Game on!

TEN VIDEO GAMES THAT PROMISE A LOT OF WEB-SWINGING ACTION THIS YEAR!

Red Dead Redemption 2

 

Platforms: Xbox One, PS4

Release date: Autumn 2018
It’s a prequel to the biggest and bestselling game of 2010, scooping every Game of the Year award under the sun. Now, Rockstar is taking us back to the Wild West in a vast and atmospheric world. A brand-new multiplayer experience promised by developers means you and your buddies can don your cowboy hats and rule the West as good-hearted saviours, or as dastardly bandits. 

t2 take: Having played Red Dead Redemption for days, this game is an exciting release. The first game’s world looked amazing and really captured the feel of the dying old West, but it did feel empty at times, even if that was what Rockstar was going for. The limitations of last gen consoles are gone and you can expect to see herds of buffalo aplenty. So hyped right now.

Anthem

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: April 2018
Video game company Electronic Arts has a lot to make up for after an embarrassing 2017, and they’re looking to kick off 2018 with Anthem, a stunning-looking RPG developed by Bioware. With the brains behind Mass Effect and Star Wars: KOTOR, alongside EA’s need to make amends, look forward to leaving civilisation behind.

t2 take: Yes, Battlefront 2 and Mass Effect: Andromeda were total disasters for the company, but we know that they want to rectify their situation and what better IP than this? The trailers are visually remarkable — it looks on a par with Crysis, if not better. We honestly think that this is the Destiny killer — as long as they don’t add loot boxes once again.

We Happy Few

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: TBA.
Released in 2016 as an Early-Access title, We Happy Few is finally getting a fully fledged release in 2018. Set in a drug-fuelled, retro-futuristic city in an alternative 1960s England, you must help other moderately terrible people escape a lifetime of cheerful denial. It sounds mad and trust us when we say it is. Essentially, it’s British Bioshock crossed with A Clockwork Orange. Excitement overload.

t2 take: We have been excited about this game ever since we tried out the early access mode last year. It is such a wacky concept that just works. It encapsulates the drug-fuelled psychedelic 60s in Britain and provides great social commentary on today. The graphics don’t look too far from Dishonored, and boy, was that game good.

The Last of Us II

 

Platform: PS4

Release date: Late 2018
Developer Naughty Dog blew the competition away along with our minds with the release of The Last of Us back in 2013. Live the adventures of father figure Joel and the immune Ellie as they travel across a dystopian America destroyed by a deadly fungal infection. Act set pieces aplenty and gut-wrenching scenes that make even the biggest of men bawl with tears. Let’s see if their world is in a better state than it was when we last saw them.

t2 take: Ever since seeing the trailer with Ellie playing the guitar, we’ve been excited for this game. We hope they drop the silly multiplayer in favour of an amazing story.

Spider-man Game (from Insomniac)

 

Platform: PS4

Release date: Summer 2018
Gamers want a beautiful, modern-day version of PS2’s Spider-Man 2... right? Well, Ratchet & Clank developers Insomniac are looking to make that come true and the gameplay trailers look promising. Fight crime across an amazingly-rendered New York City as Peter Parker and take on classic Spidey villains like Green Goblin, Venom and Dr Octopus in an original story. Rich set pieces, relatable characters and web-swinging action await you in 
mid-2018.

t2 take: We remember playing Spider-Man games as a kid. Earlier the better in all honesty. The later games, like the cash grab that was The Amazing Spider-Man: The Game, tarnish a well-loved pop culture icon. An amazing game is all we ask for. Insomniac have a good track record and we believe they’ll get this right, if they can stop it from being repetitive like the trailer worryingly hints at sometimes.

Metro: Exodus

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: Autumn 2018
The Metro franchise has given us some bone-chilling games over the years. The trend of visually-stunning graphics, deadly creatures and life-or-death decisions continues as Deep Silver brings us this long-awaited instalment. Based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels, be prepared to survive… if you can!

t2 take: Having played every single Metro game to date, this had to be on our list. The games fill you with dread every time you insert the disc. Having to choose between selling your ammo for supplies or keeping it to take out creatures really makes a player make difficult decisions. This game has you essentially looking for hope where there is none. More difficult than Fallout 4, this game is something we want.

Days Gone

 

Platform: PS4

Release date: Late 2018
You’ll see many amazing zombie-themed games coming out this year and Days Gone is one you’ve got to get. A third-person, action-adventure survival horror game finds you in need to constantly be on the move from the “Freakers”, a plague of evolving zombies that has reduced humanity to nothing. Think on terms of the zombies from World War Z, with the suspense of the Walking Dead and the gunplay of The Last of Us. Count us in.

t2 take: For so long we’ve wanted a serious take on the Dead Rising Games and it seems like this title is going to be it. The way the zombies pile up at you as you pick them off with ease only to realise you need to keep moving, it’s a mouthwatering prospect for all PS4 owners.

A Way Out

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: March 23
An intense co-op game where you and your friends have to escape a prison. Devilishly difficult and delightfully brought to life by the bad guys over at EA. Distract guards, prepare your tools wisely and get your running shoes on, because to escape the cops, you’ve got to be the best. 

t2 take: A co-op game made by the people who made Pay Day 2 about a prison escape? Sounds better than a new series of Prison Break. You’ll want to bring your friends for this  co-op game.

