E3 2015 Rundown – Microsoft Press Conference
Industry Event: E3 2015
Publisher: Microsoft
Platform: XBox One, XBox 360
Kicking off E3 this year is Microsoft – jam packed with exclusives, and with a lot more information on new accessories and tech, Microsoft had what would be classed as an excellent conference this year.
In case you missed it, here’s what appeared:
Halo 5: Guardians
RELEASE – October 27 2015
Anyone who’s had anything to do with games knows about the massive Halo franchise, and the fifth installment teaser trailer had the crowd at E3 hollering – Microsoft’s first big hitter for XBOX took the stage on opening, with two trailers – one showcasing 6 minutes of gameplay from Campaign, and the other showing off a new multiplayer mode, titled “Warzone”.
ReCore
RELEASE – TBA
MS Studios and Armature, the creators of the Metroid Prime Saga for Nintendo, team up in this XBOX exclusive game. Combining a unique art style, elements of action-adventure and gorgeous visuals into an emotional story, ReCore looks like one to watch.
XBOX Elite Controller
RELEASE – October 2015
Microsoft’s latest gadget for both XBox One and Windows 10 gives more power and precision to players of their systems – almost every paddle, button, joystick and trigger has customization options, as well as various other finicky locks and chocks.
The new Elite Controller comes with a hefty price tag of $150 – but if you’re a pro gamer with a love of precision and a fad for customization, you’re probably going to want this, right?
Backwards Compatibility
A whole new world of gaming has been opened up to XBOX fans – anyone who owned a 360 and still has some of their favourite discs can now natively play them on their XBOX One. Head of XBOX Phil Spencer was delighted to relay this news to the E3 audience, opening up 5k+ of the XBOX 360 library for play on the new system. Now, anyone who shouts “I have nothing to play” have no excuse. Retail discs will work on the system, meaning that players won’t have to pay twice for titles they already own. 100 titles will be released this holiday, with more being added at a later date.
Fallout 4
RELEASE – November 10 2015
If you’ve been following news of E3 this year, you’d have known that Bethesda had gotten their own slot in E3’s expo – and for first timers, they did a fantastic job. Fallout 4 is happening folks.
Todd Howard claims that Fallout 4 is “the most ambitious game world that Bethesda has ever created”.
Add onto that the option of modding Fallout 4 with builds from PC versions transferable to XBOX, and you’re onto a winner.
EA Access Vault
Play First, Play more, Play for less – Peter Moore jumps in to speak a little more about EA’s new service, EA access vault on XBOX ONE. Play the best of EA for $5 a month, including titles from XBOX 360. Members get to play new titles earlier than everyone else, including upcoming titles such as Need for Speed and Madden NFL 2016.
Titanfall and Dragon Age: Inquisition will be some of the big name titles joining the vault – and any XBox Live Gold members get to play as much as they like – for free – all the week of E3, if they download the EA Access app on their machine.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
RELEASE – Spring 2016
All the craziness that was packed into the first Plants vs Zombies comes back with twice the fun in the sequel, with some new gameplay modes, including a new 4 player co-op mode, “Graveyard Ops”, which introduces 4 new classes with loads of different abilities. A ton of fun all around.
Forza 6
RELEASE – September 15th
Forza 6 was brought to life with a car drop of the newest Ford GT, set to race in 2016 Le Mans, and to introduce the game, Henry Ford the 3rd from Ford Moptor Companies and Dan Greenawalt, Creative Director of Turn10 studios, even before the trailer started. And my word, what a trailer.
Dark Souls 3
RELEASE – TBA
-World Premiere-
Bandai Namco and FromSoftware are grinding the machine gears with yet another Dark Souls in production – and this one looks even more spectacular and gruesome than before. Haunting music and gorgeous archaic structures packed into the trailer make this game a part of my watch list.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
RELEASE – (Beta) 15 June 2015
-World Premiere-
Previewed at E3 last year, Ubisoft are inching closer to competing The Division, and this year, we got much more insight as to what the game is about – and it sounds promising. Set in New York, a weaponized virus tears civilization as we know it apart. This turbulent state of affairs give rise to The Division, who fight to take back a devastated and chaotic NYC.
