The 2018 Video Game Awards, which aired on Thursday night, was full of pleasant surprises. Joker from Persona 5 is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Hello Games managed to make another game while they were working on No Man’s Sky. God of War won the best game of the year. But the really exciting stuff was the dozens of new titles revealed throughout the evening.
Here’s everything Motherboard is looking forward to in one place, starting with the game that’s got us the most excited: The Outer Worlds, a new action RPG from the creators of the original Fallout games.
Videos by VICE
The Outer Worlds comes courtesy of Obsidian, the studio founded by members of the original Fallout team and which made the acclaimed expansion Fallout: New Vegas. Judging by the short trailer unveiled last night, the game is a space western RPG wherein players take control of a stranded colonist awakening from cryosleep years later than they were supposed to. From there, they explore a new world and shape the corporate-owned colony they’re stranded in.
But The Outer Worlds wasn’t the only big announcement of the night. Another theme of the evening was the launch of Epic’s new game store. One of its first titles, which is out now in early access, is Hades. This isometric hack-and-slash comes from Supergiant Games, the team behind Bastion and Transistor. The trailer features all the action, personality, and music that’s come to define the studio.
The most violent moment of the evening came when Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon walked on stage to give out the award for best sports game. It was a ruse, and the ultra-violent trailer for Mortal Kombat 11 flared to life behind him instead. It looks like more Mortal Kombat, but it also came with an incredible new song from 21 Savage that’s worth watching the trailer for.
Another year, another Far Cry. Like Obsidian, Ubisoft appears to be gunning for Fallout. Nukes flew at the end of Far Cry 5, leaving behind an irradiated wasteland. Far Cry: New Dawn picks up years after the catastrophe pushed the world to the edge of ruin and sees players fighting against villainous twins who raid peaceful settlements and make the post-apocalypse harder than it needs to be.
Four years ago, Dragon Age: Inquisition ended with one hell of a reveal—Solas, a side character, disappears after players defeat the main villain. The next time players see him, they learn he’s actually The Dread Wolf, the elven god of betrayal. BioWare’s brief teaser for the new Dragon Age includes some religious iconography and Solas’ voice, but little else. It’s just enough to get fans excited. The new Dragon Age, which doesn’t yet have an official title, is reportedly years away from release and BioWare has been teasing it in piecemeal as anxiety mounts over its upcoming sci-fi shooter Anthem. BioWare also revealed an Anthem trailer on Thursday night.
Every release cycle needs a nostalgic remaster of a beloved favorite, and this year it’s Crash Bandicoot’s turn. Growing up, some of us had PlayStations and other had N64s. Mario Kart is a beloved treasure, to be sure, but Crash Team Racing was a great game that kept us PlayStation kids from getting too jealous of our friends who stuck with team Mario. Now, fans get to play again with modern graphics.
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