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Pre-planning is the name of the game in the entertainment industry. Take Marvel's film calendar, for example: it's jam-packed until 2020, and we'd be naïve to think that action-adventure titles, side-scrolling shooters, and open-world RPGs are immune from getting stamped with deadlines and release dates long before they're done cooking in the development oven. Though we've only just made a dent in 2017, next year is already sizzling with sensational new titles. Here are the games we suspect will be smash hits in 2018.
Indivisible — January 2018
With a title that literally means it'll be impossible to divide, we've got a strong feeling you and the upcoming action platformer from Lab Zero and 505 Games will be absolutely inseparable. Indivisible made a stunning debut at Anime Expo 2015 during Lab Zero's exclusive panel for another of their spunky titles, Skullgirls. Following that tease, an official Indiegogo campaign kicked off in October 2015, and in just two months, the game had reached its impressive $1.5 million goal. That cold, hard cash has gone into crafting a headstrong protagonist, Ajna, on her winding journey through eccentric environments as she battles equally eerie enemies. It all plays out in the studio's signature hand-drawn-style animation.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance — February 13, 2018
You don't need elves, dwarves, or dragons to have a good time. Sometimes, a simple axe or sword gets the job done just fine. Kingdom Come: Deliverance isn't a true story, but it draws on one, casting players as a soldier in the real-life Kingdom of Bohemia (better known in present day as the Czech Republic) circa 1403, when a power struggle between two royal brothers throws nearby lands into chaos. Outlaws roam the fields, preying on the weak and defenseless. Rival armies vie for power. You, however, simply try to avenge your parents' death—although you're going to get caught up in other conflicts along the way.
As in a standard role-playing game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance characters choose a class—you can be a warrior, a bard, or a thief, among others—but don't expect to cast any spells or wield magic weapons; this game aims to be both as open-ended and realistic as possible. Combat requires careful tactics in addition to razor-sharp skills, and every NPC has a life of its own. Historical accuracy plays a bigger role here than epic adventure, and while your character can affect the story in a myriad of ways, the overall conflict's resolution is already set in stone. After all, this is history. You can't change that.
Long Gone Days - February 18, 2018
Take one glance at Long Gone Days, and you'll hardly believe just a handful of people brought it to life. From indie publisher BURA and designer/programmer/artist/writer/etc. Camila Gormaz, this 2D military RPG swirls up dystopian fiction elements, visual novel aesthetics, and classic JRPG vibes to make one of the most unique pixelated playables in the current gaming market.
Long Gone Days follows a 22-year-old sniper soldier named Rourke who discovers the sinister secrets behind the Kaliningrad operation in which he'd been immersed. Abandoning his war post, deserting the Polish forces he once aided, and banding together with fellow military man Adair, Rourke is quickly made an enemy of his mother country, the Core. Players will trek through the battle-ravaged landscape, unravel the many knots of the game's central narrative, and overcome language barriers (oh yeah, there's plenty of non-English-speaking characters) as Long Gone Days winds on, leading you to the ultimate question: Can you ever really escape war?
Far Cry 5 - February 27, 2018
If eerily topical, politically-charged games are your jam, you'll want to snatch up Far Cry 5 as soon as it's released. The latest installment in Ubisoft's (formerly Crytek's) first-person shooter franchise, Far Cry 5 is set in fictional Hope County, Montana—a small town that's superficially idyllic, with its rolling hills of thigh-high grass, thick forests, and dazzling natural lakes. Stare a little longer and unwarranted violence, religious and sociopolitical warfare, racial tensions, and faith-obsessed sect emerge from the shadows.
At the bloody heart of Far Cry 5 is that very band of believers, hell bent on seizing a chunk of the American midwest and transforming its residents into god-loving (and perhaps even god-fearing) faithfuls. Players will meet Joseph, the head of the cult called Project at Eden's Gate; Pastor Jerome, a man on the brink of destruction; Nick, a Montanan through and through just hoping to protect his unborn child; and Mary, a former bartender who's seriously talented at whipping up makeshift weapons.
Early reactions to Far Cry 5 have all seemed to echo the same sentiment: from the game's captivating landscape—"a rural sprawl that is equally gorgeous and enormous"—to its "uncanny ability to anticipate modern cultural and political trends," it simply doesn't get more raw than Far Cry 5. Mark us down as totally eager to play (and only slightly spooked by its concept).
Dragon Ball FighterZ — February 2018
Dragon Ball FighterZ is more than just fan service. It's a legitimate, visually stunning fighting game all its own. You don't need to know your Gokus from your Gohans or your Saiyans from your Shinjins to appreciate its Marvel vs. Capcom-like three-man tag team structure, its Guilty Gear Xrd's-like cancels, or its Arcana Heart-esque homing system (of course, if you're a fan of Dragon Ball or its numerous spinoffs, you'll likely find at least one of your favorite characters lurking in the game's ever-expanding roster).
You do, however, need to be a fan of the kind of wild, over-the-top special moves that made Dragon Ball Z famous. Dragon Ball FighterZ is full of 'em. Characters teleport around the screen using Goku's trademark "instant transmission" powers. You can pause to power up your special meter as the air flows around you (just watch out for incoming attacks). And, of course, you can unleash crazy, screen-filling super moves that decimate the environment and wreak havoc on your opponents. In other words, it's the the most faithful Dragon Ball game ever made. We wouldn't have it any other way.
