XBOX E3 Impressions
Games. Games. Games.
Phil Spencer made it very clear this year that Xbox is all about gaming. He reiterated it multiple times and for good reason, as last year left a lot of people wary of the future of Xbox, but this year I'd like to think that the outlook is bright (Microsoft pun not intended).
They showcased multiple indie titles under the ID@Xbox banner, and they all looked great, especially Hellraid. For those who don't know, ID@Xbox provides free dev kits to indie developers and gives them the ability to self publish, but the one drawback is the controversial "exclusivity clause."
Let's jump in shall we?
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare- Check out my thoughts here.
Forza 5- The Nurburgring track DLC is available today for free!
Forza Horizon 2- Will be available on September 30th!
Evolve- This game looks absolutely insane. I cannot wait. The monster shown off in this is called the Kraken even though it looks like it was inspired by Cthulu. Xbox owners will be able to get add on content first. An open beta is also coming soon. Lastly, I'd like to point out how ingenious the logo for this game is.
Assassin's Creed: Unity- Will be available October 28th! You can read what I thought about this one here.
Dragon Age: Inquisition- This is supposedly Bioware's biggest game, ever but as we saw with Mass Effect 3, sometimes Bioware can't walk the walk. I am not entirely sold yet. I really want to see the in-game combat in action.
Sunset Overdrive- You can read my impressions here.
Dead Rising 3- There is new DLC available today, and its title? Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX+ Alpha. That is probably the best title ever. It clearly shows that Capcom is capable of making fun of itself. The new DLC looks packed with new features and also sees the return of Frank West and Chuck Greene.
Dance Central- There's a new one coming out with easier access to DLC.
Fable: Legends- This is the next and new iteration in the Fable franchise. It has a good dose of humor but is also really cheesy. The entire experience is built around Co-op. Not unlike Evolve, there is a player who is the villain, they can set traps and tell enemies where to go. The villain role is just prime for a second screen experience. A beta is coming soon.
Project Spark- I have no idea why I haven't gotten this one yet, it looks like a ton of fun. Conker is coming back! Not in his own game but I'll take what I can get. There is also a galactic space expansion coming soon.
Ori and the Blind Forest- I have no idea what this game is, but dammit, it was gorgeous.
Halo- As we all know, the fifth one is coming out in 2015, and it looks like it will feature another playable character as well as Master Chief. The Arbiter is back! They also announced the rumored Master Chief Collection — all 4 Halos on one disc coming out November 11. All running at 1080p AND 60fps, but the catch is they run on their original engines. They also started production on the Ridley Scott-produced Halo: Nightfall.
Inside- The new game from Playdead games! Very minimalistic, but it looked like a great platformer.
Rise of the Tomb Raider- You can watch the announcement trailer here.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt- The combat system still seems very stilted. But the world is bright and colorful. As the title implies, monster-hunting is pivotal in this one as that is Geralt's main profession.
Killer Instinct- The first all new character was introduced, a boxer named TJ Combo. Iron Galaxy Games is taking over development duties from Double Helix.
Phantom Dust- The cult classic returns.
Scalebound- A new game from Platinum Games exclusively for XBOX. It looks absolutely insane, but it's from Platinum so that's expected.
The Division- I still don't know what to make of this game. Though the UI is gorgeous (aside from numbers popping out of enemies) I still have quite a few qualms.
Crackdown- Hey, most certainly saved the best for last... Crackdown is back, and it's time to rally with friends and get rid of the criminal scum. I cannot wait. I'll say it one more time for emphasis... I cannot wait.
That was it from Xbox! Stay tuned in to Geektyrant for all of E3's gaming glory!