Hiya!
I hope everyone had a great New Year’s celebration a couple of days ago. I know I did! More importantly, I hope everyone’s 2018 was great. Mine was stacked with a lot of stuff and responsibility, especially during the latter part of the year. Even then, it was a very fulfilling year for me. There were a lot of personal goals that I accomplished
But 2018 is the past! We’re in 2019, a totally new year! Now’s the best time to look into the future and look at what’s to come for us geeks! Last year was an incredibly good year for us but this one definitely has the potential to outdo it thanks to some incoming geeky content that’s already been planned throughout! So, let’s go look at some of the things we can expect in the coming months!
A Plethora of Comic Book Movies
Let’s face it: superhero movies and films based on comic book characters are the “in-thing” today. While there were great superhero movies in the past, things really hit a fevered pitched when Marvel released the first Iron Man almost a full decade ago in April of 2008. Since then, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken over the world.
Ten years is a pretty long time for a “genre” to dominate the box office landscape. Some believe that it’s too long! There have been a growing number of detractors saying that the superhero and comic book genre bubble is going to burst at any time. Yet, 2019 seems to be the biggest year yet!
In no particular order, 2019 is slated to get Captain Marvel from Disney/Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home from Sony/Marvel, the Hellboy reboot from Lionsgate/Dark Horse, Joker from Warner Bros/DC and New Mutants from Fox/Marvel (and Disney?). I’m not even counting the rumored Spawn film that may be completed to meet a 2019 release. Right now, the superhero film I’m really anticipating is DC’s Shazam! It looks silly and without the darkness that permeated throughout the ealy DC Extended Universe films. I also just love the idea of a kid getting superpowers and how he deals with it.
If you think I’m forgetting a certain team-up superhero film that’s a follow-up to the biggest movie of 2019, no. I didn’t forget because…
Avengers: Endgame is going to be the biggest geeky event of 2019
To say that Avengers: Infinity War was a good movie is a disservice to how epic it was. This was a movie that surpassed everyone’s expectations, which is no small feat as everyone’s expectations were at an all-time high. I will confess that there was a part of me that walked into the cinema and prepared to be disappointed because there was no way Marvel would ever meet how good I wanted the Infinity War to be. I shouldn’t have doubted them since, hands down, Avengers: Infinity War was the best thing I saw in 2018!
But, after the gut punch finale of Infinity War, everyone knew it couldn’t end there. Sure enough, Marvel had already slated its sequel to be released a year after it. Even so, a year felt like eons since not an iota of information was given. We didn’t even know what it was going to be called! So when the first trailer dropped and the reveal of the film’s title, Avengers: Endgame, that immediately became the most anticipated film of 2019!
Avengers: Endgame is going to be the big ticket item of 2019. So large, in fact, I don’t think you can really classify it as “just a movie” anymore. If you thought expectations for Infinity War was sky high, Avengers: Endgame feels bigger. It’s shaping up to be the the conclusion of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor’s stories so it’s gotta be larger than life! It’s hard to believe that anything can top the experience that is Infinity War but, if there’s something that can do it, it’s going to be Endgame. I’m still tempering my expectations but, if history tells me anything, it’s that I shouldn’t doubt what Marvel can do.
Speaking of tempering expectations…
Star Wars: Episode IX will reinvigorate or ruin the entire franchise… and I’ll be amused by the fan’s reactions to it
I’m still in disbelief at the current state of the Star Wars today. It was one of the pillars of the geek community and, to a certain extent, it still is. I guess the first cracks appeared with Rogue One. While it did well both in a critical and financial sense, it was the first film that tried to change the status quo of the saga set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Then came Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.
Among all of the films in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi is the most polarizing film for fans. It wasn’t universally reviled like The Holiday Special (the really first cash grab attempted with the franchise) but it was definitely the most divisive. The Internet would make you believe that you fall into two camps: you loved it or you hated it. There’s no middle ground. Either way, The Last Jedi was the real first time visible cracks in Star Wars previously thought of impenetrable armor.
Things got even worse with Solo: A Star Wars Story as this was the very first film in the history of the franchise to actually bomb at the box office. This was enough to cause Disney to balk at their previous strategy to milk the franchise with yearly films of releasing quality films on a consistent basis. They had to rethink their plans and regroup because they don’t want to be known as the company that killed Star Wars.
