BestNerdLife

Check out these amazingly dodgy Pokémon cards!

I, like many other people, enjoy a damn good bargain. The Chino supermarkets that litter the Costa Blanca in Spain are a veritable goldmine of super inexpensive items. For the uninitiated, there are a high number of massive Chinese warehouse-sized supermarkets across the Costa Blanca, where an absurdly large amount of random goods can be bought for insanely cheap prices.

These can range from umbrellas and phone cables, to plug sockets and beyond. Many things are either badly made, or knockoffs of existing brands but for a person who enjoys cheap sorta-good items, it’s a great place to shop. One example of these knockoff items are the Pokémon trading cards that they sell. For the unknowing parents or small child these cheap cards can be very enticing.

During my time holidaying in Torrevieja over the summer, I managed to pick up a packet that contained 31 Sun & Moon Ultra Prism cards for only €1. I have no idea if that is the correct amount of cards as each pack was already open, with no seal to preserve them. This means that it’s highly possible that some cards can be lost or taken out. This lack of protection should be an alarm bell straight away for any potential buyer. All brand new and legitimate Pokemon cards come in either seals foil packets, things like sealed tins, and their own individual plastic sleeves.

Obviously, the cards inside weren’t legitimate cards. They weren’t even close. There are a multitude of ways to spot fake cards like finding simple spelling mistakes, or by checking that the blue is the right shade on the reverse side of the cards. I could immediately tell that they were printed on an inferior batch of cardboard, and the shades of blue on the reverse were all wrong. They were also slightly smaller than genuine cards. The sad thing is, all this information was gleaned from only a quick glance at them.

backColours — Fake on the left, real on the right

So what other things could have been wrong with them? Let me start by listing what cards I received…

004/066 Piplup x3
006/066 Turtwig x 1
012/066 Leafeon GX x1
013/066 Mow Rotom x1
014/066 Shaymin x1
017/066 Shinx x1
019/066 Monferno x1
019/066 Luxio x1
020/066 Infernape x1
020/066 Luxray x1
021/066 Heat Rotom x 1
022/066 Salandit x1
022/066 Rotom x 1
031/066 Darkrai x1
032/066 Alolan Diglett x1
033/066 Alolan Dugtrio x1
043/066 Solgaleo x1
044/066 Dusk Mane Necrozma x 2
044/066 Garchomp x1
045/066 Dialga EX x2
045/066 Palkia EX x1
048/066 Eevee x1
060/066 Gardenia x1
064/066 Mt. Coronet x1
066/066 Unit Energy x1
072/066 Looker x1

Weirdly, there was also a 27/122 M Gyarados EX from a completely different set shoved in there too.

Yeah. You may have thought that I made some mistakes whilst listing them, but sadly, you would be wrong. For a start, the Sun and Moon Ultra Prism set has 156 cards in it. There are also multiple cards that have the same number. For example Dialga Ex and Palkia Ex are both 045/066. One cards (072/066 Looker) even goes past the number limit. Looking even deeper, the numbers on real cards aren’t even formatted like they are on these fake cards. Even better, the Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray evolution family skip a number, going from 17 to 19 to 20. Not that this nonsensical order matters, as they are all in the wrong order anyway, compared to the real set.

Up to now, i’ve only concentrated on aspects of the cards that are shared between them all, like the quality of the cardboard on which they are printed, and the number order. This was to stop me analysing every card to the last tiny detail, as I could probably go on for quite some time. Plus, I don’t really want to waste my weekend going over all these obviously fake cards. A minor detail I did notice is that each Pokemon is classified as either “Angler Pokémon”, “Pokémon Tadpole” or “Tadpole Pokémon”. In reality, the world of Pokémon has wildlife that is much more diverse than this.

To conclude, there is a whole host of better and more legitimate ways to buy Pokémon Cards. Don’t be conned into exchanging your euros for some dodgy cards. Or maybe do buy them. I bought mine out of morbid curiosity and I can’t fault any of you for wanting to do the same.

