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New Game Releases 01/20/26 – 01/26/26

Andy Tuttle

Top Releases:

I’m kicking things off this week with a bit of a controversial choice for the top game, the already highly maligned Highguard, a hero shooter that isn’t even out yet. A new entry in the somewhat crowded online hero shooter genre, Highguard comes from the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends, two games that are well renowned for their stellar online gameplay. However, Highguard doesn’t seem to be pulling any positive feedback from players, with everyone seemingly focused on how it was the final “big reveal” at the 2025 Game Awards.

Highguard (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 26th

Developed by: Wildlight Entertainment
Published by: Wildlight Entertainment

In the ensuing days and weeks, Highguard has been blasted for being too generic, being too much of an Overwatch clone, and has received negative comparisons to 2025’s most high profile failure, Concord. While the game’s release date was proudly announced at The Game Awards, the complete and total silence from developer/publisher Wildlight Entertainment has led some to believe that Highguard may get delayed, re-tooled, or outright cancelled. With the game releasing next Monday, January 26th, there is still time for one of these three things to happen. If it does get delayed then I’m going to feel pretty silly highlighting it here.

Highguard is pretty much the only major title slated to release this week, though we do have other options out there if you’re curious. Riot Games brings us another title set in the League of Legends universe, with the fighting game 2XKO. Like Highguard, 2XKO will be free to play, using microtransactions and seasons passes to supplement development costs. 2XKO arrived in early access back in 2025 and has received praise from critics, going so far as to receive nominations for Best Fighting Game at both The Game Awards and The DICE Awards.

2XKO (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 20th

Developed by: Riot Games
Published by: Riot Games

If you’re in the mood for a smaller, more indie oriented game, then MIO: Memories in Orbit should be right up your alley. This metroidvania title has been highly anticipated since its 2024 announcement in a Nintendo Direct, let’s see if it can live up to they hype. In mobile gaming news, Arknights: Endfield, a spin-off of the tower defense RPG Arknights, is arriving this week and hopes to syphon as much money from your wallets as possible. Finally, the crowdfunded RPG Escape from Ever After is hitting digital storefronts this week. Heavily inspired by the Paper Mario series, Escape from Ever After looks really promising; let’s hope there’s some substance to this game’s killer style.

MIO: Memories in Orbit (PC/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 20th

Developed by: Douze Dixiemes
Published by: Focus Entertainment

Arknights: Endfield (Android/iOS/PC/PS5) – Releases Jan. 22nd

Developed by: Hypergryph
Published by: Gryphline

Escape from Ever After (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 23rd

Developed by: Sleepy Castle Studio / Wing-It! Creative
Published by: HypeTrain Digital

Ports and Expansions:

We’ve got a large amount of high profile expansions and ports this week. The one I’m most excited for is Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven, a huge piece of DLC for the popular action RPG / town building simulator. A new mountain area to explore also brings new problems to players forest village, including the introduction of freezing snow. Players will need to collect materials in order to build shelters and other warming items in an effort to keep their followers alive and happy. Players will also be able to tend animals in their village, adding new jobs for their followers to undertake in the name of the glorious leader!

That’s not all in the world of DLC, as Dynasty Warriors: Origins receives its first major expansions, Visions of Four Heroes. Players will be able to join forces with four legendary heroes from the Dynasty Warriors series, Zhang Jiao, Yuan Shao, Dong Zhou, and Lu Bu. Players will also gain access to two new weapons, bows and rope darts, as well as new battle arts and companions.

In addition to DLC, Dynasty Warriors: Origins will be making its Switch 2 debut, along with the highly acclaimed RPG Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Oh, and another Switch 2 port is arriving, The Rumble Fish 2, and comes from the renowned Japanese studio, Dimps. Lastly, the metroidvania title The Last Faith is getting an expansion, called Awakened Ancients. I suppose this game has fans out there, but I don’t know if I’ve ever met one.

Everything else:

Notable Releases from 10, 20, and 30 years ago:

Games:

In notable releases, 2016 gave us Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, the fifth game in the series and the second to appear on the 3DS, following 2013’s Dream Team. While the game is fully part of the Mario & Luigi RPG franchise, the game is unique among its other entries in that it contains the appearance of characters from the Paper Mario franchise, including the titular hero himself.

The story of Paper Jam is fairly simple; one day, while exploring Peach’s castle, Luigi discovers a mysterious & dangerous looking book. As you might imagine, the goober accidentally opens it and unleashes the denizens of the Paper Mario franchise upon the 3D Mushroom Kingdom. The evil (or misunderstood) Paper Bowser teams up with normal Bowser to kidnap several Mushroom Kingdom citizens, including Princess Peach, and it is up to Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario, to save the day.

