Our 10 Most Anticipated Games for 2018
Post by KostaAndreadis @ 01:23pm 11/01/18 | Comments
From sailing the high seas as part of a Pirate Crew to living the life of an Outlaw in the Old West, this year is shaping up to be another great one for games.
With 2017 now officially over, thanks to our overlord The Calender, it’s time to look to the future. The near future, and what digital interactive gems it might bring. With so many great games released last year, even without whatever Bethesda has in store for 2018, or Nintendo, this year is looking to be chock full of great games. Here are our picks for what we’re excited to check out.
Prior to PAX Australia 2017, I still hadn’t managed to go hands-on with Rare’s upcoming Sea of Thieves. As a fan of the studio since its heyday creating hit after hit for the Nintendo 64, and a lover of all things Pirate, the anticipation was certainly there - but the reason for true excitement wasn’t. What exactly was Sea of Thieves the Game from Rare and Microsoft? A co-op pirate experience where you go from island to island finding treasure? Running into other ships and engaging in naval battles for booty? For the most part, yes. And in speaking with Rare and getting to experience the wonderful water physics and non-traditional approach to navigation, it dawned on me that Sea of Thieves will only get better the longer it’s out there; it’s launch in March a mere first taste in an ever-growing and expanding pirate universe -- one that already looks fantastic, mind, and even after a brief and immensely enjoyable play-session is my most anticipated release for the entire year. Kosta
It’s hard to look past Rockstar’s next entry in its open-world classic Western opus, Red Dead Redemption. A lot is still unknown about its forthcoming sequel, but what we’ve at least seen, and posited, leaves even the driest of desert mouths watering. Frontier America is so ripe for story and open-world pickings -- two of Rockstar’s biggest design assets, sitting alongside this being built from the ground-up for the newer, more powerful consoles. Really, the barebones content we’ve seen so far is not even surface-scratching and although a delay was announced, we know that is only going to be good for the game. The only negative: no PC release announced or even hinted at -- a factor of the original that still brings a tear to the PC faithful (even if there is a way to actually play Red Dead Redemption on Windows 10 PCs). Steve
The odds of this coming out in the calendar year ending December 31, 2018 are pretty slim. After a somewhat disastrous 2017, both EA and BioWare need Anthem to not only live up to its promise as a viable and immersive Destiny alternative, but also atone for the disappointments that were Mass Effect Andromeda and Star War Battlefront II. Odds are this will get pushed to next year, but even so based on the ‘running in real-time’ demo we saw at E3 last year Anthem is shaping up to be one of the most visually impressive shooter spectacles we’ve ever seen. And if it can reach the narrative heights that the studio has been known to hit, alongside a robust and functionally sound co-op shooter, then this has every chance to be the redemption story EA and BioWare need it to be. Just one thing though, they’ll need to tone down the whole loot box angle this time around. Kosta
With news jumping at us this week that Unknown Worlds’ long-gestating Subnautica was finally getting a solid release date, and that that date was also late January of the New Year, I couldn’t stand up for a few hours. This is a game that in both Early Access and on Xbox One Game Preview I sunk (heh) *maybe* 200 hours into (across both). Building bases, looking for parts of my wrecked ship, deep-diving into ever-changing biomes for discovery and new materials. Playing added narrative content; after usually having to say goodbye to hours-long saves for said new content -- at a point I stopped. Not because the game is bad, but because it’s so good I decided I had to stop spoiling the full experience for myself, and wait for the game’s full release. We still don’t know what the Xbox One release date is going to be -- officially -- yet (or if there will even be a PS4 release), but after the game’s most recent new updates which include a new visual sheen, new narrative content and even a youbeaut new animation for when you first emerge from your pod (among much more), the end of January can’t come soon enough. Steve
