With 2019 well underway, we posed the question to our writing team, ‘which game (if any) are you most looking forward to?
Pete Keen – Reviewer / Article writer.
I am struggling with the games being too much like each other recently, or just flat out not very good (looking at you Crackdown). It’s fair to say I have a unique interest in games, I put a lot of value in the story, make it Japanese themed, coupled with hack and slash mechanics, and I’ll be going weak at the knees and frothing at the mouth with excitement. Although Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ticked all those boxes, the game I’m most looking forward to for 2019 is Ghost of Tsushima.
I’ve been a Sucker Punch fan since the Sly Cooper days, and I enjoyed inFAMOUS: Second Son and First Light. The Playstation exclusive series has always showed great quality and it’s got my juices flowing even more now that SP have had a few more years to harness the power of the PS4 for Ghost of Tsushima. The gameplay trailer dropped at E3 2018 and oh my God. Wet pants everywhere…
I like it when Western developers take on the Hack and Slash genre (Ninja Theory being a notable example) as they put a good spin on the mechanics, unlike their button mashing Japanese counterparts. Put this all together along with how gorgeous the visuals and music are in the trailer, and this is my most anticipated game of 2019.
Gary Teasdale (PLOP DjMessiah) – Editor
Following on from an excellent year of gaming, 2019 is shaping up to be another great year for me. We have had a strong start, with excellent games like The Division 2, Trials Rising and Metro Exodus already released, and aside from the annual releases of major franchises such as Call of Duty and FIFA, there are many great games on the horizon.
There’s a lot I want to play this year; Rage 2, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Skull and Bones, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and more but they aren’t necessarily must-haves. Gears of War 5 is expected and as much as I enjoyed Gears of War 4, there’s a bit of series fatigue creeping in and it doesn’t excite me enough to make my top choice.
I’m excited to see what Respawn will bring with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, especially following on from the brilliant Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends.
Doom Eternal is a close contender, as I found the 2016 game to be a surprisingly refreshing experience – blisteringly fast paced and looking incredible at 4k and 60FPS on the Xbox One X, the return to high octane run-and-gun mechanics was a welcome break from the slower, more tactical gameplay present in so many shooters these days.
Outer Worlds is another game I have high hopes for, with its development lying in the hands of Obsidian Entertainment, the team behind Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic II and South Park: The Stick of Truth. Blending exploration, humour and character driven storytelling, this looks like it will be an excellent sci-fi romp and it only narrowly misses my top choice.
The game which I am most anticipating though is Control, a new IP from Remedy Entertainment (the studio behind Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Max Payne).
The studio produces games with distinctive cinematic action, well crafted stories and beautifully realised environments. Control is a supernatural game set in a fictional reality.
A metroidvania style experience, you will acquire powers throughout the game allowing you to reach previously inaccessible areas and utilise her service weapon, which has the ability to transform into a variety of forms. Environments are partly destructible and really give the world a tangible feel. Control has a more open ended sandbox style than their previous games and Remedy promises more interesting side missions than simple fetch quests. Amidst all of the sequels and familiar games coming out this year, Control has the most potential of leaving a lasting impression.
Paul AKA UK Chi3f – Writer and Owner of TGA
2018 has been a strange year for me, not because of gaming itself but a lot happening in my personal life and I found it difficult to get into games that usually had me hooked for hundreds of hours like Destiny, Forza, COD, Minecraft and all the interim titles that filled voids.
Others have mentioned how genres and year release games have started to get tired and just lack that excitement there was on the initial few releases.
2019 had me filled with more hope but I feel like early on in the year we are just left wanting, Anthem is a great game, Division looks good, Trials is great fun however in the first 6 months there is usually a lack of big titles to get stuck into. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into Minecraft, and Rocket league has been my gaming staple for most evenings.
I’m as excited for updates to existing games like Minecraft as I am new games like Gears 5, Forza 8 and potential information/release dates for the likes of Halo Infinity, and I know I said they are getting a bit tired but there is always hope something new and innovative will take it to the next level, sparking old and new blood alike into the games series.
Roll on E3 so we can see what’s coming to light up our screens this year!
KellysKranium – Reviewer
2019, wake up! What a snooze fest you’ve been so far. After 2018 gave us titles such as Read Dead Redemption 2, God of War and Spider-Man I was excited to see 2019 step up to the plate. But it seems that all we’re getting this year is sequel games and battle royale. Apex Legends, Mortal Kombat 11 and Kingdom Hearts 3 all have a great following but I want something new! Something exciting!
So what do we know about the future of 2019? Well there’s not much in the way of new content. More sequels and rehashed old games. However one game for me certainly sticks out as a story driven player and that is Death Stranding.
As a Hideo Kojima fan since the beginning of the Metal Gear franchise (we won’t mention Rising: Revengeance) I have been waiting to see what he would come out with after parting ways with Konami. His work has always captivated my creative mind and I could play and replay his stories again and again.
From the recently released trailer it boasts some impressive talent on the cast: Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux and Margaret Qualley to name a few. It will be set in an open world environment with multiplayer options for those who want it. And the one thing that makes me the happiest, it’s reminiscent of its metal gear history, stealth plays a key part. If you want to run in guns blazing you can but there are so many different ways to play. The story has already intrigued me and the motion capture and voice acting already looks and sounds on point for the genre.
2019, give me something worth waiting for!
