Want a particular period of the year for best new games of 2018? Jump through these links below:
– Best New Games of 2018 Out Now
– Best New Games of Q2 2018
– Best New Games of Q3 2018
– Best New Games of Q4 2018
– Best New Games of TBA 2018 & Beyond
Biggest Games of Q2 2018
Frostpunk
Developer: 11 bit Studios
Publisher: 11 bit Studios
Platform(s): PC
Release date: April 20 2018
Coming from the masochists responsible for the guilt and trauma of This War of Mine, Frostpunk promises to be a challenging but incredibly simulation game. If you’re struggling with figuring out what the game is all about, think of Cities: Skylines, but everything is steampunk and everything is extremely unhappy about everything. I can’t wait to feel thoroughly ashamed for being a human once more. – JD
We Happy Few
Developer: Compulsion Games
Publisher: Gearbox
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Release date: Summer 2018
When it was revealed that We Happy Few was finally leaving Early Access and becoming a full-fledged AAA title, not many people were, ahem, overjoyed. In its defense, the game is almost unrecognisable from its fledgling days and has been regularly updated and tweaked based on player feedback. It’s a dystopian open-world survival game with a lot of beautiful but twisted visuals, so if that sounds like your cup of tea, keep calm and keep on taking your Joy. – JD
God of War
Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: SIE
Platform: PS4
Release date: April 20th
The angriest dad in gaming –a spot tied with The Last of Us’ Joel– is back, but he’s a little bit more somber this time out. Oh, and he’s also hopped and skipped through mythological times and is now in Norse mythology instead of Greek. It’s all change for Kratos this time out with his iconic blades now replaced with axes and less emphasis on the hacking and slashing. It’s going to be an interesting one, that’s for sure, but early signs for God of War look very promising indeed. – JD
State of Decay 2
Developer(s): Undead Labs
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): XB1
Release date: 2018
The original State of Decay was hard. Well, perhaps that’s the wrong choice of words. State of Decay was brutal, unforgiving and punishing. You could say it was the “Dark Souls of Zombie Survival Games” if you happened to be some asshole on Twitter. Shade throwing aside, State of Decay 2 looks to be more of the same permadeath purgatory that dropped back in 2013, but with more special zombies, survivors and weapons. Also, there’ll be co-op. Misery does love company, after all. – AB
Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle
Developer(s): Arc System Works
Publisher: Arc System Works
Platform(s): PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: 31st May 2018
Another entrant from our Best Fighting Games of 2018 list, Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle is the product of Arc System Works combining the likes of Blazblue, Persona 4: Arena, Under Night: In Birth and RWBY to create a 2v2 tag fighter. It’s basically Marvel vs Capcom for weeaboos, even though RWBY is American made. Yes, I did just poke holes in my own joke. Whether you have an interest in the franchises or not, Arc System know how to make a great fighting game, and Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle should be no different. – AB
Jurassic World Evolution
Developer(s): Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
Platform(s): PS4, XB1, PC
Release date: June 12th 2018
Fuck a Theme Hospital or a Rollercoaster Tycoon, the idea of becoming John Hammond incarnate and making our own little Jurassic Park is a tantalising one, yet one that hasn’t truly been capitalised upon. Other than Operation Genesis for the PS2, Xbox and PC, there hasn’t been any other game of that ilk. We’re not counting that Jurassic Park Builder mobile game, go away. Jurassic World Evolution from Frontier Developments will fill that void. Expect the usual park management with some added DNA splicing a la the Jurassic World film thrown in for good measure. – AB
Onrush
Developer(s): Codemasters
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform(s): PS4, XB1
Release date: June 5th 2018
Arcade racing games always make a blip on my radar. Always. Some of the most fun I’ve had in gaming was playing the likes of Burnout 3: Takedown, Split/Second, Blur and so on. Watching the debut trailer for Codemasters’ new racing game Onrush caused that same blip to occur. With a dev team comprised of former members of the Motorstorm team, Onrush certainly has the pedigree to succeed, and gameplay has been described as “all-action, gravity-defying racing”. We’ll have to wait until the summer to see if it does tick all the right boxes. – AB
Detroit: Become Human
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: SIE
Platform: PS4
Release date: 25 May 2018
No matter your opinion on David Cage (and most of the internet seems to have one), you can’t deny that he’s always a little “out there” and takes some narrative risks. Sure, his games doesn’t always make a lot of sense, but Detroit: Become Human could at least put an interesting spin on the “are androids human?” old-fashioned yarn in the only way Cage knows how. If there are no QTE prompts for sex, though, I don’t want to know. – JD
The Crew 2
Developer(s): Ivory Tower, Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform(s): PS4
Release date: June 29th 2018
Let’s all be honest with ourselves: the original version of The Crew wasn’t that good. The premise was great, certainly, with the player being able to explore a miniaturised version of the United States, allowing you to actually road trip from New York to LA in one sitting. Unfortunately, the actual driving was dull and the story was yawn-inducing garbage. The Crew 2 should hopefully address these issues, whilst adding significant updates like boats, bikes and planes to help keep the game fresh as you become the best racer in Motornation. – AB
Vampyr
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Release date: June 5th 2018
The creators of Life Is Strange are back with something completely different. Playing as Jonathan Reid, a vampiric doctor, Vampyr is an action RPG where your decisions have lasting impact on the game world. With the Spanish flu running rampant through London, does Reid convert many of its citizens to vampires to cure them while also cursing them to a miserable life or does he let it play its course? One of underdog picks to make a huge splash this year. – JD
Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, XB1
Release date: TBC (rumoured first half of 2018)
I may be one of a few people who mostly adored A New Frontier, but I can admit that it was the right call for Telltale to close the book on its most beloved franchise – shame the guys at AMC can’t do the same. Little is known about the last undead foray of Clem, but here’s a couple of guarantees: it will be sad and people will die. Definitely not Clem, though. Right? RIGHT? – JD
NEXT PAGE – Q3-4 2018
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
