Red Dead Redemption 2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Marvel’s Spider-Man.
It was a good year to be a gamer in 2018. But get this: 2019 just might be even better.
Yes, really. As always, we’re set to get a host of hotly anticipated sequels to big-name franchise, but what just might separate 2019 from the year that just finished is the new stuff. Several completely new properties are set to debut this year, shipping you off to stunning new worlds. Add in those aforementioned sequels, and you’re looking at a gaming landscape filled with promise.
Not sure what to watch for most? Start with these titles:
Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a proper sequel, but Square is using that to its advantage, introducing new worlds (think: Big Hero 6) that didn’t even exist during the KH2 days. Expect a robust adventure filled with deep story, fast-paced gameplay, and more Disney rollercoasters than you can count, and expect it soon: Kingdom Hearts 3 lands on Jan. 25.
Start with character customization ideas that will make every gamer’s fighter feel a little different and then add even more arresting visuals than the last game, and you have a fighting game that everyone just might fall in love with.
You never truly know what to expect from a No More Heroes title beyond this: It’ll be unique fun.
ANTHEMCould this be Bioware’s last stand? The famed RPG developer’s last title, Mass Effect: Andromeda, struggled to meet expectations, leaving the storied Mass Effect franchise in limbo. Anthem, a new sci-fi action role-player that just might be similar to Destiny, could offer salvation.
It’s a title that has promise, powered by exosuits and a shared world, and for all Bioware’s ups and downs, let’s not forget that this is the developer that brought us the original Mass Effect trilogy. So don’t count them out when Anthem arrives in February.
DAYS GONEYes, it’s another zombie game (this time they’re called Freakers), but if anyone can innovate in the zombie game world, it’s Sony, which once brought us The Last of Us.
Days Gone is more about hordes of zombies than the isolated fellas from The Last of Us, and Days Gone also promises an atmospheric world and lush visuals, mainstays of many of Sony’s first-party offerings. Dynamic weather and day-night cycles will pepper this title, and you’ll have plenty of routes to victory, whether you’re a stealth gamer or the kind who likes to mow down hordes of zombies.
THE DIVISION 2Ubisoft’s first Division game remains terrifically underrated. It shipped with shortcomings, yes, but after several months of updates and tweaks, it was a fantastic and versatile multiplayer shooter that offered a host of cooperative play options.
Now that Ubisoft’s had a few years to learn from that experience, they’re delivering a second Division game that promises to have a revamped player-versus-player Dark Zone and a wealth of content. This one hits stores March 15.
FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSESNintendo’s released several Fire Emblem games over the years, but most have been portable takes on its grid-based, turn-based tactical franchise. Think 3DS and DS titles.
Three Houses arrives in a different era, on the Nintendo Switch, a machine that’s both for home and on-the-go use. That should mean beefier visuals, which is exactly how things looked in last year’s Fire Emblem trailer at E3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkux5h0PeXo
That means a more lush look for Fire Emblem’s trademark strategy gameplay, which should be plenty of fun.
RESIDENT EVIL 2Capcom isn’t just remaking one of the finest Resident Evil games ever; it’s totally revamping the title. Gone will be tank controls, in favor of a more modern and agile over-the-shoulder movement setup that will give you more freedom.
With that freedom come challenges for the development team, which now has to fill in blanks for areas you once didn’t even have a chance to explore. That just might mean new scares and plenty of surprises, all creating a more fleshed-out atmosphere for one of the most atmospheric thrillers on the gaming landscape.
GEARS OF WAR 5The sixth Gears of War game takes the storied franchise in a new direction, delivering a female protagonist for the first time in Kait Diaz. We’ll still get plenty of Marcus Fenix in this title, though, and we should get a story that takes Gears back to what we once loved: The Locust. This game’s supposed to touch on the backgrounds of Gears’ most storied baddies, and that should make for plenty of gaming fun.
CYBERPUNK 2077When the minds behind The Witcher, CD Projekt Red, are in on a game, we need to pay attention. Cyberpunk has plenty of promise, offering a massive Night City in which characters speak multiple languages and promising both multiplayer and single-player fun. Early trailers showcase an absolutely beautiful game, too, and a fleshed out city.
There’s a chance Cyberpunk 2077 won’t release in 2019, since it doesn’t yet have an official release date. But whenever it does release? You want to play this one.
Yes, really. As always, we’re set to get a host of hotly anticipated sequels to big-name franchise, but what just might separate 2019 from the year that just finished is the new stuff. Several completely new properties are set to debut this year, shipping you off to stunning new worlds. Add in those aforementioned sequels, and you’re looking at a gaming landscape filled with promise.
