Over the course of the past year, single player games have been the focus of one touchy topic, one that sets a grim future for those wanting an offline experience. That topic? The death of single player games. Games solely focused on their core experience provided to a single person. That rumor was all but arguably squashed thanks to this year’s E3 where companies such as Sony, Square Enix, Microsoft, and many others came forth to show some of the sharpest-looking single player games that are yet to release. Some of these games themselves have been previously announced, while others that have been recently revealed are entirely new and surprising announcements for fans to look forward to.
Among them come both returning and new franchises alike, some from major studios, while some even coming under the radar as rather unique and well-crafted games that could quite possibly stand side-by-side with some of the industry’s most anticipated triple-A titles. Some of these games have seen delay after delay while being stuck in development Hell. Others have seen their scripts completely revamped and organized due to studio closures. However, they all have one single advantage to them: They are unique and highly-anticipated single player titles. So let’s take a look to see what you can expect.
Days Gone | SIE Bend Studio
Sony is no stranger to bringing in some of the most astoundingly-immersive games to date. With the success of The Last of Us, there’s no doubt they’ve decided to try and do it again, but this time with an entirely new approach. Days Gone, currently in development by SIE Bend Studio, is a game that will see players take on the role of Deacon St. John, voiced by Sam Witwer (Being Human). The title is a dystopian adventure that will take players across a large-scale world where anxiety-inducing zombies reside and survivors must do everything they can to continue living. For Deacon, it’s to take to the open road on his motorcycle, and take whatever job he can to stay alive. Currently, there is not a release date for this upcoming title, but it will surely draw players in with its massive open world single player experience.
Death Stranding | Kojima Productions
Hideo Kojima is a master of creating some of the most impressive games to date. The experience that he and his teams provide are some of the most memorable to date, having captured an unforeseen fanbase with the Metal Gear franchise, and even having once more done so with the unreleased Death Stranding, which is slated for Sony’s PlayStation 4 family. With his history in impressive-yet-disturbing trailers, Death Stranding shows promise to be a captivating single player title brought to life by actors Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelson, and famed director Guillermo del Toro. Currently, Sony nor Kojima have announced when fans can expect the game will drop, but rest assured, PlayStation Experience 2017 could be a big one for Kojima Productions.
Detroit: Become Human | Quantic Dream
David Cage and his studio, Quantic Dream, have been great at captivating fans with their cinematic games. During Sony’s 2016 E3 press conference, we didn’t get any discussion about the game’s elements, hyping the game, boasting the engine, or discussion about what fans should hope to see and expect based on their past games. Instead, we were given a glimpse of pure gameplay. In 2017, Quantic Dream did just what we’d hoped for, they’d expanded upon those very elements, showing players how their choices will influence the world about them, and showing just what can happen had they taken a different path from the one they chose. The gameplay even gave fans a moderate taste of the game’s detective-style investigations that players will undergo in order to bring the story to life.
Since the game will focus on player choices, Cage has shown that the game will tell the story across multiple protagonists, bringing the game’s main plot to life from multiple perspectives. Let’s just hope this highly-anticipated title can keep us glued to our TVs for days on end.
Spider-Man | Insomniac
Spider-Man has been hit-and-miss when it comes to video game adaptions. We’ve seen the web-slinger rise, we’ve seen him fall, and we’ve even seen him stumble when he should have been running at a steady pace. Originally revealed at E3 2016, Spider-Man has certainly grabbed our attention with his upcoming open-world adventure by Insomniac Games, the minds behind the smash-hit Ratchet and Clank franchise. While Marvel’s poster child will certainly be appearing on the PlayStation 4, we should rest assured that the game will deliver an authentic open world experience. Whether it’s darting across the Manhattan skyline or even moving through tight corridor’s using the game’s fluid movement systems, we can only hope the game will deliver the experience we’ve all been waiting for.
Star Wars | EA
With the closure of Visceral Games, there’s only wonderment about the future of their once in-development title. While EA has openly said that the game is going in a new direction, there’s only been a subtle hint that both former Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig (Uncharted, The Last of Us) and co-director Todd Stashwick will stay with the title. Since not much is known about the game, we can only hope that EA will reveal more about the game’s new direction during E3 2018, since the game has now been delayed past its 2019 release window.
Cyberpunk 2077 | CD Projekt Red
As the curtain was drawn on the Witcher series, developer CD Projekt Red has begun working on something entirely fresh. The new undertaking is called Cyberpunk 2077, a science fiction game, set in a cyberpunk world. A setting that fans of the Shadowrun franchise should be well acquainted with. With CD Projekt Red’s great writing style, character designs, and open worlds, we can only guess what kind of experience we’ll be given when the game launches in the upcoming years. The only problem about the game is that we may not even get to it until sometime during or after 2018.
Shenmue III | YS Net and Neilo
While Shenmue III is certainly in production, it remains a game with high anticipation due to the nostalgia surrounding it. Known as the third and possibly final entry in the franchise, Shenmue III is one with a peculiar situation. It’s a game that originally started out as a Kickstarter project, which was featured at E3 in 2016. Since then, the game has been surrounded by controversy regarding its facial animations, graphics, and when it will even be released on home consoles. While YS Net and Neilo are certainly hard at work on the title, there’s not been a word about when fans can expect the game to launch, or even how far along the game is with its production. Regardless, the game has a lot of potential to be something rather special for fans, and will hopefully serve as a nice end to the trilogy.
Vampyr | Dontnod
Dontnod’s latest adventure is a unique one. As an action-adventure RPG, fans will get to play the role of a vampire by the name Doctor Jonathon E. Reid. His curse is one that compels him to feed upon the blood of the innocent or the blood of the corrupt. During his exploration through London as an epidemic is underway, players will take on the tasks of gathering information about Doctor Reid’s targets by studying the changes in their habits, collecting clues regarding his tasks at hand, and even maintaining his important relationships by communicating with those around him. As a semi-open world experience, players will also be forced to proceed with caution as they move among the living about them.
Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rockstar Games
It’s been seven years since the release of Red Dead Redemption and its wild-west adventure that fans underwent as protagonist John Marsten. Only a few months ago, Rockstar Games had begun to tease the possibility of a third entry within the Red Dead franchise. With an official announcement, trailer, and information being released, Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally preparing to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in the 2nd quarter of 2018. While it’s not known where at in the storyline that the game takes place, it’s sure to be an exciting and wild adventure when the games launches sometime next year.
What single player games are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below.