Thanks very much for reading this random post about my experience of buying completely fake Pokémon cards on the Costa Blanca! If you liked it, then please follow this blog for similar updates in the future.

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Pricing up my FREE Final Fantasy Opus III cards from HyperJapan 2018

With the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game geared up for the release of the Opus VI series of cards, Square Enix had a dedicated space for players to sit down and duel it out at HyperJapan 2018. There were several large tables set out, and staff on hand to help and distribute free goodie bags.

While i’m a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, the card game has never really interested me. I only have room for one trading card game in my heart and that’s not going to change anytime soon. My girlfriend isn’t a fan either so we declined the offer to play, but took a goodie bag each anyway. You know, free stuff! We were both expecting a pen or two, and maybe a lanyard or something. Neither of us expected the four booster packs of Opus III cards that we found inside! I know that Opus III only came out in July 2017, but it’s still awesome to get given free things.

It did make me wonder about the amount of money Square Enix had invested in being at HyperJapan 2018. Then I started wondering about the worth of the free cards that we had been given. I decided to hop onto BigOrbitCards to find out. BigOrbitCards is an awesome provider of CCG singles based in Evesham, UK. I’ve bought several lots of Pokémon cards from this place, and i’ve been impressed with what I received. They do buy cards, but for this little experiment, I wanted to see what it would have cost me to buy them individually.

Each card that I got is listed below, along with the price. There are a few duplicates as well, so if you see any that are repeated, it’s not a typo! Prices were accurate on the day that I looked (14th July 2018)!

Red Mage (3-001) £0.15
Imaginary Brawler (3-005) £0.15
Bard (3-007) £0.15
Bard (3-007) £0.15
Amarant (3-013) £0.45
Black Waltz 2 (3-015) £1.00
Cannoneer (3-021) £0.15
Machina (3-022) (Foil) £3.10
Qator Bashtar (3-027) £0.65
DGS Trooper 1st Class (3-040) (Foil) £0.55
Deepground Soldier (3-041) £0.15
Deepground Solider (3-042) £0.15
Deepground Solider (3-042) £0.15
White Tiger l’Cie Qun’mi (3-045) £0.55
Cannoneer (3-047) £0.15
Mystic Knight (3-048) £0.15
Dancer (3-052) £0.15
Ranger (3-053) £0.15
Thief (3-055) £0.15
Seven (3-057) £0.30
Diablos (3-061) £0.85
Chaos, Walker of the Wheel (3-071) £1.85
Ursula (3-073) £0.15
Ursula (3-073) £0.15
Masked Woman (3-076) (Foil) £0.95
Krile (3-078) £0.95
Black Tortoise l’Cie Gilgamesh (3-080) £0.85
Segwarides (3-083) £0.15
WRO Member (3-084) £0.15
WRO Member (3-085) £0.15
Brandelis (3-093) £1.30
Rydia (3-096) £0.60
Gilgamesh (3-103) (Foil) £2.95
Queen (3-104) £0.15
Black Waltz 3 (3-105) £0.15
Zangetsu (3-110) £0.85
Nine (3-113) £0.60
Cannoneer (3-115) £0.15
Lightning (3-118) £2.55
Dragoon (3-120) £0.15
Ephemeral Summoner (3-125) £0.15
Eiko (3-127) £0.55
Quacho Queen (3-132) £0.30
Summoner (3-134) £0.15
White Mage (3-136) £0.15
White Mage (3-136) £0.15
Knight (3-139) £0.15

For some strange reason, I only got 47 cards out of the booster packs, rather than the 48 that I should have. Very strange! In any case, the total worth of all the cards came to £25.80 if I had bought them as singles. That’s nothing to be sniffed at! While a lot of them are common cards worth 15p, there are some notable rare cards. The foil versions of Machina (3-022) and Gilgamesh (3-103) would have cost me £3.10 and £2.95 respectively. Not all foils are created equal though as the foil versions of DGS Trooper 1st Class (3-040) and Masked Woman (3-076) both came in at below £1. My favourite card, Lightning (3-118) came in a £2.55.