This means that there’s a lot riding on Episode IX. In fact, it’s probably the lynch pin to how people will feel about this new Star Wars trilogy. Despite what people say about The Last Jedi, it’s legacy will be tied to how well it will tie into Episode IX and, more importantly, if Episode IX is any good. If it fails, it means the Dark Side has won.
To say that Episode IX is going to determine the fate of Star Wars for the next few years is an understatement. Whether it’s going to be good or bad is not the reason why I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to Episode IX because it will determine the fate of Star Wars from years to come. And I’m going to be looking forward to how people will take to it with morbid anticipation
An E3 without Sony or PlayStation participation
Cards on the table: I’m a Sony PlayStation fangirl. That doesn’t mean that I will automatically bash other video game consoles, though. I have myself a Nintendo Switch because I’m tickled by the technology and the games, such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, have definitely put a huge smile on my face.
Even so, I still am solidly behind Sony and the PlayStation brand. It’s not a diss on other systems. I just have a stronger affinity to the PlayStation, that’s all. This would explain why I’m always slightly more biased for them during E3, the annual video game tradeshow. I actually do a sort of review of the company’s performance at E3 each year but it looks like I’ll be skipping that this year. Not because I don’t want to. It’s because, after being a mainstay at E3 for 24 years, Sony is not going to be attending in 2019!
Now, you won’t be hearing any loud groaning from me. The past couple of years, Sony has really dropped the ball with their E3 presentations, mainly because, well, the keynote’s have been rather sparse on content. As a Sony PlayStation fangirl, I’m a huge fan and also their biggest critic at the same time. And I can say with conviction that their shows were definitely lazy events with hardly anything to show. If that’s going to be the case in 2019, then it’s better if they just skip it rather than embarrass themselves again. I don’t need to see another banjo player on stage introducing The Last of Us: Part II. I just want to see The Last of Us: Part II sans banjo intro!
I am curious how E3 is going to shape up with Sony not being in attendance. Nintendo hasn’t really had a keynote for ages so this leaves Microsoft as the only console maker left. I wonder what they’re going to do? Will they pull out all the stops? Will the just take it easy? Will they poke fun at being the only ones “left standing” at E3? I’m also curious with how other companies who will be attending the show handle it. Will companies like EA and Ubisoft show less Sony PlayStation stuff because of this? Will they promote more Sony stuff?
Sony is leaving a big hole in this year’s E3 lineup so I wonder who’s going to try to fill in the space. This makes it something to look forward to in 2019.
While we’re on video games…
A select few video game releases in 2019 are going to rock!
I’m on the fence if 2018 was a good year for video games in general. On one hand, we got gems like the delightful Marvel’s Spider-Man, Red Dead Redemption II, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and God of War, among others.
On the other, we got massively disappointments like Fallout 76, Metal Gear Survive, The Quiet Man as well as really terrible news like Telltale Games shutting down thanks to mismanagement and lack of innovation as well as Rockstar Games pushing employee to pushing degrees so we can play Read Dead Redemption II. Sure, Red Dead Redemption II is a fantastic game, but was it worth the health and stress for the ones who were actually working on it? You decide!
2019 is going to be no different, I’m afraid. There are no surefire hits anymore but that doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to some potentially fantastic gaming experiences! I’m definitely looking forward to Kingdom Hearts III (since I forgot what the heck happened since the last game), Mortal Kombat 11 (because it looks bloody good, pun intended), Shenmue III (because I want to know what’s all the hype is about), The Outer Worlds (because Gearbox hasn’t released a new Borderlands game in a while), Catherine: Full Body (a remake of a great game with a new “girl”), Devil May Cry 5 (we all need that cathartic release of mayhem) and many more.
Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long for the game I really want to play. That’s the Resident Evil 2 REmake.
I really excited for this remake ever since I actually started playing horror video games instead of just watching people play them. I started with Resident Evil 7 and I loved the experience. I also loved the original Resident Evil 2 and I do have fond memories of watching my brother play it. But this version looks like it’ll blow the original one out of the water! I can’t wait for it!
Bottom line, there are a plethora of upcoming video games in 2019 and I want to play them all. I sure hope my wallet can take the strain!
Byee!
What are you looking forward to in 2019? Let me know in the comments section below!
3rd World Geeks 