Critics were mostly happy with Paper Jam, calling it a step up from Dream Team, particularly in the way that it eliminated (or allowed you to skip) many of the gameplay tutorials. Critics were divided on the game’s control scheme, with players needing to press different, individual buttons to control each character. While this idea was novel in its conception, many of the battles and puzzles required rote memorization. Another major complaint from critics was the amount of backtracking that players would need to do in order to solve later puzzles/quests. This included collecting specific stickers that you needed to perform certain tasks, adding to the tedium of figuring out which stickers you needed to keep on hand in order to progress the story.

Players didn’t seem to catch on to the game as much as they did all of the other entries, as Paper Jam would go on to be the worst selling title in the entire franchise. However, it was still able to surpass 1 million copies sold, so it’s not like the game did poorly. It just didn’t sell as well. It’s not really a surprise, then, when you see that the next two entries in the series were remakes of Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Inside Story, two of the most popular, after which the series’ longtime developer, AlphaDream, would shut down in 2018. The most recent entry in the franchise, 2024’s Brothership, would be developed by a different company, Acquire, though they did bring back several key team members who worked on the previous Mario & Luigi titles.

Paper Jam is currently only available on the 3DS and, with the close of the eShop, can only be accessed with a physical copy. Current eBay prices are reasonable, around $40 to $60 bucks, so maybe pick it up now before any further time passes. It’s only going to get more expensive as the years tick by, no matter how bland it might be.

From 2006, we’ve got the Xbox 360 title Marble Blast Ultra, one of the early Xbox Live Arcade titles for the freshly released console. The premise of the game is simple, move your marble around the stage in an attempt to reach the goal as quickly as possible. Early levels are simple affairs, teaching you the fundamental controls of Marble Blast Ultra, with each subsequent stage getting more and more difficult.

While you may not have played Marble Blast Ultra on the Xbox 360, likely you were more enthralled with Gears of War, or whatever, almost 800k people did play it, and they loved it. In fact, after the game was removed from the Xbox Live Arcade in 2011, freeware, fan made versions of the game popped up online, allowing future generations to experience this transcendent title.

With the Marble Blast Ultra’s developer Garage Games going defunct in 2022, several of the team members started a new company and created a spiritual sequel, Marble It Up!, releasing it in 2023. Marbles are cool, you should play this game.

From 1996, we’ve got the beat ’em up title Final Fight 3, the third and…ahem…final…entry in the series to appear on the Super NES. After the dissolution of the Mad Gear Gang, a new criminal organization appears in Metro City; the fearsome (and totally different) Skull Cross Gang. After starting a riot in downtown Metro City, it is up to Mayor Mike Haggar, police detective Lucia, street fighter Dean (not that Street Fighter) and, returning fan favorite, ninja master Guy, to stop the Skull Cross Gang and bring peace to the streets, once more.

While Final Fight 3 contains a few new features, such as command specific moves (similar to what you’d see in Street Fighter) as well as character specific moves with various weapons, there really isn’t a whole lot here to differentiate the game from its predecessors. Critics weren’t all that impressed with Final Fight 3, nor were players, who didn’t seem all that keen to run out and pick up a copy of the game.

With a low print run, due to its release in the last months of the SNES’ shelf life, and its poor sales, used copies go for a pretty penny on eBay and in retro game stores, with prices well over $100 bucks. Frankly, in my opinion, Final Fight 3 is not worth your hard earned money. This game can be easily played through emulation and should really be your only move here, at least until Capcom decides to release a second Beat ’em Up Bundle collection (but don’t hold your breath).

Movies:

In notable films, 2016 saw the release of Ride Along 2, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. With the first film making over $150 million at the box office, there was no doubt that Universal Pictures would a sequel. Unfortunately, Ride Along 2 cost about $15 million more to make than the first film, and made $25 million less in box office revenue; womp womp. Still, that’s nothing to sneeze at, it’s an insane amount of money for one of the worst reviewed films of 2016. Talks of a third film have been batted around since the release of Ride Along 2 but, as we are now here ten years later with nothing to show for it, I think we can safely assume that it isn’t happening.

From 2006, we have the movie Underworld: Evolution, the sequel to 2003’s Underworld. Starring Kate Beckinsale as a vampire named Selene who hunts werewolves (or Lycans, if you want to get technical about it). After falling in love with a werewolf named Michael, Selene escapes with him to a small village in…Europe…I guess? Anyway, shit goes down and Selene must, once again, choose between vampires and Lycans.

