It’s been five years since we saw a numbered entry in the Resident Evil series, and that wait finally ends for Xbox One owners at the end of the month when Resident Evil 7 Biohazard finally drops. There are plenty of other anticipated releases to keep gamers busy until then, including the roundup of all the Hitman reboot episodes, and several intriguing small-studio downloads, such as Doodle God: Ultimate Edition, The Sun and Moon and Rise & Shine.
Here’s a look at the best Xbox One games coming out in January:
5. Rise & Shine
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
Developer: Adult Swim Games
Release date: January 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQN-f9Isi9s
This fast-paced shooter is an arcade bullet hell throwback, mixing in platforming and puzzle elements. You need to come up with strategy shifts on the fly as the game hurls you from one wild situation to the next. You manage an array of weapons, with bullets that bend, explode or electrify.
PRE-ORDER: Rise & Shine here
4. The Sun and Moon
Publisher: Digerati Distribution
Developer: Digerati Distribution
Release date: January 26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWqSL1J2DyM
Released last year on the PS4 and PlayStation Vita, this puzzler tasks you to dive into the ground, continuing your momentum as gravity does a 180. You will find yourself soaring into the clouds, as well as burrowing deep into the planetary core as you conjure new ways to up your game with style and precision, using your creativity and reflexes to overcome obstacles.
PRE-ORDER: The Sun and Moon here
3. Doodle God: Ultimate Edition
Publisher: JoyBits Ltd.
Developer: Joybits Ltd.
Release date: January 27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBNJdDsF9JQ
You build a world of your own, starting off with basic elements such as earth, wind and fire and gradually building up your resources as you shape and adjust your ecosystem. Intelligent life, natural disasters and animal kingdoms come into play as you go along, with so many permutations possible that every time you play you’ll end up with a wildly different creation.
PRE-ORDER: Doodle God: Ultimate Edition here
2. Hitman: The Complete First Season
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: IO Interactive
Release date: January 30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA_Mx3-ZMGE
If you skipped last year’s stunning stealth assassination series, released in a slew of episodes, now is the time to gobble them all up in one big bite. You play as the cunning, deadly Agent 47, set free in open-ended missions that order you to take down hard targets while keeping your enemies in the dark about how you managed the task.
PRE-ORDER: Hitman: The Complete First Season here
1. Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release date: January 27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS05LB-3W4c
For the first time since the original game, you find yourself spending most of your time in a single location, searching for clues of your missing wife’s whereabouts while slinking through the dark, foreboding hallways of an evil-plagued mansion in the Deep South. Your resources are limited as you strive to survive and escape.
PRE-ORDER: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard here
Order Phil Villarreal’s novel, Zeta Male, here.