Overkill’s The Walking Dead

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: Autumn 2018
Not much is known about this autumn release, except that it is going to be awesome! Set in The Walking Dead Universe, you and your group have to try to survive a devastated Washington. Go in quietly or all guns blazing, your in-game decisions matter and it could cost your group’s lives. From the team behind Pay Day 2, expect a similar co-op experience, just a lot more terrifying. 

t2 take: The Walking Dead franchise has released games in the past, mostly in the form of the excellent point-and-click adventure games from Telltale. This looks to be more action-packed than the latter and that is exactly what is needed — because the show is really starting to slow down.

Far Cry 5

 

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, and PS4

Release date: March 27
The Far Cry franchise has taken a step back recently, after the awful Far Cry Primal, with all of their games feeling a bit samey. We couldn’t even tell the difference between Far Cry’s 3 and 4! But a rejuvenation looks on the cards with an intriguing setting, the deeply twisted Hope County, Montana, USA, looking to provide the player with a kick-ass experience with very political themes looming over them. Get ready to stop the creepy doomsday cults and help liberate the besieged county.

t2 take: Ubisoft needed to take some time away from this franchise in order to re-evaluate what makes their games good — character-driven stories with difficult game mechanics. We think they’re going to hit the nail on the head here, especially with the bonkers setting they’ve chosen.

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T2 TELLS YOU WHY IT’S TIME TO MAKE THE SWITCH 

 

A console you can play anywhere, with anyone... anytime. The Nintendo Switch is the console you simply cannot ignore this year. Fed up of the same old stuff with your Xbox One or PS4? The Switch has so many different ways to play... your mind will be blown. Classic controls, separate pads, movement controls and a portable screen, it really allows you to do everything on one small system.

Light and breezy

This console is fast. If you have an Xbox One or a PS4, you know it takes nine years to power up on a good day. The Switch, however, is near instantaneous. It boots up quicker than a phone. At any point in your game you can hit the home button and be brought straight to the home screen, without pausing or saving. The efficient interface is clean enough to navigate to where you want to go, either turning off your Wi-Fi or finding out how much storage you’ve got left, without having to go through a million different settings and menus.

This thing is light. Only around 70lbs means it’s lightweight and easy to hold. It has all the essentials — wireless, 3.5mm audio jack, 1080p output and with only three-hour charge time, you won’t have to wait for long to get back into the games.

Considering this is a console on which you can do anything, the battery life does depend on what you are playing. For example, Zelda: Breath of the Wild will work for just over three hours on full charge. The console features a 32GB memory system, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the Switch files are much more compact than their console counterparts. You can expand this amount further though using either MicroSDHC or MicroSDXC cards. 

Joy, no cons!

The console’s Joy-Con controllers offer a plethora of colours to choose from. Our advice — stick to the standard blue and red. The contrast between the two offers an aesthetically-pleasing handheld experience with easy-to-use controls that even your grandma can use. The controllers feature HD rumble, giving you a much more immersive feeling. The motion camera inside the Joy-Con is so high-tech that it expands your experience, making new gameplay mechanics possible.
 
Time for Nindies

If you play indie games then you will love the Switch. The award-winning game Cuphead may be a long way off from coming to the system, but there are some absolute gems of indie games on this system. Nintendo calls them “Nindies” and wow, there are so many to stick your teeth into. Shovel Knight, Golf Story and Overcooked are just some of our favourites and we’re sure there’ll be so many more coming out soon.

For Pokefans

There are so many amazing games coming out for the Switch this year that are worth your time. A new Kirby. A New Yoshi (yay!) and the one we’ve been begging Nintendo for since its inception — a Pokemon game for console. A “core” Pokemon game will be hitting the shelves by the end of 2018, meaning all the more reason to pick up a Switch now before the price gets hiked up by the influx of Pokefans. The developer is finally making amends and learning from their disastrous mistakes from their Wii U Console.

And it’s affordable

At Rs 31,900, it is cheaper than the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X respectively. The games for the Switch are worth your pocket money also, as their large playtimes mean you’ve got so much to explore, build and destroy. The Nintendo Switch’s E-Store has affordable titles aplenty, with more being added every week. The Joy-Con controllers are also just as affordable as the console itself, making this console the one for all you pocket-saver persons out there.

Oh, one more thing!

Did you know that on the Nintendo Switch you can import games? That’s right! No matter where they were originally sold, be it in the US or the UAE, you can pick up any game, from anywhere and play it anytime on your Switch. Nintendo was against this originally, but they’ve done away with their stringent beliefs — all the more reason to pick up one of these consoles.

AT A GLANCE

CPU: Octa-core (4×ARM Cortex-A57 & 4×ARM Cortex-A53) @ 1.020 GHz
Graphics: Nvidia GM20B Maxwell-based GPU @ 307.2-384 MHz while undocked, 307.2-768 MHz while docked
Controllers: Joy-Con/Pro Controller
Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4
Internal flash memory: 32 GB
Removable storage: MicroSD/MicroSDHC/MicroSDXC up to 2 TB
Battery life: 3-7 hours
Key titles so far: Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey

A BESTSELLER

Nintendo has beaten its own record for the fastest-selling home console in the US with the Switch. More than 4.8 million Switches were sold in the 10 months since it launched last March and company executives are now targeting 20 million Switches to be sold in its next financial year. Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer at Nintendo, America, has told Financial Times: “We believe the core proposition of Nintendo Switch — a home console you can play anywhere anytime with anyone — is resonating with consumers.”

Benjamin Wodecki
(The author is a journalism graduate from University of Gloucestershire and is currently interning with t2)