A pair of hotly-anticipated titles were released at the very end of last month, Kingdom Hearts III and the remake of Resident Evil 2, and the enthusiasm of those two certainly carries over for longer than a week into this February, where most folks are finally starting to thaw out after a pretty brutal winter blast.  Perhaps anticipating the hype, the bulk of the big titles released this month all fall on the same date — the Ides of February; the aftermath of Valentine’s Day — which gives players a batch of options before leading into the unveiling of what could be a make-or-break new title for BioWare.  Numerous high-profile shooters are vying for attention during this period, offering a little something for everyone to hit a bullseye in that genre. Let’s start with a Xbox exclusive with a substantial following, and go from there.

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Crackdown 3 – February 15

Nearly a decade later, the team at SUMO Digital have picked up where Realtime Worlds and Ruffian Games left off with the Crackdown series, unleashing the hotly-anticipated Crackdown 3.  The story has also jumped ahead a decade, though the dynamic of taking down higher-ups in nodes of criminal organizations remains intact.  An enigmatic antagonist has cut off power to the entire world, and it’s up to the Agents – led by the Terry Crews-voiced Commander Jaxon – to hunt them down and reverse the damage. Early previews have painted a picture of Crackdown 3 being more or less on the same level as the previous installments in the franchise; however, the graphical prowess for this Xbox exclusive doesn’t seem robust enough to showcase the machine’s prowess, even if improvements have been made since the earlier points when the game was shown to the industry. Mayhem, freedom, and orb collecting run amok, though, both in single-player and the online multiplayer competitions. Available on Xbox One and PC.

Metro: Exodus – February 15

Metro has maintained a cult following since the release of the original game — an adaptation of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novel “Metro 2033” — nearly a decade ago, hinged on the realism of its first-person shooting and survival aspects, its RPG decision-making, and the effective restraint of its horror atmosphere. Both installments in the franchise struggled with consistency of action and the artificial intelligence of enemies, though, which has kept the series just out of reach from greatness. Developer 4A Games and Deep Silver are taking another crack at it with Metro: Exodus, a sequel set a few years after the events of (one version of) the ending from the first sequel, Last Light. With promises that decisions will matter in terms of the characters’ fates and the incorporation of more open environments, and coupled with overhauled AI, Metro: Exodus hopes to branch out enough to catch greatness in this third installment.  Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Far Cry: New Dawn – February 15

Ubisoft has the habit of taking certain franchises — *cough* Assassin’s Creed *cough* — and overburdening their audience with too many installments in a short time period.  While they’re starting to get there with the Far Cry series, there has been enough variety between the releases to keep each entry (either in the core releases or the spinoffs) to not encounter any fatigue in the concept.  Far Cry: New Dawn gets a little close for comfort by releasing what’s technically a “sequel” to last year’s somewhat divisive installment; however, by jumping ahead almost two decades, revealing the post-nuclear war setting to be one of verdant overgrowth, and incorporating some character customization, they’ve managed to make it seem fresh. The mechanics of Far Cry 5 return, though, alongside the series’ signature exploration, weapon versatility, and freedom to choose how to handle what situation in the open-world expanses of fictional Hope County, Montana. Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Jump Force – February 15

The release and popularity of a Super Smash Bros. game tends to draw out competitors in the timeframe before and after it’s projected to hit shelves. Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of “Weekly Shonen Jump”, the most popular and longest-running manga magazine in Japan, Bandai Namco Entertainment are trying to strike while the iron’s hot with Jump Start.  Similar to Smash Bros. or Soul Calibur, this three-dimensional fighting game brings together combatants from many of the properties initially popularized by the magazine — Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and others — into a roster of 40+ playable options, with the plan to get over the 50 mark by the end of the DLC cycle.  Gameplay centers on a 3-on-3 tagout system that veers into fast-paced realism in the vein of Mortal Kombat or Soul Calibur VI, while there’s also a character creation feature onboard as well as a foreseeable story mode.  Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Anthem – February 22

Regardless of how you feel about the ending to Mass Effect 3, whether the criticism was justified or an overreaction, it’s tough to dispute that the conclusion to the space-opera trilogy changed BioWare’s approach to games from then onward.  Safer and more empowering stories, a stronger yet separated focus on characters, and jubilant endings where the choices merely change the flavor of the grand victory have resulted in sufficiently enjoyable, underrated, yet lacking RPGs — Dragon Age: Inquisition; Mass Effect: Andromeda — from the once-mighty gamemaster.  Therefore, a lot is riding on the success of studio head Casey Hudson and his grand return to BioWare, in the form of the new property Anthem.  Alas, those expecting a return to form will have to do so with the expectation that this third-person, science-fiction light RPG has been designed with an online “shared world” as its objective, one where solo play isn’t a priority and relationship building lacks signature BioWare mechanics.  Time will tell whether the studio’s strengths will emerge from the wreckage. Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Other games worth keeping an eye on are: Apex Legends (PS4, XBONE, PC), a new free-to-play battle royale option from Respawn Entertainment, the folks responsible for Titanfall; The Liar Prince and the Blind Princess, a puzzle platformer with a delightful artistic aesthetic releasing on the PS4 and Switch; and Dirty Rally 2.0 (PS4, XBONE, PC) and Trials Rising (PS4, XBONE, Switch, PC) for the racing fans out there.