The film was a box office smash, taking in $120 million in revenue. This was, unlike Ride Along 2, more money than its predecessor made and ensured that a third film would be greenlit, 2009’s Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, a fourth film, 2012’s Underworld: Awakening, and a fifth film, 2016’s Underworld: Blood Wars. Should we expect a sixth film, Underworld: Rise of the Evolutionary Awakening War anytime soon? One can only hope.

From 1996, we have, quite possibly, the worst movie I’ve ever had to watch for this column, the Pauly Shore/Stephen Baldwin comedy Bio-Dome. Inspired by the real life Biosphere 2 project in Arizona, Bio-Dome tells the story of two slacker nitwits, Bud & Doyle, who accidentally infiltrate the brand new Bio-Dome scientific project. This state of the art facility contains multiple ecosystems, complete with wildlife, foliage, and pristine water, only to have it all FUCKED UP by the WILD & CRAZY antics of Bud & Doyle.

Universally panned by critics and absolutely HATED by the general public, Bio-Dome is among the worst received films of all-time. However, because we’re all idiots who don’t remember how bad things in the past really are, a sort of cult audience has built up around the film and its been more positively received by a younger generation or, perhaps, an aging Gen X population who wishes it was 1996 again.

Having watched Bio-Dome, again, in the last few days, I can easily tell you that it is truly as bad as everyone has ever made it out to be. I don’t often get offended by things or think that things in the past are bad because they do things that are considered poor taste by modern audiences but, like, Bio-Dome is on another level of trashy. Sexual assault played up for laughs and casual homophobia are just two of the things that you might not find cool in this flick. If Bio-Dome was actually a well made film that had true, laugh-out-loud moments then you might be able to look past its warts, but it’s a terrible movie and you should, happily, run away from it.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2016 saw the release of Malibu by singer/songwriter Anderson .Paak, who has an inexplicable period before his last name. I listened to it this past week; it’s not my thing. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t other people’s thing, though, as it was a massive critical & commercial hit, being called one of the best albums of 2016. It scored one Grammy nomination as well, Best Urban Contemporary Album, but would lose to Lemonade by Beyoncé.

From 2006, we have the album Rabbit Fur Coat, the first solo record from Jenny Lewis, singer/guitarist for the band Rilo Kiley. Recorded with The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat was a departure from Lewis’ work with Rilo Kiley, eschewing the indie rock sound for a more gospel/country western vibe. It was a change that I, personally, didn’t enjoy in my youth. However, I have since come to greatly appreciate the record and the story it tells of Jenny’s youth as a child actress in Los Angeles.

The album was a modest success, both critically and commercially, but has seen its reputation grow over the years. Unlike the unwarranted love for Bio-Dome by modern audiences, Rabbit Fur Coat deserves this praise. It is seen as a pivotal moment in Lewis’ career, helping her transition from band lead singer to accomplished solo artist. It might have hurt Rilo Kiley fans to see her move on from the group, but it allowed her to grow and become a more solid songwriter. In the end, we still got a Rilo Kiley reunion and we still get Jenny Lewis solo records. I call that a win/win.

Closing things out this week, from 1996, we have the album Love is Dead from the punk band The Mr. T Experience. The “Green Day Effect” was still going strong in 1996 and, by all accounts, had grown even bigger thanks to the success of No Doubt. The sad, bleak early 90’s Grunge sound had been supplanted by peppy, comedic groups, and it was around this time that you saw bands in the fringes start to reach mainstream appeal. Groups like The Dead Milkmen, Descendents, The Vandals, and Nerf Herder were reaching a young, teenage audience of losers who felt that girls just didn’t love them, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE NICE!

Love is Dead fits right in with this crowd, featuring 16 fast & furious songs about girls the singer loves, wants to love, and (probably) hates. It took over ten years for The Mr. T Experience to break big, though I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of the band. They didn’t get to the level of No Doubt or later comedic punk groups like Blink-182, or even The Aquabats, but I’m almost certain you’ve heard their song “Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba”. The band is still out there, too, making music and releasing albums, though I’m certain the only original member left is singer “Dr. Frank” Portman. Having listened to Love is Dead this past week, I can absolutely say that I enjoyed it, though it isn’t as memorable as other 90’s pop punk records.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS) – Released Jan. 22nd, 2016

Notable Film Release: Ride Along 2 – Starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Anderson .Paak – Malibu
Click here to listen to the album

Marble Blast Ultra (Xbox 360) – Released Jan. 25th, 2006

Notable Film Release: Underworld: Evolution – Starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Steven Mackintosh, Derek Jacobi, and Bill Nighy
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
Click here to listen to the album

Final Fight 3 (SNES) – Released Jan. 1996

Notable Film Release: Bio-Dome – Starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: The Mr. T Experience – Love is Dead
Click here to listen to album

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