The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft – Part 1

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft – Part 1

The Player2 Video Games Draft is here once again! In 2018 we’ve had 12 brave souls step up the plate in the journey to take the crown (there’s not actually a crown) as the P2 Draft Champion of 2018. With a draft order randomly determined for each of the five rounds, and following a school-yard pick model, 60 video games were selected, but only one person and their five games can come out on top. In the first of two pieces, check in with each participant to see what was selected and who they think is in line for the top award.

Matt Hewson

  • Metro Exodus
  • Super Meat Boy Forever
  • State of Decay 2
  • Pillars of Eternity 2
  • Civilization VI: Rise and Fall (Wildcard)

So as far as my choices go this year I am really really happy. I have no doubts I am in this right until the end. Pillars of Eternity 2, Super Meat Boy Forever and Metro Exodus are all bound to review well with critics all over the world and I am backing the extra budget and time that Undead Labs has taken to complete State of Decay 2 will create something truly special. Even if it flops a little though I have the greatest wild card in the history of wildcards, Civilization. Look I am a quietly confident editor, I must say.

But if one person is going to beat me it will probably be Sarah or Paul. Both have made smart pics that review well.

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
State of Decay 2

Jamie Dalzell

  • Smash Bros Switch
  • Sea of Thieves
  • Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
  • Sunless Skies
  • World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (Wildcard)

With 2018 already looking to be a personal year of calculated risk-taking, I think it’s fitting that, in many ways, that’s reflected in the lineup I’ve penned for my first Player2 Draft. It also resembles, in many other ways, a fever dream of an E3 wishlist. What can I say? With the garbage fire that is 2017 behind us, I enter this year with high hopes. That, and with Monster Hunter: World and PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Battlegrounds having already been ripped from my cold, dead hands by Stephen and Jason respectively, I saw little point in playing it safe. So, what do we have here then?

Sea of Thieves seems a sure bet, as all bets do, but I still have many unanswered questions as to whether the 30-second elevator pitch of a game we’ve seen at trade shows will hold up in its tenth, twentieth, or thirtieth hour. I’m acutely aware this could well be 2018’s almost-success ala Destiny, but I’m hoping to find more than a touch of that Banjo Kazooie/Viva Pinata magic out there on Rare’s gorgeously rendered high seas.

Outside of that? My other picks are a little less predictable. Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption remains, all at once, the most captivating twist on Dark Souls since Miyazaki committed that first game to disk, and the most faithful recreation of its sense of scale and wonder since…well…also Dark Souls. But will it find a similar place in reviewers’ hearts? Sunless Skies is another bet taken on the strength of titles that have come before it – in this case, Sunless Seas – but will Failbetter Games really be able to recapture that lightning in a bottle, having taken to the skies? The ever-reliable WoW seemed a reliable bet as my wildcard with what’s sure to be a reliable 8…surely? And I’m going to need it, if my hopes of Super Smash Bros Switch showing up anytime soon fall through. Surely, surely, that game is due a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe inspired resurrection at some point. The question remains, will it see the light of day this year? If I have any hope of winning this thing, it’ll have to!

My predicted winner is Jason Imms, and that damned PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Battlegrounds. Having lost a year and some 430+ hours to the game, I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I may well lose the Player 2 Draft to it, too.

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
Sea of Thieves

Paul James

  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Spider-Man
  • NBA 2k19
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Wildcard)

In 2016 delays killed me, 2017, I placed my hopes on the shoulders of the wrong games, in 2018 – I’ve nailed it. I got very lucky with a favourable Draft Order granting me early picks in most rounds of the draft and it allowed me to pick Red Dead Redemption 2 with the second pick of the draft – a game that in my eyes will be the best-reviewed game of the year, bar none, but I was fortunate that a few games seemed to slip the eyes of other competitors. Spider-Man was still available in the second round so I snapped that up, Ori and the Will of the Wisps slipped to the fourth round, and while it’s a realistic chance that it will miss 2018, if it hits, I expect it to shoot the lights out as did its predecessor. Speaking of which, I nabbed NBA 2K19 with my third-round pick, and expect the game to bounce back into the 90s following the 2K18 micro-transaction fiasco. Having Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an indie title I rate extremely highly waiting in the wings as a Wildcard is a massive bonus should something go awry. I reckon I’m in this thing up to my nose in 2018 so look out!

