Top Releases:

• Code Vein II (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 30^th
• Cairn (PC/PS5) – Releases Jan. 20^th
• Dusk Index: GION (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 29^th
• I Hate This Place (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 29^th
• The 9th Charnel (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 30^th

Hey gang! I’m on vacation for the next week, spending some time in Orlando at Disney World. While you’re reading this I’ll be in Animal Kingdom, riding a banshee through Pandora screaming “SIVAKO!!!” at the top of my lungs.

On that note, I won’t be giving much commentary this week (and probably the next), my apologies, but your boy needs a break sometimes! Our top game of the week is the action-RPG Code Vein II, the sequel to 2019’s Code Vein. This is our first “souls-like” of 2026 and I’m sure it won’t be the last. The other big game this week is the rock-climbing sim Cairn, a PlayStation console exclusive that has looked really promising since it was announced back in 2024.

Code Vein II (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 30^th

Developed by: Bandai Namco Studios
Published by: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Cairn (PC/PS5) – Releases Jan. 20^th

Developed by: The Game Bakers
Published by: The Game Bakers

Rounding things out are a trio of smaller titles that I probably would have featured in the “Everything Else” section but, because I’m not spending a ton of time on the column this week, I’ll feature them up here. Take a look!

Dusk Index: GION (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 29^th

Developed by: mebius.
Published by: Bushiroad Inc.

I Hate This Place (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 29^th

Developed by: Rock Square Thunder
Published by: Feardemic

The 9th Charnel (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 30^th

Developed by: Saikat Deb
Published by: SODESCO

Ports and Expansions:

One of 2025’s best games, Dispatch, is coming to Switch 2 this week; also coming to Switch 2, GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition. Fans of tactical RPGs can also look forward to Front Mission 3: Remake, as it arrives on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox this week as it leaves the confines of the Switch.

• Dispatch (Switch 2) – Releases Jan. 28^th
• GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition (Switch 2) – Releases Jan. 29^th
• Front Mission 3: Remake (PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jan. 30^th

Notable Releases from 10, 20, and 30 (and sometimes 40) years ago:

Games:

I’m going to try and breeze through these notable titles, I’ve got a Lightning Lane pass for the Ratatouille ride and I hear if you’re late then you have to clean out the teacups after someone barfs in it.

From 2016, we have the game The Witness, from “prickly genius” Jonathan Blow. This was the developer’s second game, following the runaway success of his indie title Braid, and took nearly eight years to make. In The Witness, players explore a mysterious island, solving puzzles and attempting to discover all of the secrets held there. Critics had mostly positive things to say about the game, with the staff at IGN going as far as to call The Witness a masterpiece, bestowing a perfect 10 out of 10 score on the game.

While The Witness failed to sell as many copies as Braid, it did manage to pull in more revenue due to its higher price point. Not surprisingly, Blow’s next game would be a remaster of Braid, coming in 2024, while his next original title, Order of the Sinking Star, is slated for release in 2026.

From 2006, we have the Game Boy Advance title Drill Dozer, an action platformer from Game Freak, the studio behind Pokémon. In the game, players take control of a character named Jill, the daughter of a bandit, who goes on a journey to retrieve a stolen gem that belonged to her late mother. To aid her, Jill uses a powerful vehicle called a Drill Dozer, which allows her to fight enemies, break through obstacles, and solve puzzles.

Drill Dozer was well received by critics when it released and has subsequently been regarded as one of the GBA’s best games (and likely hidden gems, because I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it before researching it this week). The game was published by Nintendo so, of course, it got prime coverage in Nintendo Power magazine, with the publication giving it the GBA Game of the Year award in its annual “Best of…” issue.

While the character of Jill has appeared in Smash Bros. as both an assist trophy and spirit, Nintendo has mostly abandoned the property over the last 20 years. While it did receive a release on the Wii U as a Virtual Console title, it has yet to appear on the Switch Online service, leaving emulation as your best chance to play this forgotten classic.

From 1996, we have the game Tetris Blast, a puzzle game released on the Game Boy. The game concept, which marries Tetris blocks with bombs, was first introduced in the 1991 Famicom game, Tetris 2 + Bombliss. While the standard Tetris gameplay is here, the difference is that if a line is cleared and touching a bomb, it sets off a chain reaction that destroys other nearby blocks.

The Bombliss concept was created by Tsunekazu Ishihara, who showed it to Tetris creator, Alexi Pajiotnov, on a visit to Japan in 1989. Feeling like it would be a good fit for Tetris, Ishihara would be put in charge of developing the title. Fun fact, Tsunekazu Ishihara is the current CEO of The Pokémon Company, having produced many of the games in the series, and was also a developer on multiple Nintendo puzzle titles, including Yoshi, Mario & Wario, and Pokémon Puzzle League.

