Overkill’s The Walking Dead
Could this feed the hunger for flesh left by the nearly decade-long absence of a new Left 4 Dead title?
With an emphasis on four player co-op, this promising addition to the Walking Dead franchise tasks players with establishing roles in a team environment. Each character features their own play style, special abilities, skill trees and story arcs, and effectively managing the members of your party will go a long way towards ensuring your survival. Doubtless, a quick and stealthy approach will be preferable in dispatching the legions of ghouls, so as not to rouse the attention of their rotten cohorts. However, true savants will opt for tactics more akin to Merle Dixon, messily mowing down foes while shouting obscenities in a southern drawl. Sure, you’ll probably end up dead, but dammit, you’ll look pretty cool doing it.
Presently advertised for a Fall 2018 release, you will be able to explore the ruins of Washington, D.C. with your pals on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
GTFO
A PC exclusive with a tongue-in-cheek title, GTFO is shaping up to be another quality entry in the rapidly developing field of co-op FPS games. This survival horror title will feature procedural gameplay, team-based puzzle solving and high intensity combat. A bit like solving a Rubik’s Cube while fending off sharks, really.
As a team of scavengers, you and your teammates explore the catacombs of an abandoned underground facility overrun with horrifying monsters. Thorough investigation of the nooks and crannies is encouraged if you hope to find better weapons and resources, but danger lurks around every turn. Dare you risk it? Is there a more embarrassing cause of death than being ambushed while looking under a table for something neat?
We currently don’t have a release date beyond the ambiguous 2018, but the enticing footage we’ve seen so far has already got us salivating over the prospect of getting murdered by all kinds of nasty creatures. We’re gluttons for punishment, you know.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
How appropriate that one of the biggest FPS releases of 2018 would be unveiled via cryptic marketing on a hat worn by James Harden. He himself is very good at shooting, in his own way. Does this suggest that Black Ops 4 will also have terrible defense? Probably overthinking it.
The latest in the popular spin-off series (and the mind-boggling 15th Call of Duty game overall), information is currently scarce, though it’s safe to assume that zombies will re-emerge in some capacity, and we’re likely to see some kind of beta access ahead of its slated October release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Rumors of a Switch version have also been buzzing about, and all eyes are on the Community Reveal Event on May 17.
About the only other noteworthy thing is that the number 4 is not represented in Roman numerals, instead stylized as IIII. Does this imply some kind of tally, like racking up kills in a casual manner, suffering some kind of desensitized indifference to the value of human life? Maybe not. Perhaps they just didn’t want people thinking the game was actually about IV drips.
Metro Exodus
Hopefully you don’t mind a little bit of a chill, because Metro Exodus plonks you in a post-apocalyptic Russian wasteland. If the sniffles don’t get to you, there’s a strong chance the mutated beasts roaming the landscape will – forced to brave the chaos while on the hunt for salvation, players will have to craft, scavenge and just generally pray for their survival.
It is the third title in the Metro series, and promises a dynamic weather system, a day-night cycle, and changing environments across the seasons. If the previous entries in the franchise are anything to go by, we should be in for another excellent scare fest. The variety of terrors on offer seem to be quite intriguing, from feral dogs to a particularly unfriendly bear.
With a Fall 2018 release in the pipeline, courageous comrades will be able to try their luck on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Удачи!
World War Z
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: this upcoming title from Saber Interactive pits you and up to three other players against the hideous zombie horde, and you’ll have to work together to survive. Apparently, the word of the year is co-op. And zombies. Just not in conjunction, because the zombies appear to be anything but cooperative.
It’s as if everyone has all clicked at once that it is a lucrative medium, but it’s not like we’re complaining, here. We are more than keen to combine forces with our friends and relatives to crack open some undead skulls. In the case of World War Z, it seems as though the impetus is on using your wits more than your weapons, setting traps and just generally trying to avoid messy confrontations.
Other than that, it’s a bit of a mystery really. Due to the source material, there is already a basic narrative in place, but each character has a story arc that will diverge from that in some way. Potential for stories of revenge, redemption and romance, perchance? Find out when it drops on PS4, PC and Xbox One.
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Break out the Darude CDs, baby, because we’ve got a sandstorm incoming! No, our musical tastes have not progressed past the year 2000, and that’s the way we’d like to keep it, thank you very much.
