Top 10 Anticipated Games of 2018

[Alyxx Thorne]

After E3 has run its course, and left us with a mixed bag of disappointments and incredible gaming news, I feel it's time to throw my proverbial hat into the ring and list the announced games that I feel the most hyped about this year. I am currently saving up for a new gaming PC and cannot wait to dig into these games soon with new specs to match the demands. So without further ado, let's dig in!

 

10. FALLOUT 76

Ever since the release of Fallout 3, me and my friends have thought to ourselves "you know, this would be a lot more fun if you could actually play together". And it seems Bethesda has thought the same thing as they have wrestled with the idea for a while and now come up with an answer to our collective prayers for a multiplayer Fallout game. Fallout 76 apparently will be a sort of MMORPG thing with a large focus on co-op and building settlements. So far it's looking really promising and I can't wait to explore West Virginia with my friends. I think the thing we really liked so far is that you really don't seem forced into a certain role. You can do crafting, and selling items like food seems to be a legit thing in the game. So it seems like a game where people can assume the roles they want and not everyone has to be warriors. Definitely excited to dig into that game this November.

 

9. ANTHEM

Anthem is a game I've actually been fairly hyped about ever since it was released. And I know a lot of people have said they're on the fence about that cause of Mass Effect Andromeda. Listen... Andromeda wasn't made by the main Bioware team. It was made by an offshoot team that changed its directors multiple times. This game is being made by a different team with a different director, there is no reason to assume it will be like Mass Effect Andromeda. I actually think Andromeda isn't that bad of a game but I'm planning a review so I won't get ahead of myself there.

Anyway, so far it seems really cool, I love the aesthetic of the Javelin suits and apparently you can customize your freelancer in everything from gender to looks and I absolutely love that. It's going to be a co-op game for up to 4 people with a large MMO-esque open world to explore outside the story instances. And fuck, it's a new IP from Bioware, a studio that for years now have pretty much only done two franchises: Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Just the fact they are doing something new and something still within the sci-fi realm is really cool to me.

 

8. SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER

Lara's next adventure is coming soon, and what gameplay we saw at E3 showed her sneaking around the jungle in a game where she has inadvertently caused armageddon and is rushing to stop it. I love this idea of her adventures actually having huge ramifications that she never considered and I look forward to playing the game.

Hopefully Lara will be more badass in this game. I'm still a bit tired of "wimpy Lara" from the last couple of games as I grew up with the oldschool Lara, but what I've seen so far looks promising. The devs clearly have written her to be a reluctant badass who will do what it takes to survive in a harsh situation but still holds on to her humanity somewhat. I would just still love for her to turn into a darker character like in the early games and I've been waiting for it to happen for a while now. And for crying out loud, add some dual-wielding pistols to the games at some point soon. Stop teasing us with shots of her holding two pistols and then doing nothing with it.

 

7. RAGE 2

As surprised as I am that RAGE actually got a sequel, I am even more surprised to see it being made by the studio that made the Mad Max game (actually, that's probably not that surprising). As has already been pointed out, the game doesn't look that original. It kind of looks like Mad Max, Doom and Borderlands had a big ol' threesome and this is the outcome. But in the words of Tim Willits: "That's awesome, isn't it?" It truly is.

Not a lot has been shown so far, but it seems they are expanding on the nanotrite abilities more and doing a combat style more similar to Doom 2016. And yeah, can't wait to play it. And hopefully there will be a Switch port for those long train rides where I need a Rage 2 fix.

 

6. WOLFENSTEIN: YOUNGBLOOD

A co-op Wolfenstein game set in the 80's with two female characters for the first time in the series' history? Sign me the fuck up! Sadly not a lot of gameplay has been shown so far, but it seems you are playing as BJ's daughters (explains why his wife's belly has been so huge in Wolfenstein II) fighting Nazis in an 80's alternate history Paris. I really love how they are just taking this alternate Nazi-fied history further and further and I can't wait to play through this with Kira.

 

5. BEYOND GOOD & EVIL 2

No idea when this game is coming out but apparently it's pretty soon and they have even announced it will have co-op. The most recent trailer showed something shocking though, that being Jade is apparently a villain in the game. This is most intriguing given she's the hero of the first game and this is allegedly a prequel. How does it all fit in? I can't wait to find out and I really hope it's going to do the first game justice. I still haven't finished the first game so might be time to do so very soon. Regardless, BG&E2 is looking better and better the more we get to see of it.

 

4. ION MAIDEN

As far as shooters go, we haven't seen a Build engine one in ages. So the folks at 3D Realms and Voidpoint figured they'd fix that by making a Build engine FPS prequel to the isometric shooter Bombshell that came out a few years back. What I have played so far is pretty fucking badass and truly feels like a proper 90's shooter up there with greatslike Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior. Apparently there's going to be a physical release with a USB floppy disk, which I am SO going to pre-order when it comes out. I highly recommend giving the early access preview campaign a go just to see what it's all about.

 

3. DOOM ETERNAL

So apparently id are already working on a full blown sequel to DOOM 2016 and just that simple fact is enough to have me giddy for hours. Whatever it's going to be, it's probably going to involve demons, super shotguns and lots of gibs. Hopefully we'll get more info soon cause fuck me this reveal had me so hyped!

 

2. RESIDENT EVIL 2 HD REMAKE

Fuck. Yeah. Resi 2 is without a doubt my favourite Resi game and hearing about it being remade just had me screaming with joy. And what we saw looked absolutely amazing. I absolutely can't wait to revisit Raccoon City in full HD glory when it comes out. Hopefully it will have better controls and camera than the original game too.

 

1. CYBERPUNK 2077

Everything about this game sounds like it was made for me. Cyberpunk is probably my favourite genre of any medium and this game seems to be absolutely steeped in the aesthetic of cyberpunk. I just love the universe they have created, and it seems like the kind of game I'm going to absolutely immerse myself in for probably years to come once it's out. We've been waiting a long time for it and apparently it's coming really soon.

It sounds amazing, especially with how the world will react to your choices and how they can impact the game world, and how you can create any character you want. And of course there's going to be some nudity and sexy stuff, which I am fine with.

Truth to be told I've never really been into CD Project Red's Witcher series, but this is definitely something that's entirely up my alley, to the point where I'm now using Cyberpunk 2077 wallpapers exclusively for my PC.

 

So yeah, that was my list. There are several other games I am also anticipating but these are the ones that I feel the most hyped about at the top of my head. Let me know what games you're excited for!

 

- Alyxx