5 Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

Anthem

Anthem has obviously been commissioned by EA with the express purpose of competing with Activision’s Destiny franchise. Its multiplayer shared-world-shooter design shares some big similarities on paper, and so too does its sci-fi setting.

Anthem’s big point of difference, of course, is the whole Iron-Man meets Avatar thing, which totally wowed audiences when it was first revealed back at E3 2018. The Javelin suits, as they’re called, look set to allow players to enjoy a freedom of exploration and movement that’s a cut above Destiny, and the environments themselves are absolutely gorgeous.

What’s more, Anthem’s being developed by BioWare, the team behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, two franchises beloved for their compelling stories and deep lore. There’s a big expectation that BioWare is going to be able to weave in a strong narrative to the multiplayer experience in a way that Destiny has never really got spot on.

In fact, there’s big expectation all around. EA is in desperate need of a win after the saga of Star Wars Battlefront II and the lukewarm reception to Battlefield V, and BioWare also needs to get back to winning ways after Mass Effect Andromeda failed to live up to its own share of hype.

If you ask me, that makes for a perfect storm of overhype that’s almost certainly going to boil over at launch. Anthem might prove itself a very good video game, but any project as ambitious as this one is going to have its detractors.

Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

The Last of Us Part II

It’s hard to bet against Naughty Dog producing a game of exceptional quality; pretty much everything they’ve touched over the past decade has turned to gold and I’m positive they’re working tirelessly to create a fitting sequel to what is universally considered one of the best games ever made.

That being said, it sounds like a bit of a daunting task. Is it really possible that a developer of even Naughty Dog’s caliber is going to find that same perfect balance between gameplay, storytelling, and production value a second time around?

The Last of Us is like video game hallowed ground, it’s an experience that really moved people and showcased the potential of the medium in ways we’d never seen before. Replicating that same level of impact is no easy challenge, and you better believe people’s expectation and hype levels are through the roof.

Players are going to be looking for that same emotional connection a second time around. They’re going to be expecting big impactful story beats that have us gasping and tearing up, and gameplay that betters a third-person shooter genre that has changed a lot in the five years since its predecessor. That’s asking an awful lot. Don’t be surprised to hear critics and players taking swipes if it’s anything less than 10/10.

Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

Kingdom Hearts III

It’s a tall order to expect fans not to overhype a game that’s been in the making for over ten years. Kingdom Hearts III has been dangled in front of us and then whisked away so many times that it’s bordered on parody.

How many trailers, new characters, and world reveals have we seen without an actual release date? And then, even when we had a release date it kept bloody changing! It’s somewhat surreal that this landmark title is finally going to be in our hands in just a few weeks.

Well, I say landmark title… it remains to be seen whether Kingdom Hearts III actually represents a gameplay and story experience that’s compelling beyond just the intrigue of a Disney/Final Fantasy mash-up. And I think that’s a fair question to have about this series, which in reality, is still a bit of a cult-classic rather than an instant hit.

Kingdom Hearts III looks visually outstanding, it’s undoubtedly oozing charm, and people love Disney and Final Fantasy. However, the expectation that Kingdom Hearts III is going to be this big GOTY contender, or even just an outstanding video game, might want to prepare themselves for a bit of comforting light entertainment rather than a generation-defining experience.

Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

Metroid Prime 4

Metroid Prime 4’s announcement was very un-Nintendo. Since when does the company ever tease upcoming games that are years away from release? It’s almost unheard of, but it certainly sent the entire gaming industry into a fever pitch of excitement. That’s the brand power we’re dealing with here.

Of course, the timeliness of Metroid Prime 4’s reveal did wonders for Nintendo’s reputation as a company. It helped cement in our minds that the Switch represented a different era for the Big N, one where they were prepared to take new risks and portray a different image and were serious about delivering the games fans desperately wanted to see.

Maybe that was the point? And yet I can’t help but feel this has put a big weight on the shoulders of Metroid Prime 4 that hasn’t done its chances of living up to its billing any favors.

Two or three years is a long time for fans to cement in their minds what they think a Metroid game should and shouldn’t represent.

Metroid is a franchise that’s always expected to deliver in a big way — to match the quality of a mainline trilogy that has consistently recorded near-perfect review scores across the board. It’s hallowed turf. Sacred ground.

Naturally, Metroid Prime 4 is going to be closely scrutinized in comparison to its predecessors. There’s going to be an expectation from some that it stays true to the franchise and follows the blueprint of the original trilogy.

Others will want it to do something completely different. And they’ll be newcomers that don’t really appreciate Metroid Prime as a shooting experience next to the genre-leading franchises that have imposed themselves in the decade since the last game in the series.

This is a game that definitely has the cards stacked against it, and there’s inevitably going to be parties from every angle that won’t feel as though it’s the game they’d hoped for. 

Games That Will Definitely Be Overhyped in 2019

Death Stranding

Here’s the perfect storm of overhype:

Hideo Kojima, a legendary and charismatic developer of a hugely iconic video game franchise is very publicly ousted from the company he worked at for two decades.

His name is then removed from the box art of the game he’d been developing for five years, and a future project by the name of PT is canceled and wiped from existence. Sony then gives him a new lease of life, parading him around as a rockstar of the industry and showering him with unlimited funds and a free reign to make the game of his dreams.

You better believe we’re all frothing at the mouth for Death Stranding, and you also better believe that it won’t be everybody’s cup of tea.

In fact, I don’t actually think Death Stranding is destined to suffer from overhype, I think it’s already suffering from overhype. Just look at the reaction to the much-anticipated big gameplay reveal at Sony’s E3 2018.

After two years of bizarre tone pieces and trailers full of hidden meanings and all sorts of symbolism that fans have spent hours deciphering and reading into, the actual gameplay footage represented a sudden realization for many that this wasn’t at all what they thought it would be.

Not that I’m no longer confused as to what Death Stranding is even after the gameplay, because I certainly am. It’s apparently part walking simulator, part survival game, part horror, and part Norman Reedus traveling around wide empty spaces with an empty box.

I personally find that hugely compelling, but I also understand not everyone likes the ambiguous, artsy, off-the-wall factor of Kojima’s games. Of course, Metal Gear Solid had all of that in equal measure, but at the end of the day, it was a military stealth game with shooting and boss fights. It was easy to understand. You didn’t have to get on board with the weird-factor.

Death Stranding is a different sort of beast. It’s what makes it exciting but that’s also what is going to turn a lot of people off. Expect this one to be divisive if we do see it in 2019.