Feature: Our Most Hype PlayStation Moments of 2018

2018 has been one heck of a year for PlayStation. We've been flooded with good games for almost a full 12 months, and so we thought that we'd wheel out the team in order to list our most hype moments of 2018. Ranging from game reveals to individual gaming greatness, these are the moments that got us super excited. Here's to another year of hype in 2019!

Sammy Barker, Editor

When publishers promise big surprises, I tend not to get my hopes up these days; I’ve been in this game for longer than I’d like to admit, and rarely does the hype deliver anymore. But one cold Saturday night in April, SEGA actually made this jaded editor sit bolt upright, when it announced Shenmue I & II for the PlayStation 4.

I vividly remember frantically searching for my laptop in a sleepy state, hammering away at my Push Square password in order to get a story online. Ryo Hazuki’s inaugural adventures are my personal favourites, so the thought of replaying them for the zillionth time had me frothing at the chops like no other announcement this year.

Robert Ramsey, Deputy Editor

I wracked my brains trying to think of my most hype moment of 2018, but there are just so many to consider. I could rant about the story in Dragon Quest XI, or the best missions in Red Dead Redemption 2, but I'd end up spoiling things and I wouldn't be able to settle on one specific moment anyway.

And so I find myself falling back on a moment that literally made me stand up with my arms in the air. I am, of course, referring to the reveal of Armor King for Tekken 7. The masked grappler has always been one of my favourite Tekken characters, and in that moment, to see him return at the Tekken World Tour Finals, fully redesigned and looking cooler than ever, my hype knew no bounds -- it was like the Final Fantasy VII Remake announcement all over again, just way more personal.

When Armor King released around midnight that night, I stayed up until ungodly hours practising combos. If you're a bit of a weirdo like me, that was pretty hype too.

Stephen Tailby, Senior Staff Writer

This year has been an incredibly strong one for games, so I could've chosen any number of things for this, but I have to tip my hat to the fight with the Stranger in God of War. In the game's earliest moments, someone starts banging on Kratos' door, seemingly looking for trouble. Our hero, a huge demigod, steps outside, and is met with a comparably puny man with a bit of an attitude. You smirk to yourself; this guy is going to get destroyed. You steel yourself for Kratos' inevitable beatdown on this fool, and then, smack -- the Stranger sends the Ghost of Sparta flying over the house.

What ensues is an unbelievable first boss fight that leaves your jaw on the floor and keeps it there. Boulders are smashed, trees are obliterated, and even the earth splits apart as two powerful beings butt heads in a fight to the death. It's an incredibly bold opener that sets the tone for the rest of the game. The Stranger fight is perfectly pitched to amp players up for the adventure ahead, and I struggle to think of anything that tops it.

Annette Magaña, Reviewer

My most hype moment, ironically, was everything from the Kingdom Hearts III Frozen trailer, except the Frozen part - although I will admit seeing the Frozen characters and all the Disney characters presented looking near identical to their counterpart movies was stunning. Bah, who am I kidding, even the Frozen parts were looking sick.

The best bit came near the end. Seeing my main girl turning to the dark side was heartbreaking, but I knew that once the game is released, we are in for a blast with the story. My hands were literally trembling with excitement as I texted my friend to ask if he had seen the trailer. I won’t be as late as Mickey to get this game, that’s for sure.

Graham Banas, Reviewer

My favourite moment from Sony’s admittedly hit-or-miss E3 conference was one of the trailers that got casually thrown out there in between the major games Sony brought to the show. It was a little trailer for a game called Control, that, at least to me, immediately looked liked a Remedy title from the second the trailer started.

And as it went along, my excitement and happiness at getting to see this new title only grew. Remedy is one of my absolute favourite developers, with Alan Wake being one of several games I would consider my favourite of all time at any given moment. And seeing my chosen dev return to a Sony console after a long absence overjoyed me. Max Payne 2 released in 2003, so it’s been quite a while. Welcome back.

Jamie O'Neill, Retro Specialist

My first PlayStation review in 2010 was Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, and after eight years of writing here I feel hyped that a variety of moments in 2018 combined together to provide one of my most exciting years of articles.

