Pre-planning is the name of the game in the entertainment industry.
More often than not, video games get stamped with release dates long before they're ready
to hit the shelves, and 2018's release calendar is already jam-packed with sensational new
titles.
Here are the games that will blow everyone away in 2018.
Far Cry 5
The latest installment in Ubisoft's first-person shooter franchise, Far Cry 5 is set in fictional
Hope County, Montana in a small town that's seems like a slice of perfection.
Stare a little longer, though, and the violence, racial tensions, and a faith-obsessed sect
emerge from the shadows.
At the bloody heart of Far Cry 5 is that very band of believers, hell bent on seizing a
chunk of the American midwest and transforming its residents into god-fearing faithfuls.
Early reactions to Far Cry 5 have all seemed to echo the same sentiment: from the game's
captivating landscape to its "uncanny ability to anticipate modern cultural and political
trends," it simply doesn't get more raw than Far Cry 5.
Mark your calendar for when it releases on February 27.
2018.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Almost entirely crowdfunded, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is currently in development
with former Castlevania head honcho Koji Igarashi.
Unsurprisingly, this trippy side-scrolling platformer has been marketed as a spiritual
successor to the dark-fantasy-themed game series, but will feature gameplay that post-dates
1997's Symphony of the Night.
You'll traverse the monster-filled world as Miriam, a young orphan plagued by a curse
that slowly turns her skin to crystal.
Surpassing its Kickstarter goal with ease, Igarashi's return to form looks like it'll
shine in its two-and-a-half dimensions — and knock your socks off in the process.
Be prepared to buy the game in March 2018 on a variety of system platforms.
Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter is a sensation in the gaming world, selling over 40 million games since
the franchise's debut in 2004.
And yet the series has struggled to gain traction outside of Japan.
Monster Hunter: World aims to fix that.
It says as much right in the title.
Like before, hunters prepare in town before embarking on excursions into the wilderness,
where they'll need to adhere to carefully planned strategies in order to take down the
game's massive beasts.
But Capcom, the game's publisher, is making some changes, too.
Instead of tromping through a series of smaller, walled-off areas, Monster Hunter: World takes
place in an open and dynamic environment.
That's right: no loading screens.
The series' notoriously deep learning curve has also been softened, and the interface
has been streamlined to accommodate new players.
As executive director Kaname Fujioka explained it: "The grammar of games in the West is evolving.
And being able to say 'We speak your language' is a great chance to get more people on board."
This is a title we're definitely looking forward to in early 2018.
God of War
Kratos is back, but this isn't your father's God of War.
Sure, 2018's installment in the signature PlayStation franchise will be just as gloriously
violent as ever, and yes, the demigod in the face paint once again plays God of War's hero
— but that's where the similarities end.
Instead of the sun-drenched Mediterranean, this new God of War takes the action to snowy
Scandinavia, pitting our hero against characters from Norse mythology.
Instead of the over-the-top, pulp vibe that characterized the original games, God of War
has a slower, more serious tone.
This time, Kratos is joined on his quest by his son, Atreus.
That changes everything.
Not only does Atreus help his old man during combat, but God of War devotees know Kratos'
need for vengeance began when Ares tricked the warrior into killing his first family.
Director Cory Barlog says that Atreus is "the humanity that Kratos has lost [...] He's that
mirror that is reminding him that there's a different way — a way he might have forgotten
long ago."
But before you start worrying that God of War trades action for introspection, rest
assured that underneath the mature storyline is a brutal and exciting adventure in the
classic God of War style, albeit with a more modern flavor.
Instead of fixed camera angles and linear solutions to problems, God of War gives players
the tools they need to proceed, then lets them find the best solution to the game's
obstacles.
The tone might be new, but at its core God of War will still be the god-murdering simulator
we've all come to know and love — like its hero, it's just grown up a little.
Look for it early 2018.
System Shock
Completely revamped from the 1994 original, this System Shock remake takes no prisoners.
Portland-based developer Night Dive Studios has enlisted a dazzling team of industry veterans
to craft a high-powered new game that centers around a keenly resourceful hacker who's taken
prisoner by a money-hungry TriOptimum executive — basically a scarier, cyberpunk version
of a Wall Street Banker.
