Monthly Recap - January Edition
We are eager to present to you our new series of articles that we would like to do on a monthly basis! The idea is to present interesting and cool new things that have happened during the respective month and collect a few hallmark short news bits in them, so that you stay up-to-date with anything important in gaming that has occurred.
It is our hope that you would find it useful and fun at the same time and follow up on it as time goes, so let’s get right to it and see what we got going on for January 2025!
The Nintendo Switch 2 Got Announced and it is going to Release some Time During 2025
On 16.01.25 the Nintendo Switch 2 was officially announced and it is going to be released later through the year! The company gave fans preview of the Nintendo Switch 2 in a brief trailer video that included the specs for the hardware.
Nintendo Switch 2 would play console exclusive games, but also there would be backwards compatibility for both physical and digital versions of most Nintendo Switch games, so that you do not miss your already purchased titles too much, but have in mind that some Nintendo Switch games may not be completely supported or fully compatible just yet. We are curious to find out what exclusive games it would have first, but with the improved specs and better joysticks it would definitely mean double the fun!
There are also details about a possible Microsoft and Nintendo Collaboration mostly regarding the availability of Xbox Games on Switch 2. The active Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has expressed the possibility of Xbox games to actively support Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 console. Even though there have not yet been any concrete titles mentioned, some publications have suggested that perhaps games such as "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" and "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024" could become entries in the list of games available for the next-gen console. Such direction does correspond with Microsoft's overall strategy to distribute games for more platforms.
More details would be given in a couple of months at a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 live presentation that would take place on April 2 2025 as well as the multiple already announced Experience events where fans would be able to get a hold of the new console for a bit and test it out in various major cities across the world.
You can find the “Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer” and the events schedule by visiting the their official website.
Doom: The Dark Ages Now has an Official Release Date, but does Not Include Multiplayer
We are strictly following the events and development around Doom: The Dark Ages because it is a title that effectively blends fantasy and sci-fi genres in one. We finally got an official release date just mere days ago and we would be able to enjoy the ancient hellscapes and worlds on May 15th 2025 on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Windows. We simply cannot wait to put on the boots of Doom and roam around the demon-infested battlefields while causing utter chaos and destruction for the forces of Hell!
Another major update for the Doom: The Dark Ages game title are the announced Premium and Collector's Editions of the game with which the players would receive access two days earlier, allowing them play to experience the brutal game on May 13th as well as a splendid pack of various other goodies that the Standard Edition lacks such as the Divinity Skin Pack, Digital Artbook, Soundtrack, Key Card Replica, Steelbook Case and glorious 12" Doom Slayer Statue.
However it is not only great news for fans because when detailing the title Id Software studio director Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin had to explain the lack of any form of multiplayer included in the upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages release. The two more recent games in the franchise, DOOM 2016 and DOOM: Eternal, had some form of included multiplayer modes and even though those were not the main attraction as their single-player mode was, we are quite disappointed to learn that the upcoming game is not going to have any multiplayer action happening for it, but hey at least they have promised the most expansive storyline up to now!
We promise to continue following things closely as the announced date for this hit nears closer, but until then you could check out our more detailed review here!
Mortal Kombat 1 Introduced a Mystery Pink Kontender + a New Stage if you Beat Him
NetherRealm Studios are going back to their roots with a recent update to Mortal Kombat 1 that includes more than what was announced. The January 21, 2025, Conan update actually included more than just the advertised fighter, thus allowing Mortal Kombat 1 to actually dive into the good old past MK games and what they thrived upon.
Ever since its early days, Mortal Kombat has always included secret characters for players to discover and manage to beat in a relentless fight. Discovering these secret characters involved a series of challenges and cryptic hints to decode and was deemed as a massive success to actually manage and pull it off.
This approach was first used in the original MK game, where you had to locate and fight with the green ninja Reptile within The Pit level. Next, we had to face against the red palette swap ninja Ermac and Jade, before they became playable in the next entries. This tradition is now back in action with the pink ninja Floyd, naturally coming with a nice wordplay and a serious nod to the rock group Pink Floyd! The newest Ninja exploits a combinative Khameleon-type of moveset with attacks from the other already established ninja favorites such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Reptile, Ermac, Smoke, Rain and Noob Saibot.
Sometimes he would appear on screen before the match starts, giving you a hint and whenever you complete a challenge that is related to the fight there would be a sick guitar riff heard and a pink MK logo would appear on screen indicating that you are one step closer to the battle. There is a total of 37 (so far) known challenges that would get you to fight Floyd and while you do not actually have to complete all of them, you would need to do at least a few. What is certain for now is that Floyd’s challenges could be done in MK1's Versus mode and the Towers of Time, as well as the fact that they could be done both online and offline on any difficulty. Beating him would not make the character playable, but there would be other goods for your time and who knows, maybe he is going to become available in a future installment of the franchise.
Let’s give a few words for the new stage as well! When and if you manage to beat Floyd you would unlock the stage it all takes place in. It is named “The Field” and it was seen by players as one of the main locations for Mortal Kombat 1 reveal trailer.
The Sniper Elite: Resistance Release on the 30.01.25
Following the success of Sniper Elite 5, we just passed the Sniper Elite: Resistance release date, because it launched on January 30th 2025 and the latest installment in the series is now already available to play.
Sniper Elite: Resistance came to Game Pass on day one and has become readily available both digitally and physically (since the boxed edition gets published and distributed by Fireshine Games) for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Windows PC and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Ready your rifle and gear for another exciting set of missions in the renowned series as you dive deep in the Sniper Elite: Resistance gameplay. The title offers incredible sniper action, both stealthy and tactical third-person combat mechanics, as it turns the attention of the players towards a war that is happening far from the main front lines, one that is hidden deep within the heart of occupied France.
Rebellion had announced the Sniper Elite: Resistance Deluxe Edition, which includes additional Season Pass content. Players who had pre-ordered this latest entry in the Sniper Elite franchise received a lot of bonuses such as the new Target Führer campaign mission, an additional weapon skin and the powerful Karabiner 98 Rifle. In addition to these bonuses coming paired with the Standard Edition, the Deluxe Edition gave fans the classic M1911 Pistol.
Did you check out the Minecraft 2 updates?
Minecraft is one of the top best-selling video games of all time and with such amazing popularity, plus the staggering numbers in sales, with over 300 million copies globally, the world of gaming experienced a strong quake this early January, when the creator Markus Persson (Notch) strongly hinted at the possible sequel for the franchise.
Even though the details so far are quite scarce, we did write a blog post about it and you should check it out here, in case you missed it!
With this we finish the first edition of our “YUPLAY Monthly Recap” rubric and we hope to make it a tradition at the end of every month. We would not do specific or whole reviews in it but rather include the more important updates or news that we think you should know of! Thank you for being with us on this one and best wishes!