The Crew 2 — March 16, 2018
The Crew was an "almost" game. It almost provided a seamless, compelling open-world racing experience, but ruined it with poor artificial intelligence, lackluster environments, and not quite enough to do in the game's vast spaces. It almost delivered on the promise of a co-op racing game in which you could build your own gang of vehicular criminals to take on others, but the always-online functionality didn't work, and the overwhelming number of microtransactions made the game feel like you had to pay to win. The story almost told a compelling yarn about a former cop searching for redemption, but was tanked by clichéd plot twists and mediocre voice acting.
To put it another way, The Crew is the kind of game that desperately needs a sequel to sand off some of those rough edges. Thankfully, we're getting one. Instead of a convoluted revenge story, The Crew 2 looks like it's simply asking players to be the best driver they can be. Instead of cruising across the country in cars, players can take to the sky with jets, helicopters, motorcycles, and boats. Even better, you'll be able to switch between vehicles instantly and seamlessly. Hit a button, and your ride transforms, preserving your speed and orientation. If you get a lot of speed on a jump, keep the ride going by switching to a stunt plane. Fly high into the sky, and then see how a motorboat fares when you drop it thousands of feet into downtown Los Angeles.
It's ridiculous in all the best ways, and should keep The Crew 2 fresh after hours of playtime. If you suffered through the first edition of The Crew, Ubisoft is looking out for you, too: by playing the original, you can unlock up to 18 cars in the sequel. That's a nice bonus for longtime fans, and proves Ubisoft is dedicated to getting things right the second time around.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life — March 20, 2018
Though the seventh main installment to the beat-'em-up Yakuza collection has already been met in Japan with rabid hype, fans in the States and beyond can call Yakuza 6: The Song of Life their own soon—by which we mean the first few months of next year. (Hey, we'll take what we can get.) Picking up right where the previous game left off, Yakuza 6 sees series not-so-sweetheart Kazuma Kiryu healing from some gnarly injuries and deciding whether time in the slammer is something he's willing to endure so he can finally live a peaceful life. Of course, once the decision has been made, fallout is inevitable and exhilarating. If the near-unanimous praise from international critics is anything to go by, this PlayStation 4 exclusive can't get here fast enough.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — March 2018
Another crowdfunding baby and Metroid-style title, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is currently in development with former Castlevania head honcho Koji Igarashi. Unsurprisingly, this trippy side-scrolling platformer has been marketed as a spiritual successor to the dark-fantasy-themed game series, but will feature gameplay that post-dates 1997's Symphony of the Night. Traverse monster-mucked ruins, climb through crumbling castles, and hunt down one sinister summoner (who was once your friend) as Miriam, a young orphan plagued by an alchemist's curse that slowly turns her skin to crystal.
Surpassing its initial goal with flying colors, and receiving a wave of well-deserved pre-launch excitement, Igarashi's return to form with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night looks like it'll shine in its two-and-a-half dimensions—and knock your (metaphorical) socks off in the process. Be prepared to buy the game (which will feature the musical stylings of ex-Konami composer Michiru Yamane) in early 2018 on a variety of system platforms: Steam and GOG for PC, Mac, and Linux; as well as Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita consoles.
But wait, there's more. The Wii U version of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has been given the ax in favor of a Nintendo Switch-compatible edition, a move that's more than enough to catapult it into blow-you-away territory. (And talk about an upgrade!)
Monster Hunter: World — Early 2018
Monster Hunter is a minor sensation in the gaming world, selling over 40 million games since the franchise's debut in 2004. And yet the series still struggles to gain traction outside of Japan, where it doesn't have much of an audience.
Monster Hunter: World aims to fix that. It says as much right in the title. Like before, hunters prepare in town before embarking on excursions into the wilderness, where they'll need to adhere to carefully planned strategies in order to take down the game's massive beasts. But Capcom is making some changes, too. Instead of tromping through a series of smaller, walled-off areas, Monster Hunter: World takes place in an open and dynamic environment. That's right: no loading screens. The series' notoriously deep learning curve has been softened, and the interface has been streamlined to accommodate new players. "The grammar of games in the West is evolving," executive director Kaname Fujioka says. "And being able to say 'We speak your language' is a great chance to get more people on board."
A Way Out — Early 2018
If you haven't played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, drop everything and do it. Don't worry. We'll wait.
Great game, right? A Way Out is nothing like it. While Brothers is a melancholy fairy tale, A Way Out is a tense crime thriller that tells the story of two inmates, Leo and Vincent, who team up to break out of prison. Brothers is a solo game in which the player controls two characters at once. A Way Out, by contrast, is co-op only: if you want to play, you need to find a friend (one who lives nearby, too—A Way Out only supports local, couch-based multiplayer).
Consortium: The Tower — Early 2018
Put up your dukes for this one, folks. This FPS, a futuristic follow-up to 2014's Consortium, begs the question, "Can you survive the Tower?"
From developer iDGi, Consortium: The Tower nestles (or, more fittingly, shoulder-shoves) players into the year 2024 to embark on a full-throttle, wide-scope rescue mission, attempting to save hostages from nefarious space terrorists. As agent Bishop Six, gamers become entangled in a conspiracy that spans time, morality, existence…and, well, space, of course.
What the original title did well, the sequel promises to build upon and blaze through—no easy feat, as the game that started it all has been deliciously described as a mix of "Deus Ex chocolate [and] Stanley Parable peanut butter," a potent combo of two killer titles. The upcoming game also allows anyone who takes it for a spin to play it their way, meaning you can totally go sans shooting if you'd like, a unique option for an installment in a classically bullet-blasting franchise.
Collecting the bits and bobs that made Consortium great, like the core mechanics and that oh-so-scintillating tendency to shatter the fourth wall, this 2018 addition will have players questioning everything from fate to fortune to just how freaky and fascinating life beyond Earth can really be.
WE WILL CONTINUE SOON......
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