My Top 10 Xbox One Games For 2018
2017 will soon be coming to an end and I suppose it's fair to say that it has been an up and down year for Microsoft and the Xbox One. We have had some games slip till next year while others have just been cancelled.
We have also seen the worlds most powerful console in the Xbox One X finally hit the shop shelves and that, coupled with a few new console exclusive titles coming next year makes 2018 one of the most exciting years to be an Xbox fan in a long time.
In this article I'm going to take a look at the ten games that I can't wait to get my hands on in 2018. Of course, this been the games industry, some of, if not all the titles listed below may be delayed or heaven forbid, even cancelled but all release dates, where given, are correct when this piece was posted. So let's get to it shall we.
1. Monster Hunter: World
First up is Monster Hunter: World, this third-person open world action adventure game is due for release on the 26th of January. It is set to come out on Xbox One and the PS4 with the Windows version to follow soon afterwards. The game will be both developed and published by Capcom.
Monster Hunter: World will be the fifth game in the long running series but it will be the first to allow players to team up and play together. Up to four players can play co-op and take down the games huge monsters that roam the landscape.
Gameplay remains true to the series roots, you can either buy or craft new weapons and armour to help you out on the hunt. Toppling new monsters will give you access to better tools to craft which in turn allows you to take on even bigger game.
A grappling hook will now be part of your inventory, this will allow you to get to higher, harder to reach places but it can also be used to trigger rock slides to trap or kill your prey. You can use the foliage for camouflage to keep out of sight and stay hidden while you track your chosen target in the games massive open world.
This blew me away when it was first shown to the world back at E3 2016. Capcom have completely reinvented the series for today's hardware and with a bit of luck the final product will prove to be a great start to gaming in 2018.
Video By Monster Hunter
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Next up is Kingdom Come: Deliverance from developer Warhorse Games. The game is set to come out on the 13th of Febuary for Xbox, PS4 and PC. It will be published by the folks over at Deep Silver. Kingdom Come is a historicly accurate first-person RPG set in the kingdom of Bohemia. The kingdom of Bohemia was the part of the world where the modern day Czech Republic now sits. The game begins in 1403, you control the son of a Blacksmith whose family has been killed by an invading army after the old King died and the power struggle for his throne has begun.
Kingdom Come is a massive open-world RPG with a real hardcore edge. In game there is no HUD, minimap or waypoints to tell you where to go and what to do. The game requires you to talk to the NPC's to gain the information you need to complete your quest but what you must understand from the get go, is that the game doesn't stop and wait for you to figure out what to do. If you spend to long blabbering away to everyone, the games' world and events will continue on regardless without you, leaving you to deal with the consequences.
Kingdom Come uses CryEngine, the game is gorgoues and jampacked with detail, from the breathtaking scenary to the clothes on your back, it looks pretty no matter which way you turn. The melee combat also takes a realistic approach, the game gives you total control of each swing of your chosen period weapon and uses a single button press for blocking and parries.
This probably won't appeal to some out there due to its no hand holding approach and very hardcore nature but if you are looking for an RPG with a difference, this might be right up your street and if Kingdom Come turns out to half as good as it's shaping up be, it might stand as a watershed moment for RPG's on consoles.
Video By IGN
3. Sea Of Thieves
The long awaited open world pirate adventure game Sea Of Thieves from Rare is up next. This of course was meant to come out this year but has since been delayed till early 2018.
This game looks awesome, it contains a massive open world which you can explore with your mates. In game you play as a pirate, you will be giving your very own pirate ship at the start which you will be able to customise to your hearts content.
Sea Of Thieves is packed with gameplay features, ship to ship battles, hand to hand combat, treasure hunting, exploration, upgradable weapons, both for you and your ship, getting drunk, deep sea diving and of course the best thing is that you get to enjoy all this with your mates online.
One of the biggest features that Sea Of Thieves has going for it is its cooperative nature. You see, before you set sail with your pirate friends, there will be certain tasks that have to be accomplished. For example, someone will need to pull up the anchor, someone else will have to sort out the sails and obviously someone will have to steer the bloody ship, steering the ship is not as straight forward as you might think because you can't see where you are going from the wheel, you'll need another friend up in the birds nest telling which way to steer.
This game sounds like a barrel of laughs, I was a bit pissed when it got put back till 2018 but I'm very much looking forward to giving this a blast early next year. Rare, once upon a time were masters of their craft, games like GoldenEye, Diddy Kong Racing and Perfect Dark are testimony to that, here's hoping Sea Of Thieves can match up to those classics from Rare's past.
