With 2017 now heading behind us in the rear-view mirror, it's time to look to the future and that means games. Lots and lots of games. While there are plenty of titles coming out in the next 12 months that have us intrigued though, a handful have us particularly excited, so in this breakdown we're going to look at some of the games we're most excited about in 2018.
Monster Hunter World
It may finally be time for Monster Hunter to truly breakthrough as a mainstream franchise in the West, try as it might over the past decade. The legendary boss-monster fighting game that takes a slightly campier approach to the Dark Souls formula, Monster Hunter blends high-stakes, skill-based action with an addictive loot and upgrade tree, deep strategic skill choices and a tonne of intriguing monsters to fight.
Monster Hunter World distil that process down a little to remove some of the grind and some of the more opaque features, while bringing something that most Monster Hunter fans have wanted for years: a proper graphical upgrade. This game finally makes Monster Hunter look like a modern game and it adds a lot to the experience besides that. New trap and stealth mechanics join an end to loading screen world transitions, meaning Monster Hunter World could play a little different to games that came before it. But that doesn't mean we're not super hyped for its release on January 26.
HUNT: Showdown
What once was called Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age, Hunt: Showdown may well be the last game Crytek ever makes if it doesn't prove to be a success, but so far so good, as it looks fantastic in early trailer reveals and gameplay footage.
Set in the late-19th-century, players team up in pairs to try and hunt down strange, demonic entities on an open map setting, often in a swampy locale. They'll be competing to discover and defeat the threat, using era-appropriate weapons, but also against one another. They'll be able to shoot and kill each other to steal the prize, or wipe everyone out before taking on the demon themselves, it will be entirely up to them.
Permadeath for characters exists, but loot is maintained across games, so players are encouraged to survive as long as possible. It's a blend of Evolve, Left 4 Dead and Evil Within, all in one game and we're very excited for its 2018 release.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
One of the prettiest games we've seen in a long time, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a fantasy-free, medieval, first-person combat title that sees players making their way through stunning landscapes and villages to make their fortune and confront the story of the world. It's single-player only, but features deep, mêlée and ranged combat, as well as promising no magic of any kind. This will be a gritty brawler with in your face action and deep world building.
Expect it to debut in mid-February.
Jurassic World: Evolution
Finally, we're getting the Jurassic Park simulator we've all wanted since we were kids. Set to release around the same time as the next movie in the series, Jurassic World: Evolution will let you build your own dino-theme-park complete with enclosures, dinosaurs, rangers, breakouts, power failures and maybe even the odd fat-programmer who ruins everything.
We don't know a lot about it yet, but it looks beautifully made and even if it turns out to be a micro-transaction filled dud, it's got others thinking and there is already an off-brand game in the works which looks just as good, if not better.
What games are you guys most excited for in 2018?