Video games. No matter what your wallet might have to say about it, they’re going to keep coming out, and you’re going to keep buying them. And if you’re a console player, it’s easy to miss the smaller releases in the midst of all the triple-A releases slated. Believe it or not, there are several other smaller releases planned from other studios that don’t have multi-billion dollar budgets. So today, I’m here to talk to you about some of the more obscure ones (and just a reminder on some ones that might not be so obscure). And not just any obscure games - we’re talking only certain types of sequels that are either PS4 exclusive, or started out on the original PlayStation.
There’s a ton of games that are coming out to the big three consoles, but, unfortunately, it’s kind of hard to find some obscure sequels coming out for a game whose entire 2018 lineup consists of mostly things coming out no later than the first quarter. Regardless, I still did it. It’s odd, there are some softballs and, since it’s a Sony console, there’s a ton of anime on here. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty solid list that is sure to either remind you guys of things that are coming up or put something on your radar you might not have heard of before. So sit back and check this bad boy out - you’re gonna enjoy it.
20 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Can you believe that the Dissidia series has four games to it and some kind of storyline? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, the newest installment for this series is coming exclusively to PS4 on January 30th. It’s already an arcade game in Japan and has been since 2015. Unfortunately, people who love their Final Fantasy fighting games in the West just don’t attract enough attention to get the ball rolling on an English port until almost three years later. This version includes a completely redesigned battle system focused on 3-on-3 combat, with four different character classes and, as always, the RPG elements.
Better late than never, I guess?
19 The Crew 2
It was at this moment Rick realized he knew absolutely nothing about racing games past the 90s. Realizing he couldn’t write 120 words about the game Death Track, he decided to do something else: his job. Researching this game, he was surprised to see it got greenlit at all.
So the original The Crew was a smash hit, introducing the thrill of open-world games with the high-octane feel of racing. Where it lost a lot of the allure was a poorly managed massively-online component also fraught with micro-transaction nonsense. Bogged down by all these problems, it somehow managed to get a sequel. Will it rise above the problems of its predecessor? We’ll find out on March 19th.
18 Kingdom Hearts 3
Yeah, I know it’s been on the “coming soon” lists since 2013, with it actually being in gamers’ wish list since 2005, the year Kingdom Hearts 2 came out. And now with it finally slated for release next year, the reason it’s on this list is because it’ll be a friggin’ miracle if it actually does drop next year. With a premise that is more of the same: Sora, Donald, and Goofy bouncing around Disney-themed worlds as they try to save the universe from the evil Master Xehanort and his crew of Hot Topic model rejects known as Organization XIII.
Will Sora and friends save the world? Probably. Will it be worth a 13-year wait? Probably not. Maybe it’ll be worth a 14-year wait. Or a 15. I’d say only time will tell, but there’s no telling. This game is the Duke Nukem Forever of RPGs.
17 Dynasty Warriors 9
Just when you think the world has had enough of stabbing and slashing through waves of enemies in a semi-historical setting with an array of dozens of well-dressed characters armed to the teeth, the folks over at Koei Tecmo drop another Dynasty Warriors game on you. This time, players can traverse an actual massive map of China as they slaughter - literally - millions of foot soldiers and their officers to…
I don’t know - free China or something? Does anybody play these games for the story? I imagine some do, but when you can literally kill dozens of people in one hit, I think the power fantasy trumps any story there might be to begin with. Especially when it’s just so darned satisfying. Expect to see it Q1 2018.
16 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory
When I found out this property still existed even in comic form, I was taken off-guard. But unfortunately, I don’t actually know everything despite my constant insistences to the opposite. This game is actually sixth in the Digimon Story series.
The game features you taking control of a team of up to three different Digimon, and shares elements with the previous Cyber Sleuth game. It’s done in third person perspective and features up to 320 different Digi-people for you to grab up. So if you’re ready to get all digital again, this’ll drop for you around quarter 1 2018.
15 Darksiders III
Part of a game series I’ve always wanted to pick up, Darksiders III is, well, the third installment. This time around it focuses on FURY, the red-haired, battle-whip-armed maiden above, as she tears through the seven deadly sins. Makes sense - it’s not like there are any more trouble-causing horsemen of the apocalypse left after Darksiders 1 and 2. It’s sure to be a crackin’ good time, am I right everybody? Huh?
Huh?
