SHOOTERS OF 2018

Far Cry 5

March 27 (Delayed) | Ubisoft |

Far Cry moves to mountainous Montana, which has been overtaken by a homicidal cult. A retooled “guns for hire” system means you can call on buddies at any time (including a sharpshooter, aerial support, and even a canine) for help during combat.

The Division 2

TBA | Ubisoft |

The Division 2 is coming. That's about all we know, other than we can expect to hear more at E3 in 2018. "The Division 2 will be powered by an updated version of the Snowdrop engine that enables us to realize our ambitions for the sequel, but more importantly, we're also taking everything we learned over the past two years and applying it towards the sequel to make sure we get it right," announces Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment.

Metro Exodus

2018 | 4A Games |

The latest Metro game returns to the irradiated, yet beautiful world of post-apocalypse Moscow. The debut trailer showed off plenty of familiar resource scavenging, mutant shooting, and a tense escape from a quite irritated bear before leaping onto a runaway train.

Destiny 2 Expansion 2

TBA | Bungie |

The first expansion in Bungie’s big-budget online shooter travelled to Mercury to unravel the riddle of Osiris. The second is a mystery for now, but we strongly suspect it will involve the deadly AI Warminds, who will probably give us more cool space villains to shoot for loot.

Mothergunship

2018 | Terrible Posture Games and Grip Digital |

Bullet hell is a horrifying enough phrase when you’re playing a top-down game. Mothergunship is a first-person bullet hell, which you can expect to require a lot more dodging about than a typical first-person shooter. It features what’s promised to be a pretty extensive system for modular gun upgrades along with “some of the biggest bosses seen in the FPS genre”.

System Shock

2018 | Nightdive Studios |

It’s been over 20 years since the original System Shock helped establish formula that would influence games like Deus Ex and BioShock. With parts of the original development team and SHODAN voice actor Terri Brosius returning, the remake promises a faithful reimagining of the wrench-swinging, computer-hacking, mutant-shooting action adventure.

Unreal Tournament

TBA (in open alpha) | Epic Games |

Epic's "new" Unreal Tournament has been playable in an open alpha for years, now, and there's no sign that it'll be finished in 2018. Even in its unfinished state, though, it's a fun, fast-paced arena shooter that feels mighty faithful to the UT of old. The developers continue to work with the community on maps, weapons, and game balance, making Unreal Tournament as good an opportunity to learn about the process of game development as it is to frag strangers or bots with the best gun in PC gaming. (The Flak Cannon, if that wasn't obvious).

Strange Brigade

TBA | Rebellion |

In a 1930’s British empire still rife with undiscovered tombs and armies of evil monsters, four highly skilled adventurers must shoot, explode, and magically blast their way through an ancient witch queen’s undead horde. Gameplay is a familiar blend of Rebellion’s Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army and Tripewire’s Killing Floor, with undead (including huge boss characters) slowly encroaching on your position as each character utilizes a unique set of skills to blow them to chunks. In between battles (and occasionally during), you’ll solve some basic puzzles, loot secret treasure rooms, and infuse your guns with the best kind of magic—flammable.

Polygod

2018 (Early access now) | Krafted Games |

Polygod is a low poly roguelike FPS pitting a gun-toting assassin against gods and their minions in peculiar, minimalistic procedurally generated levels. There’s a hint of Dark Souls in there, too, as souls can be collected and then spent on upgrading the assassin with stackable blessings that might make it easier to kill off the old gods and take their power.

Overkill's The Walking Dead

Fall 2018 | Overkill Software |

The Payday and Payday 2 gang know a thing or two about co-op shooters, so it’s probably a good thing that their take on The Walking Dead is a four-player FPS. Survivors will need to team up to secure a base and slice and shoot their way through the sea of zombies occupying Washington D.C. using knives, guns and special abilities. Expect to rescue other survivors, embark on missions, and work your way through your character’s skill tree and story.

Consortium: The Tower

TBA (currently Early Access) | Interdimensional Games |

Whereas the first Consortium game featured a narrative-heavy role-playing experience set aboard a single military plane, its sequel expands its scope to a massive tower filled with unique NPCs and dozens of paths to choose from. Complete your mission with guns blazing, pure pacifism, or ignore the mission altogether in this Die Hard-meets-Deus Ex adventure.

