Video games coming out in February 2016 you won’t want to miss

After a moderate release schedule in January, the gaming industry is back in full swing with non-stop blockbusters coming to BestBuy.ca and hitting Best Buy shelves all month long. From XCOM 2, to Street Fighter V, to Far Cry Primal, and many more, there’s something for everyone this month in gaming.

As a big Japanese role-playing game fan, I’m personally very excited to try out the trio of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, Project X Zone 2, and Fire Emblem Fates this month. I also can’t wait to dig deeper into Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, a fighting game I went hands-on with at last year’s Tokyo Game Show. And of course there’s Mega Man Legacy Collection, a special compilation package featuring six classic Mega Man games that more or less defined my youth.

Without further adieu, here are the games!

[Note: The below release dates are subject to change at the sole discretion of the game publisher at any time]
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

Release Date: February 2, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

Take control of a teenage boy or girl and use your hacking skills capture and befriend more than 200 Digimon characters from the hit anime series. Scan, raise, train and deploy your Digimon in classic RPG turn-based combat. You’ll also need to use your detective skills to investigate a central mystery, including crossing between the real-world and the digital world to gather clues.

XCOM 2

Release Date: February 5, 2016
Platform(s): PC
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

Take control of the Avenger, a new mobile headquarters for XCOM, in this sequel to the 2012 reboot. XCOM 2 will take you on missions around the world where you’ll use XCOM’s military forces and new capabilities to help repel the Earth’s alien oppressors.

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

Release Date: February 9, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

Featuring a massive roster of your favourite Naruto Shippuden characters, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 uses the power of next-gen consoles to deliver colourful and breathtaking battles that look like anime in action. With the revamped battle system you’ll be to perform massive attacks called “Ultimate Jutsus”, undergo powerful evolutions with the “Awakening”, and switch fighters during the battle with the Change Leader System.

Street Fighter V

Release Date: February 16, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 – Regular Edition / Collector’s Edition
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

Capcom’s legendary fighting game series is coming to PlayStation 4 with Street Fighter V. Powered by the Unreal Engine, experience stunning one on one battles with fan-favourite characters like Ryu, Guile, Chun-Li, and Vega, as well as powerful new challengers including Necalli, Laura, and Rashid.

Project X Zone 2
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

The sequel to 2013’s unique crossover RPG is nearly here. Project X Zone 2 combines characters from popular SEGA, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Nintendo franchises all in one epic story. Some of the franchises featured in this game include Megaman X, TEKKEN, Resident Evil, Fire Emblem Awakening, Ace Attorney, and many more.

Fire Emblem Fates

Release Date: February 19
Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS – Birthright Edition / Conquest Edition / Special Edition
ESRB Rating: T (Teen, 13+)

Fire Emblem Fates continues the storied RPG franchise on Nintendo 3DS. There are two version of the game available―Birthright and Conquest―with each telling a different side of the same story. In Conquest, you’ll side the family that raised you and try to bring change from within, while in Birthright, you’ll side with your blood line in a war against the corrupt King of Nohr.

Far Cry Primal

Release Date: February 23, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 – Regular Edition / Deluxe Edtion / Xbox One – Regular Edition / Deluxe Edition / PC – Limited Edition
ESRB Rating: M (Mature, 17+)
Unveiled at the last E3, Far Cry: Primal will take you on an adventure far into the prehistoric past. Fight for survival in a vast open world filled with majestic and deadly primeval beasts like woolly mammoths and sabretooth tigers. In addition to the standard edition, you can also pre-order the Far Cry Primal Deluxe Edition that also includes a printed poster map of Oros and the official game soundtrack on CD.

Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2

Release Date: February 23, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 – Regular Edition / Deluxe Edtion / Xbox One – Regular Edition / Deluxe Edition / PC
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is back and bigger than ever. This action-packed shooter features over 100 characters, a 24-player Herbal Assault mode, a 4-player zombie co-op mode called Graveyard Ops, and much more.

Mega Man Legacy Collection

Release Date: February 23, 2016
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / Nintendo 3DS – Regular Edition / Collector’s Edition
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

It’s time to go retro with the Mega Man Legacy Collection. Included are six of the original Mega Man games that appeared on 8-bit consoles, all remade in beautiful HD and powered by a modern game engine. In addition to the six full games, the compilation features a new Challenge Mode to test you skill, and a Museum Mode to explore Mega Man’s rich history.

Additional games releasing in February 2016

February 2, 2016:

•     Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Awakening DLC ()
•     Megadimension Neptunia VII (PlayStation 4)
•     Nitro+ Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel (PlayStation 4)
•     Tropico 5: Complete Collection (PC)

February 9, 2016:

•     Alekhine’s Gun (PlayStation 4 / Xbox One)
•     Arslan: The Warriors of Legend (PlayStation 4 / Xbox One)
•     Assassin’s Creed Chronicles (PlayStation 4 / PS Vita / Xbox One)
•     Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition (PlayStation 4 / Xbox One)

February 23, 2016:

•     Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders (PlayStation 4 / Xbox One)

Are there any games releasing this month you’re thinking of getting? Let me know in the comments section below!