Microsoft had its big Xbox Games Showcase last night, revealing a ton of games that we’ll be able to play on the upcoming Xbox Series X, which launches this holiday. The battle for the best video games console title is back on as Sony will also be launching a new console, the PS5, this year. So how did Microsoft’s big game showcase go?
Overall it was a decent showing from Microsoft, but one that maybe leaned on CGI trailers too heavily at the expense of showing actual gameplay. CGI trailers are nice for showing the idea of a game, but if Microsoft is expecting people to drop serious cash on its next generation console, the Xbox Series X, this November then it needs to show the games that people will actually be playing.
Despite the heavy CGI element, it was a wonderfully diverse showing of games with something to suit all types of gamers whether you want to shoot aliens, race cars, or solve puzzles.
We also didn’t get a price or release date, though we weren’t expecting that information here. Microsoft and Sony are playing chicken with each other on revealing that info, but one of them will have to crack in August. A November launch is all but certain, but the price is still up in the air.
You can view the showcase over on the Xbox YouTube channel and you can find full details of everything shown over at Xbox Wire, but for those of you that just want a quick rundown of the big reveals, we’ve rounded up the main stuff that was shown. For more information, head on over to the hub page where we cover everything you need to know about Xbox Series X.
Halo Infinite - Holiday 2020
Microsoft’s big gun, Halo Infinite finally got its day in the sun with a brief gameplay reveal which showed the iconic Master Chief doing what he does best - smashing alien faces in. The demo was a sample platter of sorts, showing off some of the various weapons, tools, vehicles, and enemies that you’ll be smashing together when Halo Infinite launches.
There has been some controversy about the graphical style that 343 Industries have gone with on this Halo, as they’ve gone back to the more cartoony stylised look of the original series and away from the hyper realistic look of Halo 5. Regardless, it looks like a ton of fun and a real return to what made Halo so popular in the first place - wide open environments and a toy box of weapons and abilities to let you handle fights the way you want to.
Fable - No release date
The long rumored return of classic RPG series Fable was confirmed, with Playground Games taking the reins as expected. We only saw a CGI trailer here which showed an unfortunate Faerie having a run in with a frog, but at least we know it’s coming. We’re not expecting this anytime soon - Late 2021 at the soonest, 2022 most likely.
Avowed - No release date
Veteran RPG developer Obsidian Entertainment, best known for Fallout New Vegas and last year’s The Outer Worlds announced a new AAA RPG project called Avowed. It’s set in the world of Eora, which means this is technically a spin off of their Pillars of Eternity series of games.
From the CGI trailer we’re expecting this to be something akin to The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim in terms of scope and gameplay - we even saw a skeleton take an arrow, though it wasn’t to the knee.
Forza Motorsport - No release date
The iconic racing series will be returning to Xbox, but that’s about all we know at this point. We got to watch a lovely in-engine trailer and saw some cars whizzing around the track, but again this trailer was a little light on details and didn’t show any actual gameplay. It’s been a few years since Forza 7, so we’re expecting this next year at the latest.
The Medium - Holiday 2020
Things got spooky as we took another look at The Medium, a reality bending horror game from Bloober Team, the developers behind Layers of Fear and Blair Witch. There was some seriously gross imagery here as we saw the unique dual reality system on display - our hero can seamlessly move between the normal world, and a creepy dark version of it to solve puzzles and escape monsters.
There was a ton of other great stuff on display, but we simply can’t cover everything. Jack Black turned up singing an absolute banger for the Psychonauts 2 trailer. State of Decay 3 was announced showing off a zombie reindeer, which is horrific. We’d highly recommend you go check out the show.
