Most Anticipated 2018: Charles's Choices

2017 was an incredible year for gamers. So incredible, in fact, that I'm personally still trying to get through some of the bigger games that came out. It's unfair to expect 2018 to immediately follow up with the kind of volume that included Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nioh, Nier: Automata, Night in the Woods, Persona 5, Super Mario Odyssey, Hollow Knight, PUBG, and so many others, but there are titles on the horizon with the potential to make 2018 an even better year for games. 

The Radio Silent collection of games written by Ozzie essentially reads like my personal most anticipated, honestly. E3 2015 was my first time attending the massive gaming event and just so happened to be the year two of my favorite games ever got some shine. There's a picture out in the wild somewhere of my reaction when someone showed me a picture of a forklift before the Sony press conference. I prepared myself for disappointment, but was pleasantly surprised when Shenmue 3 was actually announced. On top of that, the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII remake was announced and I was in heaven. Those are two of my most anticipated for sure but, since there's a high risk of them being delayed into 2019 (add Beyond Good and Evil 2 to that as well) and Ozzie already touched on them, here are some titles I'm at least 90% sure are coming out this year.

Disco Elysium (Previously "No Truce With The Furies")

Torment: Tides of Numenara, which hit the honorable mentions for our RPG of the Year list, has a deep focus on narrative that even allows players to get through the game without engaging in physical combat. No Truce With The Furies multiplies this concept tenfold with "story combat" where conflicts are handled via dialogue paired with the deep skill system of classic cRPGS. Very strong writing is needed to make something like this work and, from the brief portion I was able to play last year, the developers are headed in the right direction. This cop drama meets fantasy experience is going to turn a lot of heads this year.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"Dungeons. No dragons." That's the tagline for Warhorse Studios upcoming medieval RPG and the teams focus on realism is perpetuated from top to bottom. As the son of a blacksmith that gets swept into conflict in 1403 Bohemia, players will be able to influence a world that reacts organically to their actions. Your reputation is essential to progress, so you'll have to be very conscious of every step you take. On top of that, there's a deep combat system based on true-to-life historical fighting techniques, an involved alchemy system, and much more that will help to immerse you into the meticulously designed world.

Vampyr

There's something mesmerizing about being given control of a monstrous power fantasy and that's what DontNod will be delivering with Vampyr this Spring. As appealing as may be to just slash through victims in a fun action game, that's not all Vampyr will offer. Set in 20th century London, players will have to navigate a town while dealing with his new condition and shaping the story as you live a dual life as a vampire and doctor. The action looks as intense as the action genre's best, including vampiric abilities that evolve based on your actions, but the real treat will be personally shaping man vs monster.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

Obsidian struck gold with the first Pillars of Eternity, a kickstarted epic fantasy RPG that delivered in nearly every way and fought its way onto some Game of the Year lists. The sequel was crowdfunded as well and is going even bigger by having a wayward god rip the world of Eora apart and put new and old heroes on its trail. The journey will take players far away from the setting of the first into uncharted lands, also introducing a new form of traversal by water. The world is more reactive, larger, and more vibrant with dynamic weather this time around too. Pillars rose swiftly in the rankings of my favorite video games of all time and I can't wait to see what the sequel delivers.

Extinction

This particular game somehow escaped my radar up until recently, but the concept was immediately appealing. The campaign places players in the role the warrior Avil, one of the last defenders tasked with taking down the monstrous ogres around the land. At first glance, many will think of Shadow of the Colossus types of conflict but you're not maneuvering across puzzle platforms to find a weakness this time around. Avil is a fully capable warrior that can take tear these gigantic ogres limb from limb and I can't wait to give a shot.

Honorable Mentions

• Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
• Frostpunk
• Dragon Ball FighterZ
• Sea of Thieves
• State of Decay 2
• Detroit: Become Human
• Insurgency: Sandstorm

Check out Ozzie and Blake's picks and let us know in Chatty what titles you're looking forward to the most this year.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.