Regardless of how extreme the video game industry’s business was throughout the month of December, typically the month of January is, at the very least, massively slowed down in terms of new releases. It’s still a numbers game after all, and heavy holiday spending typically doesn’t bode well for sales figures in the months following, where people are likely enjoying their video game gifts or recovering financially. 2022 isn’t any different; in fact, the month seems even sparser than normal. While the month does mark the awaited return of a AAA shooting franchise, the low volume and attention-grabbing nature of this January leave it feeling empty even by comparison to last year. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on, though!

Nobody Saves the World — January 18 (Xbox O/S/X; PC)

Sometimes, games simply feel like a bunch of other titles have been thrown into a blender, thoroughly mixed, and served to its audience.  Whether that’s acceptable or not depends on the mixture of ingredients; after all, mangoes and blueberries don’t really work in all smoothies they’re thrown in. The ingredients of Nobody Saves the World seem like a delightful blend, though, beginning with a action-RPG base where the main character embraces different forms to combat different foes. Add in a retro top-down aesthetic to the dungeon crawling, a roguelike procedural generation to the underlayers of the dungeons, and a crafty sense of humor, and you’ve got the components of the latest title from Drinkbox Games, the folks behind the delightful Guacamelee.

The lead character isn’t a charismatic, dashing hero either, instead a pale and weak little human equipped with a star-topped wand that grants new forms and abilities.  As one can expect, the character starts out with limited capabilities and gains more as they progress through dungeons and battles, eventually totaling over a dozen. In a similar vein to Guacamelee, the art style is delightfully vibrant and fluid, and the hack-‘n-slash combat seems basic but fast-paced and responsive to meet the standard control’s demands. Nobody Saves the World will also launch with a co-op multiplayer function as well, so you and a buddy can tackle dungeons together on the same screen; this covers online co-op, as the state of couch co-op is currently unknown.

Get Nobody Saves the World at Microsoft

Rainbow Six: Extraction — January 20 (PS4,5; Xbox O/S/X; PC; Stadia)

When Rainbow Six: Vegas came out early in the Xbox 360’s lifecycle, it became one of those must-play experiences for nearly everyone who owned the console, whether they were shooter fans or not. The smooth tactical controls, visual polish and perceived realism established the franchise’s popularity early and quickly. However, it shouldn’t require much to get the point across that the landscape of shooters changed dramatically soon after its release, especially when it comes to those aiming for precise realism.  Amid the flurry of Call of Duties and Battlefields as well as the sci-fi themed Halo and Gears of War series, interest in Rainbow Six became sloshy even through the release of the online-only Rainbow Six: Siege, which has both logged an impressive number of users and earned tepid impressions on the game itself.

Amid this strange mixture of interest and lukewarmness with the online game, Rainbow Six: Extraction arrives with the intention of shaking up the franchise’s objectives and reputation. How? It makes the bold choice of tossing the tactical shooter combat into a science-fiction setting, hinged on an alien invasion, essentially providing the alien counterpoint to Call of Duty’s popular zombie modes. Extraction has also been designed with multiplayer as its firm focus, though, using Siege as a gameplay springboard and adopting some of its “operator” characters for familiarity. A cluster of nearly 20 different operator types with various skillsets can be selected before engaging in the partly procedurally-generated “incursions”, where the players infiltrate alien spaces to collect items. It’s a bold new direction, but perhaps it’s what Rainbox Six needs to stand out in the modern era, and it’s been budget priced at $40 to get folks interested.

Order Rainbow Six: Extraction at Amazon

Pokemon Legends: Arceus — January 28 (Switch)

Sure, it has essentially always been popular, but Pokemon seems to be at a particularly high point right now. Between the rampant attention drawn to the card game market, the thriving community built around the “augmented reality” Pokemon Go mobile game, and the creation of a few fan concept trailers, the demand has never been higher for an open-world style of role-playing game set within the Pokemon universe. Therefore, when the trailer for Pokemon Legends: Arceus emerged on the scene, excitement and enthusiasm reach a particular high.  It had a visual grandeur, openness and flow akin to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, only featuring landscapes and characters from the Poke universe, so the assumptions that this would finally be “it” had some merit.