Superhot: Mind Control Delete

Fall 2018 (Early access now) | Superhot Team |

A standalone spin-off, Superhot: Mind Control Delete takes the time-control FPS conceit from the previous game and adds a roguelike twist. Time still only moves when you do, but now there’s procedural roguelike levels, unlockable special abilities, unlockable characters and trickier enemies that become progressively tougher and more determined to put a stop to your shenanigans. If you own Superhot, you’ll get this for free when it’s finished.

Space Junkies

Spring 2018 | Ubisoft |

As if multiplayer shooters aren’t hectic enough, Space Junkies is a VR game that adds jetpacks and gravity-free movement. You’ll jetpack through structures and obstacles by accelerating in whichever direction you’re looking. Enemies can come from above and below with everything from space pistols to railguns to laser swords. Its 1v1 and 2v2 matches will be coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Deep Rock Galactic

February 28, 2018 (Early Access) | Ghost Ship Games |

“Procedurally generated co-op space dwarf mining shooter” is a heck of a pitch, and it’s one Deep Rock Galactic leans into with gusto. Currently in Early Access, players pick a class of dwarf, then venture into the veins of the most hostile planet ever discovered, fending off massive wall-crawling creatures with a variety of weapons and tools.

Left Alive

2018 | Square Enix |

The director of the Armored Core series, mech designer from Ghost in the Shell, and character designer from Metal Gear Solid have teamed up for this third-person shooter/stealth game. Play as three different characters attempting to survive a violent invasion filled with explosions and giant mechs. Because with a pedigree like that, how couldn’t you have giant robots?

Quake Champions

TBA, (Out now in Early Access) | id Software |

The modernized take on Quake’s signature lightning-fast, rocket-jumping deathmatch has been in early access since last August (you can pay now for full access or wait for the free-to-play version if you don’t have a beta key), but the addition of a roster of player characters with unique abilities and an eSports mode that blends capture-the-flag with point capture has kept things interesting. Id has since added new characters, like the Doom space marine and Wolfenstein’s BJ Blazkowicz, new weapons, and new maps like the Lovecraftian Church of Azathoth.

Black Mesa

Full Release 2018 | Crowbar Collective |

Crowbar Collective’s recreation of the original Half Life in Source Engine has been around since 2012 and entered Early Access on Steam in 2015. Although it’s been pushed back a few times, the team expects to launch the full release at an unannounced time in 2018. Predictably, and deservingly, even the Early Access version is well-received by Half Life fans.

Escape from Tarkov

2018 | Battlestate Games |

Escape from Tarkov is a painfully real survival shooter. Manage your physical condition with stats like hydration, blood pressure, and exhaustion. Adjust your aim to account for ballistics and projectile physics. Manage a limited inventory space and lose your precious loot when you die. It’s also planned to include MMO features like running a store, adapting to the economy, and taking quests from NPCs. Tarkov is likely still a ways off from release, as it’s not yet in beta, but we’re hoping that the mix between Day Z and EVE Online will be worth waiting for.

Amid Evil

Out now (Early Access) | New Blood Interactive |

This Heretic-inspired retro fantasy FPS is filled with fast and frenetic combat, magic weapons that can be charged with the souls of those you've slain, and a soundtrack from the composer of Brutal Doom. It's now in Early Access with three episodes (of a planned seven) available to play.

Battalion 1944

Out now (Early Access) | Bulkhead Interactive |

Battalion 1944 takes FPS players back to the British front, with all the classic WWII weaponry, including the M1 Garand. Emphasis is being placed on competitive play, with no unlocks beyond cosmetics, and skill tracking implemented from the get-go.

Ion Maiden

Out now (Early Access) | 3D Realms |

An old-school shooter from 3D Realms—even created using the same Build engine as Duke Nukem 3D—Ion Maiden stars the hero of 2016's Bombshell, Shelly Harrison. The FPS is filled with throwbacks like no regenerating health or covere system, colored keycards to unlock doors, and lots of hidden secrets in its levels.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

March 8, 2018 (Out now) | Fatshark |

The Left 4 Dead-like fantasy exterminator sim returns, this time with 15 different careers with unique talent trees, customizable weapon and gear loadouts, and a new Heroic Deeds system. You’ll need all the options you can get, considering the vile Skaven hordes have teamed up with a brutish Chaos army that are much stronger than any rat.

(will continue with Part #4 hopefully tomorrow)