My tip for the draft is Adam Rorke to lift from runner-up status to take the gong this year following an excellent draft.

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Stevie Mcdonald

  • A Way Out
  • Days Gone
  • The Inpatient VR
  • Dragon Quest Builders 2
  • Donut County (Wildcard)

Hoo-boy, I’ve got a lot of luck to live up to. Despite being the current victor, I’m even less certain of my picks this year than I was at the beginning of last year’s draft. I couldn’t think of anything at all that was releasing in 2018 that wasn’t immediately snatched up (like The Last of Us 2, JENN, or Red Dead 2, PAUL – whoa, did you just get déjà vu?), so I’ve mainly gone with games I’ve been anticipating in the back of my mind.

I’ve been looking forward to both A Way Out and Days Gone since they were announced at E3. I’m hoping the compulsory split screen will make A Way Out as much of a hit with the public as I’m sure it will be in our house. And I know everybody is weary of white male protagonists wandering around a post-apocalyptic world but, regardless, I’ve got high hopes for Days Gone. Dragon Quest Builders 2 made the cut as my daughter is a huge fan of the first installment – I’m crossing my fingers that the rest of the world is too!

Here’s where I start getting a bit nervous. When I selected The Inpatient as one of my picks, I didn’t realise it was EXCLUSIVELY a VR game (goodness knows how I let that slip by me), an element that has definite potential to limit its appeal. And Donut County seems like a great little indie game that will be a real crowd pleaser – but I don’t think there’s any official or even rumoured release date at this stage…

Honestly, I’m not sure what sort of results to expect this year. I have no illusions of repeating my win from last year, but I don’t think I’m a foregone loser either. If I had to pick a winner, I’d be keeping my eye on Anna or – much as it pains me to say it – Paul. Maybe I’ll get as lucky as last year and RDR2 will be delayed again…? Pray for Mojo!

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
Days Gone

Anna Rorke

  • Kingdom Hearts 3
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • Fire Emblem (Switch)
  • Shin Megami Tensei V
  • Forgotten Anne (Wildcard)

Let’s be honest here, I’m in the draft to beat Adam. I have to say he has some pretty strong picks this year so I’ve gone all in on what might be some pretty risky picks. With the loser having to play designated driver in December, I’ll be praying to all the gaming gods that my games make it to release. I don’t care what you say Matt, this WILL be the year we finally get Kingdoms Hearts III!

Grudge match aside, I think it’s going to be hard to pick a winner this year. Everyone has some really strong picks and we have the biggest field of players yet. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be Sarah Ellen, at least in part because I wish some of those games were on my list instead.

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
Detroit: Become Human

Glen Gugliotti

  • Shadows Die Twice (New From Software)
  • Anthem
  • Darksiders III
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
  • Skull and Bones (Wildcard)

So another year if drafting has been done and I found it just as stressful as last year. While I love video games, I’m a shocker for knowing when things are due to come out.. . Which is why I was very confused by everyone’s extremely loud laughing when I chose Final Fantasy 7 remake as one of my main selections … Not even a wild card!

I tried to pick games that I feel will score well, which is different from last year where I chose games I liked. With today’s announcement of Total War: China I’m a bit miffed I didn’t select that… But the total War games never really score super well so maybe that a good thing.

As for who is going to win… Jeez, I feel it’s a pretty close race this year. Pretty much everyone has a game that I feel will score in the mid to high 90s and then some solid mid-80s with a few could go either way.

If FF7 drops this year, and From Software don’t let me down (which they never do) then you know what… I might be in with a chance.

Once more into the breach dear friends! See you on the beach.

The 2018 Player 2 Video Game Draft - Part 1
Darksiders III

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