2018 is here and the anticipation for the games that we saw that are to be released this year is heightened. Although 2018 looks to be a big year for gaming, 2017 was no slouch. Last year saw the release of some of the best game releases ever. So many great games. Destiny 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Super Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Forza Motorsport 7, Cuphead, Assassins Creed Origins, just to name a few. We even saw the release of two new consoles that changed the scope of gaming. Nintendo’s Switch was probably the best example of game changing with Nintendo getting back to its roots and offering fun games while making the experience portable. Microsoft finally dropped the Xbox One X and it’s easily the most powerful gaming console to date offering a native 4K gaming experience, backwards compatibility and game upscaling. The Xbox One X is so good that it even rivals low end gaming PC’s. So, again, 2017 was a good year.
This year, appears to be another big year of quality games especially if you consider the competition between the big 3 has just gotten interesting. Nintendo has the fastest selling console in US history and I’m quite sure Sony and Microsoft won’t take that lightly. That means great games for us, the gamers. We have just a few selections from all three (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) that are an absolute must play for me and probably for you too. Most of these games are cross-platform so if it’s for one then it’s probably for the others as well. Either way, we hope it happens this year because we absolutely want play these games. You should want to play them too.
God of War (PS4)
I don’t think there is any game I want to play in 2018 more than this game. When I saw this game at E3 in 2016 when it was initially unveiled. It was a grandiose affair and it was easily the game everyone was most excited about. In fact, it actually killed the rest of the conference because it was such a surprise to see after so many years and not only that we got actual gameplay. No other game really matched up after seeing GoW that’s because GoW has never really had a bad game. Some better than others but never bad. They were all fun and Kratos is probably the greatest anti-hero ever created in a game. He’s killed off all of the Greek Gods so who is his enemy now? How will the boy who appears to be his son factor into the gameplay? So many questions unanswered and so many reasons to want to play this game. It’s slated to release early 2018 (whatever that means). If you haven’t seen God of War. Check out the trailer and gameplay.
Anthem (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Anthem is a game that I want to play just based on sheer intrigue. It was announced at E3 this year and I’m still not sure what to think. It’s an open world shooter with a heavy emphasis on character development. It’s almost as if you’re playing an RPG but I’m hearing Anthem is to be compared to game like Destiny. It’s exosuits, monsters, guns, etc. Not sure what to expect but an actual open world is a good thing so we’re here for it.
The Last of Us 2 (PS4)
5 years after the original game, Naughty Dog comes back this year with the highly anticipated sequel with a new plot line and the ability to now play use Ellie as the primary character. This game promises a lot of action, blood and guts and great story. We’ll see but it’s must play.
Final Fantasy VII (remake)
Of all the games that highly anticipated I don’t think there is any more anticipated than this game. When it revealed that Square would be doing an actual remake as opposed to a remaster, the gaming world went nuts. Rightfully so. Final Fantasy VII in the eyes of many is the greatest RPG ever made. Opinions will vary of course, but you can’t deny the impact Final Fantasy VII had on the gaming community. People who have never actually played the original PS three disc version are dying to play the remake. This is the THE game to play in 2018, if it comes out this year. We’re holding Square Enix to it’s 2018 release date even if it’s late 2018. Let’s hope they make good on it. (video credit: MKIcedandFire/YouTube)
Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4)
I’m going to keep this short. Kingdom Hearts 3? 2018? Can it happen already? Jeez
Mega Man 11 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
The 80’s baby cannot wait to play this game, so while most people may not care for another Mega Man game. I do. Mighty No.9 sucked and 20XX was an incredible game but neither one was Mega Man and although they never claimed to be, we could see the influence clearly. This time around Capcom is involved and they have redesigned the game to current console standards so you can imagine how this game is going to look and play. The Switch is probably the best way to play this Mega Man since you can take it with you. That’s the version i’ll be getting. What about you?
Monster Hunter World (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Based on what we’ve seen about this game. It’s going to be incredible. The open world hunting, crafting, survival game is back for a fresh run and is it impressive. If the trailers and gameplay videos haven’t made you want to play this game then I don’t know what will. Even if you aren’t a fan of the Monster Hunter series, if you’re a gamer then you’d want to give this game a try just based on how it looks alone.
Ni no Kuni 2 (PS4)
Improved gameplay, refreshed graphics and a much needed update to the combat system make Ni No Kuni 2 a must play game for 2018. The first game was a bit of an undertaking in that there was a lot to absorb in order to play what is otherwise an incredible game. The new game looks great and hopefully the improvements won’t make the game feel like such a chore and you get all of the fun you should get out of it.
DragonBall Fighter Z (PS4, XBox One, PC)
I’m not a fan of Dragonball Z but there has never been a Dragonball Z game that it’s fans aren’t super excited about and that remains the same here. It’s must have/play for 2018
Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
Rockstar Games’ Wild West version of GTA is headed our way this Spring 2018 barring any issues or delays. It may have taken 8 years since the first game but I don’t think anyone will notice because this game looks really good.
State of Decay 2 (PC, XBox One)
Zombie Apocalypse games are probably the most played out genre of game there is but when there’s a really good one, you can’t help but play it. You really can’t. State of Decay 2 is one of those games and it comes at us with 4-player co-op and you can expect it to be kick ass just like the first one.
Yoshi (Switch)
Not sure if this game is going to make it for 2018 but we remain hopeful. The Yoshi games have always been really good and the version for the Switch will be so much better. This game has elements of Little Big Planet and expands on it and adds Yoshi and it looks like so much fun. It’s still unknown whether or not this game will release this year considering it was shown off at this year’s E3 but we can remain hopeful.
How many of these games will we get to play?
It’s going to be really hard to tell which of these games we actually get to play in 2018. We’d personally say that about 60% of the games that are announced for 2018 we’ll actually play. The others were just tentatively scheduled for 2018. Typical. Either way, 2018 is shaping up to be a good year. Mostly for PS4 from what I’ve seen so far but it’s January and it’s still early. The verdict is still out on whether or not the Xbox One X is a worthy upgrade because of the apparent lack of exclusive titles at this moment and the same applies to the Switch, so far. It’s looking good though. Developers will be getting to work and make some dope titles if they haven’t already. PC is always going to have a crapload of games so I’m not even going to address PC gaming. 2018 is going to be good year overall and we’re ready to get our game on.