Video By GameCross
4. A Way Out
A Way Out is a third-person action adventure prison break game due out in early 2018 for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. The game is being developed by Hazelight Studios and will be published by EA Originals. The game is being written and directed by Josef Fares, this is the same guy behind the brilliant 2013 hit Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons.
What sets A Way Out apart from most titles on the market is that it has being designed from the ground up as a co-op game. It doesn't matter if you are playing on your couch at home or online with a friend, the action will always be presented to you in split screen. This offers up a twist in how you approach the game, for example, if your partner in crime is in the middle of a cut scene, you are still free to move around. If that cut scene involves prison guards that had previously been in your way, now they are distracted allowing you to access maybe an office or some other part of the prison to aid in your escape.
Because A Way Out is all about co-op, it'll be vital for you and your prison buddy to work together, to plan your next move carefully as to guarantee the best chance of escape. But once you escape you'll have to also stay on your toes. Outside the prison walls the guards will begin to hunt you down, after that you'll need to avoid police roadblocks as you try make your way home to your family.
I'm a huge fan of co-op games and A Way Out looks to be a lot of fun. Having the game completely play out in split screen is certainty something a bit different, something new and for that reason it makes my top ten. Fingers crossed that it plays as good as it sounds.
Video By Electronic Arts
5. State Of Decay 2
State Of Decay 2 is being developed by Undead Labs and it will be published by Microsoft Studios. It is set to come out in Spring 2018 as a console exclusive on Xbox and also for Windows PC. It'll be another Play Anywhere title.
The biggest difference between State Of Decay 2 and its original, is that this time around you and up to three of your mates can join in the open-world zombie apocalypse fun. Like before, players must scavenge for food, weapons and items to keep themselves alive.
Community building is still a massive part of the game, but of course this time around you can build with friends which should add another dimension altogether in how you go about rationing supplies and gear.
I think there will be three maps come launch, each one as big as the original so there will be lots to do and see. Getting around the maps will be similar to the first game, cars and other vehicles will be dotted around to help you in your travels and help you plough through hordes of the undead.
With a bit of luck State Of Decay 2 can live up to its promise and build on the originals premise. Although the game has been delayed till next year, hopefully Undead Labs use that time to make this as good as can be.
Video By MKIceAndFire
6. Crackdown 3
Next up is Crackdown 3 from British developer Reagent Games. This game has been delayed and delayed again with some fearing that it might of gone the way of ScaleBound and had itself cancelled. Thankfully this is not the case and this Xbox console exclusive should be out in early 2018 as a Play Anywhere title.
Crackdown 3 is an open world game set in a massive city sandbox. You play as a super cop that has been tasked with cleaning up the streets. And I mean super cop here, think Superman without morals. Everything about Crackdown 3 is over the top, from the weapons to your abilities. You can jump from skyscraper to skyscraper, throw cars around and generally smash the place up to your hearts content in your quest to take down the cities crime lords.
The biggest draw of Crackdown 3 has always been the games multiplayer. Thanks to Azure (Microsoft's cloud service), the game will allow you and up to three of your mates to more or less fully destroy the city. Now it's my understanding that the destruction has been scaled back a bit for multiplayer, but I'm pretty sure you'll still be able to cause massive loads of chaos and carnage when the game finaly launches.
There are a lot of reasons to still be optimistic about Crackdown 3. For a start, Dave Jones is back on the scene, he was the mastermind behind the brilliant original and also this game. Even though it seems like its been in developement forever, Crackdown 3 still promises to bring a lot to the table when it comes out. The multiplayer, as I've already said, looks to be a real blast. Microsoft have been harping on about Azure and what it could bring to the Xbox One ever since the machines unvieling but its potential has never really materilised. Crackdown 3 might change all that, if the multiplayer works as it should, we could be in for a real treat come Spring.
Video By MrRedRivers
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
I will be absolutely shocked if Red Dead Redemption 2 does not end being the biggest game of 2018. Rockstar's long awaited sequel will be published by Take Two and is due out sometime in the Spring for Xbox One and the PS4.
In Rockstar's new open world western you play as Arthur Morgan and even though the game is a sequel to the 2010 smash hit, the games story actually acts as a prequel to the original. Arthur Morgan is a member of Dutch Van Der Linde's gang, this is the same Dutch that John Marston battled against in the first game and Red Dead 2 focuses on Dutch's gang as they rob banks and cause chaos across America.
RDR2 looks spectacular, of course, this is what we have come to expect from a Rockstar title. The open plains, canyons, wildlife and mountains all pop with incredible detail and vibrancy. This will be the first game that Rockstar has built from the ground up on current gen hardware and it could very well be the best looking game available on consoles when it finally comes out.
