This week saw Microsoft take centre stage with yet another game reveal event. The event showcased new footage of already announced games and brand new titles, one of which is sure to get fans truly excited. Here’s the breakdown of everything shown.
Halo Infinite
What was supposed to be the star of the show, the Halo Infinite gameplay reveal, has left many fans severely disappointed. The trailer featured several minutes of combat showing off the vast array of weapons that Master Chief will have at his disposal, including an all-new arm-mounted grappling hook that can be used to traverse terrain or aid in the heat of battle. What has the fans in uproar though is the overall visual fidelity on display from 343’s latest offering. Microsoft has been flaunting the overall power of the Xbox series X for months now and all eyes were on their flagship title, what they revealed though looked unpolished with various graphical elements not loading in correctly and enemy models that look ported from a 360 game. It’s worth mentioning that the demo shown may be an earlier build and may not have been running on the series X itself, hopefully the final product will be far more polished.
Avowed
Avowed will be Obsidian Entertainment’s first major title to be released for Xbox since being bought in 2018. The new title, which is set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, will be a first-person RPG, taking the series away from its isometric roots. Not much was shown during the event apart from a short cinematic trailer and no release date was given.
Forza Motorsport
No surprise to anybody that a new entry in the well-established racing series is on the way. Microsoft is promising ray tracing support and that the title will run consistently at 60fps at 4K. No further details were given. The trailer gave us a glimpse of how impressive the latest entry will look on the next-gen hardware but whether it looks this glorious in the real-world application is yet to be seen.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light
After years of being apart, the Xbox alumni Bungie have returned home and partnered with Microsoft to bring Destiny 2 to Gamepass. This reunion could be a huge moment in gaming as not only is the base game and previous expansions on offer, their next instalment, Beyond Light, will be available to all Gamepass subscribers. Bungie’s latest offering of DLC is shaping up to be their biggest yet, adding their first-ever new element for guardians to play around with. Players will also be able to play Destiny on select mobile devices when Xbox’s streaming service combines with Gamepass to make the subscription arguably the best value for money currently available on the market.
Tetris Effect: Connected
The popular take on Tetris is getting some brand new action in the form of co-op and competitive multiplayer game modes. Although originally a PS exclusive the latest content will be available first on Xbox this holiday season.
Balan Wonderworld
Balan Underworld is a colourful action platformer that will see players switching between 80 different costumes (think jobs) all with unique abilities. This will enable you to navigate the various puzzles set to challenge you on your journey. The game is brought to you by Square Enix and will be available in spring next year.
Fable
After months of speculation, the cat is finally out of the bag and Microsoft have officially announced the long-awaited Fable reboot with a cinematic trailer. No details have been given so far but there are currently rumours circulating that this could be an MMO, but we think this is highly unlikely and the game will more than likely focus on a single-player narrative like previous entries. The game is currently in development by Playground Games better known for their Forza Horizon entries.
The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon
Peril in Gorgon will be the first of two planned expansions for Obsidian’s well-received RPG shooter. The DLC, although announced during the Xbox showcase, will be available across Xbox, Playstation and PC on September 9th. Players will be travelling to the Gorgon Asteroid in search of the origin of Adrena Time in what’s described as a “noir-tinged adventure”
Everwild
We got another look at Rare’s open-world game with a gorgeous cinematic trailer but we still didn’t get to see any gameplay footage. The developer is keeping pretty hush hush with the details of the game so far but did offer a little more insight during the event. Players will be controlling the character, Eternal. The character will be able to “sense magic and see how it flows through every living thing”, how exactly this will translate to actual gameplay/mechanics is still unknown though. Regardless this is still shaping up to be a visual sensation and we look forward to seeing more.
Tell Me Why
Tell Me Why is brought to you by Life is Strange developer Dontnod. The game follows a set of twins as they explore their childhood memories aided by a shared “supernatural bond” that allows them to interact with those memories. This will be a narrative-driven game like the developer’s previous titles where players will be given choices that will determine the outcome of the game. Tell Me Why launches on August 27th.
CrossfireX
Crossfire is probably one of the most played first-person shooters (over 650 million players) and now the latest entry in the series CrossfireX will finally be coming to Xbox. The majority of its player base is in Asia and this could be a smart move from Xbox because they’ve struggled to get a foothold in that market. The new game comes fully loaded with a new campaign and intense multiplayer action being developed by Smilegate Entertainment.
Psychonauts 2
It’s been over 15 years since the original launched and fans of the cult classic don’t have long to wait to get their hands on the sequel. Brought to you by Double Fine, the developers are looking at bringing the unique platforming experience from the original and dragging it right on to current and next-gen consoles. The game has picked up somewhat of a cult following over the years and now hopes to push towards a more mainstream success.
S.T.A.I.K.E.R. 2
Take up your bounty hunter mantle and explore the Zone and explore like never before in this open-world sequel to the 2007 smash hit S.t.a.l.k.e.r. Player choices will be important in the sequel and will have short term impacts as well as influence the world in which the game is set. According to the developer, GSC Game World, the open-world will be one of the biggest yet and will keep fully immersed with its atmospheric setting. The game still doesn’t have an official release date but the original plan was to release in 2021. We may not have long to wait.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive age- Definitive edition
Originally released on the switch last year, Xbox players will finally be able to get their hands on the expanded version which includes Japanese voice over for the characters. This is looking to be another title to help Microsoft start pushing extra sales in Asia as it already has a well-established history of success there.
The Gunk
The newly announced title is a third-person adventure that follows two space hauliers in their travels through space as they attempt to clean up a planet that has been infested with “The Gunk”. Unfortunately, details are still scarce on the game but we will be watching this one carefully as the Swedish developer makes its transition from the Nintendo platform to hardware with a bit more muscle.
The Medium
This game peaked a lot of interest at the last Xbox showcase and this time we got to see a bit more of the “dual world” play teased in the reveal. The trailer shows both contrasting styles in all their glory and what is even more impressive is that they’re both rendered simultaneously, giving us a glimpse of what we can start expecting to see with the next-gen hardware.
Sable
Sable is a new indie title from Raw Fury and developer Shedworks. The game features a beautiful art style that seems to have gained popularity over the last few years as the indie scene has grown and will let players explore an open-world as Sable seeks to find their place in the world.
State of Decay 3
Undead Labs are bringing us the third instalment of their highly popular zombie survival series State of Decay. Details are still scarce but if the trailer is giving us a glimpse of what will be on offer we can look forward to snowy climates and wildlife that can now be infected. This could potentially mean that players have even more to contend with than the previous two entries. Hopefully, more details will be announced soon.
FinalBoss Final Thoughts
Overall the Xbox series X did not give the WOW factor fans were hoping for and left far too many people complaining about the lack of gameplay for most of the big announcements. If you can look past the complaints though you’ll be forgiven for missing the true star of the show….Gamepass. Xbox is amassing a seriously impressive lineup for their now industry-leading subscription service and while everybody is focusing on the hardware and exclusives to decide who wins next-gen, they may just be surprised to find success will come in another form. Nobody can argue that Gamepass doesn’t offer amazing value for money and Xbox are taking it from strength to strength. Next-Gen could well see the two gaming giants take entirely different paths!!!
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