Honorable Mention: Metroid Prime 4 (Switch)
The WP writers are still excited about Metroid Prime 4, but on Friday, Jan. 25, series producer Kensuke Tanabe announced that the game development is being restarted by another studio. We've moved the title to an honorable mention position, since the game won't be released this year.
Read more WP impressions about Metroid Prime 4
20. TIE: Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch) / Nioh 2 (Switch)
Andreas Salmen: It took a while until Luigi finally got his own 3D adventure, but when Luigi's Mansion finally dropped on the GameCube, it instantly connected with audiences. A charming and different adventure game that incorporated everything from exploration to inventive combat, Luigi's Mansion 3 is possibly the closest we'll get to a good Ghostbusters-style game. While it's still going strong on the 3DS with a sequel and a remake, the return to a main Nintendo console is exciting, and I can't wait what the Switch's capabilities will mean for the third and long-awaited entry in the series.
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: The original Nioh was an engaging take on the Dark Souls formula, with a samurai-inspired aesthetic and fast-paced gameplay. Nioh 2 is still tightly under wraps, but the developers have promised that they learned a lot from the development of the original game. They've promised an evolution in both design and difficulty, so fans are salivating. Considering how exciting Nioh was, it will be interesting to see if Tecmo-Koei can challenge From Software at its own game.
Read more WP impressions about Luigi's Mansion 3
Read more WP impressions about Nioh 2
Thomas Wilde: Sucker Punch has a pretty good track record so far with open-world games, and I'm curious how it'll do with a period-accurate samurai drama. The bloody, lethal combat caught my eye at E3 2018, with plenty of good, old-fashioned dismemberment and sudden violence, as well as it being set in that picturesque fictional version of Japan, where the local atmosphere is 20% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, and 20% falling cherry blossoms. If nothing else, it'll be the game to beat this year for visual design.
Read more WP impressions about Ghost of Tsushima
18. TIE: Gears 5 (XOne/PC) / Metro Exodus (PS4/XOne/PC)
Adam Pavlacka: The Gears of War games have always pushed the envelope when it comes to visual fidelity, and from the preview footage that Microsoft has shown off, it looks like that trend is going to continue. Another plus is the fact that the story is going off in a new direction. We were introduced to Kait Diaz in Gears of War 4, though she wasn't the focus. Gears 5 is Kait's story, marking the first time that a mainline Gears game doesn't star someone of Fenix lineage. The shortened title (Microsoft dropped the "of War" bit) also hints at a more personal adventure this time around.
Chris Barnes: The Metro series is up there for best tone and environments. Games that make me realize I'm breathing as heavily as the in-game character are few and far between. When playing Metro, I may as well need a ventilator. I'm hopeful 4A Games maintains the fantastic tone the first two Metro games captured, despite Metro Exodus going open-world.
Read more WP impressions about Gears 5
Read more WP impressions about Metro Exodus
17. Days Gone (PS4)
Fran Soto: After being pushed back and pushed back again, Days Gone finally has a release date for this upcoming spring. The PlayStation exclusive is surely an ambitious game, with a giant open world rivaling Red Dead Redemption II and a postapocalyptic zombie survival narrative. While it may be annoying when games are delayed, it usually means developers are taking time to smooth out the finer details. Because of such ambitious work, Days Gone is promising an immersive challenge to fans of the genre. The recent success of PlayStation exclusives (Detroit Become Human, God of War, Spider-Man, etc.) in the past year gives us hope that Days Gone will live up to its hype.
Read more WP impressions about Days Gone
Joe Doyle: Platinum Games puts its touch on every game it has ever made, so I'm excited to see what's in store for Bayonetta 3. Nier: Automata essentially made the Drakengard series interesting to most who weren't interested in it before, all due to the compelling gameplay. It'll be interesting to see how they've learned from all the other properties they've worked on (Korra, TMNT, Transformers) and see how it translates to their own trilogy.
Read more WP impressions about Bayonetta 3
15. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4/XOne/PC)
Andreas Salmen: This is a complete unknown quantity for me, but the premise itself is too exciting to not be hyped. We know there are going to be lightsabers and Jedi action, and we know that Respawn Entertainment is responsible. That shouldn't be concerning, as the developer has recently proven that it's very capable of crafting good content with Titanfall 2 and its surprisingly well-executed single-player campaign. As a fan of the Titanfall franchise, I am genuinely excited to see how well Respawn works on an intellectual property other than its own to execute the great gameplay design for which they're known.
Read more WP impressions about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: Let's be honest: Death Stranding is the strangest game you'll see this year. The brainchild of Hideo Kojima, it's a strange-looking story following a man traveling through a bizarre postapocalyptic hellscape populated by strange monsters. Yet it's impossible to really describe Death Stranding, as every new trailer adds something new and bizarre to the mix. With the man behind Metal Gear at the helm, it's a game to watch out for, if only to figure out what exactly is going on with the weird baby.
Read more WP impressions about Death Stranding
Tony "OUberLord" Mitera: This one hits me in a soft spot. On the one hand, Halo has remained one of my favorite gaming franchises, but on the other hand, I never completed Halo 4 and never touched Halo 5. Something about Halo Infinite has me more interested in the franchise than I have been in years. We only know teaser bits of information, such as that it's taking the franchise in a "bolder" direction. We don't know what that means, but I can't shake a gut feeling that the game might end up being closer to the Halo games that I've loved in the past.
Read more WP impressions about Halo Infinite
Chris Barnes: Mass Effect Andromeda didn't exactly set the world on fire (a bold statement, I know…), so I've been hungry for another space epic by Bioware. I'm really hopeful that Anthem delivers. The gameplay we've seen up to this point looks promising, and I love the environments they've shown off. Hopefully, Bioware can rekindle some of the magic that enveloped some of its games and can win me back.
Read more WP impressions about Anthem
11. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Switch)
Cody Medellin: This is certainly one of the bigger surprise announcements of 2018, as we had thought the franchise was dead once Activision lost the Marvel license. Given the portable and multiplayer stance the Switch has taken, the action-RPG formula seems like a perfect fit for the system, and the addition of Marvel characters that have gained popularity thanks to the movies and TV shows that have come out since the second entry will make this all feel fresh again. The only red flag here has to be the involvement of Team Ninja, whose last Nintendo-produced title, Metroid: Other M, didn't exactly get the warmest of welcomes.
Read more WP impressions about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Editor's Note: ... but what about the rest of the list? Check back tomorrow to find out which titles cracked the top 10 for the WorthPlaying team!
UPDATE (Jan. 28, 2019):