Rainbow SIX: Siege
RELEASE – 13 October 2015
Rainbow SIX: Siege trailer shows a team of gamers select CTU Operators and coordinate their plan of attack in a 5v5, PVP multiplayer battle to secure the objective. In addition to showing the 5v5 trailer, Rainbow Six Siege will come bundled with Vegas & Vegas 2 free when it releases, thanks to Backwards compatibility.
Gigantic
RELEASE – (Beta) Aug 2015 – FREE TO PLAY
Gigantic previewed at E3 as a Free-To-Play shooter MOBA where heroes battle alongside a giant guardian to claim victory and reign supreme. The game is opening for sign-up Beta in August, so get your name in quick if you’re interested – it looks like one hell of a fun game.
XBox Indie Games – ID@XBOX Montage
Thanks to ID@Xbox, Independent developers have a fighting chance of getting their games onto the market, and they’re not to be sniffed at – check out the montage, and the videos below for a huge array of Indie talent.
Tacoma
RELEASE – 2016
Tacoma comes from the creators of “Gone Home”, and puts you in the shoes of Any Ferrier, on board the Lunar Transfer Station Tacoma and its crew, living at the edge of humanity’s reach. It will be first on console for Xbox One.
Ashen
RELEASE – TBA
Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place called home, which is coming to XBOX and PC.
Beyond Eyes
RELEASE – Summer 2015
A charming and beautifully illustrated game from Tiger & Squid and Team 17, Beyond Eyes follows the story of a young girl named Rae on a journey to find a missing friend, without her eyesight. First to Console on XBOX One, the game will also get a release on PC
Cuphead
RELEASE – 2016
Cuphead is a blast to the past in art style, it’s inspired by 1930’s cartoons, and looks absolutely fantastic – all the visuals are hand drawn and inked – as well as the music being original jazz recordings. A 2D run-and-gun sidescroller with a lot of potential.
ION
RELEASE – TBA (Game Preview Program)
From the creators of Day-Z comes ION, which is inspired by the cult classic “Space Station 13” – a huge MMO game in which players will build live in, and probably die, as they exist in large constructions floating in space, as humanity makes the first steps of sending colonies into the universe. It comes first to XBox One and PC in the Game Preview Program.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
RELEASE – November 10, 2015
My favourite release this year, Square Enix Crystal Dynamics release one of the most anticipated titles, Rise of the Tomb Raider. Camilla Luddington reprises her role as Lara Croft, as she journeys to unravel the mystery of a lost city, hidden away in an unforgiving mountain landscape, in order to discover the secret to immortality.
The game will release for both XBOX One and XBOX 360.
Rare Replay
RELEASE – August 4 2015
Rare’s immortal library of fantastic games from consoles past are given another chance for glory in Rare Replay, 30 games for $30, which includes Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Conkers’ Bad Fur Day, Killer Instinct, Blast Corps, and my favourite, Perfect Dark, among it’s arsenal.
Sea of Thieves
RELEASE – TBA
Rare are back, and personally, as one of my favourite developers, I can’t wait to see what this title has got. Rare showed off an all new project at E3 – Sea of Thieves puts players in first person exploration of the high seas as swashbuckling pirates – cannon fire dog fights with other ships, treasure hunting and walking the plank all come as standard, of course.
Fable Legends
RELEASE – TBA
Fable is the next adventure in the famous series, being free to play and cross-device multiplayer available for Xbox players and Windows 10 users.
Minecraft Hololens
Kuno Tsunoda introduced Lydia Winters, Brand Director of Mojang, who hosted an amazing demo of the Micorsoft Hololens, where an entire Minecraft 3D world mapped itself out on a table top – one that could only be seen with the help of a magic camera, or through the Hololens, and could be interacted with by hand and voice control. I’m not going to say the folks behind Hololens and Mojang are magicians, but they’re pretty darn close.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition & Gears 4
RELEASE – (Ultimate Edition BETA – August 25th) (Gears 4 – Winter 2016)
-World Premiere-
XBOX Exclusive Gears of War had it’s world reveal, and closed Microsofts’ Press Conference this year. Along with Gears 4, a Gears of War Ultimate Edition was announced. Microsoft Vancouver’s “The Coalition” took over the remaster of the first 3, rebuilding the games from scratch, and throwing new content in as it makes its way to a new home on Xbox One. Ultimate Edition will also include Gears 4 early Beta access.
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