Another title scheduled to release in ‘2018’ (shrug), Sandstorm is the sequel to 2014’s Insurgency from developer New World Interactive. It will offer extended gameplay possibilities and improved immersion, which are fairly ambiguous phrases that could mean anything, really. The latter likely refers to the amount of detail in seemingly arbitrary factors, such as ballistic calculations or dropping magazines for faster reloads. Extended gameplay possibilities? Maybe you just play it more. That sounds like a thing.
Buzz words aside, co-op and versus objective-based game modes will also be present, as well as ranked matchmaking and character customization. Sounds like a list of things Insurgency aficionados have been pining for – hopefully they won’t have to wait much longer for the release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Escape From Tarkov
Another one for the PC kids, the press for Escape From Tarkov describes it as being a hardcore and realistic online first-person action RPG/Simulator with MMO features and a story-driven walkthrough. That’s a bit of a mouthful, the condensed version is you shoot the things.
The tale revolves around the titular Tarkov, a city under constant warfare. With most of its populace having already fled, you play as one of the few remaining mercenaries from either opposing faction. Tarkov has been sealed off, and all communications and supply chains cut. Now seems as good a time as any to skedaddle, so you’ll have to explore the region, cooperate with friends and former foes alike, and make your escape.
In case you’re wondering what the motives of these two factions are, let’s run it down for you. The military company BEAR has allegedly been hired by the Russian government to uncover evidence of illicit activities, while USEC are working for the notorious Terra Group international corporation. That’s right – Terra Group. It’s like the new Scumlabs, and it’s fairly clear that they’re not the good guys. Misunderstood rapscallions, at best.
Quake Champions
Hello Quake, our gritty friend. In this long overdue revival of the beloved series from id Software, we’re returning to the arena for some good old fashioned gore. Could this mean that Heretic III is somewhere down the track, too? Don’t get your hopes up, you’ll only end up hurt.
A PC exclusive, the best and brightest from Quake’s past are making a comeback to prove their dominance. Mainstays like Anarki and Sorlag will be facing off against guest characters like Wolfenstein’s B.J. Blazkowicz (more on him shortly) and the returning Doomguy, who is tragically being billed as the much less badass moniker of Doom Slayer.
The only concern at this point comes in the form of the mixed response it has gotten in early access reviews for Steam. Criticisms range from the game being ‘floaty and laggy’ to introducing ‘needless Overwatch-esque abilities,’ as well as lots of commentaries that are loaded with ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s that we can safely assume were not meant to be declarations of love. We’re cautiously optimistic that the ship will be righted by the time of release, because quite frankly, id Software has been on a roll lately and such a misfire from them is unlikely.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Now now then, don’t you get all in a huff just because we’re including a game that’s already been out for several months. We are of course referring to the upcoming Switch version of Wolfenstein II, a console that has been sorely absent for much of this article. Don’t worry Nintendo, we still love you. Hopefully you manage to somehow slip a Labo FPS game past the ratings board.
The best thing about looking forward to this title is that we’ve already had a chance to give it a whirl in its entirety on the sister consoles, and though the transition to the plucky hybrid console isn’t an assured victory (hello WWE 2K18, you heinous troll, you), it is being published by Bethesda Softworks, who were also associated with the excellent ports for Skyrim and Doom. Early impressions are a bit dicey, but there’s enough time to work out the kinks.
If they manage to pull it off, they have a good’un on their hands – it nabbed a 4.5/5 score in our review back in October. The Switch version will also include gyroscopic controls, so you can look like a complete maniac on the train. If anyone asks questions, just tell them you’re killing Nazis. That’s sure to help.
Agony
We’re in a little bit of murky territory with this one. Though Agony is indeed played through a first person perspective, the weapons are more of a bludgeoning and crazy demon lightning variety, so its qualification in this list is dubious, at best. For the sake of argument, we’ll just label the FPS in this instance as standing for first person spookiness. Good enough for you? Excellent.
In the grim world of Agony, you have woken up to find yourself the newest resident of Hell. Obviously, this is not the best way to begin your day, but you’re resolute to find your way out of this barbarity. Enter the Red Goddess, a sultry deity who enjoys the taste of bloody entrails almost as much as she enjoys lounging around in the nude. You’ll have to use your wits to reach her, but you have another trick up your sleeve as you progress through the torment: the ability to possess other people and demons.
This survival horror title is definitely not for the faint of heart, and considering the other entrants in this article, that’s saying something. It was originally scheduled to release on March 30th, but has been pushed back to an unspecified date. Isn’t it comforting to know that Hell is literally waiting for you?
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