Getting these cards was a nice little perk. I know that the goodie bags were designed to get me interested in playing the card game, and it might just work yet! There’s a tutorial on their website so I will probably have a go when I have some spare time.

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Visiting the UK’s Biggest Retro Gaming Market

With the gaming industry slowing becoming obsessed with digital only products, retro game collecting might become a distant memory of the past. Until that time though, events like the Video Game Market will continue to thrive! Toted as the UK’s biggest and longest running gaming market, the Video Game Market opened its doors again at the Doncaster Dome a few weekends ago , which isn’t all that far away (by car at least) from where I live!

This bustling market offers visitors a broad range of items to peruse, including recently released games, handmade items, retro toys and games, and collectible cards to name a few. I didn’t exactly have any items in mind whilst browsing aside from maybe boosting my Pokémon card collection and my adding to my recently acquired Amiibo but that was actually a blessing in disguise. Rather than rushing past each stall trying my best to find what I wanted, I made a point of stopping and having a careful search through everything.

The organisers offer a very helpful early entry ticket that can be pre-booked from their website, costing a measly £4.34. A slightly odd amount of money, especially as the regular adult ticket, costs £2 but the 34p is a fee charged by EventBrite. This early entry ticket allows admission from 10AM as opposed to the usual 11AM and is limited to just 500 people. I’m not sure if they sold all of these tickets but we arrived dead on 10am and the queue to get in was already impressively long, so I think they probably came close! It did go down quite fast and it didn’t detract from my experience in any way.

While there was a huge amount of stalls to browse around, two particular ones caught my eye. Deadpan Robot offers a massive selection of items to modify and customize all versions of the Nintendo Game Boy. From modification kits to spare parts, these guys have you covered. I don’t want this to sound like an advertisement for them but I was genuinely impressed with the selection they had to offer. The prices were also really fair, something that is always positive.

Another super interesting stall I came across was that of the craft designer and animator, Dogtor Who! This table consisted of a fabulous array of hama bead creations, anything from Harry Potter to Pokémon and Star Wars. There were even some creations with more dimension, with characters attached to stands. All were super adorable! I had a little look on the DogtorWho YouTube channel too and found a delightful selection of crafting videos and some animated ones too! My favourite video was the stop-motion recreation of Super Mario World using hama beads. It was very well animated and each frame of each sprite was meticulously made. It was a pleasure to discover both Dogtor Who and Deadpan Robot, and if you ever cross their paths, I would absolutely recommend supporting them both!

As I mentioned before, I didn’t really have a clear goal in what I wanted to buy. I did set myself a maximum amount to spend though, as I usually do when attending events such as these. I find that this is generally a good thing to do. Aside from it being a fun challenge, it also saves my wallet from all that wear and tear!

This time, I decided on the rather conservative budget of £50. There’s plenty of other events that i’m going to attend in the near future, so i’m trying to limit what I buy at each venue. Plus, I always enjoy the challenge of finding some absolute bargains!

Cloud Strife (Player 1) Amiibo – £15
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Collector’s Edition Guide – £5
Pokémon Sun & Moon Set Booster Pack – £3
Pokémon Ocean Bomb Sparkling Water £2.50
Scyther Pokémon Card Jungle Set – £1.50
Pinsir Pokémon Card Jungle Set – £1.50
Dark Hypno Pokémon Card Team Rocket Set – £1.50

I think I got a great little haul for £30. Obviously, i’m really happy with my Amiibo and Pokémon card purchases, but the Wolfenstein II guide and the Pokémon drink were an unexpected bonus. Even though I could have spent a lot more money during my time there, I have no regrets getting the things I did. I will absolutely be attending again because it really helped scratch my nerdy itch.

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Celebrating “15 Years of Sumo Digital”

Although Sheffield isn’t a massive bustling hub of game development, the city has definitely provided some very notable additions to the gaming industry. One pretty big addition is Sumo Digital. Founded way back in 2003 after the closure of Infogrames Studios Sheffield/Gremlin Interactive it has since handled some big titles. They’ve had a long standing relationship with SEGA, helped to create Disney Infinity 3.0, and have been heading up the development of Crackdown 3. Not a bad portfolio of work.

