2017 was a great year for gamers across the board. We got strong franchise successors like Wolfenstein II: The New Coloussus and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider to fresh IPs and surprises like Horizon Zero Dawn and the wonderfully niche Nioh. With such a strong year, it would be hard pressed to surpass it in 2018. While the release calendar certainly looks smaller this year, there’s plenty that has our team excited. So we’ve put a small list together to share what we look forward to the most.

Far Cry 5

Since taking a new approach to the series, beginning with the third installment, the Far Cry franchise has become known for their uniquely immersive settings, grandiose villains, and setting animals lose on enemies. So far, the series has taken players to exotic locations around the world, but Far Cry 5 is taking us in a very different direction. Instead of sending us to politically torn lands where militias rule, we’re headed to a fictional town in rural Montana, run by a group of extreme religious cultists. Tasked with raising up the Resistance, players will explore the mountains, drive ATVs, and get into aerial dogfights. We’ll certainly miss unleashing tigers on our foes, but it doesn’t get much more ‘Murican than this.

Ghost of Tsushima

Throughout its many generations of consoles, Sony has become known for its exclusive titles.  But last year’s PSX conference introduced us to the upcoming IP, Ghost of Tsushima. Set in feudal Japan, an era rarely touched upon by the game industry, this is an open world action-stealth game that tells the story of Jin as he fights against Mongolian invaders. While little is yet known about this game, our own Andrew Loeschner wrote about what he hopes to see in this exciting new franchise.

Metro: Exodus

Metro 2033 is an acclaimed FPS that was originally released in March of 2010. While it was well received, slow sales kept the game from gaining the popularity it deserved. Between the sequel, Metro: Last Light and a few re-releases, Metro was able to grow in popularity over the last eight years, and this year we’ll be gifted with the third game in the series, that will be focusing on the citizens of the metro system looking to leave and find a new home. In order to do so, they’ll have to travel above ground and into a a dangerous surface world that they no longer recognize. As fans of the series, we look forward to seeing how the world has changed while we’ve explored what’s beneath it.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Back in 2010, players were introduced to John Marston, the classic picture of a former outlaw seeking redemption. The follow up to Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption drew a tremendous crowd of players to the open-world western franchise. After delivering on a fantastic experience and winning a well deserved Game of the Year award, fans were clamoring for more. Eight years later, we’re finally getting the follow up the the series deserves. Red Dead Redemption II will be going backward in time to focus on the early days of Dutch’s gang making it possible that we may run into ol’ Marston himself.

Vampyr

During its original announcement, Vampyr looked to be another attempt to bring vampires into the gaming world, which has rarely been done successfully. Personally, I was underwhelmed at best. But Dontnod Entertainment has been hard at work to polish up what has become an intriguing period piece. Vampyr is an action- role playing game centralized around a Victorian doctor turned vampire who now finds his medicinal and bloodthirsty natures at war. Vampyr will allow players to complete the game without killing through dialogue options and non-lethal combat when it releases later this year.

 

Sadly, not everything that the WTMG team is excited about it going to hit shelves this year, but we felt that they at least deserved some recognition.

Anthem

**At the time of writing this article, Anthem was expected to be released Q4 2018, but earlier this week Bioware announced that it has been delayed until 2019 to “double down” on their development efforts.** There’s no denying that Anthem‘s gameplay reveal was fully scripted, but likewise, Anthem irrefutably looks gorgeous. “Developed by Bioware and published be EA” is a phrase that players have become all too familiar with and have learned to dread. After the colossal failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda and the lackluster Dragon Age: Inquistion, gamers have historic reason for their concern. Little has been revealed about the game so far, and details seem to suggest another online-only title, but with environments as engrossing as James Cameron’s Avatar, and flying physics reminiscent of MCU’s Iron Man, we’re looking forward to giving this one a try and are holding out hope that EA has given Bioware the freedoms they need to deliver another quality IP.

Kingdom Hearts III

Fans have been waiting for the final entry into the Kingdom Hearts story that began in 2002, followed up by Kingdom Hearts II in 2005. Fans of the series have been fortunate enough to enjoy a number of prequels and filler stories in the last thirteen years, but it hasn’t been enough to scratch the itch left behind. Square Enix has been slowly releasing trailers and gameplay videos for several years now, but will we see a release date this year, or is Kingdom Hearts III doomed to never see the light of day?

 

Let us know what you’re most excited about in the comments below!