One could argue that the Yakuza series, also from SEGA, has filled the weird action meets real-word Japan adventuring first made popular with the original Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast. A game that still holds up today, presenting a rich lived-in world full of charm, weirdness, and a cinematic tale so ambitious that even the first part of the planned saga had to be split into two games. After SEGA left the hardware game and series creator Yu Suzuki moved on the chances of a Shenmue III up until recently were slim to none. If there’s one game or project that justifies the whole crowdfunding scene then it’s this. It’s been 15 years since Shenmue II was released, which in video game terms is akin to the era of black and white TV screens and shows where every couple slept in separate beds within the same room. Which means, I’m nervous. This could backfire. But then again, so much time has passed that no matter what the end result may be, playing Shenmue III will feel surreal. And undoubtedly exciting. Kosta
“It’s Far Cry”. That’s likely going to be enough for most, but what Far Cry 5 offers over any previous entries is a grand sense of dread and irony, all at once. The game’s development began, and its main antagonist (and his subsequent Eden’s Gate cult), Joseph Seed, were written well ahead of Trump’s election triumph and the crazies that have since come out of the woodwork, so as a work of fiction with so many current-day real-life parallels, Far Cry 5 is going to be a thing of coincidental beauty. No more ‘towers’ but the same open-world concept and presentation, plus a fishing mini-game that will be meta for the game’s first few months, leaves this action-adventure series well and truly in good stead. Oh, and I’ve played a stack of it in the lead up to release and it really is as good as advertised. Big Sky country, preppers, cults, fishing, seaplanes, hunting, arcade machines… honestly, what’s not to love? Steve
Confession time, I haven't played a single minute of the original State of Decay. So then, why would the sequel be one of my most anticipated releases of the year? Good question, and one that I’m not entirely sure I know the answer to. Bute here goes. The concept of a survival game, a co-op one no less, set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse interests me. Even if the premise is more than a little played out. But what excites me the most about State of Decay 2 is that it’s bleakness serves the mechanics and not the other way round. In the same way that Telltale’s The Walking Dead was an improvement over the pointless TV series, State of Decay looks like the perfect blend of Left 4 Dead and open world exploration and survival. In a way, if State of Decay 2 lives up to its promise and pulls off all these disparate elements then it’s going to be something special. In other news, a Left 4 Dead 3 would be perfect right about now too. - Kosta
It’s so close, I can practically smell the Celandine. GWENT has existed in pre-release mode on GOG and Xbox One Game Preview now for much longer than expected. In that time the pre-release meta shaped what the game is beginning to turn into, which seems like a balance nightmare for the team at CD Projekt RED. But like so much they do, the fruit of their labour is in the product they’re producing. Short of its promised single-player campaign, you can now partake in seasonal events, purchase cards, play friends, play a challenge-based tutorial, play randoms cross-platform, gain levels, gain cosmetic bragging rights (I’m a “Pioneer”) and even attempt to gain traction in its burgeoning eSports platform, as run and managed by CD Projekt RED. Arguably, it’s the more complex or ‘poker’ of the digital CCG space, and so already has a reputation as the more mature choice over its rival titles. And all of that coupled with continued voice-over support from Doug Cockle (among others) as Geralt leaves this as a must-have on my 2018 calendar -- bring on single-player content and an actual release date, CDPR.
