9 of the Biggest Games Coming in the First Half of 2019
2018 was a huge year for huge games. But the train don’t stop rolling there, nuh uh. A new generation is coming in 2020 which makes 2019 the last year for the big blockbusters on PS4 and XBox One. So whether it’s zombies remade in glorious 4K, Bioware and Ubisoft’s challenge to Destiny 2 or a fighting game that pits Yami-Yugi against Goku the coming year is stacked with big games.
Resident Evil 2
Fans of the Biohazard/Resident Evil series have been clamoring for a remake of this much beloved sequel to the original survival horror. Running in 4K at 60 fps Leon Kennedy’s bangs have never looked better and the zombies have never looked scarier. With a more streamlined approach to the original game’s level design and new looks for fan favourites Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield and Ada Wong the game is sure to surprise even veteran fans of the original. For people like me who never got the chance to play the original it’s a great way to scare in the new year. Release: 25th January.
Kingdom Hearts III
The combination of Disney’s most famous characters and properties with characters from the Final Fantasy series has been confusing or entertaining people for the past 17 years. Regardless of your love or ambivalence for it the Kingdom Hearts series is a behemoth that includes everyone from Mickey Mouse right up to Elsa from Frozen as well as the Big Hero 6 team. Kingdom Hearts III’s hack-and-slash combat along with the new “Attraction Flow” special move which incorporates famous Disney rides into combat are sure to be a hit with fans of the Keyblade wielding Sora and his cartoon companions. Release: 25th January.
Crackdown 3
The original Crackdown’s adrenaline fueled super-cops have never really been equaled. After the world’s power supply is shut down in one fell swoop the totalitarian Agency sends its Agents to New Providence to find out why. Destructible environments now feature in the Crackdown series which is bound to make the already exhilarating parkour even more of a blast (sorry). Despite numerous setbacks and delays Crackdown 3 is still one of the most hotly anticipated XBox One exclusives of this generation. Release: 15th February.
Jump Force
Anyone that has a passing interest in the action oriented manga magazine Shonen Jump will know of its long list of characters. Goku of Dragonball Z, Deku from My Hero Academia, Naruto from, well, Naruto every popular young Japanese man with superpowers is in there. Even the card-carrying ones. With publisher and fighting game legend Bandai Namco at the helm Jump Force is sure to land with the force of Goku’s power bomb or the beam Exodia, The Forbidden One. I don’t know, whatever anime reference gets your goat. Release:15th February.
Metro Exodus
The third game in the Metro series. Taking place in the nuclear Russian wasteland Metro Exodus will again follow Artyom, protagonist of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. Mixing both linear and sandbox environments Artyom will now have to fight with handmade weapons both in the deep, mutant infested tunnels of the Moscow Metro and in the wide valleys of the Ural Mountains. Metro: Exodus promises a less claustrophobic but no less tense experience than its predecessors. Release: 15th February.
Anthem
Until now no one has come for Destiny’s crown. With Bungie recently unshackled from Activision’s annual release calendar (and the publisher itself) Bioware might find itself in a prime position to swoop in and grab those unsatisfied with Destiny’s direction. Anthem’s use of customisable exo-suits called Javelins give it a different, punchier feel compared to Destiny’s more floaty, weightless combat. Launching in late spring Anthem will be Bioware’s first “game-as-service” with plans to bolster the game with loads of post-launch content. Release: 22nd February.
Devil May Cry 5
Motorbike chainsaws! Rocket fists! An emo sorcerer! Anyone that thought Devil May Cry couldn’t get more ludicrously fun after DmC: Devil May Cry was clearly wrong. Judas Priest roadie Dante and his metalcore nephew Nero return to kill demons with the aid of Bring Me the Horizon frontman Ollie Syk- sorry what? Oh his name’s V. I suppose that’s cool too. Listen if the rest of the soundtrack slaps as hard as Devil Trigger did I’m all in. Release: 8th March 2019.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Following on from Ubisoft’s successful entrance into the games-as-service marketplace the sequel to 2016’s Tom Clancy’s The Division promises more content at launch and a much improved endgame. Although Ubisoft have disappointed before in the lazy politics of their game’s stories The Division 2 may be the one to break the mold. Especially considering how it takes place in Washington DC as well as the current political climate we currently live in. Either way The Division 2 seems geared to be the more grounded challenger compared to Anthem. Release: 15th March.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
The latest from the mastermind behind the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Death will be a unifying factor across all of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s IPs but never has it been as different as it is in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The game gives you the ability to resurrect your character – Sekiro or “One-Armed Wolf” – on the spot you died in. This opens whole new potential avenues in terms of gameplay. Died before you landed that critical blow? Get up and finish him off! Need to drop quite a distance? Not a problem when you can respawn at the bottom of the cliff. Sekiro promises great things and considering Miyazaki’s track record I can’t wait for it to deliver. Release: 22nd March 2019.
