2019 is already looking like a fantastic year ahead for gaming, and just like our Anticipated Films list, this was a tad hard to trim down. There are so many great things to look forward to, so many fantastic and vibrant looking games and so many different genres and styles, but we gathered ten that we here at ChillPress are looking forward to, in alphabetical order.

Animal Crossing
     Nintedo Direct’s went and Nintendo Direct’s came with fans crossing fingers and hoping that they would announce a new Animal Crossing game. There was a new console and the last instalment, New Leaf was released way back in 2012. Finally, in September of last year, Tom Nook himself announced what we had been waiting for for so long. Not much is known yet, but we know we won’t bet let down.

Death Stranding
     Is there much that needs to be said here? No. Are we beyond excited to see Kojima doing, well, Kojima? Absolutely. Is the game coming out this year? We hope. From Kojima’s entrance on the E3 stage in 2016 to the teaser just a few moments later, to the numerous announcements and footage we have been met with so far, it’s easy to be swept up in the mad vision of whatever it is Hideo Kojima has planned.

Dragon Ball Z: Project Z
     Coming during the excitement of the new Broly film and a year removed from the highest of heights the Dragon Ball franchise may have hit in gaming with Dragon Ball FighterZ, Bandai Namco announced a new RPG game focusing on the series. We have only seen the announcement trailer so far, so we don’t know much over how it’ll look or play, but if it is like said trailer then it will undoubtedly be very nice to look at. We do know that the story will at least aim up until the defeat of Frieza.
     DragonBall doesn’t quite have the best track record with RPGs, primarily ones that deal with playing through the series itself, and hopefully this one will be able to build on the highs of FIghterZ and give us a fantastic experience.

Judgement
     Coming from the creators of the great Yakuza series, Judgement works as a spin-off game of sorts to the franchise as it is set in the same world. You play a private detective as he investigates a serial murder case in Kamurocho. We don’t know too much about it story-wise, which is fantastic as it has already seen its release in Japan, but we are really intrigued to see the team tackle something that may be so different from the franchise and world that this game takes place in.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps
     The sequel to 2015’s great Ori and the Blind Forest, Moon Studios seems to have crafted a follow-up that is just as wonderful and lush as the first. With the array of environments and creatures we have seen in its trailers, it’s easy to say that this will undoubtedly end up as one of 2019’s most beautiful games.

Pokemon Sword/Shield
     I would be lying if I said this wasn’t my most anticipated game of the year. The idea of a core Pokemon game on a console is exciting, as it opens up many possibilities of what Game Freak will be able to do. The environment of the Galar Region looks gorgeous (and has led to some fantastic memes) and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen. My inner child is incredibly excited.

Psychonauts 2
     It seems to be a good time for fans of franchises that had sequels seemingly stuck in developmental hell. Along with Shenmue III and Beyond Good and Evil 2, Psychonauts 2 had been long hoped for by many fans of the original one, given its great characters and writing. With crowdfunding launching in 2015 and a trailer playing at the Game Awards a few months ago, it’s still kind of hard to believe that we are finally getting a sequel (same goes for the previously mentioned two games). Time will tell how it all comes together, but if it includes the same great writing that the original did, we are in for a great time.

Sable
     Playing as a wanderer on a desert open-world, learning about it as you go along, Sable looks absolutely beautiful. With its colour schemes and striking use of outlines, it looks as though it’s a living, breathing graphic novel. We don’t know much of the story or where the game goes, and we hope to keep it that way.

Shenmue 3
     It’s been 18 long years since Shenmue II, years that slowly made it feel less and less likely for us to receive another entry in the great series. Then, at E3 2015, Yu Suzuki announced the Kickstarter for the game and anticipated and excitement flew into a frenzy. Though we missed the original, hoped-for release date of December 2017, there seems to be a set date for August of this year.
     Whether or not the game meets expectations doesn’t matter here, as a game of this level is almost doomed to disappoint many.at does matter is that we will finally return to a world with characters we love, and if things go well, we may even see them beyond this point. It’s exciting to know we are so close to something new that so many of us hold fond memories of.

Untitled Goose Game
     There are many, many choices I could have put as the last entry here, and many that I struggled with, particularly since I wanted to balance the list relatively well. There are many wonderful releases this year that many have already written about. Then I heard about Untitled Goose Game and it immediately earned its spot. I mean, you play as a goose. And you’re, rightfully, a nuisance! It’s an idea that could seem very gimmicky and lose its appeal fast, but the footage we have seen has seemed to merge this idea really well with puzzle-like gameplay. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game easily sucks you in.