The neon-soaked cyberpunk aesthetic is one that I can’t get enough of. Throw in some ‘80s synth music and you might as well rename whatever room I’m in ‘Heaven 2.0’. The Last Night is a new side-scrolling future-set indie due for release sometime this year, set in a world where computers and AI and what have you have taken over most menial tasks. Or something. And even though its pixel-like appearance might fool you into thinking that this was another 16-bit era 2D throwback, once you see The Last Night it reaches a whole new level of retro aspiration meets current-day tech. From immersive lighting to wonderful image depth and animation The Last Night is breathtaking in motion. No word yet if the game itself or narrative will be any good, but odds are it’ll supply those sort of instant and immediate ‘oh wow’ moments when you fire it up for the first time. Moments that might not last that long, but in the long run can be the most memorable. Kosta
Short and sweet. Completely unlike the actual fights in the animated series -- my reason for this is three-fold -- 1): I love me some Dragon Ball Z, 2): The animation and artwork being delivered by Arc System Works is as good as most games based on animation (barring Cuphead which is peak animation-meets-game, or vice-versa), and 3): I love me some Dragon Ball Z. Honestly there’s not much more to say other than this game has been long in coming; it’s an idea that should have been jumped on a long time ago, but honestly, maybe the visual technology to truly bring those epic DBZ fights to life wasn’t quite there, and so now it's a perfect storm of tech and reach allowing for an over-the-top storm of Toriyama-inspired fighting game madness. Another January release I simply can’t wait for. Steve
Sea of Thieves
- Release: March 20, 2018
Platform(s): Xbox One, Windows 10
Prior to PAX Australia 2017, I still hadn’t managed to go hands-on with Rare’s upcoming Sea of Thieves. As a fan of the studio since its heyday creating hit after hit for the Nintendo 64, and a lover of all things Pirate, the anticipation was certainly there - but the reason for true excitement wasn’t. What exactly was Sea of Thieves the Game from Rare and Microsoft? A co-op pirate experience where you go from island to island finding treasure? Running into other ships and engaging in naval battles for booty? For the most part, yes. And in speaking with Rare and getting to experience the wonderful water physics and non-traditional approach to navigation, it dawned on me that Sea of Thieves will only get better the longer it’s out there; it’s launch in March a mere first taste in an ever-growing and expanding pirate universe -- one that already looks fantastic, mind, and even after a brief and immensely enjoyable play-session is my most anticipated release for the entire year. Kosta
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Release: 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One
It’s hard to look past Rockstar’s next entry in its open-world classic Western opus, Red Dead Redemption. A lot is still unknown about its forthcoming sequel, but what we’ve at least seen, and posited, leaves even the driest of desert mouths watering. Frontier America is so ripe for story and open-world pickings -- two of Rockstar’s biggest design assets, sitting alongside this being built from the ground-up for the newer, more powerful consoles. Really, the barebones content we’ve seen so far is not even surface-scratching and although a delay was announced, we know that is only going to be good for the game. The only negative: no PC release announced or even hinted at -- a factor of the original that still brings a tear to the PC faithful (even if there is a way to actually play Red Dead Redemption on Windows 10 PCs). Steve
Anthem
- Release: Q4 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Windows 10
The odds of this coming out in the calendar year ending December 31, 2018 are pretty slim. After a somewhat disastrous 2017, both EA and BioWare need Anthem to not only live up to its promise as a viable and immersive Destiny alternative, but also atone for the disappointments that were Mass Effect Andromeda and Star War Battlefront II. Odds are this will get pushed to next year, but even so based on the ‘running in real-time’ demo we saw at E3 last year Anthem is shaping up to be one of the most visually impressive shooter spectacles we’ve ever seen. And if it can reach the narrative heights that the studio has been known to hit, alongside a robust and functionally sound co-op shooter, then this has every chance to be the redemption story EA and BioWare need it to be. Just one thing though, they’ll need to tone down the whole loot box angle this time around. Kosta
Subnautica (Full Release)
- Release: January 2018
Platform(s): PC, Mac, Xbox One
