New Game Releases: January 12th-18th, 2017

The freeze on new year’s releases is finally starting to thaw, with 2017 already bringing several notable titles. Alchemy aficionados will probably appreciate Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea materializing on the Vita, complete with a number of minor tweaks to elements like event progression. Others might be interested in Marvelous’ take on musou, with Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star bringing its visual novel-inspired mythos onto Sony systems. Even retro fans have something to look forward to, with the well-received F-Zero X making its way onto Nintendo’s Virtual Console.

Header image: Unhack 2, PC

PlayStation 4
Arcade Archives NeoGeo Fatal Fury (PSN, $7.99)
2064: Read Only Memories (PSN, $TBA)
Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star (PSN, $49.99)

Wii U
F-Zero X (Virtual Console, $9.99)

3DS
Shift DX (eShop, $4.99)

PS Vita
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (retail and PSN, $39.99)
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (Limited Edition) (retail, $64.99)
Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star (PSN, $39.99)

PC (Steam unless noted)
2064: Read Only Memories ($TBA)
A Dump in the Dark ($3.99)
Alien Shooter TD ($TBA)
Caladrius Blaze ($TBA)
Cards of Chaos ($TBA)
Don Bradman Cricket 17 ($TBA)
Hell Girls ($1.19)
Hellphobia ($TBA)
Messiah ($TBA)
Mysterium ($9.99)
Ready, Aim, Splat! ($10.79)
Rise & Shine ($11.99)
Space Slam ($8.39)
Unhack 2 ($5.94)
Winexy ($TBA)
Zombie Estate 2 ($TBA)

Robert’s Pick: As an Atelier enthusiast since the Mana series, my appreciation for Gust’s franchise has grown like a crop of Forrest Cabbage, culminating in a passionate hunger for each new title. This week’s release of Alchemists of the Dusk Sea endows Atelier Shallie with the characteristic Plus revision, mending a few components like frame rates, while incorporating new narrative elements. If you ask me, a Vita is deficient without at least one Atelier game on its memory card.