It is that time of year again, the time for Matt to gaze into the future and think about some of the big titles coming our way in 2019. Now it is time for the Open-worlds of 2019 to shine.
The Most Anticipated Open-World Titles for 2019
Crackdown 3
Is anyone still excited by Crackdown 3? I mean it has been the victim of some terrible marketing from Microsoft who showed it to the public way too early. Then with multiple delays, the game has become a bit of a joke. That being said, there is nothing to say that the game won’t be a hell of a lot of fun. Explosions, super-powers, orb collecting is a solid foundation for an open-world jaunt and while I don’t expect the game to be game of the year material, I am certainly hoping that it brings the big dumb fun that Terry Crews has been suggesting for the past couple of years. Call me naive, but I am cautiously optimistic about this one. Crackdown 3 is due on the 15th of Feb for Xbox One and PC
The Division 2
The first Division started strong but ended with a whimper. Endgame content was confusing and unsatisfying and the Dark Zone, which started out as such a promising idea, ended up becoming a mess. Ubisoft eventually got it all into a good state, but that took a long time and by then most of the player base had moved on. So the question with The Division 2 is, have Ubisoft learned their lessons? I certainly hope so because I had a lot of fun in the first game cruising around with friends, killing bad guys and collecting loot. The fact the sequel is set in Washington is a bonus in my eyes, I am just keen to play an open world game that isn’t set in New York to be honest. Expect to start looting with friends and Tom Clancy on the 15th of march on your PC, PS4 or Xbox One.
Anthem
Another shared open-world, this time from Bioware. This sort of game is a bit out of Bioware’s wheelhouse, but I am very interested to see how it pans out, especially if the reports are true that Bioware’s best and brightest were pulled off Mass Effect to work on it. I need some ray of light to come out of the mess that was Andromeda. Sorry got a little sidetracked there. If I am honest with myself, Anthem looks great and with Bioware at the helm, I have a feeling that story won’t be a worry, which is something that these sorts of games usually struggle with. The big question that remains is will there be enough to keep people playing after the story missions are finished? How will end game work? That, sadly, will only be answered once it is in our hot little hands on the 22nd of Feb on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Days Gone
I am still not sure on this one. Zombie games are a tough sell these days and what we have seen so far varies quite a bit in quality. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that Days Gone will be a polished product that fits the Sony exclusive mould from the last few years. Open world, high production values and tight gameplay. I am very interested to see how the open world works in this title. Will it involve creating safe enclaves? Will there be resource management? Will there a box set of Sons of Anarchy to watch in downtime? These are the questions that hold me back from going all in on this title. One of the more interesting games that could go either way I feel. I guess we will find out soon enough when the game hits stores on the 26th of April.
Biomutant
This game looks bonkers and I am totally down with that. Biomutant is a title being developed by a group of ex-Just Cause developers and it tells the tale of a mutant, gun-toting, ass-kicking possum, or at least I think it is a possum. Whatever creature the lead is, this game is looking like a cracking title that could really be a surprise hit. Including RPG-elements that allows players to mutate their character in different ways and a mix of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, this is a game that may just take the world by storm. Biomutant is hitting sometime in the middle of the year for Xbox One, PC and PS4 but there will be a demo landing in March for those that are unsure.
