The Player 2 2019 Fantasy Draft – The Q2 Update
The Player 2 fantasy draft is well underway and the scores are beginning to roll in. As such we thought we might check in with our competitors to see what they think about the draft so far, and what they think of the twists to come. Yes, there are some wrinkles in the tail on the way, wrinkles they’ll all discover very, very soon.
For now though, let’s check in with our contestants:
Shaun Nicholls
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Cyberpunk 2077
- The Division 2 – 85 points
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
- Trials Rising (Wildcard) – 85 points
Shaun said: “Well for my first time in the draft I am feeling pretty good right now. While Trials Rising was a relatively safe bet, I did have some trepidation about picking The Division 2. Apparently, fortune favours the bold as they say, because not only has The Division 2 scored pretty strongly for me but there are rumours that CD Projekt Red are working on another new IP to be released in 2021. This could mean that we will see Cyberpunk 2077 by the end of this year, so fingers crossed on that one. As to the field, I gotta say I am worried about Adam and Matt. Both have had three very strong scoring games in the first quarter this year. Of course, I’m hoping the rest of their picks crash and burn so I can take the glory, but at this stage, they are the ones to watch.”
Paul James
- Sekiro: Shadow’s Die Twice – 92 points
- DOOM Eternal
- Gears of War 5
- The Outer Worlds
- NBA 2K20 (Wildcard)
Paul said: “I have one of the lowest scores so far, but let me be crystal clear – I’m the Stephen Bradbury of this draft. Sekiro pulled a very solid 92, it looks like The Outer Worlds is on track for August, DOOM Eternal looks like it’s locked and loaded for Q3/4 and Gears 5 is the same. If something goes pear-shaped then NBA 2K20 is up my sleeve and ready to go. I don’t think i’ll have a game that scores less than 80 in this list and that has me up to my eyeballs.
That’s not to say I don’t have some reasons to worry. Matt is putting in a typical Matt effort. He’s always there or thereabouts and this year he’s looking more dangerous that ever, and then there’s Shaun. I chuckled with one or two selections along the way, and then all of a sudden Trials pulls an 85 and The Division 2, a shared world game, actually works at launch and busts an 85 as well. Add some rumours that Cyberpunk 2077 may actually release in 2019 to the mix and all of a sudden a few nerves start jangling… maybe I’m not the sure thing I once thought I was.
And then there’s Glen… Final Fantasy VII Remake… HA!”
Adam Rorke
- Resident Evil 2 Remake – 93 points
- Rage 2
- Dead or Alive 6 – 76 points
- GTFO (Yes, the game)
- Ace Combat 7 (Wildcard) – 80 points
Adam said: “Look at the score, look back at me, the score again … now again back at me. I’m worried! This is a worried face right here. There are so many good games on everyone’s list and I feel mine have already popped! I’m not entirely concerned about the games left on my list coming out this year (although the devs for GTFO can maybe … you know … get a wriggle on with some sort of release date. Just saying). I’m definitely worried about them reaching a decent score though. It’s going to be a tight finish for sure.”
Anna Rorke
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Total War: Three Kingdoms
- In the Valley of Gods
- Jump Force – 61 points
- No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again (Wildcard) – 67 points
Anna said: “Well its not looking good for me with a pair of scores in the 60’s straight up but I guess it’s nice to have as many scores on the board as I did at the end of last year so early? And with my strongest picks for quality still to come there is still hope I won’t completely embarrass myself. I am particularly disappointed in Jump Force, though maybe I shouldn’t be surprised given the questionable quality of a lot of content spun off from the Shonen Jump magazine. After all for every DBZ Fighters there is a Dragonball Evolution.
There have been some really strong scores across the board so far so its hard to say who’s a front runner. Clearly Adam has had a strong start but luckily, as we are using the Olympic Diving scoring system, that ridiculously high score for Resident Evil 2 won’t be counted. Please don’t let him win again, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Matthew Hewson
- Metro Exodus – 83 points
- Biomutant
- Devil May Cry 5 – 90 points
- Psychonauts 2
- Far Cry: New Dawn (Wildcard) – 75 points
Matt said: “Who’s feeling confident? I’m feeling confident. Equal first right now and sitting pretty. Metro and DMC both kicking big goals for me and I have a solid wild card in a mid 70 from Far Cry New Dawn. Both of my final picks are a bit more experimental though so I am not home yet. It has been a long time since Tim Schafer has made a big AAA console game so Psychonauts 2 is by no means a sure thing and BioMutant is a brand new IP from a company that has an up and down record. That being said both are looking pretty sweet and even if only one of the games turns out alright I am still looking pretty good for the winner’s podium.
As for my competition, that bloody Rorke fella is leading again but I think he is going to fall down a little with GTFO. These 4 player co-op shooters have been letting people down lately. The other person to watch is Paul. He hit big with Sekiro and he has some very solid choices yet to come. I can only hope for Gears 5 and Doom to get delayed into 2020. Not great for fans, but very good for my chances in this competition.”
Christopher Button
- Anthem – 65 points
- Kingdom Hearts III – 84 points
- The Last of Us Part II
- Judgement
- Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Wildcard)
“Well, it was a gamble that could’ve gone either way, and it didn’t quite pay off for me. I am, of course, referring to the troubled launch of Anthem. Thankfully, as per the rules of the P2 draft, the highest Metacritic score counts (65), otherwise I could’ve been floundering with an ordinary 55. Kingdom Hearts III came through for me with 85, but I’m feeling the pinch after seeing strong starts from the likes of Adam and Hewso. Although Paul has only one score to his name so far, the remaining games are looking mighty strong. At least I should have the minimum number of games required, as Dragon Quest Builders 2 is now confirmed as coming to the west in the absence of a Last of Us II announcement. There was even the controversy surrounding Judgment’s western release following the arrest of one of the voice actors, forcing distribution to a halt in Japan. That’s all sorted now, and will still be coming to our shores mid-year. I hear there will be some interesting developments occurring soon which will shake the draft up, so I’ll be keenly waiting to see how I can climb my way up to #1!”
Stephen Del Prado
- Ori & The Will of the Wisps
- Animal Crossing
- Pokemon 2019
- Yoshi’s Crafted World – 80 points
- Wasteland 3 (Wildcard)
Stephen said: “I fear I’ve played it too safe and now patiently wait for the same criticism to be echoed in the reviews of the titles I’ve chosen. To be fair, as with most draft rounds I rarely got my first pick, generally tried to go with titles I thought would be overlooked by others and, more importantly, will release this year – the bane of many previous Draft losers is finishing up without a full hand. My only release this far, Yoshi’s Crafted World is hovering around 80 which could drop into the late 70’s while Matt, Adam and Paul already have 90+ scores in DMC5, Resident Evil 2 and Sekiro respectively. I feel for Chris and Anna having low scoring titles in Anthem and Jump Force, but it does increase my odds exponentially. If I had to put money on it, I’d say Shaun is sitting fairly pretty; while Matt and Adam are in the lead, I’m not convinced their remaining picks will hit the numbers they’ll need to stay on top. As for me? I’m waiting for an Animal Crossing date before I get comfortable.”
Glen Gugliotti
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Skull & Bones
- Code Vein
- Battletoads
- Medievil (Wildcard)
Glen said: “With none of my games being released yet, hell three don’t even have potential 2019 release dates I’m starting to think I may have made a huge mistake. However, the way I see it I’m currently have the most potential to win obviously. Stay tuned to see how well this plays out for me.”
There are twists coming this June that may change the direction of the 2019 Draft significantly! Watch this space and we’ll see you soon with another update!