{"id":1032,"date":"2019-01-23T10:30:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T15:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2019-01-29T09:57:46","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T14:57:46","slug":"2018-a-year-in-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/2018-a-year-in-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"2018: A Year in Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Celebration of the Video Game Industry’s Achievements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Luke Randall and Bobby Sweeney<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This year was a remarkable one for the video game industry, with an increase of $16.2 billion over 2017\u2019s estimate. Several large franchises reinforced their elite reputations with new and unique releases, like \u201cRed Dead Redemption 2\u201d from Rockstar Games. This also proved to be a year of beginnings with notable new games such as \u201cSpider-Man\u201d for the Playstation 4.
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Red Dead Redemption 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRed Dead Redemption 2\u201d takes players back to the Old West, through intense train robberies, fierce shootouts, and majestic rides on horseback. The main storyline, a prequel to the original, focuses on outlaw Arthur Morgan as he rides with his gang of bandits around \u201cRed Dead\u2019s\u201d expansive world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the first hour of the game is story-centered, the sheer number of side-missions and \u201ceaster eggs\u201d through its open world is enough to distract a player for days on end. One of these side-activities is hunting \u201cmythical\u201d creatures, ranging from a mountain lion to a massive crocodile. \u201cRed Dead\u2019s\u201d campaign offers plenty of intense action and masterful story building to fulfill the needs of everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRed Dead\u2019s\u201d music score and sound design is also brilliantly crafted to immerse the player in the mellow fields, the rocky mountains, and the newly emerging cities of the western United States. The absolute freedom given to players and attention to detail makes this Western action-shooter a necessary addition to anyone\u2019s collection and a leading candidate for the year\u2019s best game.
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Courtesy of CGM<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

God of War<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod of War\u201d serves as a new beginning for the god-slaying antihero Kratos. In past games, players have followed Kratos as he exacts his revenge on the Pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses by brutally killing every last one of them. However, the new installment, simply titled \u201cGod of War\u201d, begins with Kratos dealing with the death of his wife and his relationship with his son. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game centers on Kratos\u2019 role as a father as he teaches his son to fight and resist the rage that once controlled Kratos. Throughout the game, the player assumes the role of Kratos, with his son, Atreus as a helpful side character. As the father-son duo travel the 9 Realms of Norse mythology, Kratos trades his Blades of Chaos for his new Leviathan Axe. In combat, players are placed against giant serpents, huge trolls, and deadly dragons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The static camera placed behind Kratos results in the player feeling like an underdog, fighting earth-shaking enemies. As \u201cGod of War’s\u201d captivating story takes center stage, immersive combat and cinematic fight scenes encourage players to continue exploring and fighting in its diverse landscape. \u201cGod of War\u201d boasts an emotionally-gripping story backed with intense, cinematic fights in the pseudo-reboot of the franchise.
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Courtesy of Call of Duty YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth installment in the \u201cCall of Duty: Black Ops\u201d series takes a step back from the futuristic abilities and weapons in \u201cCall of Duty: Black Ops 3\u201d and takes place in the modern day, where a group of expertly trained soldiers, named \u201cSpecialists\u201d, complete covert missions for a private corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the previous three games, \u201cBlack Ops 4\u201d has no traditional campaign story mode, but instead chooses to reveal the story through \u201cspecialist missions\u201d that reveal a cutscene after completing side missions and activities. The developers of \u201cBlack Ops 4\u201d, Treyarch \u201cwill be almost exclusively on competitive multiplayer and cooperative Zombies mode,\u201d in order to focus on improving the already great multiplayer experience \u201cBlack Ops 4\u201d is known for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of these changes is the removal of the ability to heal by staying in cover over a period of time. Now a button is pressed to use a \u201cmedpack\u201d that starts to heal the player that also has a cooldown on its use that recharges over time. Overall, the fast-paced combat and flashy abilities make the fourth \u201cCall of Duty: Black Ops\u201d game a very solid addition.
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Courtesy of MobileSyrup<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Super Smash Bros Ultimate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuper Smash Bros Ultimate\u201d, the newest installment in the \u201cSuper Smash Bros\u201d franchise, consists of 70 characters, the largest roster to date. The famed fighting franchise is well known for its inclusion of not just Nintendo characters, but many other famed characters from the world of video games. Beloved Nintendo favorites like Mario return with long awaited newcomers such as King K. Rool and Simon Belmont. Ultimate also includes 103 stages for the fighters to battle it out and introduces over 850 songs, all from each character\u2019s home franchise. This variety completely contrasts with the original Super Smash Bros. game, which only had 8 characters and 10 stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one of the largest additions, as well as one of the most requested additions, was the return of a story mode. The first story mode in a Smash Bros. game was in the third installment of the series, \u201cSuper Smash Bros. Brawl\u201d, titled \u201cSubspace Emissary\u201d where the fighters in the game had to team up to defeat the villain \u201cTabuu.\u201d Super Smash Bros. Ultimate expands up this shallow premise, by introducing another villain, named \u201cGaleem,\u201d who captured all of the fighters besides Kirby, and it is up to Kirby to free the others and stop \u201cGaleem\u201d from taking over the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another welcome inclusion is the promise of downloadable content (DLC) when buying the \u201cSmash Pass,\u201d which Nintendo promises will include 5 fighters that will be released over time. \u201cSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate\u201d furthers the already masterful franchise with including many fan-favorite characters and game modes that are sure to please any Nintendo fan.
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This year was a remarkable one for the video game industry, with an increase of $16.2 billion over 2017\u2019s estimate. Several large franchises reinforced their elite reputations with new and unique releases, like \u201cRed Dead Redemption 2\u201d from Rockstar Games. This also proved to be a year of beginnings with notable new games such as \u201cSpider-Man\u201d for the Playstation 4. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-style"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1032"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1140,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions\/1140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2018-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}