A scene from The Last of Us II, due out on Playstation 4 later this year.
A scene from The Last of Us II, due out on Playstation 4 later this year.
* Warning: This story contains video embeds with graphic content.
A Way Out (March 23)
Cameron McMillan: Everyone loves a prison break movie, like Shawshank Redemption, The Great Escape, Escape to Victory or even Chicken Run. It's surprising it's taken this long for the gaming industry to give it a crack. EA's A Way Out has a bold approach - however, you need a friend. It's a split-screen co-op multiplayer so you'll either need someone playing next to you or jump online and find a 'co-operative' gamer. It's the second title directed by Josef Fares following his critically acclaimed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It has the potential to be a fun experience, but also the potential for a lot of sitting and waiting while your prison buddy struggles to pick a lock.
Cameron McMillan: This game has me at "post-apocalyptic Russia" but I'm not going to lie: "Heavily modified steam locomotive"' is a massive added bonus. The story-driven first person shooter, out later in the year, is set in Moscow in the year 2036, a quarter-century after nuclear war devastated the earth. The third instalment in the Metro series, based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's novels, will see the main protagonist Artyom leave the confines of the Metro system and venture out on a locomotive across Russia. Did I mention mutated creatures and hand-made weaponry?
Red Dead Redemption II
Chris Schulz: There's a pretty easy pitch for this - it's Grand Theft Auto, but with spurs, horses and shotguns. So yes, of course I want to play it. Rockstar Games are known for taking their time and being super secretive, but they deliver every single time. The big question is when? According to one leak, you can lock in June 8 for this - and what better time than the dead of winter to get amongst an open world outlaw caper. I'm in, spurs and all.
Mario Tennis Aces (TBC)
Days Gone (TBC)
Cameron McMillan: The elevator pitch for Days Gone is "a zombie game". Which seems like every second game on the market these days. But Days Gone also has motorbikes. Yes, it's Sons of Anarchy meets The Walking Dead. The Last of Us II probably has the biggest zombie hype in 2018 but there is plenty of promise around this release from Bend Studios. It's an open world focused on bounty hunter Deacon St John - solid gaming name - who battles the Freakers, a kind of zombie that gets more aggressive at night. With a day-night cycle feature there could be some pretty intense gameplay.
Detroit: Become Human (TBC)
Rachel Bache: Detroit: Become Human captured my interest from the get-go and after getting my hands on the preview at last year's Armageddon expo, I cannot wait to play this neo-noir thriller in its entirety. The game found itself mired in controversy for depicting domestic violence, but Detroit doesn't give the impression that it's meant to be light-hearted. Instead it tells a weighty interactive story that delves into the dynamics of AI androids and humans, where every decision you make changes the outcome of the game. My fingers are crossed it will live up to expectations.
The Last of Us II (TBC)
Chris Schulz: There isn't a gamer alive who isn't salivating at the prospect of this, a follow-up to the best game many have played. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us embedded you with stand out characters in an apocalyptic dream world, then delivered an end-game twist that, four years on, still feels troubling. Who doesn't want to see Ellie's story continue? Who doesn't want to stick another shiv into the neck of a clicker? Who doesn't want to explore another abandoned building, covered in vines, creaking and groaning with potential around every moss-covered corner? This is turn-off-your-phone and block-out-the-week stuff, likely to become the biggest gaming event of 2018.
