New Releases: February 16th-22nd, 2023

This week, PlayStation VR 2 makes its debut, offering a significant technical upgrade over the previous hardware. The looming question is whether the peripheral’s software library will be enticing enough to prompt players to drop $549. At present, we’re tracking 27 titles at launch, including ports and upgrades. But if virtual reality isn’t for you, don’t worry, there are still plenty of other promising titles, with Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, and Digimon World: Next Order all making appearances. Meanwhile, visual novels fans might find comfort in the release of The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons (pictured).

PlayStation 4
Akka Arrh (digital, $19.99)
Atomic Heart (physical & digital, $69.99)
Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart (physical & digital, $39.99)
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle Deluxe Edition (physical, $29.99, digital, $19.99)
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs  (digital, $12.99)
Redemption Reapers (digital, $TBA)
Rise of Fox Hero (digital, $3.99)
Rooftop Renegade (digital, $17.99)
Seven Doors (digital, $4.99)
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition (digital, $39.99, free upgrade for previous owners)
Signalis (physical, $29.99)
Tales of Symphonia Remastered (digital, $39.99)
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (physical $49.99, digital, $49.99-$99.99)

PlayStation 5
Atomic Heart (physical & digital, $69.99)
Like a Dragon: Ishin! (physical & digital, $59.99)
Wild Hearts (physical & digital, $69.99)

PlayStation VR 2
Altair Breaker (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Cities VR: Enhanced Edition (digital, PSVR 2, $29.99, $26.99 PS+)
Cosmonious High (digital, PSVR 2, $29.99, $23.99 PS+)
Demeo (digital, PSVR 2, $39.99, $31.99 PS+)
Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Fantavision 202X (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Hello Neighbor: Search & Rescue (digital, PSVR 2, $29.99, $26.99 PS+)
Horizon Call of the Mountain (digital, PSVR 2, $59.99)
Kayak VR: Mirage (digital, PSVR 2, $22.99)
Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Moss (digital, PSVR 2, $19.99, $17.99 PS+)
Moss: Book II (digital, PSVR 2, $29.99, $26.99 PS+)
Pavlov (digital, PSVR 2, $19.99)
Resident Evil Village VR Mode (DLC, PSVR 2, free)
Rez Infinite (digital, PSVR2, $TBA, $9.99 upgrade)
Song in the Smoke: Rekindled (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (digital, PSVR 2, $49.99)
Synth Riders: Remastered Edition (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
Tentacular (digital, PSVR 2, $24.99)
Tetris Effect Connected (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA, $9.99 upgrade)
The Last Clockwinder (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
The Light Brigade (digital, PSVR 2, $24.99, $21.24 PS+)
The Tale of Onogoro (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution (digital, PSVR 2, $39.99)
Townsmen VR (physical & digital, PSVR 2, $39.99)
Zenith: The Last City (digital, PSVR 2, $29.99)
Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded (digital, PSVR 2, $TBA)

Switch
Akka Arrh (digital, $19.99)
4×4 Offroad Driver 2 (digital, $12.99)
CyberHeroes Arena DX (digital, $4.99)
Digimon World: Next Order (physical & digital, $59.99)
Dr Smart Space Adventure (digital, $14.99)
Dust & Neon (digital, $29.99)
Ein’s Sword (digital, $3.00)
Elderand (digital, $16.99)
Forklift Extreme: Impound Lot (DLC, $2.99)
Genesis Noir (physical, $39.99)
Geometric Sniper – Blood in Paris (digital, $2.99)
Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart (physical & digital, $39.99)
Hopping Girl Kohane EX (digital, $24.99)
Kao the Kangeroo (physical, $34.99)
Lucie’s Potager (digital, $19.99)
Montezuma’s Revenge: 8-Bit Edition (digital, $11.99)
Mosaic Chronicles Deluxe (digital, $12.99)
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell (physical, $29.99, digital, $19.99)
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs  (digital, $12.99)
Non-Stop Space Probe (digital, $1.99)
Piano: Learn and Play (digital, $19.99)
Piczle Lines 2: Into the Puzzleverse  (digital, $13.49)
Prizma Puzzle Prime  (digital, $4.49)
Rise of Fox Hero (digital, $3.99)
Rooftop Renegade (digital, $17.99)
Seven Doors (digital, $4.99)
Silver Falls – Ghoul Busters (digital, $11.99)
Sniper Strike 3D – Secret Elite Mission Warfare “GHOST SQUAD” (digital, $4.99)
Spongebob: Krusty Cook-Off (physical, $29.99)
Tales of Symphonia Remastered (physical & digital, $39.99)
Tama Cannon (digital, $1.99)
The Legend of Gwen (digital, $19.99)
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (physical $49.99, digital, $49.99-$99.99)
Twice Reborn: A Vampire Visual Novel  (digital, $14.99)
Verdict Guilty (digital, $8.99)
W.A.R.P. (digital, $4.49)