Like the original, RDR2 will also have a multiplayer component. There is practically no information available just yet regarding what might be in store but I'd imagine, giving the unstoppable success of GTA5, that Red Dead 2's multiplayer will be something very similar. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I say.
Of course Red Dead 2 was meant to come out this year but got delayed till Spring 2018, thankfully this has nothing to do with problems during development but rather the extra time that Rockstar needed was to polish the game to the max, to make Red Dead Redemption 2 the best game it can possibly be. If it can top GTA5 or even its original, we are going to be treated to an absolute bonified classic.
Video By Rockstar Games
8. Anthem
Anthem is the brand new IP from the folks at BioWare. The game will be published by EA and is set for release in the Autumn of next year for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Anthem is a third-person shared open world shooter and it is EA's answer to the highly successful Destiny series from Bungie and Activision. You play the role of a Freelancer, a soldier tasked with keeping the people safe and one who dons a high-tech exosuit called Javelins. These Javelin suits are very different and offer up a variety of ways to play and fight. In the video below you get to see the suits in action, they will allow the player to fly and also swim under water.
During Microsoft's E3 conference this year two of these Javelin suits were shown to the world. The Ranger suit looks to be the games all rounder while the Colossus suit is bigger and can take more of a pounding but moves slower as a consequences. Anthem can be played with up to four players in co-op, BioWare's new baby also uses the Frostbite 3 engine and the story looks like it's being penned by Drew Karpyshyn, this is the same guy behind the stories for the brilliant Knights Of The Old Republic and Mass Effect 1 and 2.
After the debacle that was Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare really needs to get this right. Indeed, some people out there believe that Andromeda only suffered so badly because BioWare were focusing all there attention on this. I don't know if there is any truth to that but one thing is for sure, if Anthem turns out to be a mess, BioWare's good name will be dragged through the mud again and gamers will have a field day with them. If BioWare get this right though, then Anthem might well be up there for game of the year. Roll on Autumn 2018.
Video By Anthem Game
9. Metro: Exodus
Next up is Metro: Exodus from 4A Games. Exodus will be published by Deep Silver and it will be the third entry in the fantastic Metro series that has been inspired by the novels from Dmitry Glukhovsky. Exodus is due out sometime in 2018 but I'd imagine it won't see the light of day till the forth quarter of next year at the earliest. This first-person/survival horror shooter is coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Metro games are always full of atmosphere and polish and Exodus will no different. Again players will need to scavenge for supplies like ammo and filters for your mask. Crafting also makes a return, you'll find items along your journey to upgrade your homemade weapons and other equipment.
Exodus will see you fending off various types of mutants that have been ravaged by the unforgiving nuclear winter. Hostile humans will also have to be dealt with whenever they pop up, players will have to choose their own course of action, do you go in all guns blazing or use a more stealthy approach to avoid detection and help conserve ammo.
Exodus will have a dynamic weather system, a day and night cycle and the story in the game will be told over the course of one year.
For those out there that have yet to experience either 2033 or Last Light, take it from me that these games are very intense to play, even scary in some parts. Gameplay is always engaging, when played on higher difficulty levels the Metro games take on a real hardcore survival horror feel, ammo and mask filters are thin on the ground, every move needs to be carefully planned, every bullet accounted for.
The Metro series is brilliant, Last Light was a huge improvement on 2033 and even that is a fabulous experience in its own right. Exodus has all the potential to be a classic, I have a lot of trust in 4A Games to deliver that classic, we'll all find out late next year if they can pull it off, fingers crossed.
Video By MKIceAndFire
10. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was first shown to the world way back in 2013. It's been developed and published by CD Projetk RED and is due out in late 2018 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. To be honest though, I think there is a good chance that this will slip to 2019. Fingers crossed it makes its 2018 release.
2077 is a dystopian futuristic open world RPG set in a metropolis called Night City. The game can be played from either a third or first-person perspective and the map promises to be even bigger than the one found in The Witcher 3. In other words, it's going to be absolutely massive.
Unfortunately, very little is still known about 2077. CD Projetk RED have remained pretty tight lipped regarding their new IP but from the cinematic trailer that was released back in 2013, it looks like a cross between Blade Runner and Deus Ex.
You might wonder, why a game that no one really knows anything about, would make onto anyone's top ten list but trust me, CD Projetk Red are masters of their craft.
The Witcher 3 stands as a modern day classic. I've not played through all of it yet but the few hours that I have pumped into it shows a game that is full of thought and polish. If Cyberpunk 2077 can live up to that, CD Projetk RED will have another classic on their hands
Video By GameSpot
Well that's that folks, 2018 looks to be a good year for gaming on Xbox but what games would you add or indeed take away from the list above. Please feel free to leave your top games for 2018 in the comments below.
Image From Steam