To celebrate 15 years of Sumo Digital, they hosted a game art exhibition between 25th – 29th June 2018 at the Showroom Workstation that showcased 12 historic pieces from their archives. The best part? It was open to the public and completely free. Plus, it was about a minute’s walk away from where I work, so I had to go visit.

The exhibition was situated towards the back of the main foyer area of the Workstation, spanning two walls. I will admit, if I hadn’t explicitly known that it was there, I could have easily missed the entire thing as it wasn’t very well sign-posted at all. It was also unmanned, aside from the person at the Workstation reception desk.

The exhibition didn’t span the entire history of Sumo Digital, with some of the earlier games not present, but it gave clear snapshots into how the studio has grown and developed in recent times. While there were plenty on show, a fair few pieces were from what would be later known as the SEGA: All-Stars franchise. This included SEGA Superstars Tennis, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Little Big Planet 3 and Doctor Who were also featured, as well as Snake Pass – their first self-published title. After having such a fun time with Snake Pass, it was nice to see the various concepts behind Noodle’s final design. These concepts were alongside the beautiful print of the game’s main title art, created by Creatives In The Attic and later edited by Jack Newbert.

Most of the artwork was accompanied by a plaque detailing things like who published the game, when it was released, and some insight into what roles Sumo Digital played. One notable difference to this trend was that of the Crackdown 3 print. While it looked absolutely fantastic, there was no information at all. This is probably due to some kind of non-disclosure agreement, and it’s a nice little tease for when this long awaited game is released. No doubt Sumo Digital has a lot riding on this game, and it’s definitely one of their most high-profile ones to date.

In short, the “15 Years of Sumo Digital” game art exhibition was an enjoyable if understated ode to a games company that is as every part of the cultural landscape of Sheffield as Henderson’s Relish and Def Leppard.

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Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy & Crash Crate Unboxing

Initially released on the PlayStation 4 way back in June of 2017, the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy received favourable reviews and sold an awful lot of copies. Fast forward 12 months and it has finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One! As a massive fan of the original three games, I decided to pre-order both the game for the Nintendo Switch and the limited edition Crash Crate from Game UK in Sheffield! Priced at £29.99 and £24.99 respectively, I didn’t think they were a bad deal at all. Plus, I got £5 off because I bought them both together AND I even got a little extra off thanks to some Game UK credit I had accumulated from past purchases. ANOTHER bonus came in an A2 poster that I received because I pre-ordered them both.

They didn’t technically come together in the same package (as the separate prices might have suggested) with the game arriving as you would expect any other Nintendo Switch game to arrive. However, the Crash Crate was a pleasure to open. The outer box was sturdy enough thanks to being made from hard card but my goodness, how incredible would it have been if the box was made of wood? Obviously, they wanted to keep the cost super low, and I really appreciate that though. No doubt someone, somewhere has built a custom-made wooden crate for themselves.

Usually, I don’t pre-order random gaming merchandise, with the last one being the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition but the Crash Crate really spoke to me. It was filled to the brim with items that I would actually use in real life. The box includes a messenger bag, a snapback cap, a wallet, a keychain, a drinking glass and a lanyard. Just about the only item that I don’t really see myself using is the keychain. The snapback cap can protect my head from this harsh heatwave we are having the UK at the moment. The wallet can hold my non-existent cash (thanks to me buying these things), I can use the drinking glass for…drinking (duh!), I can use the lanyard for work, and I can carry my Nintendo Switch and the N.Sane Trilogy around in the messenger bag. The crate can just sit on my shelf looking awesome.

The variety artwork used for was slightly disappointing, with only two main designs shared among all the items. More variety would have been nice, but yeah. The entire bundle cost me less than £50 so I can’t really complain. I really dig how all out Game UK has gone for the release of these ports. Alongside the actual game and the Crash Crate, they’ve also released a Nintendo Switch Controller, a Golden TOTAKU figure, a 7″ Action Figure, t-shirts, coasters, and EVEN A WUMPA FRUIT SCENTED CANDLE!! These are all things that I want in my life but I just can’t bring myself to buy anything else.

