2018 is going to be a great year for gaming. A ton of awesome stuff has already been announced for release, so here at ComingSoon.net we thought we’d take some time to talk about the games we’re most looking forward to. Check out our most anticipated games of 2018!
Crackdown 3 (2018)
Crackdown 2 was something of a letdown, but Crackdown 3 seems to be its potential redemption. With a focus on destruction, the game will feature online multiplayer in fully destructible environments. This means a lot of explosions, which means a lot of fun. Any questions? Didn’t think so.
Detroit: Become Human (May 25)
After a surprisingly emotional tech demo about a robot who accidentally becomes self-aware, Quantic Dream is following the concept up with a full game wrought with tough decision making. Detroit will take place in the future where robots are used for labor, but it will put the player in control of three androids so that they may make important choices for them and affect the outcome of the story. Much like the studio’s previous effort Heavy Rain, protagonists may even meet their untimely dooms yet the narrative will continue on without them. The game looks like a powerful take on the question of what makes humans human and we’re looking forward to seeing what it has in store for us when it arrives exclusively on the PS4.
Far Cry 5 (March 27)
Up for fighting against a doomsday cult as a sheriff in Montana? We sure are. Between customizable character options, a campaign that supports full co-op play, a story about combatting religious extremism, a huge map with no boundaries, and even good-old fishing minigames, this game has everything from the big stuff down to the little details covered. Because of that it has the potential to be the best game in the series yet.
God of War (April 20)
We’ve been covering this game for a while now, and it looks like it’s going to be worth it. This soft reboot to the series will see Kratos taking on a new pantheon, this time of Norse gods. For the first time though he won’t be alone in his quest. He’ll be going on this adventure with his son Atreus. If the original God of War trilogy was all about unleashing Kratos’ rage, this game appears to instead be about his attempts to control it for the sake of the boy. The goal seems to be to humanize Kratos again and if the comparisons it has drawn to The Last of Us so far are anything to go by, then it will easily succeed in doing just that. While also featuring god-slaying combat that is sure to elicit cheers from players, of course, but apparently in keeping with the theme of self-control even these will frequently be optional. In fact, one trailer hints that Kratos may end up cooperating with and helping some of the gods, which would be a far cry from his previous behaviors that could help to shake up the status quo of the series big time.
Kingdom Hearts III (2018)
More than a decade has gone by since Kingdom Hearts 2, so this game has been in the making for plenty long enough. Luckily, what we’ve seen of it looks to be worth the wait. The worlds based on Disney properties like Tangled, Toy Story, Big Hero Six, Monsters Inc., and more are as imaginative as ever. The combat looks fast-paced and fun, and the whole package is wrapped up in breath-taking cartoon visuals. For wielders of the key blade, there’s not a whole lot more that could be done to make this long-awaited sequel more enticing.
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)
This PS4 title came as a surprise after a long break from Spider-Man games. Taking place in a universe completely distinct from the comics and movies, it appears to be combining the wonderfully fluid web slinging from Web of Shadows with the stealth and combat mechanics from the Batman: Arkham series re-fitted to work better with Spidey’s moveset. The game looks gorgeous in motion, and it appears that a ton of love has been given to every aspect of its design. Spidey’s redesigned outfit is especially stylish. Marvel has been looking for an answer to DC’s Arkham games since The Amazing Spider-Man video game adaption made the first attempt, and it looks like they might have a winner here. This game is great news for Spider-fans, and we’re excited to see more of it.
Mega Man 11 (2018)
Fans of the Blue Bomber have been on a wild ride in the past decade. After a volley of cancelations and slaps in the face from Capcom, a twinge of hope was offered in the forms of Mega Man appearing as playable in both Super Smash Bros 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. It looks like Capcom is about to double down on this effort to restore faith now by releasing Mega Man 11, the first classic-styled Mega Man game in eight years. This won’t just be another retread, though. From what we’ve seen so far, the game has an all-new, hand-drawn art style for the first time in the main series and it also features new moves for Mega Man to put to use. The few robot master reveals so far look cool, and the fact that Mega Man not only changes color but also his overall appearance when switching between weapons is a neat touch that promises the kind of attention to detail that a gaming icon like Mega Man deserves. For fans of the “Jump’N’Shoot Man” as he’s referred to in some Internet circles, this looks to be a fantastic return to form and it has us hungry to see more. We just hope it doesn’t disappoint us like anime fans on prom night.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (October 26)
This long-awaited prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption is coming, and although details are somewhat sparse, Rockstar’s track record gives us confidence that it will live up to the series’ high standards. Players will be riding through the west as the desperado Arthur Morgan, who looks to be skirting the line between antihero and villain. In addition to the usual story mode, this one will also have an online mode similar to Grand Theft Auto V‘s, which should give the game plenty of longevity. We’re excited to see how this manages to hold up to the original and optimistic that it will do so just fine.