Critics were unmoved by Tetris Blast, though admitted it wasn’t bad. The problem was, well, Tetris exists and is near perfect. All attempts to “spice up” the Tetris formula just seemed to lead to mediocre games that would be far more enjoyable if they were just a regular game of Tetris. In 2024, the game received a re-release as part of Tetris Forever, under its Japanese name, Super Bombliss.

From 1985, we have the arcade title The Legend of Kage and, if I’m being totally honest, I’m only highlighting so I can discuss at least one album & film from 1986. Anyway, yay The Legend of Kage! This is a standard hack & slash platforming game, with players taking on the role of the ninja Kage. Your goal is to save the princess, a common theme in many early games, with players needing to guide Kage through five levels.

The game was a decent hit in Japan, where it released first in October of 1985, but didn’t seem to make the same impression the U.S. when it arrived in January of 1986. Still, it did well enough to have its Famicom port localized for the West, releasing in August of 1987. Critics weren’t super impressed with the game in arcades, and felt that its NES version was even worse. Whatever, I just needed a reason to talk about the song “Walk Like an Egyptian”.

Movies:

In notable films, 2016 saw the release of Dirty Grandpa, part of a wave of “Bad” and “Dirty” comedies that littered multiplexes in the wake of 2003’s Bad Santa. In this one, Robert De Niro plays a grandpa who is quite dirty, while Zac Efron plays his put upon grandson; cool. 2006 gave us the sequel film Big Momma’s House 2, in which Martin Lawrence plays an FBI agent who must go undercover as the fat & sassy “Big Momma”, oh lawd, child. It was a massive box office hit, pulling in nearly $150 million on a budget of $40 million; but why?

From 1996, we have another critically panned comedy, Big Bully, starring Tom Arnold and Rick Moranis. The film was a massive box office bomb, so at least audiences in 1996 were smarter than they were in 2016 and 2006. This would also be the last live-action feature film that Moranis would ever be featured in, who took a break from acting after Big Bully was released. There is good news, though, for all you hardcore Ricky M-Heads, as the beloved comic is slated to appear in 2027’s Spaceballs 2.

From 1986, we have the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. Made on a budget of $6.4 million, the film would go on to gross over $40 million and was Allen’s highest grossing film, worldwide, until 2006’s Scoop (domestically it is in second place, behind 2011’s Midnight in Paris). Hannah and Her Sisters is considered one of Allen’s finest films, among film critics, and was one of the handful to appeal to a wide, mainstream audience.

At the 1987 Academy Awards, Hannan and Her Sisters would win three Oscars, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Cain), Best Supporting Actress (Dianne Wiest), and Best Original Screenplay. It would receive another four nominations, as well, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Director, and Best Picture. Having watched a good amount of Allen’s films, I can easily say that Hannah and Her Sisters is among my top 3, for sure (the others, Manhattan and Crimes and Misdemeanors). I also can’t gloss over the fact that Allen is a creep who married one adopted daughter and (probably) molested another adopted daughter. You are welcome to ignore him and his work if you choose, I would not blame you.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2016 saw the release of ANTI from singer Rihanna. It received positive reviews from critics, though they were a bit stunned at the album’s omission of any radio-friendly singles. At the Grammy’s, ANTI would receive nominations in six categories, though it failed to receive one for Album of the Year, which was seen as a major snub. From 2006 we have the self-titled debut studio album She Wants Revenge. I feel like this was a band and record that, like, the media & press wanted me to like, based on my taste in music, and thus it felt incredibly manufactured. Besides, I already had Interpol, I didn’t need the “at home” version of Interpol.

From 1996, we have Heavy Petting Zoo from one of my all-time favorite bands, NOFX. Following the success of 1994’s Punk in Drublic, Heavy Petting Zoo would debut at #63 on the Billboard Top 200. Despite this, it failed to outsell Punk in Drublic (something the band would consistently fail to do over their career). As a big NOFX fan, Heavy Petting Zoo kind of falls near the bottom on my ranking of releases. While it certainly has some good tunes, like “Release the Hostages” and “Liza”, the majority of the record falls a bit flat, for me. It has more of an alternative rock vibe and the songs are, in punk terms, way too long. Still, it’s my favorite album among all the notable release this week.

Finally, from 1986, we have Different Light, from the pop/rock band The Bangles. This was the group’s second, and most successful, album, spawning two top 100 hits, “Manic Monday” and “Walk Like an Egyptian”. While their sound had been a bit more 60’s influenced on their debut, 1984’s All Over the Place, Different Light had a more modern, new wave sound that really hit with the youths.

I was four, almost five, when this album dropped and I can vividly remember watching the music video for “Walk Like an Egyptian” on MTV when my teenage aunts would come home from school. We would all cheer when it appeared and would, of course, do our best impression of walking like an Egyptian; was that racist? Shit, it might have been racist.

The Witness (PC/PS4) – Released Jan. 26^th, 2016

Drill Dozer (GBA) – Released Feb 6^th, 2006

Tetris Blast (Game Boy) – Released Jan. 23^rd, 1996

The Legend of Kage (Arcade) – Released Jan. 1986

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