Fabulous February: Seven Games to Look Out for This Month

SuperPhillip Central is doing something new for 2013. At the start of every month we will be listing the top games that will be releasing in a given month-- titles that you should without a doubt be keeping an eye out for. We know that not everyone shares the same tastes, so we have selected a wide variety of games from different genres and platforms.

Not only are the game names and brief descriptions posted, but also to help plan your shopping schedule are the release dates. Note: The release dates are based off of North America. With that, let's get to the awesome games.

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
Release Date: 2/4

The first game to watch out for this ridiculously packed month is one that has been receiving critical acclaim worldwide. It's the first entry of the Fire Emblem franchise for Nintendo's 3DS, Fire Emblem: Awakening. This turn-based strategy RPG offers a class and job system, the ability to create a customizable avatar for battle, and now a mode that does not permanently remove a character from your roster if they perish in battle. Don't worry, as the classic rules of the franchise still apply. Nintendo 3DS owners will have a lot to play through with Awakening, and the wait to play it is almost over.

Dead Space 3 (Multi)
Release Date: 2/5

There has been a lot of skepticism and criticism towards the direction the Dead Space series has been heading. Some argue that the series is going in a direction where it's more action than the original Dead Space's survival horror feeling. Whichever side of the fence you are on the debate, I think most of us can agree that Dead Space 3 is looking mighty enticing. The game's campaign can be played solo or in co-op with a drop-in/drop-out feature. Dead Space 3 promises to have a significant amount of thrills as well as chills, and if past games have been an indication, it will have some scenes that gamers will be talking about long after the game has been put to the shelf.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3, PSV)
Release Date: 2/5

If you've picked up and played The Sly Collection (which you should have), then you know that the Sly Cooper series is a fantastic one full of sublime platforming fun. Sly and the gang's fourth outing, and the first made specifically for the PlayStation 3 and Vita, introduces costumes into the fold, which allow Sly new abilities such as a Robin Hood-like outfit that grants Sly the ability to fire arrows that create a sturdy line of rope for him to cross. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be part of Sony's Cross Buy promotion, meaning if you purchase the PS3 version, you get access to both that and a code for the Vita version.

Aliens: Colonial Marines (Multi)
Release Date: 2/12

If one sci-fi horror shooter wasn't good enough for you with Dead Space 3, then you are totally in luck as Sega and Gearbox are bringing Aliens: Colonial Marines to home consoles and PC this month with a Wii U version to follow later on. Fans of Aliens will adore seeing familiar characters and the fabled weaponry of the movies, including flamethrowers and pulse rifles. Up to four players can participate in drop-in/drop-out co-op for the main campaign, which is sure to make the game stretch out in its replay value if the ability to upgrade your character already does not. Look forward to Aliens: Colonial Marines in less than two weeks.

Crysis 3 (Multi)
Release Date: 2/19

Running on the CryEngine 3 game engine, Crysis 3 is the third installment of the graphically intensive first-person shooter franchise by publisher EA. Along with the campaign mode, which promises to delight with its breathtaking vantage points and set pieces, comes an all-new mulitplayer mode, Hunter. In this mode several players are C.E.L.L. troopers while the other players are hunters. The objective of the troopers is to stay alive, or at least longer than their counterparts. If they die, they get spawned back as a hunter. Things can get particularly crazy when there is just one trooper left against a swarm of hunters. Crysis 3 shoots onto North American store shelves on the 19th.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3, 360)
Release Date: 2/19

Raiden returns and is at the center of the stage for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, developed by the one and only Platinum Games. Most significantly about the oddly subtitled game is the ability for the player to accurately and with fine precision slice and dice foes and cut off their limbs in an effectively efficient manner. It doesn't just stop with cutting enemies, the developer showed off various objects like watermelons and vehicles that could be cut into as well. Even if you are a casual Metal Gear fan, this more action-oriented offshoot of the series is shaping up to be one "can't miss" title.

Rayman Legends (Wii U)
Release Date: 2/26

After wowing the gaming world with Rayman Origins, the limbless wonder returns in an all-new Wii U exclusive platforming adventure with Rayman Legends. Right off the bat you can just ogle the positively gorgeous graphics and art style the game possesses. Alongside the traditional platforming levels, Rayman Legends has levels where the player with the Wii U GamePad interacts with enemies and objects to help the player(s) on the TV screen get through the level. If the demo that can currently be downloaded on the Wii U eShop is anything to go by, then Rayman Legends is going to be one slap-tastic fantastic game to end the month of February, and one that all Wii U owners should look into getting.

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An honorable mention to these list of games is Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan for the Nintendo 3DS. It's a remarkably niche game, but it's one that deserves at least a mention. Which games for February are you going to get?