After
last years’ knockout blow from Sony, Microsoft really needed to get something
on the table that would put the ball – or at least some of it – back in their
court.
This
year they went to great lengths to provide clarification over the console
itself as well as the shape of the landscape for the next 12 months. Microsoft’s presentation pitched the Xbox One
very cleanly as a next-generation games machine, with barely a mention of
sports, TV, or Kinect to be found. The future is games, Microsoft told us.
Microsoft
opened their briefing via Phil Spencer and the first gameplay showing from
Sledgehammer games and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, It was spectacular and
opened the show with an explosive bang. On the big screen, the demo was heady
enough to feel like a scripted ride through a futuristic city landscape and the
CGI opening blended carefully into the FPS action. Frantic and theatrical, this
showcased COD exactly how the game should be played – just watch the trailer
below.
The
serious gaming tones continued for the next 20 minutes as we got treated to
Forza Horizon 2, Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Evolve brought
the crowd back into live with its now fabled 4v1 hashtag all over the place. Blending
the legendary gameplay that made the Left for Dead series so popular, this
sci-fi spectacle pits for human FPS tacticians against a team of monster – and a
big day giant that is player by another (again see the trailer below).
So
Microsoft were off to a good start but we didn’t see much that we hadn’t really
been anticipating. Sunset Overdrive came in next, and showed off some more of
its wacky, colourful opportunities. Insomniac are great, and have been for a
very long time, so this has been perking the Rajakaru ears ever since it was
announced. And, as if you need the reminder, it’s an Xbox One exclusive – and we
heard this several times during its 5 minutes slot.
Funnily
enough a DLC opportunity probably made the most internet noise with the
announcement of Dead Rising 3’s new bolt on. Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix
Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha, mouthful as it is, brought a great opportunity to
Konami again. Taking a play out of the Blood Dragon playbook this content was
made available immediate (so quickly that I downloaded it before the Project
Spark trailer hit).
Our
next stop, Fable Legends, in a demo from Lionhead that didn’t quite hit its
mark, if only because the promises of all the fun we’ll have in the game seemed
overly earnest in contrast with what we were seeing onscreen. Yes, it’s a slight
quip that I’ll probably regret later but it didn’t hit the right notes for me
personally. See for yourself, below, but I hope come release date that I am
proven wrong, as it’s a great franchise for the publisher.
The
next section I missed, due to train pick up’s, but I’ve since seen Ori and the
Blind Forest. Its an intriguing platformer that shows we can’t hold just Sony
to the dream like titles. This is the sort of game that rarely features at
Microsoft’s pressers, and it’s nice to see the publisher showing a commitment
to this sort of creativity amongst the gun-toting fare and safe-bet sequels.
Perhaps
the least surprising but most satisfying announcement came next in the form of
Halo: The Master Chief collection. We saw glimpses of Halo 5: Guardians (again
in CGI format) but we still came away with something to look forward to this
year from within the rings sci-fi shooter. Firstly, Guardians will have a beta
in December but the real action was in the collection mentioned previously.
Holding the full anniversary edition of Halo: Combat Evolved, a fresh next-gen
anniversary for Halo 2, plus the original offerings (beefed to 1080p and 60fps)
of Halo 3 and 4. This set will feature 100 maps, countless game modes and
enough to keep even the longest serving Master Chief in fully fledged action
until the next ‘original’ instalment hits. Trailer below again for your
perusal.
There
were a couple of blockbuster wins for Microsoft, too. The debut trailer of Rise
of the Tomb Raider, some Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay and a genuinely impressive
look at The Division were all welcome, but it was the announcement of a
re-imagined Phantom Dust and Xbox One exclusive Scalebound from Platinum Games
that are really worth talking about as these are new IPs for the console.
NB - There is a playlist in here if any of you are interested for all the games listed in this article.
Certainly,
it’s nice to see Microsoft signing on the bottom line of a third-party
exclusive contract; they’re an old-fashioned thing, and increasingly rare. A
Platinum Games title alone is a big win for the publisher, let alone one
featuring monster hunting and dragon slaying. Plus the CGI trailer gave us a
look at what we can expect even though we don’t know the exact gameplay
opportunities.
Microsoft
ended their conference not with humbled talky section of yesteryear but with a
goodwill gesture to fans that Crackdown would be returning. It’s been four
whole years since Crackdown 2, which didn’t sell as well as its predecessor,
but it’s a welcome change of landscape to say the least.
All
in all, the American superpower gave all the fans a swansong for all their misdemeanours
last year. It was an assured briefing with a clear message behind it, and
what's more, it felt like the executive committee behind the console were
finally starting to listen to us, the import people, their fans. There was absolutely
no focus on “entertainment” offerings, no vague features and rightly no
straight up apologies. This was about the next 24 months and Microsoft have a
plan to kick Sony right where it hurts – in the new landscape of games.
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