Get Your Game on Wednesday: Bring on 2018!

Happy New Year, gaming lovelies! Let’s kick things off with these lovely well wishes from the dev teams over at Bandai Namco. Be sure to watch until the end to see Tomoko Hiroki send you off Dragon Ball Z style. Then on to the news!

The Anticipation Game

Everywhere you turn, it seems like everyone has a list of the biggest, most anticipated video games of 2018. My favorite list so far is this one from Polygon, which includes the usual suspects and some gems like Concrete Genie and Dreams. Personally, I’m looking forward to Detroit: Become Human. What’s on your must-play list?

Crowdfunding for Games Rose 30 Percent on Kickstarter in 2017

According to Luke Crane, Head of Games at Kickstarter, Kickstarter game campaigns were on the rise in 2017, and I believe it.

Games on @Kickstarter in 2017: $172M pledged ($163M raised); 7033 launched projects (2997 successfully funded projects); 767K backers (726K backers to successful projects). Good job y’all. A huge year for the community.

— Luke of the Wheel (@Burning_Luke) December 29, 2017

After attending multiple game conventions and talking with indie game designers and developers, it’s become clear to me that Kickstarter is a common tool to getting new games published. Announcing a campaign as part of attendance at a big gaming convention, such as a PAX or GenCon, feels like the new normal.

Nostalgia Tops the Vintage Game Holiday Season

Blame it on the marketing buzz around the NES and SNES Classic (i.e., mini) Editions or the continued excitement for the Switch, whatever the case, nostalgia made the Nintendo 64 a hot seller at vintage game shops this year. Arguably not the best Nintendo console, it appears that the nostalgia for old school multiplayer may be a factor.

Games Bleat

Welcome to Games Bleat! This is the section of the site where I let you in on all of the hottest deals and new releases we’re excited for here at Sidequest.

The new year has begun, and we’ve yet to see what 2018 is going to bring us. Personally, I’m hoping for about half as many amazing games as last year because my backlog is ridiculous!

Anyway, I’m sure there’s a few people with gift cards still out there, and I’m here to fix that particular problem. You better move fast though. Steam sales end tomorrow, January 4th, and I’d hate to see anyone miss out on those sweet syrupy deals.

PC

• Quadrilateral Cowboy $9.99
• Jazzpunk: Directors Cut $3.74
• Rain World $7.99
• The Norwood Suite $6.99
• The Beginner’s Guide $3.99
• The Stanley Parable $3.74
• Mountain $0.49
• Everything $7.49
• The Magic Circle $6.24
• Antichamber $3.99

PlayStation 4

• Dishonored: The Complete Collection $39.99
• KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 +2.5 ReMIX $29.99
• KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE $35.99
• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration $25.79
• Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs $14.99

Xbox

• Romancing SaGa 2 $19.99

Nintendo Switch

• Nine Parchments $17.99
• Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers $24.99

I’d also like to shout out to the recently released Gorogoa, a game that slipped under my radar until recently when I had a chance to watch it be played. The world bending puzzle game plays with expectation and perspective in a really interesting way and may be worth a look (especially at the reduced price of $11.99).