Most Anticipated Games Of 2018 - Staff Survey

Here at TechRaptor, we're always excited about the latest and greatest in upcoming games. With such a diverse staff at the site - we're able to cover so many different genres of games, and bring the latest and greatest in news and content directly to you. When we sent our our monthly gaming survey to our social feeds for our readers to answer, naturally our staff wanted to chime in as well, so we're going to be running a staff survey alongside the reader survey every month. The best of both worlds!

January's question was pretty simple, and works great for the start of the year:

What game are you looking forward to in 2018? Why are you looking forward to that game?

Check out our staff's answers below, sorted by game! If you're interested in seeing the January Reader Survey, click here!

Vampyr

An action game from the team behind Life is Strange? Sign me up. Vampires, early 1900s London, and a heavily choice-based story make this title one to look forward to come Spring. Will you choose to save the city or feed on its inhabitants? - Max Moeller

Monster Hunter World

"My most anticipated game is the PC version of Monster Hunter World. I look forward to trying out the new mechanics, areas, and monsters. Having keyboard and mouse also opens up the potential of ranged weapons." - Samantha Ooi

Metro Exodus

"There's been a strange void in my heart ever since STALKER's untimely death, and the Metro series comes as close as any to filling it. Moving above-ground and introducing crafting should pay off, but hopefully we see Exodus later this year." - Kyle Johnson

"The Metro games can be succinctly described as "Fallout, but in Russia and also way more depressing & scary". Fallout has its charms, but the dark, gritty world of the Moscow Metro is a beast unto itself. I played both Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux and thoroughly enjoyed the both of them, but the game still felt a bit lacking. I just wanted more. There was a whole world to explore, and I felt the Metro universe was ripe for opening things up a bit more. Seems like Metro Exodus is keen on delivering on the hopes I laid out some time ago, though not quite in the way I had expected." - Robert N. Adams

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"I'm a lover of history, and RPGs and that makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance something that I can't just ignore. While Fantasy is a place I love to explore (Pillars of Eternity 2 is a second, and I hope it makes the leap from Pillars 1 good to being a great game like Baldur's Gate 1 to 2) History is a place with many rich stories and seeing a game that takes such care with it in the RPG genre is something that has me salivating to experience." - Don Parsons

Red Dead Redemption 2

"I came late to the first Red Dead Redemption game.  Most of my friends played it as they were big Grand Theft Auto fans, and while I played the GTA games only for the story missions, I was never a huge Rockstar fanboy, so I didn’t jump on Red Dead Redemption straight away like most. I played it a year or so after release, it was at the top of my to-play pile for a long time, having heard good things about it, but it was never a priority.  As soon as I played it though, I was hooked.  The story was incredible, the characters believable and the dialogue was spot on.  There was enough to do outside of the story quests and it was the first game that I 100%’ed in single player.  Few single player story driven games have grabbed me this way and I’ve been waiting for the sequel since completing the first.  Obviously Rockstar have a lot to live up to, and that level of expectation can be a game’s downfall, but between that and Cyberpunk 2077, I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a game as much." - Adam Potts

"The return to the Old West has been a loooooong time coming. I may have lost John Marston nearly 8 years ago now but every time I think of him, sending away that horse with his wife and child on, surveying the cavalry outside his barn before he was brutally gunned down by the government, it still burns me with rage and floods me with tears.

Moss

"Yes, Moss! The cute little action platformer coming out for PSVR this year. I was originally caught by its lovely art style and absolutely adorable protagonist. Then I stuck around for its smart blending of VR elements into its gameplay, the fun looking combat, and to explore a world I'm actually interested in exploring. There's plenty of awesome games coming out in 2018 (I just listed several!) but I'm easily the most intrigued by Moss." -  Sam Guglielmo

Detroit: Become Human

"It is the premise of Detroit: Become Human that is a major selling point to me. A neo-noir thriller in the same vein as Blade Runner, playing the role of several androids in a world that uses them for convenience. The use of "rewinding" bits of the game in the hopes to piece together more of what happens in the narrative, not to mention change the overall narrative and outcome, is an enticing hook to say the least. Much like Heavy Rain, and frankly most of the catalogue of Quantic Dream, Detroit: Become Human is attempting to be bold and ambitious in a way that compliments both the visual and tactile parts of playing video games; it's not just a thriller we watch, but an interactive story we manipulate to our own desires." - Robert Grosso