With news jumping at us this week that Unknown Worlds’ long-gestating Subnautica was finally getting a solid release date, and that that date was also late January of the New Year, I couldn’t stand up for a few hours. This is a game that in both Early Access and on Xbox One Game Preview I sunk (heh) *maybe* 200 hours into (across both). Building bases, looking for parts of my wrecked ship, deep-diving into ever-changing biomes for discovery and new materials. Playing added narrative content; after usually having to say goodbye to hours-long saves for said new content -- at a point I stopped. Not because the game is bad, but because it’s so good I decided I had to stop spoiling the full experience for myself, and wait for the game’s full release. We still don’t know what the Xbox One release date is going to be -- officially -- yet (or if there will even be a PS4 release), but after the game’s most recent new updates which include a new visual sheen, new narrative content and even a youbeaut new animation for when you first emerge from your pod (among much more), the end of January can’t come soon enough. Steve
Shenmue III
- Release: Q4 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Windows
One could argue that the Yakuza series, also from SEGA, has filled the weird action meets real-word Japan adventuring first made popular with the original Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast. A game that still holds up today, presenting a rich lived-in world full of charm, weirdness, and a cinematic tale so ambitious that even the first part of the planned saga had to be split into two games. After SEGA left the hardware game and series creator Yu Suzuki moved on the chances of a Shenmue III up until recently were slim to none. If there’s one game or project that justifies the whole crowdfunding scene then it’s this. It’s been 15 years since Shenmue II was released, which in video game terms is akin to the era of black and white TV screens and shows where every couple slept in separate beds within the same room. Which means, I’m nervous. This could backfire. But then again, so much time has passed that no matter what the end result may be, playing Shenmue III will feel surreal. And undoubtedly exciting. Kosta
Far Cry 5
- Release: March 27, 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Windows
“It’s Far Cry”. That’s likely going to be enough for most, but what Far Cry 5 offers over any previous entries is a grand sense of dread and irony, all at once. The game’s development began, and its main antagonist (and his subsequent Eden’s Gate cult), Joseph Seed, were written well ahead of Trump’s election triumph and the crazies that have since come out of the woodwork, so as a work of fiction with so many current-day real-life parallels, Far Cry 5 is going to be a thing of coincidental beauty. No more ‘towers’ but the same open-world concept and presentation, plus a fishing mini-game that will be meta for the game’s first few months, leaves this action-adventure series well and truly in good stead. Oh, and I’ve played a stack of it in the lead up to release and it really is as good as advertised. Big Sky country, preppers, cults, fishing, seaplanes, hunting, arcade machines… honestly, what’s not to love? Steve
State of Decay 2
- Release: 2018
Platform(s): Xbox One, Windows 10
Confession time, I haven't played a single minute of the original State of Decay. So then, why would the sequel be one of my most anticipated releases of the year? Good question, and one that I’m not entirely sure I know the answer to. Bute here goes. The concept of a survival game, a co-op one no less, set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse interests me. Even if the premise is more than a little played out. But what excites me the most about State of Decay 2 is that it’s bleakness serves the mechanics and not the other way round. In the same way that Telltale’s The Walking Dead was an improvement over the pointless TV series, State of Decay looks like the perfect blend of Left 4 Dead and open world exploration and survival. In a way, if State of Decay 2 lives up to its promise and pulls off all these disparate elements then it’s going to be something special. In other news, a Left 4 Dead 3 would be perfect right about now too. - Kosta
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
- Release: 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Windows
It’s so close, I can practically smell the Celandine. GWENT has existed in pre-release mode on GOG and Xbox One Game Preview now for much longer than expected. In that time the pre-release meta shaped what the game is beginning to turn into, which seems like a balance nightmare for the team at CD Projekt RED. But like so much they do, the fruit of their labour is in the product they’re producing. Short of its promised single-player campaign, you can now partake in seasonal events, purchase cards, play friends, play a challenge-based tutorial, play randoms cross-platform, gain levels, gain cosmetic bragging rights (I’m a “Pioneer”) and even attempt to gain traction in its burgeoning eSports platform, as run and managed by CD Projekt RED. Arguably, it’s the more complex or ‘poker’ of the digital CCG space, and so already has a reputation as the more mature choice over its rival titles. And all of that coupled with continued voice-over support from Doug Cockle (among others) as Geralt leaves this as a must-have on my 2018 calendar -- bring on single-player content and an actual release date, CDPR.
