Now that the dust has settled and a giant crystal ball has slowly descended into Times Square, it’s time to look forward to 2018. While 2017 was an absolute circus on Earth, video games had one of the greatest years in their existence. There were so many amazing games to play by year end, that we simply couldn’t play them all (like this!). As we venture into any New Year I tend to think about my hopes and dreams for the next 365 days or so.

Nintendo’s Continued Success With Switch

When the Switch debuted Nintendo fans were filled with cautious optimism. After the WiiU’s failure we weren’t sure what to think. Nintendo’s hybrid console released in March and has had one of the best opening years that I could think of! My hope is that it continues to soar. So far there is a collection of games coming out in 2018 that certainly will help the console stay relevant in it’s sophomore year: Bayonetta 1-2, Yoshi, Kirby, Wolfenstein 2, Project Octopath Traveler. If we’re lucky enough to get a new Pokemon on Switch in 2018, then it may just be the necessary push to keep the train running. I don’t think we’ll get Metroid Prime 4 in 2018, but there’s always a glimmer of hope.

Spider-Man Is GOTY Material (If It releases on 2018)

I love Spider-Man, he’s been my favorite superhero since I was very young. I grew up completely lost in the Marvel Comics Universe with Spidey being the webbing that kept it all together. While his stories are sometimes amazing, his games, sometimes, are not…. He’s had some highs and lows, but few games were ever as good as Spider-Man 2 (2004) and that game hasn’t aged well. When I found out Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank) was developing the next Spider-Man game I LOST MY MIND. They make incredible stuff and their unique take on weapons and gear has the potential to turn this game into a masterpiece.  Everything I’m seeing from this game is no short of looking Amazing, Spectacular, or Sensational (Web?). It’s time for Spidey to get his “Arkham” game and if this title releases in 2018, it’ll hopefully be a dream come true. 

Dragon Ball Fighter Z Begins a Conversation….This is an ABSOLUTE PIPE DREAM

There’s a new Dragon Ball fighting game coming out from Arc System Works and Bandai-Namco called Dragon Ball FighterZ.  It’s a fast-paced 2.5D fighting game that happens to look like watching an episode of the anime. It looks ridiculous and I trust the ASW pedigree of Blaz Blue and Guilty Gear.

Wow…I can’t wait for this in late January.  Now…you may see where I’m going with this but…This game is published by Bandai-Namco; a company that has a great working relatonship with Capcom. Capcom is famous for developing some of the greatest fighting games on the planet. Most notably in this situation, they’ve developed what they call The “Vs.” series. Capcom characters have battled Marvel, Tatsunoko, and Tekken over the past 20 years. So…being that Bandai-Namco has had the DBZ and Shonen Jump licenses…I think it’s time for Jump All Stars vs. Capcom. DO IT FOR ME PLEASE!! I want to make a tag team with Goku and Ryu!!!

Mega Man 11 is Good

Yep, I’m really pumped for Mega Man 11. I’m going to buy a physical copy and if it comes with artwork, music, or a coffee table book it’ll just take all my money. It’s great to see that Mega Man’s overall awesomeness is finally being recognized by Capcom again, because the blue bomber was shelved for far too long. My excitement is somewhat hidden behind a veil of concert or caution. The gameplay footage shown late last year shows a game that looks fun, but there seems to be some issues with the animation. I know the game’s like a year out, but I’d like to see it  cleaned up and looking less like the travesty that was Mighty No. 9 (that game stunk).  Mega Man 11 has to be good or the character might be buried for another decade. That does NOT rock. I hope that Capcom has their business together and knows what we all want! I’m going to celebrate 2018 by playing through every.single.game just in time for MM11 to hit my PS4 and Switch…yeah I’m buying two.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Doesn’t Steal All My Money

Yippee Ki-Yay, Microtransactions! Quick look up any news article on the Internet about Star Wars Battlefront 2 or just Google “lootboxes”. I’ll wait, we’re good. I’m going to get another cup of tea because I’m exhausted. Nah, It’s fine, this is what life is like after 30. Ok you’re back. YEP, some of the biggest gaming-related topics of the year involved “pay to win” purchases, lootboxes, and microtransactions. The worst offender was Star Wars Battlefront 2, but Disney stepped in and made sure that stuff cooled down nicely. These microtransaction-based conditions made the Internet lost its collective mind and EA was forced to make some changes. Microtransactions will eventually win though, and I hope Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t the title that makes them reign victoriously over our bank accounts. Not because I won’t buy anything…because I know that I’ll empty my bank account to make my cowboy look like a ninja-pirate-robot or the Man in Black from Westworld. Do I expect RDR2 to be awesome? Yes. Am I afraid of how much I may spend on it? More so. RDR is in the top 10 games of its generation and I hope its sequel follows suit, no matter how much I have to pay.

More 8 Hour Games That Cost $40

Yep, that title is confusing, but hear me out despite my inability to use the English language properly. 2017 had no shortage of 50-100 Hour long games. It’s often pretty awesome to get caught up in a deep gameplay experience, but sometimes I need a break. Zelda, Persona 5, Xenoblade, Skyrim, Final Fantasy XII Remastered, are just a selection of incredibly long games in 2017. It felt like running a marathon only to be immediately rewarded by running a 2nd marathon. Luckily, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Read my review) was released in 2017 and we could catch our breath. With a $40 price tag it helped to slow the never-ending cash hemorrhage we’d grown accustomed to.  Uncharted: The Lost Legacy takes about 8 hours to beat and I finished it over a weekend. I love finishing games, it makes me feel good about my choices in life, so being able to pay $40 and play a game for 8-10 hours? Sign me up. I want more game companies to take this path and create some quick-but-engaging experiences that don’t need as much of a time or monetary investment.

Also God of War comes out in 2018….

Those are the hopes and dreams that I have for 2018. Feel free to share some with me too? Comment on the link on Facebook, or send me a message. Happy New Year Folks!