Which Games Will Dominate Early 2019?

Given the ocean of blockbuster games that came out in 2018 to revitalise the scene, 2019 has a lot to live up to if it wants to continue the upward swing of high-quality games. While many of the heavily rumoured 2019 releases are still without a revealed date, such as Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing, and the next core Pokémon game, there are plenty of top-class games coming to appease the gaming masses in the opening months of this year.

The latest and most innovative gaming console of this generation, the Nintendo Switch, continues to excite its players with exciting triple-A titles as well as an ocean of creative indie games. Mario is their flagship character, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, and, most recently, Super Mario Bros U Deluxe being among the most appealing games for those looking to buy a Switch.

Now, one of the Mario’s most iconic side characters will finally get its own game on the new console in Yoshi’s Crafted World. The adorable-looking side-scroller looks to be one of the premier titles of the year, and best of all, it may even be given a demo.

The Nintendo Switch eStore boasts 127 free game demos to date, with the likes of Pokken Tournament DX, Kirby Star Allies, Octopath Traveler, and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate showing that they love to let gamers try out some of their top games for free before they buy, and just might with the new Yoshi game.

Gamers love customisation and legendary characters

One of the most popular forms of online gaming (for adults) is that of browser gaming at online casinos. But, with the gaming platforms updating their game libraries so regularly, it can be difficult for a title to stand out and hold a player base for an extended period of time.

But this year, Glory and Britannia looks to be going in the right direction to fend off competitors like Yutu and Big Bear to remain a top title until the end of 2019. In the Playtech creation, players get to select multiple features to use in-game, including ones from Merlin, the Templar Knight, and Robin Hood to enhance their gaming experience.

Following recent trends of the gaming world, online casinos are offering completely free ways to try out their games, with the example of the 25 free spins with no deposit required being among the most popular ways to test the novel mechanics of Glory and Britannia.

Time to leave the underground and explore the wastelands

Source: XboxGuss, via Twitter

While many games have taken on the post-apocalyptic genre, the Metro series has always been able to stand out for its unique setting, story, and gameplay mechanics. Now, the third instalment of the incredible story is on the horizon(PC), taking you out of the underground and into the vast open spaces of post-apocalyptic Russia.

Metro Exodus looked to be on its way to having a much-hyped and clean release, but then it switched from Steam to Epic Games to disgruntle a large portion of the PC gaming community. While its publisher, Deep Silver, is still allowing those who pre-ordered through Steam to get the full gaming experience on the platform, the late switch may turn off some PC gamers.

Luckily, Metro Exodus has arrived on consoles, looks incredible, and will almost certainly be a game of the year contender. The series is taking a step out of its comfort zone of being a claustrophobic shooter to a more appealing semi-open world game that boasts much more depth and customisation options while maintaining its iconic gameplay style.

The battle royale genre gets another title

Just as you thought the gaming feeds had begun to go back to normal coverage and stopped focussing everything on Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds content, another battle royale game has hit the virtual shelves.

Despite the surprise release of Apex Legends, the Respawn-made game still managed to garner a massive player base straight out of the gate. The free-to-play game eclipsed the 10 million-player mark in a matter of three days, earning its place among the biggest titles of the genre.

Many gamers are still obsessed with the online multiplayer games of this genre, so if Respawn continues to manage and develop the game throughout the year, it’ll almost certainly be among the biggest games of 2019.

Apex Legends, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Glory and Britannia, and Metro Exodus are set to rule the first half of 2019 in gaming, and possibly beyond.