Reid Main

As someone who works a full-time job and has an unhealthy obsession with YouTube, Netflix and other streaming services, it is impossible to play every video game released in 2018 that I was interested in. Below is a list of all the games I wished I could have played and why they slipped through the cracks.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

I am a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z. I have memories from high school of using fucking Napster to download episodes. So when Dragon Ball FighterZ was announced I was all but certain that I would play it when it came out. Unfortunately, it was released the exact same day as my favorite game of 2018, Monster Hunter: World, so you can guess where all of my attention went.

BattleTech

It still amazes me that I have not played BattleTech. A turn-based strategy game involving mechs from Harebrained Schemes who made the amazing Shadowrun games. It seemed like a no brainer to me and it was coming out during a relative dead period at the end of April. Unfortunately there were some mixed reviews and messages from the developers acknowledging some rough edges with pledges they would fix them in the coming months. I thought it would be best to wait and come back to BattleTech in a couple months but I never did.

Bayonetta 2 for Switch

The original Bayonetta was one of my favourite games but I never got around to playing the sequel because I barely remembered to turn on my Wii U. Who knows it may not have even been connected to my TV when the game was released. The same thing stopped me from buying Bayonetta 2 for the Switch. I was so sure I was going to play it but I didn't have a Switch dock hooked up to my TV and I did not want to play this type of game in handheld mode. To me it screamed for the pro controller. So apathy set in and I played games like Monster Hunter: World and Into the Breach instead.

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

I actually bought Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for my Switch and never played it. I went through the whole process of transferring my character from my 3DS to my Switch but when they time came I just couldn't pick the game up again. So much has changed compared to Monster Hunter: World and I just couldn't force myself to go back to the older generation even with all of the cool hunting styles.

The World Ends with You: Final Remix

The World Ends with You: Final Remix is another game that I bought but just couldn't find time to play. It came out while I was in the middle of playing Dragon Quest XI and by the time I finished that game Pokémon: Let's Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate were released. As excited as I was about The World Ends with You: Final Remix there was always a more interesting game already sitting on my Switch.

Red Read Redemption 2

Red Read Redemption 2 is on this list simply because it is probably the most hyped release of 2018. But as someone who was lukewarm on the first one I didn't really see a reason to go out of my way to play this game. Once I heard that the gameplay didn't really respect the player's time and that the game was exceptionally slow it was incredibly easy to let it slide into my backlog.

Hitman 2

I have heard nothing but great things about Hitman 2. I'd like to blame Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for why I haven't played it but the truth is that I've never played a Hitman game. The completely open ended nature of the levels is very daunting for some reason.

Below

I first played Below back at PAX 2014 and it immediately grabbed me. The moody atmosphere and unforgiving combat in a world with no real direction really resonated with me for some reason. After it was delayed indefinitely I resigned myself to the fact that I would never play it. Its surprising release in December 2018 caught me off guard and I just couldn't fit it into my schedule.

Frostpunk

Frostpunk is a game that came completely out of left field but got critical acclaim. I can't remember how many people on my Twitter timeline were raving about it. I wanted to play it but I was in the middle of so many other games that it was hard to put one down and jump into Frostpunk.

Two Point Hospital

Two Point Hospital is another game that came completely out of left field to critical acclaim. I played a ton of Theme Hospital in my day and wished I could have gotten into this spiritual successor but unfortunately September was full of Spider-Man and Dragon Quest XI so there was just no time to save digital lives.

NHL 19

As a card carrying Canadian I have to add NHL 19 to this list. I was hoping to start playing as the Toronto Maple Leafs started their 2018-2019 season but unfortunately life had other plans.