Resident Evil 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Other Games Releasing in January 2019

It's the start of the new year, but that doesn't mean that celebrations need to come to an end. Sure, 2018 was an incredible year in gaming and it's going to be a real challenge to top that. The year kicks off with the barrage of remasters, re-makes, and even one of the most highly awaited sequels in the history of gaming (no, it's not Half-Life 3) in the form of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Resident Evil 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Ace Combat 7, and so much more. Here's what you need to know about January 2019's hottest video game releases.

Games Releasing in January 2019

Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 was a great game when it released. It took all the horror elements that made the first game unique and expanded upon it, taking it out of the cramped confines of a single mansion and to an entire city. This was the first time the zombie outbreak felt like a real world crisis. Thankfully Capcom is building the remake of this classic game from the ground up, instead of doing a lazy re-texturing of the original. We'll know by the end of this month if the game has anything more to offer beyond nostalgia.

Resident Evil 2 release date: January 25
Resident Evil 2 platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Resident Evil 2 price: Rs. 2,999 on PC, Rs. 3,499 on consoles ($60 in the US)

Kingdom Hearts 3

The crossover of Square-Enix's classic RPG characters with Disney's incredibly vast universe seems like an absurd idea, but it has worked wonders in the Kindgom Hearts franchise. Now 13 years after the release of Kingdom Hearts 2 and multiple remakes later, we're finally getting a true sequel. The interesting part is that both Square and Disney are at very different places now than they were in 2005. The big question is — how will that affect Kingdom Hearts 3?

Kingdom Hearts 3 release date: January 29
Kingdom Hearts 3 platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Kingdom Hearts 3 price: Rs. 3,499 ($60 in the US)

Onimusha: Warlords

For many of us the PS2 era was the best gaming generation till date. This is perhaps why we're still getting remakes of classic PS2 titles. The latest to join that bandwagon is the samurai action franchise of Onimusha. Onimusha: Warlords is a high definition remaster of the first game in the franchise. Besides the new textures the game is also getting more Japanese dialogues, new music, and the 'Easy Mode' will be playable right from the start of the game.

Onimusha: Warlords release date: January 15
Onimusha: Warlords platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Onimusha: Warlords price: Rs. 1,660 on Xbox One and PS4 ($20 in the US), $20 via the Nintendo eShop (around Rs. 1,400)

Tropico 6

Resume the role of 'El Presidente' from the island nation of Tropico, only this time, things get a bit more real. With fully-simulated citizens, your actions will have a positive or a negative effect on them, which is turn would affect productivity and even result in a revolt if you're not careful. Thankfully you're not limited to a single island this time around. In Tropico 6, you get a number of islands to control and even connect using bridges to ease trade. If you enjoyed Tropico 5, there's a lot more for you to discovers over four different eras in Tropico 6.

Tropico 6 release date: January 25
Tropico 6 platforms: PC
Tropico 6 price: Rs. 1,099 on Steam ($45 in the US)

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

There aren't too many games based around flight simulation these days, which makes Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown game a rare delight. The classic franchise comes of age with the Unreal Engine 4 powering it. Though the visuals look a bit dated compared to other modern games from what we can see in the trailer, the action looks better than ever. Purchasing the game gets console players access too a number of bonus items. PS4 Players get additional PS VR missions, and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (a PS2 game playable on PS4), while the Xbox One players will get a backward compatible version of Xbox 360's Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown release date: January 18
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown platforms: PS4, PS VR, Xbox One
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown price: Rs. 3,999 ($60 in the US)

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Nintendo's doing a great job of getting the best Wii U games on the Switch. The latest one to join the roster is New Super Mario Bros. U, which too is getting the 'Deluxe' treatment. The 2D side-scrolling platformer brings you the classic Mario experience with modern enhancements. The New Super Luigi U expansion comes bundled with the game along with two additional characters — Nabbit and Toadette (who can transform into Peachette with the 'Super Crown' pop-up). Nabbit makes the game easily accessible to kids, since he brings a 'God Mode'-like element to the game.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe release date: January 11
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe platforms: Switch
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe price: $60 via the Nintendo eShop (around Rs. 4,200)

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

No More Heroes comes to Nintendo Switch with a unique twist. Travis Strikes Again is a callback to classic top-down co-op action games of the past. Quite literally actually. Our protagonist get sucked into a retro video game machine where they're facing off against the game's bugs. The second player controls Travis' arch-nemesis Badman, who will be competing against our hero to defeat bosses and win the wish-granting Death Balls. Can't follow what we're saying? Well, that's what you get when you're playing a game by Suda51 — a Japanese developer with a penchant for the bizarre, responsible for cult classics like Shadows of the Damned and Killer7.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes release date: January 18
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes platforms: Switch
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes price: $40 via the Nintendo eShop (around Rs. 2,800)

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Tales of Vesperia was perhaps one of the most underrated Japanese RPGs of the last console generation that was exclusive to the Xbox 360 outside of Japan. Now after over a decade since its original Japan release, gamers will get the chance to experience why this game became a cult classic. The Definitive Edition of the game includes upscaled graphics, all the content from its Japan-exclusive PS3 version, along with English and Japanese voice tracks.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition release date: January 11
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition price: Rs. 2,750 on PS4 and Xbox One ($50 in the US), $50 via the Nintendo eShop (around Rs. 3,500)

That's not it. If you are a member of PlayStation Plus or Xbox Gold, there are some free games headed your way.

PS Plus Free Games for January 2019

• Steep (PS4)
• Portal Knights (PS4)
• Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3)
• Amplitude (PS3)
• Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion (PS Vita, cross buy with PS4)
• Super Mutant Alien Assault (PS Vita)

Xbox One Games with Gold for January 2019

• Celeste (Xbox One)
• WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship (Xbox One, Jan 16-Feb 15)
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Xbox 360, Jan 1-15)
• Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360, Jan 16-31)

Which one of these are you planning to play this month? Let us know via the comments below.