Ok.

Maybe I’ll buy the Wumpa Fruit scented candle…

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The National Videogame Arcade is moving to Sheffield!

Here’s some fantastic news for the videogame nerds of Sheffield! After three years of being situated on Carlton St in Nottingham, the National Videogame Arcade will be moving to Sheffield after the end of its busy Summer schedule.

The NVA team has cited the current venue’s listed property status as the main reason for the move. The upkeep of the building has proven too much for the team. While they searched for a more suitable place in Nottingham, the decision was made to move cities. As a person who has spent most of his life in and around Sheffield, I personally think it’s a great thing.

The NVA offers visitors a very unique experience, as it is the only playable museum in the country. They have a great selection of interactive exhibits, and the location has hosted a variety of educational classes and gaming events. Not everything will be brought over though. They plan to keep an education and research facility in Nottingham, and the Pixelheads community will stay put too.

According to the Sheffield News Room they will be part of a new digital and tech space in Castlegate, and will open mid-October.

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Getting to grips with Gioteck’s Duo Wheel Pack for Nintendo Switch

There has been a lot of controversies concerning third-party accessories for Nintendo Switch recently, such as the stories of how some third-party docks are either damaging or bricking the hybrid console. Details about how often this is happening and which docks are actually doing this are sketchy to say the least, but it’s pretty much stopped me from buying any third party docks for my Nintendo Switch.

This hasn’t stopped me from buying all things third-party though. Hence this review for Gioteck’s Duo Wheel Pack for Nintendo Switch! Even though a pair of official Nintendo Joy-Con wheels aren’t the most expensive things in the world as they only cost £12.99, I love to find myself a bargain. Check out my post about my Amiibo finds for more proof on this! During a visit to my local PoundLand, I came across something else other than Amiibo that i’ve wanted for a while. A pair of super cheap wheel peripherals to pop my Joy-Cons into!

I must admit that the only two boxes left on the shelves were extremely battered, and one box only had a single wheel left inside but for £5 I thought it was worth the risk. When I got them home, the contents of the box were very barebones. The two wheels, a bit of cardboard packaging and a user manual type thing. I honestly don’t know if there were some things missing or not but that’s more the fault of whoever raided the boxes in the shop.

Regardless, the box itself was well designed, with a great red and black motif. It advertised the wheels in a way that promoted them to have a premium finish, to provide enhanced comfort for the player and that they were designed to be very ergonomic. Overall, I think my actual experience with them mostly matched to what was advertised. The wheels are solidly built from plastic, with a small amount of rubber situated on the bottom of the indented area which holds the Joy-Con very securely. Each wheel can hold either Joy-Con thanks to the shape and depth of the indented area which is a great little feature.

The plastic is mostly smooth with a few small cosmetic details but no additional texture to help a person grip onto it, so they could be quite susceptible to falling out of a pair of clumsy hands. The only moving parts are the shoulder buttons, whose motion translates well to the smaller Joy-Con equivalents. They are very noisy though, with no kind of noise dampening material applied to them. The size and shape of the wheel makes it easier to grip compared to the Joy-Con itself, and is much better than the small strap attachment that comes as standard with a Nintendo Switch. I’m very tempted to use them for other multiplayer games that only use one Joy-Con because of this very reason.

After doing a bit of investigating, I found that Gioteck also do a pair of wheels that consist of less plastic. The top and bottom arches of the wheel aren’t there, giving them a more sporty look. No doubt these are a newer model, but for what I spent on the ones I have, i’m really happy.

The Duo Wheel Pack is a great introduction for me to the things that Gioteck makes. If their more complex products are as solid and robust as these are, then count me as a fan. They have definitely made me more interested in buying their products at the very least but i’ll have to see what their other products are like.

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I’ve finally got my hands on some Amiibo!