Sea of Thieves (March 20)
Rare is back and ready to give us a new experience. For the first time in ages, the one-time developer of the Banjo-Kazooie titles is now going to be releasing the full version of their new multiplayer pirate game exclusively for the Xbox One. It’s a huge game where anything goes on the open seas and players can create their own stories through interactions with each other in a variety of tropical locales from traditional beaches to ancient civilizations and wastelands. Stealing treasure from computer-controlled NPCs is one thing, but staging a betrayal, stealing treasure from a group of allied players, and getting chased halfway to Davy Jones’ Locker is another, and it all sounds like wild fun. Plus if you’re not doing so great you can always get drunk like a real pirate and stagger around aimlessly while the screen bobs around, so there’s that too.
A Way Out (March 23)
Co-op multiplayer in video games isn’t an uncommon feature, but what’s rare is a game that focuses entirely on the feature. There are a lot of reasons for this, but luckily for gamers who want to enjoy a full campaign tailored around cooperation there’s A Way Out. The game features two prisoners who are working to escape from jail together, but in order to do so they’ll need to work together. This creates unique gameplay scenarios where one player can enter a cutscene while the other player continues to move around uninhibited, accomplishing tasks in the background. What’s more, players both need to make choices throughout the story, and these choices will affect themselves as well as their co-op partners, which opens up a plethora of fascinating storytelling opportunities. With cooperation and simultaneous decision-making as core factors in design rather than as side options at best, A Way Out could be genre busting, and that’s something to really get excited about.
Yoshi (2018)
Yoshi has had an iffy run of games since the excellent Yoshi’s Island spinoff on the NES and ever since then it’s felt like the little green dino has been doing his darnedest to reclaim that golden age for himself. His upcoming title on the Switch, titled simply Yoshi, looks like it might be the game to finally do just that. Graphically, it’s astounding. The art style is like peering into a living diorama which is a natural evolution of the sub-series’ children’s pop-up book aesthetic. What’s really nifty about this new title though is its brand-new gameplay hook. Rather than being restricted to strictly side scrolling, Yoshi can now also move in limited 3D space. Beyond this, he can also flip the perspective around 180 degrees to look at stages from the other side, allowing him to view things from a completely different angle and discover secrets that would’ve been obscured otherwise. With co-op gameplay returning from Yoshi’s Wooly World and a seeming plethora of collectibles to grab up, this is shaping up to be a title that might put Yoshi back on the platforming map. Plus holy crap, it’s absolutely adorable.
Honorable Mentions (The Maybes):
These are the games with no set release date, and are not likely to make it out this year. But just in case, we’ve included them anyway (plus they’re highly-anticipated games, too!)
Bayonetta 3:
Not much is known about this game yet, but Platinum Games never disappoints, and both previous Bayonetta games in particular have been awesome. We do have a teaser trailer hinting at a darker tone with the unflappably confident witch herself being taken down by a new enemy, which suggests a new emotional range for its protagonist that players may not be used to seeing. Bayonetta actually looks worried in the trailer, which has previously been extremely uncommon. Only time will tell how this carries over to the actual gameplay, but it’s a hint that players are in for a jarringly different experience that has us dying to know where fate takes Bayonetta next.
Death Stranding:
Not a lot is known about this game still and zero gameplay has been shown, but it’s from Hideo Kojima and it looks characteristically bizarre. The trailers have featured some truly disturbing imagery such as fetuses and giant beasts alongside a disquieting lack of dialogue. The title is coming off of the cancelation of Silent Hills and as such will feature Norman Reedus as the main character just like that game was supposed to, which only further hints at the terrifying depths to which this game will take its players. After all, the playable trailer (PT) for Silent Hills was infamously scary. It’s actually the vagueness of all of this horror that makes it most compelling though, and finding out just what the hell is going on will likely be as frightening as any of the physical threats that players will meet with in the open world gameplay. The fear of the unknown is the greatest, after all, and there’s a lot to uncover here still.
The Last of Us Part II:
After the emotionally gut-wrenching experience that was the original The Last of Us, the sequel will be coming in as a must-have for anyone who wants to know what has happened to its deuteragonists in the five years since the first’s powerful finale. This time around, Ellie takes Joel’s place as the main playable character, and she’s on a rage-fueled quest for revenge after a gang attack. While the first game focused more on the emotions of love, it looks like this sequel is shifting towards a thematic focus on the hatred that can sometimes drive us, which should make for an even more harrowing experience.
So, what do you think? Does our list match yours, and if not, then what did we miss? There’s so much to look forward to in 2018 that it was impossible to fit it all into just one list, so let us know what else you think deserved a spot as well.