Rick realizes dumb joke is dumb. Crestfallen, he continues.
Well, like, the game will be out sometime next year. This next game can not be more different from something like Darksiders.
14 Ni No Kuni 2
Full disclosure: I never played the original Ni No Kuni. Now, I really have wanted to play it. For real. Yank my geek card if you must, but I felt it was necessary to go into this honestly. I had heard wonderful things about the original (and the Studio-Ghibli-style graphics), and I was really glad to hear it was getting a sequel. RPGs, traditional RPGs, are something that’s dominated by Square-Enix with both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, so it’s great to see something received with such fervor.
It’s set to drop January 19th, with the classic third-person perspective coming back. The thing that’s different this time around is the battle system - instead of the Pokémon-style fights of the first one, this feels a bit more like Pikmin mixed with a brawler. It should be a great time.
13 The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2
I know what you’re thinking - what the hell is this game? So glad you asked! This was a third-person action RPG about a swamp witch who summons the titular Hundred Knight, played by you, in her fight against a rival witch. The third-person action-RPG caught a lot of flack for its boring design and level bugs, which was a bit of a disappointment for such an interesting story. Here’s hoping they get it right this time around - it’s due for a western release next year, but if you can speak and read Japanese, it’s already available.
I hope they can nail this - it feels like an Atlus version of Diablo, a la Disgaea. How cool would something like that be?
12 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
If you’re anything like our resident Yakuza-loving writer Ben Johnston, you know there’s a ton of things to do in this GTA clone that’s taken on a life of its own over the course of six games. This time around, developer SEGA says that main character’s Kazuma Kiryu’s story arc will come to a close. But in true Yakuza-style, trailers have shown Kiryu taking selfies and singing karaoke. It’s kinda odd that it took this long to get karaoke in a game so steeped in Japanese culture, but then again, technology needed to catch up as well.
Either way, get ready to dive back into this (or in Ben’s case, fish) exclusively for PS4 on March 20th.
11 Metro: Exodus
The Metro series of games is best known for being a stark reminder of how humanity will probably function after the apocalypse: treacherous, selfish, and cynical. Some measure of Capitalism remains where living conditions have been reduced to serfdom and hiding in dank train stations for most. In this world, it’s kill or be killed. Or be banished and killed again.
Well, get ready for that kind of ride again, because the much-anticipated Metro: Exodus is set to come out this year! The beautiful graphics and stark visuals are sure to wreck any good mood you might have going, kind of like a first-person representation of This War of Mine. It’s that good kind of sad. But it’s still really sad.
10 Shenmue 3
I’ve never played the original or its sequel, but the consensus I grabbed from reading people’s reactions about the Shenmue series is that it’s essentially Animal Crossing in real life. There’s a plot, but there’s no real reason to get into it, because you can just hang out and drive a forklift all day. Hope there wasn’t a time requirement.
Anyway, after Shenmue II, the future for a third seemed bleak until Kickstarter came and worked its magic. The game raised almost 6.3 MILLION DOLLARS on the crowdfunding platform, and progress has been slow and steady ever since. Well, it seems like the backers and the developers are in the home stretch, because Shenmue III is set to release in Q3 of next year, after two years of delays. Hope it’s worth the wait.
9 Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Oh, what’s that? You weren’t prepared for a kick-ass picture of Tom Cruise in your video gaming listicle? Well, that’s what I do here, folks - I break expectations.
Actually, all of the images I googled for Ace Combat 7 were just a bunch of planes swooping around. Not really cool-looking. So you get a sweet pose from the greatest naval aviator of the last generation. It’s like you can almost hear Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone playing in the background.
Welp, I did that thing where I talk about something unrelated to the game for a few dozen words, so it’ll be pertinent to point out that while this isn’t PS4 exclusive, it got its start on the original PlayStation, where it was given the Intellivision-sounding moniker Air Combat. Prepare to fly sometime next year.
8 The Fall Part 2: Unbound
A truly interesting-looking title, this is the sequel to 2014’s The Fall, about an artificial intelligence inside a highly-advanced combat body suit. The game blended both side-scrolling action a la Metroidvania games while also having elements of an old-school point-and-click adventure game. It was highly lauded by critics and the reviews on Steam remain very positive. While this isnt’ anywhere near a PS4 exclusive, like I said earlier, I wanted this list to be something focusing more on little-known games, and when this drops in February, you’re probably not going to hear much over the din of other games released at the same time.
