It’s been a long month, but we’ve finally reached January’s end. That marks the end of a slow start to the video game year ahead of the busiest February in recent memory. In just a few weeks, you’ll be able to play Civilization 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Rift of the Necrodancer, and more. But before you get to all those, there are still a few neat January releases worth checking out. From the latest entry in the Sniper Elite series to a new Game Pass addition that’s getting buzz, this is what I’ll personally be dipping into this weekend.
Last week, Xbox gave us our first big surprise of 2025 — and it was a good one. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black revives a 2008 Xbox classic by giving it an Unreal Engine facelift. It’s a bit of an appetizer for Ninja Gaiden 4, which is set to release later this year, so that’s as good an excuse as any to revisit a truly unique action game from a different era. Ninja Gaiden 2 doesn’t play like a modern action game. It’s an unrelentingly difficult game that will kick your butt if you don’t learn how to properly block and counter attacks. While you may find it a bit dated thanks to its unruly camera, it’s a great little blast for the past that’ll remind you of just how distinct action games used to be before studios doubled down on consistent, repeatable formulas.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
If you’ve never played a Sniper Elite game before, Resistance is as good a place as any to start. The latest entry in Rebellion’s shooter is essentially Sniper Elite 6 in everything but name. It’s a strong collection of World War 2 set pieces that have players infiltrating Nazi operations and gunning down fascists through tense stealth action. While I’ve already finished up the campaign, I’m looking forward to diving into its suite of multiplayer modes, taking out other players in death matches or maybe even invading other people’s campaigns and making their lives a little harder. If you just feel like beating up some Nazis this weekend, this is a good way to do it.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The one benefit of being an Apple Arcade subscriber is that I occasionally get to say “I liked that game before it was cool” like a true hipster. I’m getting that chance this weekend thanks to Hello Kitty: Island Adventure, which just launched on Nintendo Switch and PC. The life sim is basically Animal Crossing with Sanrio characters, and that’s as charming as it sounds. You can fish, catch bugs, craft food, and even do a bit of open-world exploration along the way. While it’s not as grand in scope as New Horizons (this was a mobile game first, after all), it’s a lighthearted delight that’s perfect for the Switch especially. I can’t wait to start a new file and see all my pals again.
Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS via Apple Arcade.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.