The 4 big video games coming this month

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posted on 8 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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'The Witness' invites players to explore an island full of puzzles and mazes, once which has been in development since 2008.

Four of the largest January launches consist of a brick-by-brick adaptation of Marvel's "Avengers" films (and supporting content) in "Lego Marvel's Avengers," a meticulously constructed puzzle island in "The Witness," PlayStation's proposed answer to the "Minecraft" phenomenon in "Dragon Quest Builders," and a PC version of November's Xbox One exclusive, "Rise of the Tomb Raider."

1. Lego Marvel's Avengers

For: 3DS, 360, PS3, PS4, Vita, WiiU, WinPC, XBO

Available: January 26

Following the warm reception afforded to predecessor "Lego Marvel Super Heroes," the crime-fighting team returns to trace out the storylines of the two "Avengers" ensemble films as well as both "Captain America" adventures, "Iron Man 3," and "Thor: The Dark World."

2. The Witness

For: PlayStation 4, Windows PC

Available: January 26

Game designer Jonathan Blow was hailed for award-winning action game "Braid," which helped usher in a new wave of innovative, independent games. "The Witness" invites players to explore an island full of puzzles and mazes, once which has been in development since 2008.

3. Dragon Quest Builders

For: PS3, PS4, Vita

Available: January 28

Now that "Minecraft" is a Microsoft property, an initial Japanese release for "Dragon Quest Builders" offers a chance to see how Sony PlayStation's voxel-style construction and exploration game has turned out. The Dragon Quest franchise enjoys its 30th anniversary in 2016 and as such developer Square Enix has a established and fondly remembered history to call upon.

4. Rise of the Tomb Raider

For: Windows PC

Available: January

Well received on Xbox One in November 2015 as a solid sequel to 2013's "Tomb Raider" reboot, "Rise.." offers greater sophistication in terms of environment, survivalist scavenging, stealth, and sneaky play as Lara Croft seeks answers both archeological and existential. At the time of writing, publisher Square Enix had announced an early 2016 release date, with PC game retailer Steam narrowing it down to January, and Amazon France briefly indicating a January 29 launch.