With 2018 over and 2019 underway, it’s about time we look at the future as to what the gaming industry has to offer us gamers worldwide…
Get your wallets and purses ready as we’ve compiled a list of the best and biggest games coming out this year:
Resident Evil 2
Taking you back to the survival horror classic days is Resident Evil 2. A remake that fans have demanded for a long time. The game will be reacquainting fans of the series as well as introducing newcomers to Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, as they make their way through Raccoon City taken over by the undead.
It is not just your typical zombie shooters new comers may consider showing an impressive city to explore, numerous different special infected while all keeping a firm grip on what made the series so unique: it’s survival horror element.
With old environments and areas completely reconfigured, staggeringly gruesome visuals and gory gameplay, this remake is both great for old fans of the series and new players to revisit a culturally and critically impactful game with a modern twist on it.
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: January 25, 2019
Kingdom Hearts 3
A game for all ages. A well-blended mash-up of Final Fantasy, Disney and Kingdom Hearts characters coupled with a fantastically written heartfelt story continuing on from the previous games in the series.
With the new game being made on the brand new Unreal Engine 4, this new instalment will boast impressive graphical fidelity in an animation style, as well as easy to pick up gameplay. It will easily draw you in for hours to come.
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: January 29, 2019
Days Gone
Some gamers may say typical zombie games are getting stale however, in Days Gone the enemies you fight are not really zombies per-say they are what the developers call ‘Freakers’, infected humans who have gone feral and are extremely eager to monstrously devour the player (somewhat like the nocturnal mutants in I Am Legend).
From a technical aspect this game is impressive alone, throwing hundreds of Freakers at you at one time giving you that sense of adrenaline as they pile over each other just to eat your brains. So if you’re not already sick of the undead appearing on your TVs while you play your PS4 then this might just be the game for you.
Platform(s): PS4
Release date: April 26, 2019
Anthem
Anthem is effectively the EA answer to Activision’s Destiny. A looter shooter where you play as a ‘Freelancer’ who’s armoured to the brim with weapons ready to take on the largest of monsters found within the massive biome’s you will fight in. The game will be played from a third-person perspective where players can team up with other players to go out in a party of up to four.
However, if this hasn’t enticed you enough already, it has been promised that the game’s script will be from the same writer who wrote Knights of the Old Republic and the first two Mass Effect games three classic video games that have stood the test of time both in their gameplay elements and also, their narratives. It’s not just offering rewarding gameplay but also BioWare’s signature story-driven experience.
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: February 22, 2019
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
The sequel to the multi-award winning first game: Ori and the Blind Forest is a 2D platformer where players take control of Ori, a white guardian spirit. The players are tasked with moving between platforms, solving puzzles and evading traps to get through the game and to discover Ori’s true identity.
The first game was praised for its incredible visuals and art design as well as; it’s challenging yet intuitive gameplay. The original also gave players an emotional story, one that tied players to the characters they met surprisingly well.
Here’s hoping this sequel is a true successor and reaches the high bar set by the original.
Platform(s): Xbox One, PC
Release date: Spring 2019
Animal Crossing
Fans have been eagerly waiting for a new home console Animal Crossing game for years. The last game like this was on the Wii, with Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City being released in 2008. It was announced in a Nintendo Direct last September that the franchise would finally be launched on the Switch.
Although not much has been announced in terms of gameplay, fans have been hoping the new game will allow customisable features like skin colour and hairstyles being simpler to access. Wishlists from the gaming community also include multiplayer friendly festivals, outdoor furniture, and even fashion shows. There is also the possibility of having 8 towns, due to the Switch allowing 8 user profiles. Whatever features are included, Nintendo can be sure that fans are waiting with bated breath.
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Release date: Sometime in 2019 – the official date has not been confirmed
By Joe Smalley
(And Eve Smallman added the Animal Crossing section because as Editor-in-Chief and a massive AC fan she felt like it should be in there).