David Silbert: Metroid has always been one of Nintendo's most distinct franchises: Its setting is dark and haunting, its gameplay is raw and gritty, and its heroine is strong and brave. Metroid Prime took the series to the next level with a new development team (Retro Studios), an exciting 3-D perspective, and cutting-edge graphical fidelity. Now, over a decade after the release of Metroid Prime 3, Nintendo finds itself with another new beginning for the Metroid franchise. Little to nothing is known about Metroid Prime 4, except that it's being made by a brand-new studio for the Nintendo Switch. While this may leave some fans anxious, they can take solace in the following fact: Metroid Prime is back, baby.
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Andreas Salmen: You get to be a pirate with your (actual) mates, and Rare is the developer. I'm optimistic because it's an interesting concept and a fun idea that evokes childhood fantasies. Where was this game when I was 12?
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8. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4/XOne/PC)
Tony "OUberLord" Mitera: I continue to be impressed with how good the recent Tomb Raider games have been. For the first game, the developer could've trotted out another entry in the franchise and called it a day, but I'm not sure anyone expected it to be quite that amazing. Then the second game came along and ended up being incrementally better, when I would've been happy with more of the same. Stalking around an unforgiving wilderness in a snowstorm while simultaneously hunting and being hunted by armed men was amazingly fun, and the environments that Lara had to navigate were magnificent. The third game of the new series is likely a lock as yet another great game — and that's assuming the development team hasn't somehow managed to make it even better.
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7. Kingdom Hearts III (PS4/XOne)
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: Kingdom Hearts III is the little game that could. The last numbered Kingdom Hearts console title was for the PS2, and since then, the franchise has only gotten a handful of handheld spin-offs. Against all odds, it's coming along steadily. New nuggets of info trickle out every few months, and the recent Kingdom Hearts 2.8 included a playable Ground Zeroes-style demo starring Birth by Sleep's Aqua. Everything we see of Kingdom Hearts III looks amazing. With fast-paced action combat, stunning visuals, and more Disney than ever, it's everything that fans of the franchise could hope for. New words include "Big Hero 6" and "Toy Story" as well as returning favorites, like Hercules. Just don't ask us to explain the plot ...
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Adam Pavlacka: Ever since Ubisoft took over the Far Cry franchise, I've been a huge fan of the series. Far Cry 3 set an open-world bar. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was an amazing stand-alone expansion pack that came out of left field and has yet to be topped. Far Cry 4 refined the gameplay rather than evolving it, but the polish (including the secret ending with a 15-minute playthrough) was obvious throughout. Through careful planning or pure happenstance, Far Cry 5 looks to be the game that pushes the franchise forward, both in gameplay and story, with a plot that could almost be based on real-life events. Far Cry 5 is easily at the top of my personal most wanted list.
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5. The Last of Us: Part II (PS4)
Thomas Wilde: I usually end up having some serious ethical questions about Naughty Dog's games — the ending of TLOU was a gut-punch, and I can only hope there are some serious consequences for it in this one — but they're usually better-crafted and more polished than anything out there. This should be worth checking out strictly to see what they're doing with storytelling.
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4. TIE: God of War (PS4) / Spider-Man (PS4)
Cody Medellin: Even though this is another entry in the long-running God of War series, everything about it feels new: a calmer Kratos, a newer take on Norse mythology, and a different perspective on the combat. There's nothing seen so far that would make one worry about its status, and with only a few months left before it officially drops, we can't wait to see it.
David Silbert: When rumors made rounds across the internet outing Sony's upcoming Spider-Man game, many claimed that studio Sucker Punch was handling the development. This seemed like sound reasoning at the time: Sucker Punch's Infamous series revolved around heroes, villains, superpowers, and lightning-fast traversal, all in an open-world city. Picture everyone's surprise when it was revealed that, in fact, the new Spider-Man will be coming to PlayStation 4 by way of Insomniac Games. Thankfully, everything that we've seen of the new Spider-Man game looks impressive, from slick, Batman: Arkham-like stealth gameplay to breezy, web-slinging traversal through a crowded Manhattan. If Insomniac can nail the story and mission structure, Spider-Man could be one of 2018's biggest releases.
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Michael Keener: I couldn't decipher the trailer for Death Stranding if I had a team of NASA scientists, a college professor, and a Martian in the same room, but I sure do love what I see. Hideo Kojima probably doesn't even know what his own game is about, but I trust he knows exactly what he's doing. Kojima Productions and CD Projekt Red are arguably top of the line when it comes to blind trust.
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2. Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4/XOne/PC)
Tony "OUberLord" Mitera: CD Projekt Red is so deeply linked with the fantasy realm of The Witcher franchise that it's almost impossible to predict what would be its take on a cyberpunk future. Cyberpunk 2077 has been teased in one form or another for over five years, and the tabletop game on which it's based has the type of gritty, noir dystopia that gets my attention. With a playable demo possibly coming to this year's E3, it won't be too much longer before we get our first real look at the game.
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1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4/XOne)
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: "It's the new game from the guys who made Grand Theft Auto," will assure that Red Dead Redemption 2 sells 10 million copies, sight unseen, but it's more than that. The last Red Dead Redemption game was easily the finest cowboy simulator ever made, and it was one of Rockstar's best games ever. It featured impressive gameplay, an immersive world, and a heartfelt story. Red Dead Redemption 2 has the added benefit of eight years of Rockstar honing its craft. This time, it follows Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and ne'er-do-well, as he journies through the lawless west. With an open world, tons of content, and a multiplayer mode to boot, Red Dead Redemption 2 will likely be one of the most time-consuming games of the year. If the story can come close to Red Dead Redemption's, then it'll be one of the most enthralling stories of the year, too.