Readers reveal which new video games they’re most looking forward to this year, from Red Dead Redemption II to Spider-Man.
Since this is the first Hot Topic of the new year there was only one obvious question to ask: what 2018 video game are you looking forward to the most? Normally that’s a fairly straightforward question, but so far less games than usual have been officially confirmed for 2018.
That only made it even easier for Red Dead Redemption II to get the most nods, although there was also plenty of interest in smaller titles such as Yakuza 6 and Valkyria Chronicles 4. Games like Bayonetta 3 and The Last Of Us Part II also got plenty of mentions, but whether they’ll actually come out this year only time will tell…
Welcome sequels
Happy New Year all! This year I’m most looking forward to Red Dead Redemption II. The last game was fantastic, with a stunning open world to explore, and a brilliant single-player story, with a shocking ending. I also really enjoyed the co-op missions, which were great fun with a group of friends. I’m sure Rockstar will be looking to expand the online aspect in the sequel, especially after all the money they made from GTA Online. Although it will be a lot more difficult to monetise, seeing as the world will be a lot more primitive compared to Los Santos! Hopefully there will be a load of activities for a posse of friends to take on, along with missions like Heists in GTA Online.
Far Cry 5 also looks like it could be a lot of fun. With co-op play integrated into the single-player, it should be a lot of fun blasting around Montana with a friend, which was sadly lacking in previous games. The Last Of Us Part II will hopefully be at least as good as the original game, although the last trailer I saw was pretty brutal and grim. Hopefully the final game will lighten the mood a tad, and take the story in an interesting new direction.
What’s disappointing is that there is no big-name Nintendo games on the horizon, after the amazing year they had last year, with both Zelda and Mario’s new games being hailed as two of the best games ever made. We can only hope they are keeping their cards close to their chest, and they have some nice surprises to unveil soon.
Cubes (PSN ID)/Cubes73 (NN ID)/Kevin M
Across the Pond
Hey, first time writing in I live here in the States and absolutely love the games Inbox. Thank you guys for all the hard work you do here at GC. The games I’m most looking forward to in 2018 have to Red Dead Redemption II, as I loved the first one, and Valkyria Chronicles 4, as I just played the remastered first one a few months ago and fell in love with the inventive turn-based strategy gameplay and watercolour art style. The last game has to be the new Switch Fire Emblem, which I’ve never played on a home console before (though I still need to get a Switch to play it on).
If these games are as great as I hope they are all I will need is for Microsoft to announce a new mainline Fable and my 2018 will be complete.
KeeganatorPrime (PSN ID)
GC: Well, recent rumours suggest there is a reasonable chance of that.
Happily wrong
2018? But there are so many meats in 2017’s rich gaming stew that I’ve not had a chance to taste yet. Anyway, here are the games I’m most excited for that aren’t Red Dead Redemption II.
The characters, their story and the world of The Last Of Us were resolved and self-contained. I was hoping that Naughty Dog would do something completely new and not perhaps risk ruining gaming’s truly perfect ending. But then I assumed Portal 2, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, and Blade Runner 2049 would be completely inessential, with no justification to exist, so I’m expecting to be proved wrong yet again.
Far Cry 5 will be the usual Ubisoft icon-chasing map game where I’ll constantly feel like I’m an entertained pigeon trapped in a Skinner box. It’s not going to have the sharp spiky wit of Wolfenstein II but I’m stoked about having a Far Cry with a customisable main character and plenty of creative chances to give fascists what for.
I don’t have the highest hopes for Detroit: Being Human, but when David Cage fails, he fails interestingly.
I’m most looking forward to Vampyr. Dontnod can really do characters, story, and world-building and I want to see what they do next after Life Is Strange.
Jaded_Libertine (PSN ID)
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Long awaited
The game I’m looking forward to the most this year is the same game I was looking forward to the most last year until its delay was confirmed, that game is Shenmue III.
This also happens to be my favourite game series of all time, personally I’ve never played anything I’ve liked more. Naturally I backed the Kickstarter for the game in June 2015. I’ve waited that long since Shenmue II, I’m just happy in the knowledge that it’s being made, and that I did my bit to contribute to that. I have every faith Yu Suzuki will deliver what all us fans have been waiting for, for so long, even if it doesn’t live up to expectations I will be happy in the knowledge I tried and supported it.
I still have my Dreamcast with Shenmue I and II, and also the Xbox version of Shenmue II. I never tire of going back to them every so often for another playthrough.
I like many other games a lot, but not on the same level of Shenmue. I even purchased those awesome First 4 Figures statues of Ryo and Lan Di, which have pride of place, and proudly wear my Shenmue sweatshirt with the tiger logo off Ryo’s jacket displayed front and centre.
R1CH5TER
Indie adventures
Compared with all the games I bought last year I think this one could be quite light as the main games I really want – like Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and Cyberpunk 2077 – are more likely a 2019 release. This year is getting games I’m interested in such as Ni No Kuni II, Wargroove, Vampyr, Metro Exodus, and Red Dead Redemption II but to me none of these are a must buy unless they review well. And unless a miracle happens and the only Xbox game I see on this 12 month horizon is Ori And the Will of the Wisps.
I was going to upgrade my current Xbox One to an X but decided to buy a Switch instead, one of the best gaming decisions I’ve ever made as like a growing number of others I feel that one of two things will happen with Microsoft in 2018: they’ll either have the best E3 in history or they may pull out of consoles altogether to focus on PC.
I don’t want to be pessimistic this early in the year but I really am struggling to get excited about anything big budget coming out this year, but I do think this could be the year for indie games (like Ori) to make a big difference.
Mr.Saveloy
Anything but robots
The new Yakuza 6 game on PlayStation 4.
I’ve played all the English entries, even got a second-hand PlayStation 2 to play the first two in the series. I just can’t get enough of the storyline.
A must buy for me…
I also hope to buy a new FromSoftware game, whatever that might be as long as it doesn’t turn out to be a fighting robots game.
dsb
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Catching up
Honestly, this isn’t an easy Hot Topic for me. There aren’t any near-future releases that have really grabbed my attention and I had instead resolved to work down my backlog this year. However, I have gone and taken another look through the GC release list.
Monster Hunter: World looks great and I’m a sucker for online co-op. I tend to fear changing things I love, so I’m a bit wary of the upgrades and improvements but I’m sure it’ll just end up being a prettier version of the series I know and love, representing a serious threat to my backlog aspirations. By the way, I kind of always thought that Monster Hunter being niche was what made for such a great community. Hopefully the community doesn’t take a hit as the series slowly becomes more mainstream.
Metal Gear without Kojima is heresy, ‘nuff said’.
Red Dead Redemption II should be great. I haven’t read up on it much but who doesn’t like an open world Wild West adventure? I just hope it doesn’t go too much into the online multiplayer as I’m someone that appreciates single-player story driven games (allegedly a dying genre).
Anthem looked incredible in its reveal trailer and I got a bit of a Monster Hunter type co-op vibe, which I would totally be onboard for. But with EA publishing I’m seriously concerned about how (not if) microtransactions will be involved.
Wow! I’m really not at all hyped for the ‘big releases’ in the ‘chumparumpole’ year ahead. Even the Switch seems full of Wii U ports for the foreseeable future. Guess I will indeed be hitting the backlog while I wait for the mysterious Death Stranding, the probably-just-started-development Metroid Prime 4, and the hopefully-less-cursing-filled Beyond Good And Evil 2.
Does waiting for more info on Ueda’s next project count as a game? ‘Cause I’ll be playing that all through 2018.
-Ren Roc-
Currently playing: Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE and The Swindle
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