A few years ago the toys-to-life craze was a hugely popular and lucrative section of the gaming industry. While U.B.Funkeys started it all back in 2007 it wasn’t until franchises like Amiibo, Skylanders, Lego Dimensions, and Disney Infinity popped up that toys-to-life became a force to be reckoned with. Most of these franchises have been discontinued with the exception of Skylanders and the subject of this little blog post – Amiibo.

First released in 2014 by Nintendo, Amiibo were originally figurines of popular first-and-third party characters that uses NFC (near field communication) to transfer data and interact with specific video games. This was later expanded to include cards and even breakfast cereal boxes! Needless to say, some Amiibo are now rather expensive collector’s items, one of the reasons i’ve never bothered to get any.

This has changed though! During a random excursion into my local PoundLand, I came across an abundance of the Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival game packs for Wii U. This included the game, an Isabelle and Digby figurine and three cards all for £5! I don’t have a Wii U (and I don’t need to get one thanks to owning a Switch), so i’m not too bothered about the actual game, and I don’t care about the Amiibo cards, but £5 for two Amiiibo? Sure, why not! I’ll probably trade-in the things I don’t want so it should end up being even cheaper.

I know that neither Isabelle or Digby are super popular or rare but i’m really happy with them. I like Animal Crossing, I think both figurines are super cute and I can at the very least use them when i’m playing Mario Kart, Skyrim and Breath of the Wild. It’s a win-win situation. Plus it’s a good cheap start to my collection!

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‘Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King’ is super adorable!

Recently, I decided to buy ‘Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King’ on my Nintendo Switch in an attempt to scratch my old-school action-adventure itch, while we are all waiting for Nintendo Switch Online and the supposed NES games coming with that. I think I’m slightly late to the party when I say that I absolutely adore this game.

Released back in early 2017 by developer Castle Pixel, LLC. and published by FDG Entertainment, there is a massive amount of charm on display here. From the cute setup of the story to the well-realized pixel art, there’s plenty to like about this game. It’s a huge throwback to action-adventure games of old and the comparisons that can be made to games like ‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past’ are innumerable.

This game definitely understands the pedigree that it came from and overall, that’s great. Fans of the older Zelda games will instantly recognise a variety of mechanics found in Blossom Tales. The overhead perspective is present, with the player character moving in the cardinal directions from screen to screen. Heart containers can be collected through a variety of puzzles and challenges to bolster your chances of survival, there are themed dungeons with bosses, while items can be found and used in specific scenarios and against said bosses.

All very solid, if slightly generic mechanics to have in a video game. There are other, more unique aspects too though. There’s also a stamina meter that you can upgrade in a similar fashion to the heart containers, and this makes combat a little more tactical. Your sword can be used almost indefinitely but wouldn’t it be better to use a ranged attack that costs some stamina? Decisions, decisions.

While the game is mechanically sound, I think it’s the story that shines through. The very core of the narrative is pretty generic, with the hero travelling the world to save someone who is danger from an evil villain. What really elevates this game is the wonderfully cute way that the story is framed. The adventure begins when Chrys and Lily wake their sleeping Grandpa with the hope of him telling them an epic and heroic tale. Grandpa begins to tell his grandchildren about “a brave elf boy who lived in a magical land called H-“, but is cut off because he’s told that one a million times.

This is a playful acknowledgement of what has come before and really sets the lighthearted tone. Grandpa instead tells the tale of the grand Kingdom of Blossom where the young Lily lives…and this transitions into the game proper. It’s a wonderfully charming way to start, and that charm continues throughout the game.

At various points, the children will interrupt the game-play with their thoughts and reactions to what is happening. A few small decisions can also be made, mostly ones concerning which enemies are encountered first. If Lily should die, then both Grandpa and the children will react accordingly. It’s a great aspect of the game that really builds a charming narrative, but it also reminds the player that it is an actual narration.

Overall, there are a lot of things to love about this game. A minor nitpick that I have is with the graphics. While visually appealing and extremely well rendered, the pixel art has nowhere near the level of detail that the games of the past it is trying to emulate have. A shame, but nothing that ruins the game.

