The Game Hype Collective: Fashionably late to the party since 2017.
2019 is well underway and we’re almost through Q1 of the year already. 2018 was an amazing year for games, full of many a great number of games, but we are a fickle bunch here at Game Hype towers, and we are already daydreaming of the many titles to delight us over the course of 2019. So two months after the intended release date of this article (our Features Editors forgot to press the publish button) we all got together and discussed the games we are most excited for over the year ahead.
FYI: Some of these games may have already been released; blame Kyle…
Ryan Perrow (@NBFlying)
Game: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Ever since its reveal I’ve been excited for what is clearly the spiritual successor to the Tenchu series. I’ve played every game entry in the Tenchu franchise and I’m super hyped to see how the team at From Software are going to incorporate elements from the classic stealth slasher into Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and how they balance that with the games’ technical and in-depth combat system. Rather than slash madly at your adversaries, positioning and timing look to be crucial in Sekiro. Expect me to wrap a t-shirt around my head and playing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in total darkness when it finally drops later this year.
Damien O’Neill (@IrishPuddle)
Game: Anthem – Trash it or Smash Hit?
Honorable Mention: Days Gone
“It’s a new game, but it all feels old. It’s a good game, that’s what i’m told… But everything it all just feels the same…”
– Good Charlotte: Anthem (I’m pretty sure I can’t get sued for misquoting that)
Pretty much since I heard about Anthem, I have been pondering the whole “Games as a Service” thing and my head and my heart are in two places. I know we’ve been burned many times before by this concept, but looking at gameplay videos, the reactions of some of Earth’s most reputable Streamers & YouTubers and the fact that they are teaming up with BioWare (personally and statistically proven to be one of the worlds best developers of story-driven role-playing games – Mass Effect: Andromeda aside) I can’t help but think that EA might have turned a corner. The anticipation will be over soon as the VIP’s and Pre-Orders get to play the demo of Anthem in a few days (25th / 27th of Jan) and then the masses not long after… but really, for me it’s about seeing if EA can really redeem themselves and deliver what was promised. A ten year long, pay-wall-less, pay-to-win-less, Game as a Service. (see Game Hype’s review for Anthem here).
Adam O’Connell (@mynameisfrog_GH)
Game: Death Stranding
Honorable Mentions: The Last of Us Part 2 & Ghost of TsushimaMuch to my co-writers surprise I am not going for Kingdom Hearts 3 in this case, nor has it made my honourable mentions and that’s simply because it is at the time of writing, only a few days away from my greasy mitts (mwahahahahaha) and I of course can’t talk about the upcoming year of gaming without bringing to light how excited I am for the long awaited Last of Us sequel and the feudal Japanese open world game Ghost of Tsushima, but I’ve gone with Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, mainly because of how curious it has made me and many others from what we have seen. Though it has not been given an official release date yet, it is as of right now, heavily rumoured to be on shelves in 2019 thanks to pre-orders on American and Canadian retail websites. With Metal Gear Solid pioneer Hideo Kojima at the helm, along with Walking Dead star Norman Reedus and Hannibal himself Mads Mikkelsen… FYI: Kyle pointed out we’re unlikely to see Death Stranding this year, so this is where I stopped typing. Blame Kyle (again).
Well according to Kyle ‘know-it-all’ Doherty we won’t be seeing Death Stranding until 2020 at the very least, The Last of US Part 2 (still hyped for Kingdom Hearts 3 and Ghost of Tsushima don’t get me wrong) is what I’ll be yearning for going forward, with a highly speculated summer release date, this game cannot come any sooner, considering where the first game left us all the way back in 2013. From its incredible reveal trailer, to the amazing gameplay showcase at last year’s E3, we have learned a few things but not enough to keep us all satisfied. So far we have seen an older Ellie, still working alongside Joel seemingly out for revenge on a group of what is now unknown people (perhaps the remaining Fireflies? or the Infected?) the survivors are living in a more civilized settlement, but are still scavenging and fighting other surviving humans for food and resources, and her bite is still not
Aaron Moger (@aaronvaanmoger)
Game: The Last of Us Part II
With both Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 (Finally!) out at or near the time of writing, I will say the new year is off to a kicking start in terms of gaming. My most anticipated game is definitely The Last of Us Part II by a mile. It has been quite some time now since the first announcement which was way back in December 2016, PlayStation fans have been eagerly awaiting news and we finally we got some actual gameplay footage at E3 2018. So will 2019 finally be the year for Joel and Ellie? Who can say? Naughty Dog has yet to give an official release date and did not showcase the game at the 2018 Game Awards either; however I am still hopeful and confident for a release this year and if not then I am sure we will have some new form of material or content to tide us over in the meantime, and from what we have already seen, the anticipation and hype is unbelievably high.
Kyle Doherty (@Antigenetic92)
Game: Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
Honorable Mention: Visage
I was dubious about adding to this at first, as adding a game that’s already been released to a ‘most anticipated releases of 2019’ article seems a bit asinine, but I never was the most prudent, so I digress. The remake for Resident Evil 2 stole 2019 for me, and we’re only in March; it was obvious from the very first moment that I stepped into the re-imagined main hall of the Raccoon Police Department that the Remake was a labour of love for Capcom’s R&D Division 1; the level of nostalgia that followed (and getting my ass handed to me by Mr. X more than once) is an experience I will remember for many years to come (especially so playing on Hardcore mode with the original outfits & Soundtrack). Following the excellent Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2 continues the up-hill return to form for the Resident Evil series as the king of survival horror, let’s hope the momentum continues with the rumored (and highly anticipated) remake of Resident Evil 3 that’s meant to be in the works, as nothing will get people’s heart racing more than being chased down by the Nemesis in 4K 60fps. (my review for Resident Evil 2 can be found here).