This year's highlights were my introduction to experiencing PSVR when visiting Firesprite in Liverpool to play The Persistence, and as a retro fan I was particularly buzzing to be able to interview Firesprite about the studio's history, including its team's time at Psygnosis and Studio Liverpool. I was also assigned two thoroughly enjoyable 8/10 scoring PS4 reviews of the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle and Castlevania Requiem, which were both exactly my cup of retro tea.

Considering that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is my number one PSone game, this review also linked nicely to my coverage of PSone titles, because the PlayStation Classic's 2018 release worked out brilliantly for me. Not only were some of my previous PSone reviews re-published, but I was also able to cover another of my absolute favourite PSone games, Ridge Racer Type 4. Thank you to Push Square for an awesome gaming year, because writing for this site has heightened my hype about everything PlayStation related in 2018.

Ken Talbot, Reviewer

Most hype game moment: D'angelo's May I? Stand Unshaken in Red Dead Redemption 2. The musical interlude mirrors a similar moment in the first game, so I was kind of expecting it. But when it hit, the impact of one of the best gaming journeys of my life washed over me. For all its flaws, Red Dead 2 is a historic game and I was hype that I got to experience it along with everyone else on release.

Liam Croft, Reviewer

I was enamoured with 2015's Dying Light. Its parkour-based traversal mechanics made taking the fight to the zombie horde an absolute delight, while stepping outside at nighttime was a proven recipe for disaster thanks to the foreboding foes that prowled the streets once the sun went down. And so, when Dying Light 2 was finally announced at E3 2018, I was understandably excited.

It was a phenomenal reveal too, one that included gameplay in its very unveiling. My neighbours most likely heard my audible cheers when the logo popped up that confirmed my hopes and dreams were a reality, but things just kept on getting better. Out steps Chris Avellone, of Fallout: New Vegas fame, to discuss the effects player choice can have on the open world, and it's fair to say they look pretty drastic. Dying Light 2 looks set to be a bold, impressive, and captivating sequel, and I cannot wait to play it. Not a single other announcement had me this elated in 2018.

Lloyd Coombes, Contributor

The first time I played Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 - watching Peter Parker hop out of the window in the suit, and then transitioning into actual gameplay to web-sling from building to building. It felt like a dream I've had since I was a kid - to be Spider-Man. It just felt right, and I had a smile painted on my face for the entire ride.

Nathaniel Eker, Reviewer

Swinging around the overworld of New York for the first time in Marvel's Spider-Man. It sounds cliché, but it truly made me feel like a superhero, and the amount of free roaming available from the get go was insane. As a huge fan of Spider-Man 2 on PS2 back in the day, it was like a HD remake with web slinging that was even more intuitive than I remembered. The inclusions of Marvel Cinematic Universe Easter eggs like Avengers Tower, the Sanctum Santorum, and The Wakandan Embassy was the icing on the cake. Pairing that with the awesome score and dialogue variations for swinging, and it was a breathtaking moment.

Nicole Hall, Reviewer

My most hype gaming moment of 2018 took place at the very start of the year, when I finally got my hands on Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory. After far surpassing 100 hours in its predecessor, I was ever eager to sink my teeth into some more stellar JRPG action in its sequel. After obtaining oodles of new digis, shedding floods of tears and becoming completely and utterly engrossed in another endearing story, I’ve accumulated a further 130 hours of gameplay, not once hindered by a morsel of regret. An underrated masterpiece that will never procure the recognition and appreciation it truly deserves.

Victor Nowogurski, Moderator

My most hype gaming moment of 2018 is no doubt the reveal of the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. When I first was introduced to the PlayStation back in the late 90s the one thing Nintendo had above Sony was its 3D platformers. That was until Spyro came out. I spent many days, weeks, and even months of my early adulthood playing Spyro, and for awhile, it was pretty much the only game I played.

As time went on and several moves later, I seemed to have lost my copy of Spyro. How I yearned to play it again, but sadly eBay and retro collectors were not kind to the price of even a used copy. Like many I had hope, and wished that after the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a Spyro remake was next in line. For weeks many false leaks and rumours tried to get me hyped but failed. Then one April day, an article here confirmed all those rumours were true. My 20 year old self screamed for joy as I read the article over and over while I thought that September couldn't come fast enough.

We've had our say, and so now it's your turn. What was your most hype PlayStation gaming moment of 2018? Was it a game announcement? Or was it playing through a particular part of a specific game? Give us the juicy details in the comments section below.