I found Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King to be a very enjoyable experience despite the fact that it ended up being far shorter than I had hoped. It was definitely too easy in the latter parts of the game after I had spent the time collecting many of the available power-ups, but other than those slight negatives I would highly recommend it to anyone wishing for an alternative to The Legend Of Zelda games.

Thanks for reading my review of this truly adorable game! If you liked it, then please follow this blog for similar content in the future. If you liked the sound of this game then why not consider buying it through this affiliate HumbleBundle link? You can help charity, reward the developers for their hard work, and support this blog in the progress!

My most anticipated games from E3 2018

So. E3 2018 was a thing. A super awesome thing! It feels so very long ago now even though it was only last week! I tried my hardest to catch every big major conference, and I basically watched them all live. I’m really glad I did too, as I got swept up in the hype and it was really fun! Now that the dust has settled after all those insane announcements, we can really start thinking towards the bright and shiny future! With that said, take a look at my top 10 most anticipated games from E3 2018!

10. Elder Scrolls VI /Starfield

I couldn’t actually decide which game I was looking forward to the most so I put both of them on this list. But why the last spot? Well, even though these are massive games that I am really looking forward to – they are just way too far off into the future to even start getting hyped over. There are so many more games that come out sooner. Enough said.

9. Skull and Bones

When I think of the Assassin’s Creed saga of games, I most fondly remember Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. It was a great naval warfare game wrapped in a stealth-based shell that I just had to get through. There’s nothing wrong with a stealth game but it’s really not my favourite genre. This is why i’m super excited for Skull and Bones though! It looks much better than Sea of Thieves, and hopefully it will have more content too.

8. Ooblets

This game is a mixture of Pokémon and Stardew Valley, and is basically the cutest thing that i’ve ever seen. I’ve been following this game for a while so much so that i’m a part of the Official Ooblets Wiki on Gamepedia. Out of everything that Microsoft presented at E3, this is the sole Xbox games that i’m looking forward to.

7. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been a cultural icon for a very long time. It’s a good thing that Square Enix is trying their hardest to reinvigorate the franchise instead of letting it go stale. This epic conclusion to the new “origins” trilogy takes us to yet another location, one that is very different from where we’ve seen Lara in the other two games. Thick scary jungles await us, and I can’t wait!

6. Doom Eternal

Bethesda’s reboot of Doom that came out a few years ago was such a fun time. It looked fantastic, played extremely well and left fans wanting more. Now we are getting Doom Eternal. Bring on the demons.

5. Beyond Good And Evil 2

The original Beyond Good And Evil was a game that completely passed me by when it originally came out. When I did play it on the Xbox One thanks to ‘backward compatibility’ I found it to be a little underwhelming. I appreciated the gameplay and the story but I guess I missed

4. Octopath Traveller

Even way back when this game was first announced, it looked very special. Obviously, the visual style is what really pushed this game into the forefront of people’s mind, so it was reassuring to get hold of the demo and play the hell out of it. I spent lots of time strolling around the parts of the story and world that the demo presented us and it only helped build my hype. This game seems to be building up to something special and i’m super glad I have a Nintendo Switch to play it on.

3. Spider-man

Sony really came out swinging (haha) with this game at E3, and showed us that it’s not a quick-time event filled mess, something that many people were fearing. Combat looks fluid and enjoyable, and the host of villains that was featured are all superb. Genuinely one of the games i’m looking forward to playing on my new PS4. When I get it at least.

2. Fallout 76

Like I mentioned when I ranked the 2018 press conference the Bethesda presentation really helped to alleviate some of my stress. At the very worst, it’s going to be an interesting experience and at the very best it’s going to be the most amazing-est Fallout ever. That’s enough for me.

1. Cyberpunk 2077

Quick confession. I’ve not actually played The Witcher 3 yet. It’s definitely on my list of things to play, and i’m planning on doing it real soon. Putting that aside, CD Projekt Red has a massive standing in the gaming community for their high-quality games and their exemplary business practices.

Thanks for reading about my top 10 most anticipated game from E3 2018! If you liked it, then please follow this blog for similar updates in the future.

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Game image sourced from YouTube trailer video