Game Room: January Roundup

January is typically a slow time for video games, but Game Room still has you covered with the news and reviews you need to see you through to beefier gaming

January is typically a slow time for video games, but Game Room still has you covered with the news and reviews you need to see you through to beefier gaming months.

Your MLB 13 coverboy is...

Sony

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has landed the coveted cover for MLB 13 The Show. The All-Star centerfielder posted his best season in 2012, hitting .327 with 31 home runs, 96 RBIs and 20 steals. McCutchen would surely be more of a household name if he played on a better team in a bigger market, but this recognition as one of baseball’s best is well deserved. We’ll have more coverage of The Show next month; the game is scheduled for a March 5 release on the PS3 and PS Vita.

Tiger travels back in time

EA Sports

Despite featuring what's likely the longest name ever for a golf game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14: The Masters Historic Edition has some new features that sound pretty cool. For starters, users will be able to open up a can of sepia tone and tee up at Augusta National circa 1934, playing the original layout of the course. Other playable eras going back to the 1800s will challenge gamers with the equipment of the day, so get ready to rough it with wooden clubs. Users will also be able to pay against, or as, a host of golf legends including Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is scheduled for a March 26 release on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Review: Devil May Cry 5

Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Systems: Xbox 360, PS3

Devil Mary Cry 5 is a third-person action game with a solid backstory and intense combat. You play as Dante, an angel-demon hybrid who is fighting his way through limbo toward an endgame showdown with the king of the demons. The visuals throughout the single player campaign are truly imaginative and impressive, and the combat in Devil May Cry is kickass. Learning how to combine Dante’s arsenal of weapon attacks makes dispatching a clever assortment of demons an art form.

Score: 9 out of 10

Review: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Namco

Publisher: Namco

System: PS3

Don’t let the name throw you: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is actually a fantastic JRPG (Japanese roll playing game) with a strong Zelda-Pokemon mashup vibe. In Ni No Kuni you’ll play as Oliver, a thoughtful and kind kid, who through a well-developed story enters an adventure in an alternate fantasy world. Along the way users will enjoy plenty of exploration and engaging tactical battles, plus a wide variety of creatures and opponents. The battles are orchestrated using creatures you acquire and train, and balancing your minions and attacks is deceptively addictive and fun. The game has an amazing aesthetic thanks to beautiful anime visuals, clever character design, solid voice acting and a pleasing musical score. The game will take 40-50 hours to play through, and that doesn’t count all the side missions. Ni No Kuni is a long and involved game that users can get lost in, but in a good way.

Score: 9 out of 10

Review: Fire Emblem Awakening

Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

System: 3DS

Fire Emblem Awakening brings something new and awesome to the tactical RPG genre: real relationships. The battles themselves aren't anything wildly innovative. Your customized avatar functions as part of an ever-changing team of adventurers who collaborate to fight a variety of baddies through turn-based attacks. What this new Fire Emblem brings to the game is the way the characters interact in service to the overarching story. They grow as fighters, they become friends, they can marry and procreate and, most importantly, they can die. Managing the relationships in the game is at least as fascinating as the battles themselves and, much like Mass Effect, players will find themselves having to make impossible choices about which of their beloved, leveled-up characters will die. This permanent death (unless you play the game on the casual difficulty level) makes every choice surprisingly impactful and gives the game huge amounts of replayability.