2017 was a pretty so-so year in terms of gaming. It had a very strong opening, with two games that captured my heart pretty strong – Persona 5 and Horizon: Zero Dawn. Both games were masterful works. While the second has some flaws that hold it back from true greatness, the former is a milestone in its genre for other games in the JRPG vein to measure themselves up to. It is amazing. We also had a prequel to my favorite game of 2015, and while I have been very skeptical, Life is Strange: Before the Storm has been a fascinating take on a video game soap opera. This genre may have some potential, so long as the writing is good and the characters are interesting.
But now we come to the upcoming year. Next year promises some amazing things. And the really nice thing is that almost everything I am stoked for next year isn’t a sequel. There is a remake and a reboot, but the rest is brand new IPs. That’s really nice. Let’s get into this.
10. BioMutant
This game has me both intrigued and apprehensive. See, the premise looks engaging. A game set in a fantasy world where it mixes furry creatures, RPG elements, mech combat, gunplay, sword combat, and potential other abilities. This concept intrigues. I saw this gameplay demo that admittedly has me a little apprehensive. The combat in this game looks like there is the risk that it could get really repetitive, but maybe that was just because it sticks you in what is meant to be the intro level. From the devs behind Just Cause, I see the potential for greatness and that has me paying attention. We’ll see what it becomes.
9. Left Alive
Speaking of mech combat, let’s talk about this game. Set in a near future Eastern Europe, the concept behind this game has me interested, to say the least. A game that combines stealth-action gameplay reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 5 and mech combat, this idea has a lot of potential. I say potential because there isn’t a whole lot known about this game thus far. It was just announced and is coming out next year. No gameplay breakdowns, nothing. Just an idea, some brief gameplay bits, and a cool opening hinting at a war in Eastern Europe that has gone out of control. We shall see what this inevitably becomes.
8. Sky
It kills me that a game made by my favorite Indie gaming company is so low on this list. It really does. But so much of what I’m hearing about it is conflicting me so much. For starters, the release said that this game was only coming out for iPad and Apple TV, two things I don’t have an never will own. Then I saw some stories in the news about how it is coming to other platforms but is a timed-exclusive to that one. Okay. So when will it come to others. Then I’m hearing that this game may have some kind of DRM thing going on. Everything the creator says is about the social interaction. Okay. Lastly, they are marketing this game as “free-to-start.” Um, what? Didn’t Nintendo try this and have it blow up in their face? There are a lot of reasons to feel apprehensive, and I most definitely am, but it still looks so cool! The visuals, the sound design, it’s all on point in such a fantastic way. I want to like it, and I will see what it is and give it a chance, but damn am I apprehensive here.
7. Kingdom Hearts III
Another game that it just depresses me how low it is on this list. But Square Enix definitely had that coming. This game is so late to the fucking party. It’s not even funny how late this game is. This game is over 10 years late. That’s how long it has been since we’ve had an entry in this franchise. Maybe, if it had come in sooner, Leonard Nimoy would have been able to reprise his role as Xehanort. But no! They had to fuck around on a bunch of add-on games and things like II.8 (a game that kind of pissed me off, since it wasn’t even a complete game), we are just now getting to see trailers for it. Still in Japanese. That being said, I am excited. We see that there are Pixar worlds, which has had me giddy for a while. I am still worried they will put Marvel and Star Wars worlds in there (please don’t! For the love of Groj, please don’t!), but seeing our characters in a world based on Toy Story puts a warm feeling in my heart. Plus, the combat looks so much better. And we get mechs! Lots of reasons to be excited. Now we just need an English trailer and an official release date.
6. God of War
This is a game that I want to get really insanely hyped about, but there are some things holding me back. For starters, as cool as it is to have Kratos killing Norse mythology, how did he get there? Last we saw of him was a blood smear trailing off Mt Olympus after he had effectively destroyed the world. How does this work? Next up is the kid. It’s clearly not his by blood. So what’s the deal? Kratos seems really eager to fuck up Norse mythology as well. Why? This game has a lot of unanswered questions, and I just hope that it doesn’t cop out with them in some bullshit way that has me sitting there going, “really?” That being said, the visuals look amazing, and the gameplay looks fun as well. They are marketing the game as all being done in one continuous shot, which is a bold claim. I am also admittedly a little bummed about the change in voice actor for Kratos. But we’ll see what it is and judge it then.
5. Ghost of Tsushima
The first game I bought for my PS4 was inFAMOUS: Second Son. The game was fun. The subplots were a little boring, save for the tagging. That was legit fun. But the game was a fun open world experience with gorgeous visuals and fun characters. Now Sucker Punch studios is back at it, with a game set in feudal Japan about a nameless samurai who is after revenge from a Mongol who destroyed his village. Set in an actual historical setting, this game looks really interesting. I am still looking to see what the gameplay is like, but it’s clear there is a lot of passion here. We’ll see what it becomes.
4. Vampyr
Ever since Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, something I have noticed is that there hasn’t been a good vampire game in a long time. But then I heard tell of an open world game where you play as a vampire and have to make moral decisions. The concept intrigued me, but once I saw the actual gameplay, I was hooked. Victorian London, playing as a creature of the night who has to use his talents as a vampire to help stop an epidemic of monsters in the city. This has so much going for it. The combat of the game looks to be the biggest short-coming of what I have seen so far, but I am reserving judgement until I get my hands on it. Let’s hope this is an actually engaging game about London. Last time we got a really boring game in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, or as I told my ex the other day Grand Theft Carriage with Batman’s grapple gun. This game has creepy powers, moral decisions, and a beautiful aesthetic. What more could a guy ask for?
3. Shadow of the Colossus
From Software has decided to take a crack at remaking one of the greatest games of all time. Another one of these games where I am very excited, but there are these doubts nipping away at me. What doubts, you ask? I see over and over about how this game looks 1000X better than the original, and that surely does seem to be true. But there is something I am desperately hoping this remake does – fixes some of the gameplay issues of the original. The original game has not aged well in respect to gameplay. The HD remake had some serious flaws that showed the game’s age in a big way. I am genuinely hoping that we can have some of those remedied. That being said, this looks amazing, and the kid inside me who played and loved the original all those years ago is super excited right now.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man
The first thing I notice about this game is how the gameplay looks so fun. Having clearly taken a lot of cues from the Arkham games, this game is still going out of its way to be all its own. For starters, we have a new villain! I’ve never seen Mr Negative in a video game before. There are bits showing other villains making the cut. I am hoping we get to see some of the villains that we don’t see in other media. Ones like Jack O’ Lantern, or Beetle, or Kraven the Hunter. So much potential, and it’s clear that the creators of this game have so much passion for it. Not tying in to any films or other properties associated with Marvel films, this game is all its own, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
And the most anticipated game of 2018 is…
1. Detroit: Become Human
This is it. We finally are getting to see David Cage’s latest project. This game has recently come under fire for a trailer where you see a girl potentially getting beaten by her father. Apparently the moral busy-bodies are mad that a game is showing something that happens in real life. More idiots who want to ignore all the very good evidence that video games do not cause real-life violence. But hey, what do I know? Oh, that’s right – that this game looks amazing! Tank controls, sure, but so much solving of puzzles, making decisions, living with the consequences, and shaping a narrative of a world where robots exist and are treated as slaves, with multiple characters to experience the story through. I am so stoked for this, and I don’t have to wait much longer.
What about you? What games are you stoked for? Let me know in the Comments
Until next time, a quote,
“We were friends once, before I was reset. Maybe we can be friends again.” – Kara, Detroit: Become Human
Peace out,
Maverick