"David Cage’s work has always toed the line between video games and movies. His previous games, like Heavy Rain or Beyond: Two Souls, were very story oriented, but every scene was interactive in a way only video games could pull off. The stories he tells dare to go where only movies coiuld, pulling at the more uncomfortable parts of humanity. For example, Detroit: Become Human has been hit with flack for its depiction of child abuse in its latest trailer. But there’s something about how his games are presented that leave lasting impressions because of the story’s impact and the haptic feedback of the controller in the player’s hands. Detroit is a game I have high hopes for, especially since the gameplay footage at PSX was released last month. It’s going to be another game with a crazy story that only David Cage could write, and I’m hoping it’ll have as many memorable moments as some of his previous titles." - Robert Scarpinito

Crackdown 3

"For Crackdown 3, I want to see the return of transforming vehicles and fortress takedowns in glorious 4K. I want to see if anything ever came of the touted cloud-based destructible environments. I want to collect more agility orbs and wacky weapons, just to see if that's still a fun time. Even if Crackdown 3 does turn out to be a disappointment, there's a story behind the game's troubled development, and that's what I'm anticipating more than anything." - Alex Santa Maria

Warhammer End Times: Vermintide 2

"I was a latecomer to the original Vermintide game, but boy did I dump hours into it with my gaming group and friends. It was just a fantastic hack 'n slash game that required some major teamwork to complete missions on higher difficulties, and that's something that REALLY appeals to me. With the addition of a full jobs/career system, and a reworked loot system...I'm really excited to group up and play this new game." - Rutledge Daugette

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

"Bannerlord is shaping up to be the perfect storm of the kind of game I can obsessively play for weeks. Form up a band of merry lieutenants and crack some outlaw skulls? I'm down for that. Build a mercenary army and win the favor of one of the kings of a smaller kingdom? Can do. Cut out on my own and forcibly unite the whole of Calradia under my empire? Oh mama. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a game after my own heart. You can add the game to your Steam wishlist here." - Robert N. Adams

Bayonette 1+2 (Nintendo Switch)

"Ever since the release of Bayonetta 2 on Wii U, I gave the series a chance and immediately fell in love with one of the best action series of all time. Now, to be able to play both games wherever I want? AND a confirmation that we're getting a third game? What more could a man ask for?" - Connor Foss

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth

"For anyone who is even as remotely a big of a fan of Warcraft as I am, it’s a no-brainer that their most anticipated game of 2018 would be World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. The previous expansion, Legion, was easily their best yet, and now it looks as though Blizzard Entertainment is going to improve on what made Legion so great. New systems, such as the new co-op mode where you sail to ‘forgotten islands’ and a PvP mode reminiscent of Warcraft III, has me really excited, along with the new story that features Jaina Proudmoore, one of my favorite WoW characters. It’s a great time to be a WoW fan, and this year looks to be one of WoW’s best." - Patrick Perrault

Shenmue 3

"During my younger years as a gamer, both the original Shenmue and its sequel Shenmue 2 had a profound impact on my life. They were unlike any games I had played before, and I saw a role model in protagonist Ryo Hazuki, so much so that I would go on to foster a deep love and respect for the martial arts of my own. I remember spending a lot of time scouring the internet for details on a third Shenmue game after the cliffhanger ending of Shenmue 2, but as the years passed my hope faded. When Shenmue 3 was officially announced in 2015, I could hardly believe it, but you can bet I was one of the many eager fans who happily contributed to the game's Kickstarter. It's still kind of unreal to think I'll finally be able to play Shenmue 3 after so long, but if it lives up to the legacy of the first two games, I'm confident the extremely long wait will have been worth it." - Nate Hohl

Detective Pikachu

"Who doesn't love a new Pokemon game? And okay, admittedly, a large part of my excitement comes from the fact that A. I love mystery games and B. I just want to see Pikachu dressed up in a little Sherlock Holmes hat with a magnifying glass." - Courtney Ehrenhofler

Surviving Mars

"I may have a bit of an obsession with colonizing other planets. Whether it's due to me watching The Martian countless times (and reading the novel nearly as many times) or the frankly disturbing shrine to Elon Musk I have in my closet, I always get a kick out of the kind of logistics and troubleshooting that's necessary for making an inhospitable environment survivable for human life. When I saw the announcement for Surviving Mars come across our news desk, I may have let out of a bit of a girlish squeal of joy." - Robert N. Adams

We're looking forward to continuing our Monthly Gaming Survey, and sharing our thoughts right alongside our readers. If you want to partake in this month's survey click here, and you can see reader responses to January's question right here!