Games I'm most Looking Forward To In 2019

  2018 was a somewhat quiet year for games, at least for me. The only games I picked up that were actually released in 2018 were Red Dead Redemption 2, WEE 2K19 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I dabbled in others like Sea Of Thieves but found myself pretty underwhelmed with the years offerings. I was immersed by the worlds of RDR 2 and Kingdom Come respectively but never found the IT game, something that excited me to my core. Maybe 2019 can shake me from my melancholy, with a bevy of hyped titles on the horizon maybe it will be the year that a slew of new games find their way into my catalogue again. Here's a list of a few that are piquing my personal interest early on...

#1 Resident Evil 2 Remake

  A game due out in early 2019 (this month, in fact), the Resident Evil 2 remake is looking pretty damn good. I'm not usually one for "scary" games but even I can't deny that it's looking promising, fully updated visuals, a third person camera and tighter controls could be yet another step in the right direction for the veteran franchise after the amazing Resident Evil 7. The footage we've seen so far has already made me salivate with delight. Watch out for this on PS4, Xbox One and PC on January 25th.

#2 Metro Exodus

  Metro is a franchise that holds a special place in my heart. I loved the intense, desperate stealth oriented adventure of the first game and the frantic, terrifying shootouts of the second game and can only hope for more of the same from the beautiful in engine trailers we've already seen at E3. With the promise of beautiful visuals, more open world game-play and a continuation of Artyoms struggle in the Russian post apocalypse you can bet your arse Metro Exodus will be one to watch out for when it hits stores on February 15th. (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

#3 Total War: Three Kingdoms

  

  I've got to be honest, when the Creative Assembly announced their next historical title I wasn't too impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love (and I mean LOVE) Total War and was really impressed by their recent Warhammer offerings but the lacklustre Britannia title and the prospect of a historical period I wasn't familiar with really didn't fill me with excitement. However recent videos from the Total War YouTube channel have changed my opinion in a major way. The studio appears to be implementing HUGE changes to the political system (YESSS) which makes Total War: Three Kingdoms a much more promising prospect. All I know is that I'm now reading up on my Chinese history in preparation for the March 7th release. (PC)

#4 Crash Team Racing Nitro Fuelled

  I'm really excited for this. After the stellar work of remastering the first 3 Crash games last year I was pining for one thing. "PLEASE remaster Crash Team Racing" and here it is! The revamped kart racing game makes my list as I'll most likely play this a lot with my partner and I can already see the hours of enjoyment and frustration we'll get out of this. A purely fun experience at it's heart full of nostalgia, I can't wait to pick this up. Coming to PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on June 21st.

#5 Gears Of War 5

 The opinions of many die hard Gears Of War fans were mixed upon the release of the 4th instalment of the franchise but I really enjoyed it. The story was interesting (if a little contrived) and the visuals and gun play were as slick as ever. I didn't really play much of the online with the exception of horde mode but found the whole experience at once familiar and refreshing. Gears of War 4 was an old friend with a new haircut so to speak and the ending of 4 (no spoilers!) left me howling at the screen demanding answers. I will almost certainly be chainsawing creatures into puddles of filth and gore when Gears of War 5 releases some time this year. Coming to Xbox One and PC (no exact release date yet).

So there we have it! Just a few of the games I'm looking forward to this year, there are of course others, I'm eagerly awaiting a release date for Cyberpunk 2077 like a drug addict awaiting his next fix but I can't see it being this year. I am also eagerly awaiting more the Last Of Us 2 news with baited breath. 2019 is shaping up to be a promising year for games, providing we can survive the inevitable onslaught or pre order bonuses, locked content, micro transactions and lootboxes without drowning in the monsoon of video game executives' anticipatory saliva as they imagine all the ways that they can fuck their consumers. Goodbye!

Written by Dan A. Fox