Xbox E3 Press Conference Recap
Microsoft's Xbox E3 press conference is over and it's time to recap what went on. There's a lot to cover, so let's jump right into it.
Microsoft's E3 started big this year with a teaser trailer for Halo Infinite. This new entry in the Halo series will feature the brand new Slipspace Engine, which 343 Studios put together specifically for Halo. Check out the trailer here.
Studio Head Chris Lee took to Halo Waypoint, to give a few more details on the game. According to said post, everything shown in the demo was running in the new Slipspace Engine, marking a new direction for where the team want to take Halo. The post also states that 343 heard community feedback about just how much (or how little) time was spent as Master Chief; thus Infinite will star Master Chief for the majority of the game, taking place after Halo 5.
Microsoft teased that there were some Easter eggs in the trailer for those eagle-eyed fans out there, but revealed next to nothing else about the game otherwise. Still, more Halo so get hyped!
Next up, we got a look at Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Besides how beautiful it is, all we know is that it will release sometime next year in 2019. The trailer shows off some gorgeous gameplay, and a lit
Ori and the Will of the Wisps was first revealed on Microsoft's E3 2017 stage, but had gone completeyl quiet since then. Hopefully it'll release before E3 2019.
FROM SOFTWARE followed up with the reveal of what that teaser at the Video Game Awards, "Shadows Die Twice", finally means. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a new game from FROM SOFTWARE and publisher Activision, set in what looks like 15th century Japan.
The original teaser gave us a shot of the protagonist's prosthetic arm and many theories were dreamt up about what the game could be, with Bloodborne 2 topping the list. Now we have some idea of what to expect and when, 2019.
Todd Howard of Bethesda came on next to tell us about Fallout 76. According to Howard, 76 is a prequel to all other Fallout games, and is the "biggest one yet," boasting "four times the size of Fallout 4."
The narrator in the reveal trailer tells us this:
"When the fighting has stopped and the fallout has settled, you must rebuild. Not just walls not just buildings, but hearts and minds, and ultimately, America itself. In Vault 76, our future begins."
Howard also told us the game takes place "in the hills of West Virginia." The player will be one of the first to emerge from a vault into "an untamed and very different wasteland."
Next up, from DONTNOD Entertainment and set in the Life is Strange universe, comes The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. The trailer also showed the game will be "100% free" from June 26.
Being that the game takes place in the Life is Strange universe, there are bound to be some strong family themes. The trailer itself hints at some kind of family tragedy, alcoholism, and a small, lonely boy with a big imagination.
Crackdown 3 returned with another trailer starring the man with all the hype, Terry Crews. Another hyper-energetic trailer this time showing February 2019 as a potential release target.
Nier: Automata BECOME AS GODS Edition announced for Xbox One. The BECOME AS GODS Edition inclues all previously released DLC, including all the pod sins and the uniquely named 3C3C1D119440927 expansion.
The BECOME AS GODS Edition becomes available for Xbox One via the microsoft store on June 26.
Metro Exodus showed off a new trailer featuring the new wasteland, both above ground and below.
After being delayed to Q1 2019 back in May, Metro Exodus finally has a release date: Feb 22, 2019! This will put it on the same day as more than a few others, including EA's Anthem, Microsoft's Crackdown 3, and Sony's Days Gone.
Kingdom Hearts 3 showed off another new trailer, this time confirming a new world. The world we all knew would happen beucase Disney: Frozen! Though, I think it's more likely it'll be called Arendelle in-game.
The trailer also featured characters from Wreck-It-Ralph, Tangled, and Toy Story. The newest theme song, "Don't Think Twice" by fan favorite Utada Hikaru set the tone for the trailer. A release date was recently annouced so we can hope to play Kingdom Hearts on January 29, 2019.
New Sea of Thieves content was shown off. Two new expansions, the Cursed Sails and the Forsaken Shores, are both coming this year. The Cursed Sails are set to release in July while the Forsaken Shores are expected in September.
The Forsaken Shores are described by the seer as "a place of darkness where fire and ash consume all" while the Cursed Sails are skeleton crews rising from the depths of the seas, alongside "an ancient evil set loose upon the sea of Thieves."