2018's System Shock catapults players into the post-apocalyptic landscape of Citadel
Station — which is now inhabited by brainless robots, corrupt cyborgs, and grotesquely mutilated
creatures, all of which are engineered to obey the merciless A.I. known as SHODAN.
And if that wasn't enough, Night Dive Studios promises the world of System Shock has "never
been more immersive or terrifying" than in the upcoming reboot.
We're excited to find out if that's true in the second quarter of 2018.
Crackdown 3
Crackdown 3 was originally supposed to come out in 2016, and then it was pushed back to
November 7, 2017.
Now the open-world adventure is set for spring 2018.
Will the third time be the charm?
Microsoft regrets the delays, and admits it revealed Crackdown 3 a few years too early.
Hopefully, the finished product will be worth the wait.
As in previous installments, Crackdown 3 lets you control a super-powered agent who hunts
down criminals, but the game's real draw is that you can destroy anything and everything.
Literally.
By offloading some of the game's processing into the cloud, Crackdown 3 features fully
destructible environments — at least in multiplayer — setting the stage for some
truly epic battles.
If you can see it, you can wreck it.
Now that developer Sumo Digital has the the extra time it needs to make sure Crackdown
3 shines, the game could represent a major breakthrough in terms of technology as well
as open-world warfare.
Besides, blowing stuff up is fun, and Crackdown 3 explodes things real good.
That's good enough for us.
"Forget dropping bombs!
You're dropping BUILDINGS!
HAHAHA!"
Red Dead Redemption 2
Although there's a "two" tacked onto the end of its title, Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually
the third installment in the action-adventure franchise, and the first built from the ground
up, eight years after Red Dead Redemption and 12 years after the original Red Dead Revolver.
The follow-up takes vintage Americana vibes and atmospheric inspiration from its predecessors
to bring forth an "outlaw epic" featuring plenty of gun-slinging cowboys and roughed-up
rebels.
We'll have to hold out a bit longer than originally planned to get our hands on Red Dead Redemption
and its cast of scruffy characters, but considering the game's near-limitless landscape and fierce
narrative, the days spent waiting may well be worth it.
Look for this sequel in spring 2018.
Spider-Man
In Insomniac's upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive, players will slip into a new version of Peter
Parker's iconic red and blue suit and guide the wallcrawler through the island of Manhattan
on a map that's reportedly four times bigger than the one in the developer's last open-world
game, Sunset Overdrive.
Players will swing between buildings, take on Spidey's foes, and use all the tricks and
tools at Peter's disposal to rescue civilians and save the day.
Judging by the game's extended E3 2017 demo, Insomniac has lifted the best parts of recent
superhero games and combined them into something both new and familiar.
Combat looks like it's inspired by Batman: Arkham City, allowing players to sneak and
swing among the rafters and take down thugs with various attacks, or drop down to street
level to engage in some rhythm-driven fisticuffs.
But the cool stuff for Spidey fans doesn't end there.
It looks like the developers are including some of the newest additions to the Spider-Man
universe.
Mr. Negative, a modern take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, plays a prominent role.
Insomniac also confirms that classic Spidey villains will surface — the Kingpin briefly
appeared in Sony's demo.
All in all, this is a Spider-Man that embraces everything that makes the franchise great,
retro, modern, or in between.
Spider-Man is set for release in the first half of 2018.
Anthem
BioWare isn't the first developer you'd expect to make an open-world multiplayer shooter
— until now, the studio has stuck almost exclusively to role-playing games, with classics
like Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age.
But if the game's E3 trailer is anything like the final product, the veteran studio will
knock everyone's socks off.
Who hasn't wanted to fly around and kick butt with a jetpack?
Anthem looks like it'll be worth it for that gameplay hook alone.
Players join the ranks of the Freelancers, intrepid explorers who journey into the wilderness
to fight vicious beasts and gather loot.
Players can team up to tackle particularly tough challenges in Anthem's sprawling shared
world, assuming different classes like the all-purpose Ranger or the tank-like Colossus,
each of which plays a different role in battle.
Massive "Shaper Storms" promise to shake up Anthem with their "world-altering" consequences,
while players can zoom using the jetpacks built into their Javelin exosuits, flying
across the map or taking to the air to snipe opponents on the ground.
Maybe a little of BioWare's storytelling magic will rub off on Anthem, too.
Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer on the first two Mass Effect games is penning Anthem's story.