The folks at Pokemon let this perception continue unanswered up until a few months ago, where they eventually confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus wouldn’t exactly be the open experience many believed it would be.  What further information and trailers have confirmed since, however, is that it’s a feature-rich, customizable RPG in the vein of the other video games in the series that instead has “open-world areas” to engage in the historical region of Hisui (Sinnoh).  The objective? To create the very first Pokedex, which should inherently get their audience excited so long as they’re game for a prequel. Whether it will satisfy beyond that remains to be seen, especially considering the perceived disappointment in this lack of open-world delivery. There’s always the real open-world Pokemon Go.

Order Pokemon Legends: Arceus at Amazon

The rest of January has been populated with ports, with the likes of Monster Hunter Rise and God of War getting PC editions on January 12 and 14, as well as the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves game bundle coming to PS5 at the end of the month. There’s also a pair of unique sports titles coming out on January 20: RPGolf Legends (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) sounds like it could be a golf role-playing game, but it’s actually more of a retro, top-down JRPG with golf as an underlying gameplay aspect; and Windjammers 2 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Stadia) brings the Pong-meets-Dodgeball quirkiness of the ‘90s Neo Geo title to the current era.

January’s New Video Games: Rainbow Six Goes Alien, Pokemon Goes Prequel

Gotta catch them all, right? Pokemon Go has quickly become a mobile phenomenon over the last week and that’s at a severe cost of your mobile device battery life. The need for Pokemon Go battery saver devices is at an all time high.

This is specifically due to Pokemon Go using real-time GPS data at the same time as your smartphone’s visual graphics processor. In addition, utilizing the camera to actually catch the augmented reality Pokemon characters is another power suck.

We’ve put together a list of devices that will keep your smartphone or tablet fully charged while visiting your local Pokestops and battling at nearby Gyms. Take a look:

Pokemon Go Slim Pocket Charger

Ideal for anyone that doesn’t travel with a backpack or purse, the slim pocket charger is useful when on the go, especially Pokemon Go. We recommend the Jackery Mini charger, a power bank that will fully charge your iPhone, iPad or Android device one time.

It offers 3200mAh of charging power and retails for $30, however you can usually find it on sale between $10 to $15. Another good option would be MoPower’s slim charger, usually on sale for a similar price (but only offers 3000mAh of charging power).

Check Jackery Mini Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Dual Charger

Seriously cranking up the power capacity, a dual charger is great for families that are playing Pokemon Go on mulitple devices. We really like the RAVPower 16750mAh charger, capable of charging a Samsung Galaxy S6 four times!

It offers two charging ports (2.4 amp) and includes a LED battery meter on the front to show the remaining battery life in the device. As an added bonus, the RAVPower charger includes a flashlight, ideal for anyone searching for Pokemon late at night. (MSRP $70, usually on sale for $30 to $35)

Check RAVPower Charger Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Car Charger

Quite useful when trying to hatch some eggs in Pokemon Go, keeping the app open while driving (for the passenger) is a must for snagging Pokestop bonuses while on the go. Of course, you will need a solid car charger to keep your smartphone at full capacity.

We like the Anker models, specifically the 4.8 amp Powerdrive with two charging ports. These are relatively inexpensive, around $8 on sale typically.

Check Anker Powerdrive Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Rugged Charger

Ideal for anyone that likes to camp, hike or bike around the world searching for rare Pokemon, a waterproof and shockproof charger is fantastic. We like the Unifun charger, providing about 10400mAh of charging capacity.

These retail for around $25 and can be found as cheap as $10 on the best sales. This rugged charger can charge an iPhone up to five times.

Check Unifun Charger Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Backpack Solar Charger

The backpack solar charger is the ultimate in Pokemon Go portability, providing a constant source of renewable power for charging your devices. Available in red (Team Valor!) or blue (Team Mystic!), we like the Ivation backpack with a 10,000 mAh waterproof battery.

In addition to providing two USB ports for dual charging, the backpack also comes with a 1.8L hydration pack for water (roughly half a gallon). You can stay hydrated while searching for Pokemon in any hot climate. This pack also most always retails for $90, but can be found on sale for $75 from time to time.

Check Ivation Backpack on Amazon

The five best battery saver devices for Pokemon GO