Last year was filled with great games left and right. I don't think any other year made my backlog grow as much as 2017 did. 2018 also starts of with a huge bang however. Here are three of my most anticipated titles, which will be released during the coming weeks.

Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter is an RPG series that started back on the Playstation 2. It was released in 2004 and managed to garner a core following in the west, and an even bigger following in the eastern video game markets. Due to it's high learning curve however, many have shunned the series.

For people who can withstand the learning curve however, the Monster Hunter series has always felt rewarding to play. In it the player creates a hunter that takes down monsters for a research commission. While not heavy in the story department, the series has always striven to make each monster encounter memorable.

On January 26 the latest game in the series is released, Monster Hunter World. It will be an open world game with a slew of new mechanics, that serve to make it more interesting and ease up a bit on the learning curve. This will hopefully let new players into the game easier.

14 weapon types, a more defined story and a new ECO system filled with awesome creatures, makes this a really good time to jump into the franchise. Oh and the graphics looks darn good to.

Dynasty Warriors 9

Dynasty Warriors is also video game series that, like Monster Hunter, has a smaller fanbase in the west. It is a strategic over the top hack-n-slash series that takes place in ancient China. It is a very light take on the Romance Of The Three Kingdoms book series, the historical novel written by Luo Guanzhong.

Through a slew of historical battles, that actually took place in ancient China, you play as one of many generals from the novels. The player has to mow down heaps of enemies to bring their army to victory and advance the story, in an anime style over the top fashion.

The series have often been accused of being a mindless hack-n-slash where you just press the same buttons over and over. But it also features strategic elements where you will have to choose wisely where to reinforce your army to not loose the whole battle. At least on higher difficulties.

Dynasty Warriors 9 builds on the formula even more. It boasts a huge open world China for the player to explore, with different ways of handling each battle present. 90 playable characters, each with their own ending, and a whole lot to do besides doing battles.

Can it live up to my hype?

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Final Fantasy is probably the most well known series that I follow. Heck, Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time!
So how can I not be excited for a fighting game, where you free roam the arena playing as three Final Fantasy characters at a time?

Dissidia Final Fantasy actually started out on the Playstation Portable back in 2009 (2008 in Japan). It brought in characters from the whole franchise into a weird but interesting dimensional story setting. It was fast, interesting and something fresh in the fighting landscape. But it was a bit held back by the PSP's lack of power in my opinion.

Now the game comes to the PS4 however, in a modern iteration with cool graphics and fast paced gameplay. 28 playable characters are featured this time around, ranging from Warrior of Light in Final Fantasy I to Ace from Final Fantasy Type-0. Even Final Fantasy Tactics is represented with Ramza Beoulve as a playable character!

Also hyped up to play as Cloud and Sephiroth again.

There you have it, three games I am looking forward to that are releasing very soon. I can hopefully get the opportunity to cover all of them upon release, but we shall see. Monster Hunter World is first on the chopping block, releasing on January 27 on PS4 and Xbox One, followed by the PS4 release of Final Fantasy Dissidia NT on January 30. Dynasty Warrior 9 releases last, with February 13 as it's date on both PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Are you excited for these games? Never heard of them? Let us discuss in the comments!

Image Source: From Official Press Kits