Santas Christmas Escape VR
  • Scrap and Battery
  • Seisai + Spotlight
  • Shinsei Kourin S-TRAN[C]XE
  • Shinshoku-kan
  • Shojo no Shinjin Hisho ga Injo ni Ochiru Made
  • Stack Slayer
  • Swim Sacabambaspis!
  • Tekken 8
  • The Mine
  • The Tour
  • Timeshift
  • Tour Manager: Secret Stories
  • Wall Ball

  • 01-28

  • Abstracto
  • Disappearance - Takeshi, you were right. That abandoned village is too dangerous.
  • Dump The Corpse
  • GhostHunt With Triggered Insaan
  • Hope with Island
  • Six Cabins in Serpent Ridge National Forest

Xbox Series X

  • 01-23

  • Howl
  • Lil' Guardsman
  • Stumble Guys

  • 01-25

  • Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil
  • Go Mecha Ball
  • Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic
  • Jett Rider - Reduce, reuse and BLAST IT OFF!
  • Phantom Abyss
  • Starward Rogue

  • 01-26

  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Tekken 8

Xbox One

  • 01-23

  • Lil' Guardsman
  • Stumble Guys

  • 01-24

  • Anomaly Agent
  • Climber: Sky is the Limit
  • Remains

  • 01-25

  • Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
  • Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil
  • Go Mecha Ball
  • Jett Rider - Reduce, reuse and BLAST IT OFF!
  • Starward Rogue

  • 01-26

  • Dead Tomb
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

PlayStation 5

  • 01-23

  • Howl
  • Immortality
  • Lil' Guardsman

  • 01-25

  • Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil
  • Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic
  • MACROSS Shooting Insight
  • Starward Rogue
  • Tenka Touitsu SSB
  • Touhou Luna Nights
  • Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes

  • 01-26

  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Tekken 8

PlayStation 4

  • 01-23

  • Lil' Guardsman

  • 01-25

  • Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
  • Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil
  • Docchi no i ga Suki Desu ka?
  • MACROSS Shooting Insight
  • Rainbow Islands
  • Starward Rogue
  • Sudama Relation
  • Tenka Touitsu SSB
  • Touhou Luna Nights
  • Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Joukan
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 1
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 2
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 3
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 4

  • 01-26

  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Nintendo Switch

  • 01-23

  • Lil' Guardsman
  • Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters
  • The Legend of Steel Empire

  • 01-24

  • Saga of the Moon Priestess

  • 01-25

  • Anomaly Agent
  • Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
  • Arcade Tycoon
  • Boaty Tanks 2
  • Chip's Challenge
  • Devil Inside Us: Roots of Evil
  • Docchi no i ga Suki Desu ka?
  • Docchi no i ga Suki Desu ka? + Omoide Kakaete Ai ni Koi!! Set
  • Evil Nun: The Broken Mask
  • Geki Muzu nou Tore! Machigaisagashi Chousen-jou Chou Nanmon no Katsu Aha Katsu Muzukashii IQ Hima Tsubushi Game
  • GRIME Definitive Edition
  • Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic
  • Hitman: Blood Money - Reprisal
  • Jett Rider - Reduce, reuse and BLAST IT OFF!
  • KOBOLOK
  • Oops, I Said Yes?!
  • PuzzlePet - Feed your cat
  • PuzzlePet: Feed Your Cat
  • Rainbow Islands
  • Real Jinrou Game Desugemu Kara Dasshutsu Seyo! Nazotoki Novel Mystery Adventure
  • Starward Rogue
  • Starward Rogue: AuGMENTED
  • Suspects Room: Keishichou Monzen Sho Torishirabe Han
  • Sweets Drop
  • Tamashii-uri
  • Tenka Touitsu SSB
  • UFO: Henfield
  • Ukkari Kunagai
  • Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
  • Yggdra Union 3-in-1 Special Edition
  • Youkai Tantei Chima Chima
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Joukan
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 1
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 3
  • Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ~ Hanayui no Kirameki ~ Vol. 4

  • 01-26

  • Dead Tomb
  • Grotto
  • Negligee
  • SciFi Racer Simulator
  • The Adventures of Panzer: Legacy Collection

  • 01-27

  • Counter Shooter Strike Zone

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