With the post-holiday rush officially behind us, January offers a rare, quiet window for gamers—and especially for us writers—to finally tackle those neglected titles lingering in our backlogs. Since new releases are scarce this early in the year, our team has been diving deep into everything from classic ports to recent expansions. Here’s a look at what we recommend you fire up this weekend.
If you’re looking for fresh content, *Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s From The Ashes* expansion is a solid pick. We appreciated that the DLC allows players to jump in directly without beating the main game, offering a structured way to enjoy more of Pandora—especially since a recent update added a requested third-person perspective. On the retro front, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers should immediately check out the newly added GameCube gem, *Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance*. This classic strategic RPG, known for its mercenary protagonist Ike, is now available without having to track down expensive, original hardware.
For those seeking a bizarre trip back to the early 2000s, the recently ported PS1 cyberpunk thriller *Fear Effect* remains a fascinating play. It’s a stylish, production-heavy time capsule that set itself apart in the survival-horror genre with dynamic backgrounds and dual-direction shooting. Finally, one staffer is halfway through *Metroid Prime Remastered*. While visually impressive, the experience highlighted how the 2002 design philosophy—namely the lack of auto-save and cumbersome visor-switching controls—can make the otherwise stellar game frustrating for modern players, even if its foundational design remains inspirational.