Forza Horizon 4 was announced for Xbox One and PC with a simultaneous release on October 2. Horizon 4 will also be a part of Xbox Game Pass at launch.
Developer Playground Games say Forza horizon 4 will have dynamic seasons and a weather system. To show this off, they showed a lake which was frozen when winter came around. This is just one way in which players will have to react to the world as it changes according to the season.
Speaking of Playground Games, Phil Spencer announced that Microsoft has acquired Playground, along with other studios Udead Labs, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion Games. Microsoft also opened a new studio in Santa Monica called The Inititave. Spencer also teased Playground Games working on a new open world adventure.
Compulsion Games might not sound too familiar, but they will soon with the upcoming release of We Happy Few. A new trailer gave us a peek at the new revamps the game has undergone to include more single player campaign elements into the previously social-survival game.
The end of the trailer gave us an August 10 release date. We Happy Few was originally intended to release on PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, though it is unclear fi this will still happen.
A new trailer teasing a new map for PLAYERUNKNOWNS BATTLEGROUNDS was shown off. The trailer teased "SUMMER 2018" possibly pointing to the new map "Sanhok(?)" coming then. The trailer also showed a new "War Mode." War Mode seems reminiscent of other team deathmatch modes, on a larger scale.
The trailer ends with a "WINTER 2018" tease and some footprints in snow, possibly indicating an even newer map taking place in a snowy locale? Only time will tell.
Also announced for Winter 2018 was Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition for Xbox One. As is common (and now expected) in "Definitive" editions, this will include extra content and characters not before seen in the West.
Expect lots of good anime fights this winter, anime fans.
The Division 2 premeired a new trailer on stage. This trailer gave a ton of story details on The Division 2. I won't go into every one of those details, instead you can watch the trailer below.
The "Aftermath" trailer was immediately followed by some gameplay of a squad rolling through Washington D.C., which, once again, sounded too rehearsed and not anything like how any real group of players would talk. Still, the gameplay video is up above, if you want to watch (you do).
Xbox Game Pass was highighted, with Halo: The Master Chief Collection joining the service sometime this year. As for games available today, Fallout 4, The Division, and The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited are all available on Xbox Game Pass right now.
Lara Croft made an appearance as Shadow of the Tomb Raider showed a new trailer, with some new story details.
A trailer for a new game starts up. With some SERIOUS Skate vibes and hip-hop in the background, its a bit of a shock when the title card reads Session.
Black Desert Online showed a trailer and announced a beta will be coming to Xbox One later this year.
Devil May Cry 5 was finally formally announced, after weeks of rumors and leaks. Dante is back with some interesting new tricks and even more interesting new friends. Expect to see it sometime in Spring of next year.
Cuphead got a new expansion and a new friend to tackle it with! Introducing Ms. Chalice! She joins Cuphead and Mugman as they take on "The Delicious Last Course!" Coming sometime in 2019!
TUNIC is an adventure about a small fox in a big (gorgeous) world. Little else was shown or told about this game, so details are a bit scarce.
A new anime crossover fighting game including Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Death note was announced as Jump Force. "Unite to Fight" in 2019.
Thus far only the previously mentionesd series have been confirmed, but there's a lot of time until 2019 so there is plenty of space for roster speculation.
Dying Light 2 got an announcement and gameplay trailers.
There seem to be a lot of choices and consequences in Dying Light 2. It be interesting to see how that spreads itself out.
Battletoads got a small tease and a 2019 release window.
Just Cause 4 got an announcement/gameplay trailer. Revelling in the glory of its destruction, Just Cause 4's trailer is appropriately bombastic. It also gave us a release date: December 4, 2018.
Here's where things got a little weird, starting with Gears POP!, a new mobile game involving the popular (no pun intended) Funko POP! figures. Gears Tactics, a Gears game in the vein of Halo Wars. Rounding out this Gears trifecta is the big one, Gears 5. A cinematic trailer sets the stage fora new adventure centered around Kate.
Closing out the show, after some closing remarks from Phil Spencer about the state of Xbox and the possible future of gaming, CD Projekt Red, the acclaimed developers behind The Witcher series finally shed a little light on their new project which we've ben waiting some years for: Cyberpunk 2077.