7 Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
If you haven’t noticed, there’s a ton of anime-style games on this list. That’s because, for better or worse, the PS4 remains the weeaboo’s console of choice. And of course, the latest Sword Art Online game has lived on PS3, PS4, PSP, and PS Vita. There’s a ton of SAO games out there, based on the manga and animes of the same name. This newest installment comes at you in March of 2018, giving players the chance to immerse themselves in a 3rd-person perspective with wonderful images that make you feel like you’re in an anime, The gameplay actually makes it look like a third-person version of Borderlands with an anime setting. Sounds like good times!
6 Monster Hunter: World
Do you like monsters? Do you like hunting them more? Have you wanted to do it across the world? Awesome, glad to see you’re with me so far. Let me tell you about a series you’re going to love. It’s called Monster Hunter. In it, you - wait for it - Hunt. Monsters. The latest entry, Monster Hunter: World, is set to hit shelves both digitally and physically January 26th. This time around, get ready to explore a whole new continent and tackle vicious monsters once more, this time with the aid of up to four friends. Or of course, just go it alone and keep all that juicy roasted meat for yourself.
5 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Again, not a PS4 exclusive, but the game that inspired this one, the legendary Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, got its start on PlayStation. Bloodstained’s creator, Koji Igarashi, was known for putting the -Vania in the Metroidvania genre, and Bloodstained is a true return to form because there hasn’t been a decent 2D Castlevania Metroidvania since 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow. Most of that’s because publisher Konami is a pile of garbage that have no idea how to properly leverage an iconic IP to actually create something fans will like (I’m looking at you, Metal Gear: Survive).
Bloodstained was originally Kickstarted back in 2015 and raised over five million dollars. Progress has been slow and steady, but it looks like we’re finally getting it next March. The recent ten-minute gameplay clip shows a game that’s come a long way and aims to impress. As a lifelong Metroidvania fan, I sure hope it does.
4 Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings
Do you like anime? Do you like RPGs? Do you like traditional JRPGs? Do you like pastels and ethereal, barely-there visuals that feel like they’re made of cotton candy?
Then do I have a series for you! The Atelier series is an old-school property dating back to the PS2 in North America, but the original PlayStation in Japan. They’ve built up a reputation of being lighthearted, many times without an actual antagonist. A main theme of this game has been alchemy, using the creativity to blend things and create new items, weapons, armor, and what have you. It might be one of the first games to feature crafting before it was cool. Get ready for the newest spin this time around in Q1 2018.
3 Fear Effect Sedna
If you remember Fear Effect, it’s probably because you didn’t play it, but just heard about the subtext between the two beautiful female main characters. If you don’t know what I’m taking about, just remember this: it was the 90s, and there were two attractive women in close quarters in a game created for a male demographic. Anyway, the game was so well-received that it received a prequel after the original. It was one of the first times where cel-shading was first used, creating a unique look that garnered a big following.
So much so that another installment ended up garnering over $90k on Kickstarter in 2016. After a couple delays, it sounds like Fear Effect fans aren’t going to have to wait much longer. It’s slated to be released Q1 2018.
2 The Last of Us Part II
Because the story of the world coming to an end isn’t depressing enough, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us brought a parent/child relationship to it, made everyone cry, and won all the awards. Now because we’re all gluttons for punishment, everyone wants to know when the second one is coming out. Well, while we haven’t heard much, the closest guesses say it should be coming sometime next year. Though from the rumor mill, and if you believe the obviously-exaggerated claims a developer recently joked, it might not be coming out till 2019.
But when it does hit, we can be sure that tears will be shed once more. Dangit Naughty Dog, why do you have to be so good at stories?
1 Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain
If you haven’t heard of the Earth Defense Force series, then you are truly missing out. It’s like playing a Toho Godzilla movie, but instead of being Godzilla, you’re the soldiers that die a ton trying to stop the monsters in their tracks. Except in EDF, you actually do stop it and instead of Godzillas, it’s giant friggin’ bugs. The action is over-the-top, the bullets are flying, and the action just does not stop. The latest edition sounds like it’s trying to distance itself from its campy forebears and hopefully it’s a gambit that pays off - the series has been running since 2005 with the same feel. Some time next year, we’ll see for sure.