5 Games You Don’t Want to Miss in February 2019

Interested in what movies and television shows will be added to your favorite streaming service this month? We’ve compiled an extensive list of everything coming and going on Netflix and HBO Now as well as what’s arriving on Amazon Prime / Instant Video.

What’s new in February on Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Now

While the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day are the yin and yang of important calendar dates in February, it’s Presidents’ Day that’s traditionally been the holiday to lure bargain shoppers. You’d think Presidents’ Day was an important holiday by the sheer number of retailers who choose it every year to roll out their three-day weekend sales.

If anyone cares about Presidents’ Day, it’s because of the sales.

February is a transitional month when new products—particularly tech and home—are about to arrive for spring, so you have a unique chance to find some steep discounts that won’t last long.

Super Bowl and Beyond

If you’re in the market for TVs and home theater, this is a good time of the year to find good deals on last year’s models as the new models start appearing in retailers’ inventory, post CES. Since the technology upgrades on TVs are fairly incremental from year to year, it’s unlikely you’re missing out on as much as you would if you were buying an older laptop.

You’ll also start seeing more refurbs of last year’s models coming available, knocking the sticker price down even further. You typically want to stick with manufacturer refurbished products, which offer the same or similar warranties.

Walmart, Best Buy, Fry’s and Amazon will all have excellent online deals on older model and refurbished HDTVs.

Everyone’s Favorite Holiday, Part I

On Ben’s Bargains, you’ll see the usual flower, candy and chocolate deals from Groupon and Living Social, such as a $40 FTD credit for $20. You’ll also see department stores and online jewelry sites like Ice.com and Ross-Simons push modest discounts in early February. Of course, the steeper discounts will come after the 14th.

Watch out for deals for photo books from places like Snapfish and Walgreens that will be capitalizing on the need to give keepsakes for Valentine’s.

You will also see many chain restaurants promoting special deals and freebies around this time of year. Last year, we compiled a restaurant roundup of the various offers that were part of Valentine’s Day promotions.

Everyone’s Favorite Holiday, Part II

A week later, the holiday that no one asked for annually has tons of sales, ranging from apparel to bedding (and mattresses) to tools. While these product categories may have nothing to do with presidents of the United States, expect the three-day weekend to be one of the best times of the year for these product categories.

Say a thank-you to Abraham Lincoln when you find a cheap mattress.

Everyone’s Most Hated Day

With the IRS starting to accept tax returns on January 31, 2014, all the companies that make tax software are in competition mode right now and that will only continue through mid to late February.

You will likely find discounts on tax software bundles very soon, especially since those same companies are competing against aggressive marketing campaigns on television at the moment. Look for bundles that include federal and state filing with a typical discount of 25 to 40 percent off of the MSRP.

If You’re OK With Refurbs

Although we’re probably a good 8 to 10 months away from the arrival of the 5th generation Intel chips, you should start seeing some discounts on 4th generation Haswell computers as part of the natural life cycle of tech.

This will be attributable to more refurbished 4th generation laptops and desktops coming available.

Off-Season Purchases

February is also your last chance for finding deals on off-season summer purchases like patio furniture, grills and air conditioners (and boats). This year, we’ve already been seeing a lot of fantastic clearance prices on these types of products from Home Depot and Sears. It always pays to plan ahead on these big ticket seasonal items.

Don’t wait too long, however. In the latter part of the month, spring items will start to arrive in stores at full price. You want to catch these deals in the first part of February.

Other off-season deals include luggage and travel deals since this is a slow time for travelers.

Got New Year’s Resolutions?

If you’re one of the few who have actually managed to hold onto their New Year’s resolutions, you might be motivated enough to scope out the remaining deals on indoor fitness equipment that are making room for the soon-arriving summer models.

Don’t Forget Deal Alerts

If you want to make sure you don’t miss any upcoming  February deals on Ben’s Bargains, don’t forget to set up deal alerts (registration required). You’ll receive an instant email and get the first chance to jump on a great deal before it disappears. And the best deals are gone fast!

You’re also welcome to send us tips or suggestions. Good luck!

– Mike Flacy contributed to this report.

Waste Not, Want Not: Best Deals to Buy in February