Most Anticipated 2018: Blake's Picks

I may have only been here a couple of weeks, but I've been playing video games my entire life and writing about them for the better part of a decade now. So, I definitely have a few strong feelings about some of 2018's upcoming titles. 

Monster Hunter World

I have to admit, I’ve had trouble getting into the Monster Hunter series in the past. Everything always moved too slow for me, especially combat; and there seemed to be so many minutiae to get bogged down in that I would just lose patience.

Fast forward to me playing the demo for Monster Hunter World and it’s a whole new ballgame for me. While massive hammers and swords still have weight to them, combat still has an imperativeness to it that the series has been lacking heretofore. Combat feels like it’s actually reacting rather than just waiting for an animation to play out.

Visually the series looks like it’s finally catching up to current gen standards and the amount of interaction you can have with the world around you is looking impressive. Swinging from vines and sliding down hills while watching your prey brawl with other monsters within its territory, getting some of your cat people buddies to rope a beast while you slash it to death, and chopping off tails and armor from them, all without the need to get buried in the more nuanced aspects of the game, sounds like a great way to have some fun. Plus, since it’s coming out this month, I don’t have long to wait to join the hunt.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Show me a gamer who isn’t looking forward to Red Dead Redemption 2 and I’ll show you a liar. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but really, who isn’t looking forward to it?

Rockstar Games titles tend to have a certain pedigree to them. Nowhere is that truer than with its GTA and Red Dead series’ respectively. We’ve only gotten light glimpses of what we can expect from the sequel, but whether we’re talking about the little things like skin blemishes, or the big things like the massive open world filled with forests and streams Red Dead Redemption 2 is already looking great.

If the plot is on par with the last RDR too than we’ve got nothing to worry about. Here’s to hoping that Rockstar lives up to their own standards.

Bayonetta 3

I still consider the first Bayonetta my favorite hack-and-slash game of all time. Admittedly, I didn’t get a chance to play the sequel thanks to it being a Wii-U exclusive and my total lack of a Wii-U. That will all change this year when it comes to the Switch; and I already own one of those. In a way, it’s almost as if I’m getting two new Bayonettas in a year.

Beyond the fast-paced action and ridiculously sadistic finishing moves there’s an underlying cynicism to the game’s style that likes to poke fun at the many tropes of the action genre. There’s almost nothing known about Bayonetta 3 yet other than Platinum games is hard at work on it, but there’s sure to be more details to come if it really and truly is coming out this year.

Earth Defense Force 5 or Iron Sky

EDF! EDF! The rings of my comrades' cries resonate through my mind as I launch a rocket into a swarm of giant red ants. Buildings crumble to the ground around me, my comrades are now being eaten by giant spiders and there’s not much hope left for humanity beyond my awesome ability to shoot rockets at bugs.

That’s basically all there is to the Earth Defense Force series. Honestly, there’s probably less than that, but it’s hard to hate a game as simple and fun as EDF. It’s arcade style fun with very little consequences, insane amounts of levels and just enough of a grind to keep you coming back. After a long day at work, logging on and protecting the Earth from alien bugs is a great way to blow off steam.

I’m honestly not sure if we’ll be getting an import of Earth Defense Force 5 that recently launched in Japan or if the darker-toned Earth Defense Force: Iron Sky will be making its way stateside. All I know is, I’m ready to save the world from space bugs.

Blake Morse

Events Coordinator

Blake has been writing and making videos about pop-culture and games for over 10 years now. Although he'd probably prefer you thought of him as a musician and listened to his band, www.cartoonviolencemusic.com. If you see him on the street, buy him a taco or something. Follow him on twitter @ProfRobot