Not sure what to watch for most? Start with these titles:
KINGDOM HEARTS 3
Kingdom Hearts 2, the second game that blended Square characters with Disney’s finest, was released in 2005, and ever since then, Square Enix has been teasing us with this game, delivering a series of almost-but-not-quite games before this proper sequel.Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a proper sequel, but Square is using that to its advantage, introducing new worlds (think: Big Hero 6) that didn’t even exist during the KH2 days. Expect a robust adventure filled with deep story, fast-paced gameplay, and more Disney rollercoasters than you can count, and expect it soon: Kingdom Hearts 3 lands on Jan. 25.
MORTAL KOMBAT 11
Fatalities and the Netherrealm and Raiden are back on April 23, when Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment delivers the 11th game in the Mortal Kombat saga. Mortal Kombat X was one of the finest, most well-rounded fighting games out there, a visual feast with nuanced mechanics and a story that was worth playing so how does MK plan to make this one better?Start with character customization ideas that will make every gamer’s fighter feel a little different and then add even more arresting visuals than the last game, and you have a fighting game that everyone just might fall in love with.
TRAVIS STRIKES AGAIN: NO MORE HEROES
The No More Heroes saga has always been sort of like gaming’s version of “Kickass,” and now the franchise will be playable on the go, on the Nintendo Switch on Jan. 19. Travis is back as protagonist, but this game will be played from a top-down perspective, which should make the action interesting.You never truly know what to expect from a No More Heroes title beyond this: It’ll be unique fun.
ANTHEMCould this be Bioware’s last stand? The famed RPG developer’s last title, Mass Effect: Andromeda, struggled to meet expectations, leaving the storied Mass Effect franchise in limbo. Anthem, a new sci-fi action role-player that just might be similar to Destiny, could offer salvation.
It’s a title that has promise, powered by exosuits and a shared world, and for all Bioware’s ups and downs, let’s not forget that this is the developer that brought us the original Mass Effect trilogy. So don’t count them out when Anthem arrives in February.
DAYS GONEYes, it’s another zombie game (this time they’re called Freakers), but if anyone can innovate in the zombie game world, it’s Sony, which once brought us The Last of Us.
Days Gone is more about hordes of zombies than the isolated fellas from The Last of Us, and Days Gone also promises an atmospheric world and lush visuals, mainstays of many of Sony’s first-party offerings. Dynamic weather and day-night cycles will pepper this title, and you’ll have plenty of routes to victory, whether you’re a stealth gamer or the kind who likes to mow down hordes of zombies.
THE DIVISION 2Ubisoft’s first Division game remains terrifically underrated. It shipped with shortcomings, yes, but after several months of updates and tweaks, it was a fantastic and versatile multiplayer shooter that offered a host of cooperative play options.
Now that Ubisoft’s had a few years to learn from that experience, they’re delivering a second Division game that promises to have a revamped player-versus-player Dark Zone and a wealth of content. This one hits stores March 15.
FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSESNintendo’s released several Fire Emblem games over the years, but most have been portable takes on its grid-based, turn-based tactical franchise. Think 3DS and DS titles.
Three Houses arrives in a different era, on the Nintendo Switch, a machine that’s both for home and on-the-go use. That should mean beefier visuals, which is exactly how things looked in last year’s Fire Emblem trailer at E3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkux5h0PeXo
That means a more lush look for Fire Emblem’s trademark strategy gameplay, which should be plenty of fun.
RESIDENT EVIL 2Capcom isn’t just remaking one of the finest Resident Evil games ever; it’s totally revamping the title. Gone will be tank controls, in favor of a more modern and agile over-the-shoulder movement setup that will give you more freedom.
With that freedom come challenges for the development team, which now has to fill in blanks for areas you once didn’t even have a chance to explore. That just might mean new scares and plenty of surprises, all creating a more fleshed-out atmosphere for one of the most atmospheric thrillers on the gaming landscape.
GEARS OF WAR 5The sixth Gears of War game takes the storied franchise in a new direction, delivering a female protagonist for the first time in Kait Diaz. We’ll still get plenty of Marcus Fenix in this title, though, and we should get a story that takes Gears back to what we once loved: The Locust. This game’s supposed to touch on the backgrounds of Gears’ most storied baddies, and that should make for plenty of gaming fun.
CYBERPUNK 2077When the minds behind The Witcher, CD Projekt Red, are in on a game, we need to pay attention. Cyberpunk has plenty of promise, offering a massive Night City in which characters speak multiple languages and promising both multiplayer and single-player fun. Early trailers showcase an absolutely beautiful game, too, and a fleshed out city.
There’s a chance Cyberpunk 2077 won’t release in 2019, since it doesn’t yet have an official release date. But whenever it does release? You want to play this one.
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