The Last Night
- Release: Q4 2018
Platform(s): Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux
The neon-soaked cyberpunk aesthetic is one that I can’t get enough of. Throw in some ‘80s synth music and you might as well rename whatever room I’m in ‘Heaven 2.0’. The Last Night is a new side-scrolling future-set indie due for release sometime this year, set in a world where computers and AI and what have you have taken over most menial tasks. Or something. And even though its pixel-like appearance might fool you into thinking that this was another 16-bit era 2D throwback, once you see The Last Night it reaches a whole new level of retro aspiration meets current-day tech. From immersive lighting to wonderful image depth and animation The Last Night is breathtaking in motion. No word yet if the game itself or narrative will be any good, but odds are it’ll supply those sort of instant and immediate ‘oh wow’ moments when you fire it up for the first time. Moments that might not last that long, but in the long run can be the most memorable. Kosta
Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Release: January 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Windows
Short and sweet. Completely unlike the actual fights in the animated series -- my reason for this is three-fold -- 1): I love me some Dragon Ball Z, 2): The animation and artwork being delivered by Arc System Works is as good as most games based on animation (barring Cuphead which is peak animation-meets-game, or vice-versa), and 3): I love me some Dragon Ball Z. Honestly there’s not much more to say other than this game has been long in coming; it’s an idea that should have been jumped on a long time ago, but honestly, maybe the visual technology to truly bring those epic DBZ fights to life wasn’t quite there, and so now it's a perfect storm of tech and reach allowing for an over-the-top storm of Toriyama-inspired fighting game madness. Another January release I simply can’t wait for. Steve
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Posted 02:47pm 11/1/18
A different kind of expansive Point and Click Adventure game where combat is limited, but failure always on offer. How do you fight gods? These beasts can't die, and your mind is their stomping ground.
The game's setting is classic, and the team has done everything to honour Lovecraft while also adding their own spin to it all. It might not be the prettiest 2018 product going around, but what it lacks in absolute visual flair it makes up for in the substance and uniqueness department. Can't wait to lose my sanity to this one this year.
Posted 06:38pm 11/1/18
Posted 06:54pm 11/1/18
Posted 11:44am 12/1/18
BEEPBEEP
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077
BEEP
Cyberpunk 2077Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077
last edited by Tollaz0r! at 11:44:16 12/Jan/18
Posted 04:23pm 12/1/18
Posted 04:26pm 12/1/18
Posted 05:17pm 12/1/18
You take that back, you take that back RIGHT NOW!
Also, that rather cryptic tweet *beep* is widely being interpreted as something to do with cyberpunk 2077 .. maybe powering up.
I want to believe....
last edited by Tollaz0r! at 17:17:46 12/Jan/18
Posted 09:47pm 12/1/18
edit: also I am surprised PoE2 didn't make it onto the list :P
Posted 10:31pm 12/1/18
unnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg yep my most anticipated for sure
Posted 11:20pm 12/1/18
Posted 11:43pm 12/1/18
Posted 07:21pm 13/1/18
Other than that, Maybe the new Total War game but I want to see more about it first, The Chinese setting is nice and all but I wanted Empire 2. I want muskets and cannons.
Posted 08:13pm 14/1/18
Posted 08:27pm 14/1/18
Posted 02:22pm 16/1/18
God of War I'm keen on, but it's not highest on my list. And the jury is still out on Spidey for me -- QTEs just annoy me so much these days.
Bannerlord looks the tits though!
Posted 03:29pm 16/1/18
spiderman is the number one game i'm most excited for this year especially when it looks like this:
i'm also really looking forward to the last of us part 2 and cyberpunk but they're at least 2019+. according to a polish gaming site, cyberpunk will be revealed at this years e3 and journo's will get to see a behind closed doors demo.
Posted 08:26pm 17/1/18
It seems to be a good mixture of them both, like real projectile physics instead of the total RNG that the later XCOM's have.
OH, and thanks to this thread, I've added Bannerlord to that list.
Posted 07:27pm 18/1/18
Posted 04:34pm 29/1/18