Hunting for loot in games is always great, but having a good reason to hunt for it is
even better.
If BioWare can fuse a strong narrative with Destiny's addictive gameplay loop, Anthem
might ending up being very, very hard to put down.
Look for it Fall 2018.
Detroit: Become Human
David Cage's games, which skirt the line between point-and-click adventure and interactive
movie, aren't for everyone.
Heavy Rain received positive reviews on release, but some of the game's odder features haven't
aged quite as well.
Cage's follow up, Beyond: Two Souls, looked and sounded great, but didn't include much
in the way of interactivity.
But every time Cage and the team at Quantic Dream put out a new game, the formula gets
a little more complex — and Detroit: Become Human might be where they get the balance
between story and action just right.
Like Cage's other games, Detroit lets players guide multiple characters through a branching
storyline that changes based on the user's decisions.
As in Heavy Rain, death isn't the end, either.
If one character dies, the story continues, and adapts to that person's absence.
Three androids — Kara, Connor, and Markus — serve as our guides into a near-future
setting where artificial lifeforms struggle to find their place in the world.
With the player's help, they'll find a way to settle peacefully alongside humanity, take
to the streets in a full-fledged revolution, or something in between.
Just don't expect any easy answers.
Cage says: "There is no big message to humanity in this game.
[...] It's just interesting questions that may resonate with your own personal values
and just confront you with the consequences [of your] actions."
Detroit: Become Human is set for release in 2018, although as of this video it doesn't
have an official release date.
Kingdom Hearts 3
At long last, it's coming.
Kingdom Hearts 2, the last numbered entry in this Final Fantasy and Disney mashup, came
out way back in 2005, and fans have been waiting for a proper follow-up ever since.
And now we're finally getting it.
As before, series hero Sora and his pals will travel to lands based on popular Disney properties
while fighting the evil Heartless.
Kingdom Hearts 3 doubles down on the Disney, too.
Sora can unleash powerful summon attacks based on Disneyland and Disney World attractions,
while the new settings take full advantage of Disney's expanded corporate portfolio.
That's right: both Pixar and even Marvel characters are set to make their Kingdom Hearts debut.
Look for it in 2018.
The Last Night
It's not often that an indie game threatens to steal an entire E3 press conference, but
in 2017, The Last Night almost did just that.
By fusing a Blade Runner-esque environment with modern cinematic effects and flashy pixel
art, The Last Night oozes style, and almost brought Microsoft's presentation to a standstill.
The Last Night started as small prototype developed during 2014's Cyberpunk Jam, and
designer Tim Soret only decided to flesh out the game into a fully-fledged project after
it won the event's top prize.
As far as the actual gameplay goes, Soret describes The Last Night as a "cinematic adventure
game," while publisher Raw Fury says it'll feature "a diverse, inclusive cast of complex
characters to interact with through meaningful, branching dialogue."
Hopefully The Last World will be a game everyone can enjoy when it arrives on the Xbox One
and Windows PC in 2018.
Death Stranding
The infamously ambiguous Death Stranding is a definite possibility for release in 2018,
as its creator Hideo Kojima has given more than a few hints that point to a debut sometime
next year.
During the 2016 Tokyo Game Show, Kojima stated, "It will be out before the Olympics.
[...] To go a little further, there is a movie called Akira, and it will be out before the
year in which Akira is set."
The former references the 2020 Tokyo Games, the latter the year 2019.
Whether or not it actually arrives in 2018, Death Stranding has already piqued many gamers'
interest.
From the minute we saw a CGI Norman Reedus cradling a baby on a deserted beach in the
middle of nowhere, we were hooked.
Since then, it's been revealed that Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen and director Guillermo
del Toro have joined the project, which blends open-world gameplay with unique elements and
an intricate plot.
Color us excited and counting down the days until this hopeful 2018 release.
Code Vein
When gamers got their first glimpse of Code Vein, few knew what to make of it.
From the team behind the sci-fi action-adventure series God Eater, Code Vein packs some serious
vampire heat, throwing players into a dystopian dungeon to play as a blood-sucking Revenant
with a network of supernatural powers laid out just beneath his thumb.
Or, rather, behind his teeth, as bearing down on some fresh flesh grants him new unique
abilities — ones players can put to the test throughout Code Vein's massive, interconnected
world.
Get ready to fight the Vein in 2018.
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