Nioh

Part Dark Souls, part feudal Japan but all hardcore action, Nioh is Team Ninja’s attempt at a masochistic hardcore hack and slash. Throw in magic, spirits, weapon switching, stances and a Western Samurai and you have one of the more promising action games of the year. Nioh is out on February 7^th for PS4.

For Honor

Always online functionality and micro-transactions haven’t dulled our enthusiasm of Ubisoft’s For Honor. Your goal is simple – choose a bad-ass warrior faction, be it the Samurai, Knights or Vikings, and go to town on your foes. Along with several different multiplayer modes across six environments, For Honor also offers a meaty campaign with a nuanced battle system. It’s out on February 14^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Sniper Elite 4

Rebellion’s tactical third person shooter franchise rolls on with Sniper Elite 4. Set in Italy, players will battle against fascists in a more open world environment. That means locating sniper perches, assassinating high-ranking officials, hiding bodies and even taking on night missions. Sniper Elite 4 arrives on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on February 14^th.

Halo Wars 2

Strategic action meets card-based combat as 343 Industries collaborates with The Creative Assembly on Halo Wars 2. Taking place 28 years after the first game, the USNC Spirit of Fire returns to combat to fight the Banished, an ex-Covenant faction. Along with the usual co-op support and strategic, hard-counters gameplay, Halo Wars 2 will also introduce a new card-based battling mode called Blitz when it releases on February 21^st for Xbox One and Windows 10.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

When humanity falls and robots rule the Earth, what’s stopping an erstwhile adventurer from going hunting? Horizon: Zero Dawn explores a different kind of sci-fi setting as Aloy explores a post-apocalyptic, tribal world. With all the hunts, side-missions and exploration, Horizon: Zero Dawn has been compared to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As Guerrilla’s first action RPG, we’re looking forward to finding out if it lives up to expectations on February 28^th on PS4.

Torment: Tides of Numenera

InXile Entertainment’s spiritual successor to the beloved Planescape: Torment is finally here. Despite delays, Torment: Tides of Numenera is finally upon us. Along with inXile’s approach to tactical combat, Tides of Numenera will use “Tides” as a multi-nuanced approach to alignments. Though the number of companions has been reduced and crafting cut, Torment: Tides of Numenera still promises a classic role-playing experience like no other on February 28^th.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk

A Berserk hack and slash title from the minds behind Dynasty Warriors? Can you say “hell yes”? Berserk and the Band of the Hawk will feature Guts, annihilating his foes as always, and will actually encompass the story from the Golden Age Arc to the Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc. With all the brutality intact, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk should be worth looking into for fans of the series. It’s out on PS4, PlayStation Vita and PC on February 21^st.

Lego Worlds

Over the years, we’ve seen Lego platformers, movies, cross-overs and much more but what about a Lego game where you could freely build things? Lego Worlds aims to remedy that with a procedurally generated sandbox and the ability to construct whatever you want. You can either use “studs” and structures to create buildings or go brick-by-brick, old-school Lego-style. Sure, it may sound like Lego Minecraft but Lego Worlds offers enough new things (like vehicles) to be interesting. Check it out on February 24^th for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

De-Formers

Ready at Dawn pretty much disappeared after the underwhelming release of The Order: 1886 but they’re back with De-Formers, which releases on February 14th. And while it’s not quite what a lot of people were expecting, initial impressions peg De-Formers as pretty fun. Up to eight players take control of cartoon blob-like characters and attempt to either shoot opponents or knock them out of the arena. Power-ups and cannibalizing slain foes holds the path to victory.

Ys Origin

Ys Origin may be releasing for PS4 and PS Vita on February 21^st but it’s been available in Japan for much longer – since 2006 on PC in fact and it even released worldwide for the platform in 2012. Nevertheless, this prequel will serve to tell the story of Ys and the six priests among other things. Players can expect the same action RPG gameplay with new characters and despite its ages, it’s still a compelling adventure for PS4 and Vita players to experience.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Ready at Dawn’s next game has been revealed – it’s a multiplayer arena fighter called De-formers that’s heavily physics-oriented and will be out on PC, Xbox One and PS4 courtesy of GameStop’s GameTrust Initiative. Check out the reveal trailer below.

De-formers isn’t something you’d expect from the studio behind The Order: 1886. It incorporates mechanics from the likes of Gang Beasts and Super Monkey Ball, challenging you to knock off other competitors across a variety of tilting platforms. Four player split-screen support along with asymmetrical team play is also confirmed so you can effectively play 2v6 if you so desire.

Mark Stanley, GameStop’s VP of internal development & diversification, spoke to Eurogamer about the same and said, “It’s just fun. And it appeals to everybody. We kept using the ‘nobody’s allergic to it’ line. It really is pick-up-and-go regardless of your level of skill. It’s a wide audience that will love this.”

What are your thoughts on De-formers? Were you expecting something else given the pedigree of those involved? Let us know in the comments below.