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" Bar one or two big name franchises, December and January have been thankfully quiet for new releases following a hectic November. Hopefully you&amp;#039;ve made a dent in your backlog because February is a busy one; incoming are new Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur entries, a Syndicate reboot and a new handheld launch. Final Fantasy XIII-2 Release date: February 3 (UK), January 31 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 The next title in Square Enix&amp;#039;s long-running role-playing series is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII. With Lightning missing, Serah and newbie Noel must travel through time to track her down, a plot device sure to conjure up some interesting gameplay scenarios. Throw in some sprawling towns, quaint villages, random battles and chocobos, and you have all the ingredients of a classic Final Fantasy game. &amp;gt; Read our review of Final Fantasy XIII-2  Soul Calibur V Release date: February 3 (UK), January 31 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 The Soul Calibur series has remained a console staple since the release of Soul Blade on the original PlayStation back in the late &amp;#039;90s. With a brand new story mode set decades after the last entry and lots of new characters - including Ezio from Assassin&amp;#039;s Creed - Critical Edge moves (think of the hyper combos from Street Fighter) and one of the most comprehensive customisation suites that we&amp;#039;ve ever come across, Soul Calibur V is looking sharper than the edge of Siegfried&amp;#039;s sword.  NeverDead Release date: February 3 (UK), January 31 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Co-developed by Rebellion Software and a writer from the Metal Gear Solid series, NeverDead sees demon hunter Bryce Bolzmann use his immortality to his advantage by detaching his limbs. Bryce can use his amputated parts as weapons, such as throwing arms at monsters. He can also follow a dangerous attack by rolling around using his head as a last resort.  Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Release date: February 10 (UK), November 8 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 The classic stealth franchise sees a high definition re-release on Xbox 360 and PS3. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and PSP offering Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker make up the bulk of the package, while there&amp;#039;s also MSX titles Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. &amp;gt; Read our review of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection  The Darkness II Release date: February 10 (UK), February 7 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Continuing the story of mobster Jackie Estacado and his demonic powers The Darkness, this upcoming sequel features the same blend of conventional weaponry and supernatural powers, set against a darkly comic backdrop. The Darkness II also contains a brand new story-driven co-op mode, which sees up to four players partake in Left 4 Dead-style hi-jinks with individual Darkness-infused weaponry. &amp;gt; Read our preview of The Darkness II &amp;gt; Read our multiplayer &amp;#039;Vendettas&amp;#039; co-op preview of The Darkness II  Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Release date: February 10 (Europe), February 7 (North America) Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC This role-playing game comes from a high pedigree, with a story written by 25-time New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, art by Spawn&amp;#039;s Todd McFarlane, and a world designed by Elder Scrolls series lead designer Ken Rolston. Expect a massive open world, diverse combat and a range of levelling and experience systems.  PlayStation Vita Release date: February 22 (Europe, North America) With a launch lineup consisting of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048 and Everybody&amp;#039;s Golf, the PlayStation Vita is looking like an attractive prospect indeed. Featuring motion functionality, a 5&amp;quot; OLED touchscreen, innovative back touch, quad-core processor, optional 3G support, two cameras and a partridge in a pear tree (couldn&amp;#039;t resist), the PS Vita is one serious piece of hardware. A full list of launch titles can be seen in the gallery below. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a362874/10-biggest-gaming-releases-in-february/>