13 for 19 - The Games We're Most Excited About This Year

Welcome to 2019, year of the Blade Runner! Sadly, the classic film’s view of today didn’t quite come true. There’s no replicants or flying cars. Harrison Ford gave up his cool as hell jacket for a loose-fitting cotton tee. We can’t believe a movie from 1982 could be so wrong about the future, but here we are, tears in our eyes and images of Daryl Hannah looking super awesome in our hearts.

Still, there is hope! As the new year begins, we must not dwell on the things that have not happened! Instead, we must look at the things that will happen! Take, for example, all of the rad games coming out this year!

“What games”, you ask? Worry not! We’ve got you covered!

Anthem

BioWare is coming in hot and heavy with Anthem! Releasing February 22, this game is a must buy for all of us at High Score. You got your ultra-cool armor. You got your crazy looking monsters. You got some serious sounding guys and gals talking about walls and keeping people safe. You even have a big bad that kinda looks like a sci-fi Sauron.

We are sold!

Control

With Max Payne, Aan Wake, and Quantum Break in their pockets, anything Remedy Entertainment does is going to catch the attention of gamers. Control lets players take… well control… of Jesse Faden, a woman who gained supernatural powers after a traumatic childhood experience. Jesse ends up being the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control at what can only be considered the worst possible time. The Bureau’s headquarters – the Oldest House – has been invaded by beings from another world! Adding to the stress Jesse is certainly feeling from the one-two punch of a new job and an alien invasion, she also has to deal with the ghost of her predecessor telling her what to do.

Control doesn’t have a release date yet but is scheduled to come out this year.

Crackdown 3

The first Crackdown was one of the best games on the Xbox 360. Sadly, Crackdown 2 didn’t live up to the high standards set by its older brother. Still, we have hope that Crackdown 3 – coming February 15 – will give us all we want and more.

Set a decade after the events of Crackdown 2, the Agency is called into action after a terrorist attack shuts down all power across the planet. Only you and your pal Terry Crews can save the day with your awesome super cop powers! Get on it!

Dead or Alive 6

With Dead or Alive 6 – releasing February 15 – developer Team Ninja has promised that their focus was more on gameplay and less on the sexualization of the characters that this fighting series has come to be known for. Along with improving the sweat mechanic from DOA5, a new feature will show off real-time damage to the characters as they fight. DOA6 will also mark the first time in the franchise’s history that the player will be able to customize the costumes of the characters.

All this and the breast physics have been toned down too!

Devil May Cry 5

Dante and Nero are back with a new adventure for the Devil May Cry agency. It looks like demons are popping up all over the world, and Dante’s been hired by a strange man named ‘V’ to look into it. At the same time, Nero is out looking for the guy who stole his arm. You can bet that Dante and Nero’s paths will cross sooner or later (and you can probably bet that the ‘V’ dude stole the arm and is responsible for the demons coming out of hell).

Devil May Cry 5 comes out March 8

Doom Eternal

This sequel to 2016’s Doom looks bonkers and we can’t wait to get our paws on it. Playing as the Doom Slayer – an ancient warrior who battles demons from hell – you have to stop the demonic invasion of Earth. Now, the Union Aerospace Corporation claims they’re going to help you out with this adventure but we have to be honest – they won’t be any help at all. This is, after all, a first-person shooter. Still, we don’t want to make UAC feel bad, so just give them a pat on the head every now and then.

Doom Eternal doesn’t have a release date but it is expected to hit shelves before the end of the year.

Kingdom Hearts III

The sixteenth game in the series, Kingdom Hearts III once again brings together the Square Enix and Disney worlds for what is sure to be one heck of an adventure. Along with fan favorites like Goofy, Donald, and Sora, Kingdom Hearts III also introduces beloved characters like Toy Story‘s Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Big Hero 6‘s Baymax, and Tangled‘s Rapunzel.

Kingdom Hearts III is set for release on January 29.

The Last of Us Part II

It feels like ages since we gamers first heard about The Last of Us Part II. That may be because the game was announced in 2016. Still, we’re pretty sure it’ll be worth the wait.

Taking place 5 years after the first game, you’ll be playing as Ellie. Aside from that, we don’t really know much about the plot. Neil Druckmann, who co-wrote the story with Halley Gross, said that where the first game was about love, this one is about hate.

We’re listing The Last of Us Part II here, but to be honest, we wouldn’t be shocked if the game doesn’t come out this year. Still, our fingers are crossed.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Marvel Ultimate Alliance – which grew out of the X-Men Legends games – is easily one of the best superhero games ever made. The sequel, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, was good but not quite as good. For a decade, we all thought the series was dead.

Then Nintendo went and shocked us all with a trailer at the VGAs. Our minds were blown. Unlike the previous Ultimate Alliance games – which came out before Marvel was a movie powerhouse – this one seems to take its cues from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also unlike the previous entries in the series, this one will be console exclusive.

While there’s no firm date, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is expected to come out later this year.

Mortal Kombat 11

The franchise that almost singlehandedly lead to the creation of the ESRB, the Mortal Kombat series has been a fan favorite since 1992. Heck, Mortal Kombat is the only video game to be turned into a good movie! How crazy is that!

Lucky for us all, Mortal Kombat 11 isn’t getting rid of the crazy amounts of gore that have made the series such an icon in the fighting genre.

Mortal Kombat 11 is set to be released on April 23. Make sure to yell out “GET OVER HERE!” when you grab your copy!

Shenmue III

The game that just wouldn’t die, Shenmue III took 18 years to come to life, thanks in part to a very successful Kickstarter campaign.

The story of the game isn’t really known yet. What we do know is that Lan Di returns and there’s a new antagonist, Niao Sun. Yu Suzuki has also said that Shenmue III will not conclude the story – he’s hoping to make more games in the series. We’re hoping it won’t be nearly two decades between games.

Skull & Bones

We had high hopes for Sea of Thieves, and while it was fun for a little while, the game just didn’t have enough to do to keep us coming back. Hopefully, that’s a problem Skull & Bones will be able to avoid.

Inspired by Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Ubisoft handed Skull & Bones to their Singapore division, marking the first time Ubisoft Singapore was the lead developer for a game. From the looks of the trailer, they knocked it out of the park!

Originally planned to release late 2018, the game was pushed back to this year. We hope to get our hands on it soon!

Spelunky 2

Coming ten years after Spelunky, we can safely say that fans of the roguelike platformer have been eagerly waiting for this one!

Currently, Spelunky 2 is only set to be released on PS4 and Steam – and even with that there’s no official release date – but there is hope to bring the game to the Xbox One and Switch. Only time – and sales – will tell.