Xbox One
Akka Arrh (digital, $19.99)
Atomic Heart (physical & digital, $69.99)
CometStriker DX (digital, $14.99)
Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart (physical & digital, $39.99)
Like a Dragon: Ishin! (physical & digital, $69.99)
Remoteness (digital, $24.99)
Rise of Fox Hero (digital, $3.99)
Road Stones (digital, $4.99)
Rooftop Renegade (digital, $17.99)
Seven Doors (digital, $4.99)
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition (digital, $39.99, free upgrade for previous owners)
Tales of Symphonia Remastered (digital, $39.99)
W.A.R.P. (digital, $4.49)

Xbox Series S/X
Wild Heart (physical & digital, $69.99)

PC
Ages of Conflict: World War Simulator ($TBA)
Atomic Heart ($59.99)
Birth ($TBA)
Dreams in the Witch House ($10.99)
Elderand ($16.99)
Hellcard ($17.99)
Knights of Braveland ($12.74)
Like a Dragon: Ishin! ($59.99)
Metal Mutation ($TBA)
Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition ($39.99, free upgrade for previous owners)
SpaceBourne 2 ($TBA)
The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons ($TBA)
Wild Hearts ($69.99)
Wild West Dynasty ($21.59)
Women’s Prison ($TBA)

Rob’s pick: Ordinarily, I should be excited by the emergence of new hardware like the PSVR2. I had a chance to try Sony’s new VR headset and walked away impressed by the technology. Eye-tracking worked pretty flawlessly and I was told that the unit can render what you’re looking at in full resolution, allowing for a bit of power saving. Yet, as amazing as some of the software is, I didn’t experience anything that could justify a $549 USD expense- especially since I already own two other VR headsets that get little use. Between Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat!, The Tale of Onogoro, and Altair Breaker the launch lineup doesn’t feel overly Western, but until there’s a single-player campaign offering me some old-fashioned mecha warfare, I’ll be on the sidelines.

Instead, I’ll be travelling back to the Bakumatsu period in hopes of finding the person responsible for killing my mentor. The Yazuka franchise rarely disappoints, and you’d have to go all the way back to 2012’s Dead Souls to find a substandard spin-off. But this week’s remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin! isn’t attempting to tackle survival horror, delivering a more conventional blend of pugnaciousness, solid storytelling, and the obligatory inclusion of lively mini-games.

Lastly, I’m enjoying Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell, a series that began as a spin-off of 1984’s Ninja-Kid. Revisiting the original NES game reveals an enjoyable but somewhat stiff experience that feels like a mix of 1983’s Mario Bros with a bit of Bubble Bobble. This remake preserves the game’s delightfully simple mechanics while updating the controls and presentation. Renovations also include in-game gachapon and additional characters, contributing a bit of longevity.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Like A Dragon: Ishin! is a brilliant concept, executed brilliantly. Kiryu and the gang wear their shinsengumi coats well, and the shift in setting does nothing to compromise anything that people love about the Yakuza series. You can never have too much historical fiction.

I also cannot recommend Theatrhythm Final Bar Line enough. I like rhythm games in general, but this is one of the finest I’ve ever played. It doesn’t stray from what the 3DS Theatrhythm titles offered (which is just as well), but it is so loaded with music tracks that it’s a functionally endless game. I mean, it’s going to take you over 50 hours just to play every track on each difficulty setting once. Let alone try to master them. That’s testament to how much amazing music has been created to support Square Enix’s JRPGs over the years. Hopefully, the company continues to deliver in that way forever.

Ryan’s pick: The Ryu Ga Gotoku Team continues to produce some really great content, and since I missed the original in 2014, I’m going with LIke a Dragon: Ishin! this week. I think I’m most interested in how the brawling in the game will be, as I really appreciated how over-the-top the Yakuza games could be. I have a feeling many of the x-factor moments may not fit the motif of this one, I still feel like there’s going to be some Yakuza-esque moments sprinkled in there.

When I need a bit of a break from action games my go to genre are visual novels, so I am also interested in The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons. This particular VN is a bit of a departure from the more fanservice-focused titles that are on Steam, but I think that it will be a nice change of pace. The premise and title alone exude a bit more of a serious tone, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. The character art and CGs I’ve seen so far seem very polished, so I think it could be worth a quick look if you need a change of pace.