A Recap of Trailers and News Shared During the Xbox Games Showcase

The weekend was full of stuff for gamers to get excited about. There was Summer Games Fest and as part of that the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct. We’ve already shared a bit about Star Wars: Outlaws, and while Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty was announced and shown off during the Xbox Games Showcase, that will be getting its own article. This article will be briefly going over the other games (and hardware) covered by Xbox. There were approximately 27 games featured so buckle up. If you’d rather, I’ve included the videos in full at the bottom.

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First things first, let’s talk about hardware. Xbox took some time to announce the new Xbox Series S in Carbon Black. This is exactly the same as the original Xbox Series S with two changes. The first change is obviously the color. Its carbon black matches the Xbox Series X better. The other change is that the internal SSD has been doubled in size to be 1TB. Of course, with an increase in storage, there is an increase of price. You can pre-order your Xbox Series S in carbon black from Microsoft for $349.99 set to launch on September 1.

Additional new hardware include the new Starfield Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller and Xbox Wireless Headset. These accessories look pretty sleek and will cost $79.99 and $124.99 respectively with a release date of September 6.

Now let’s talk about the games. I’ve been hyped for a new Fable game for a while, but honestly, I’m not sure how I felt about the tease we got. I love Richard Ayoade and was so excited when I heard and saw him in it. However, the teaser didn’t really tell us anything about the game’s substance. It looks like we still have the hallmark humor for the series which is good, but we have no idea what gameplay will be like, we have no idea what to expect for a story, we don’t really know anything of importance. It was cool to see that the teaser featured in-game footage though.

Next, I know that Avowed was getting some flack, but I actually think it looked pretty cool. The game definitely gives vibes similar to popular first-person RPGs by Bethesda, but that’s not inherently a bad thing. I also really enjoy some of the companion systems in other Obsidian games so hopefully Avowed has a solid one.

Clockwork Revolution looks like it has potential. I’m being very cautious in my optimism, though, as games often talk about the impact of choices in games, and then it turns out to not be as big of a deal as previously thought.

As you’d expect, Forza Motorsport (pre-orders open) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 look absolutely gorgeous! There’s not too much to talk about there other than I do think it’s cool that Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting a Dune expansion this November complete with Ornithopters.

Ninja Theory was able to show off a new look at Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The trailer looks fantastic and I especially love the moment when her reflection pulls her through and we have that shattering effect. LOVE IT! Man, I have to go play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice now.

South of Midnight had me sold as soon as I saw the stop-motion animation effect. I’m a sucker for that in movies and after watching two seconds of the trailer, I was sold on it for games. That style of animation mixed with the art direction and this game quickly became a must-try for me.

I know that so many people are hyped for Starfield. The game looks great, people love so much of what Bethesda puts out, etc. However, I worry that it’s too big. Bethesda likes to make massive games that tend to just be reskinned versions of each other. I want to be excited, but I’m worried it’s just not a game for me. I can definitely understand people loving it and being hyped (and I’ll probably try it out) but I’m worried it’s just another generic Bethesda title they’ve done a killer job marketing. Am I crazy? You can pre-order Starfield now from Microsoft and other retailers including GameStop with a release date of September 6.

Stoic, the creators of the Banner Saga games, revealed Towerborne. This is another game with an art style that I found interesting and compelling. I like that it’s going to be a cooperative game and honestly looks like fun. Unfortunately, there’s no word on if the multiplayer aspect is online only or if there’s support for couch co-op. It could be fun.

Speaking of cooperative gameplay, 33 Immortals will let you team up with 32 other players for 33-player co-op action in an action-roguelike. It basically looks like 33-player Hades and Diablo which isn’t inherently a bad thing. I do worry that the characters all look pretty bland in my opinion. I don’t think that it looks bad in general with a minimalistic art design, but then you add in 32 other players with very minimalistic characters and it feels a bit lackluster to me. At least they have different colored capes.

This fall, you can expand your city building skills with Cities: Skylines II. I dabbled a little with the first game, and it was fun, but this sequel looks so good! I’m not sure what’s going to be new in this one other than improved visuals, but the trailer is very well done. You can pre-order your copy now and get ready to play it on October 24.

I’m really liking all the different art directions I’m seeing in the showcase. Dungeons of Hinterberg has another different art style from other games in the showcase and it’s just nice to see studios doing different things. The trailer gives me almost Hilda vibes making it feel very calm and chill, but there is action and puzzle solving to be done. I’ll keep an eye out for more.

Jusant is a new action-puzzle game from Don’t Nod that’s all about climbing. I don’t think this game is for me. Climbing is one of my least favorite things to do in a game. Maybe they’ve really made it fun though? Some of the puzzles look kind of fun and I won’t fault you for being excited. I just don’t like climbing personally.

Yakuza fans should get pumped! The new trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth looked great and was pretty funny. We have Kasuga Ichiban wake up on a beach nude wondering where he is. The team behind the trailer did a fantastic job of censoring Ichiban as needed while he’s dazed and confused.

Atlus has a new fantasy RPG for fans of Persona to get hyped for with Metaphor: ReFantazio. It looks like if you like the Persona games and want a bit more of a Fire Emblem feel, this will be perfect. It should be pretty good.

That wasn’t the only news from Atlus though. They announced Persona 3 Reload which will bring the classic RPG title Persona 3 to modern hardware. It sounds like it’s more of a remake of the game as they tout “a revamped battle system, cutting-edge graphics and gameplay, enhanced audio featuring all-new English voice-over, a remastered soundtrack with new arrangements, and much more.” What do you think? Is it more of a Remaster?

Additionally, Persona 5 Tactica, a spin-off of the hit game Persona 5 was also announced. It looks like fans will be able to control the Phantom Thieves in a tactical RPGas they have to fight the Legionnaires. You’ll be able to enjoy Persona 5 Tactica on November 17.

Meanwhile, Capcom got to show off Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess which looks creepy but not in a scary way. The game will use the RE Engine and if the gameplay looks anything like the trailer, it’s going to be stunning. I can’t wait for the gameplay trailers.

Payday 3 got its first gameplay trailer although I really don’t care about it, let me know if it looks good in the comments.

If you like first-person horror games, you might enjoy Still Wakes The Deep from The Chinese Room. It does not look like my kind of game, but I am a scaredy-cat.

Overwatch 2: Invasion will be the biggest content drop and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can get the New Heroes Start Pack for free. In addition, Fallout 76 is getting some DLC to head to Atlantic City. Also, The Elder Scrolls Online is growing and returning to Morrowind and Apocrypha with the new adventure called Necrom now available on PC and Mac and coming to Xbox on June 20.

If you’re a fan of the Monkey Island franchise and/or Sea of Thieves game, you’ll be excited by Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island. This new collaboration comes from Rare and Lucasfilm Games as you’ll be able to explore a new story about Guybrush Threepwood.

Check out the full presentations for Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct below that. What games are you the most hyped for? I think South of Midnight is my winner at the moment.