If there is one thing that can be taken away from Microsoft’s presentation at this year’s E3, it’s this: the day of Xbox exclusive games are truly behind us. Why do I say that? Because of all the games that were shown off during the entire duration of the presentation, almost all of them will be available for Windows 10 as well. While I would like to go into a deeper discussion as to whether or not Microsoft has just made the Xbox redundant with this move, that is a story better suited for a later date. For now, here’s a quick rundown as to most (if not all) the things that Microsoft showcased at E3 this year.
Xbox One S
As mentioned is previous posts, Microsoft will be introducing a smaller version of the Xbox One console in August this year. Retailing for USD 299, the Xbox One S will sport a bigger hard drive, support 4K and HDR, and will come with a redesigned controller. It is highly unlikely that Microsoft will officially be bringing in the console to Malaysia, but one can always dream.
Gears Of War 4
Gears Of War is no longer an Xbox exclusive! Gears Of War 4 will be the first Xbox game to support the Play Anywhere system. Basically, if you were to buy a digital version of Gears Of War 4 for your Xbox One, you will be able to gain access to the game on Windows PC. Cross-platform play will also be supported, with Xbox One and PC players being able to play together in various modes such as the new Horde 3.0 co-op mode. Gears Of War 4 will also be getting its own Xbox Elite Controllers, for those who like the full Gears Of War 4 experience.
Forza Horizon 3
Have you ever played a Forza game and wished that you could race against someone on the PC? On Forza Horizon 3, you can do just that as the game will be introducing cross-play functionality between the Xbox One and Windows PC. Forza Horizon 3 will also allow players to join a session without needing to first quit the game. Upon accepting an invite to join a session, the game will immediately sync up with the host, causing the time and the weather to change according to the host’s game.
Killer Instinct
Do you like new characters? Because Killer Instinct will be receiving a new character, and said character is Gears Of War’s own General Raam. The character will be available on both the Xbox One and Windows PC.
Xbox Live
A bunch of new features are coming to Xbox Live and some of those features are rather interesting. One of the more interesting features that will be coming to Xbox Live is Language Region Independence, which allows you play in the language you want anywhere and not having it been fixed to the language of a particular locale. Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, will also be coming (or should we say returning) to Xbox Live.
Community groups will be coming to Xbox Live through Clubs, and if you’re a gamer looking for someone to play with, the aptly-named Looking for Group feature will be coming to Xbox Live as well. Finally, if you’re the kind of guy who enjoys competition, Microsoft will be implementing Arena for Xbox Live. This feature would allow you to host tournaments of your own on Xbox Live, complete with tournament brackets and other convenient tools. Of course, Arena will also be available for game developers, allowing them to create their own tournaments. Microsoft has announced that EA Sports titles such as FIFA will be implementing Arena support in future installments.
Indie Titles
Indie titles aren’t neglected at Microsoft’s conference as the company took the time to reveal a new game by the creators of Limbo, titled Inside. Besides that, Microsoft took the time to demo a game titled ‘We Happy Few’ live onstage. Apart from that, a quick trailer was put together to showcase some of the indie games that will be coming to the Xbox One. Titles include Yooka-Laylee, Slime Rancher, Day Z, and more.
Gwent
Quick question, what does Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls and The Witcher have in common? If you answered that it had their own card game spin-off, you’re right on the money! Much like Hearthstone and The Elder Scrolls Legends, Gwent is a card game that will see two players duel it out on the table with their pre-made or self-crafted decks. The game will be available on both the Xbox One and Windows PC with crossplay supported.
Tekken 7
Is Street Fighter V not enough to satiate your need for fighting games? Well, you’ll have yet another game to choose from as Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7 will be making its way to the Xbox One. While Tekken 7 won’t be available until early 2017, Bandai Namco will be making Tekken Tag Tournament 2 available for free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers for a week, starting from today.
Scalebound
Remember Scalebound? Platinum Games’ newest IP? Well, Hideki Kamiya was on stage to give a demo of the co-op section of the game, featuring what Kamiya refers to as ‘the biggest bossfight that Platinum Games’ has ever created.’ If the demo is anything to go by, it seems that Scalebound will allow up to four players to co-operate. Scalebound will be available on both the Xbox One and Windows PC in 2017.
Sea Of Thieves
After being silent for a relatively long time, Rare is back and they’ve brought their newest IP with the to E3: Sea Of Thieves. Available on both Xbox One and Windows 10, Sea Of Thieves appears to be a co-op game where a you and three others become pirates. In the game, you’ll steer your ship, disembark onto the shores and engage in high seas cannonfights with other ships.
Halo Wars 2
It wouldn’t be a Microsoft E3 presentation if there was no mentioned of Halo. This year though, the Halo announcement has nothing to do with the shooter; it has to do with the RTS. Available for both Xbox One and Windows PC, Halo Wars 2 will take place at a location known as The Ark and players will be introduced to a new Covenant faction called the Banished. If you want to have a quick taste of Halo Wars 2, an open beta will be available for the game starting from today.
Project Scorpio
It’s official, Microsoft has revealed that the upcoming Xbox, codenamed Project Scorpio, is a real thing. Scheduled for release during Holiday 2017, Project Scorpio will come with 8 CPU cores, 320GB of memory bandwidth per second, and a 6TFLOP GPU. The console itself is, in Microsoft’s own words, “designed to move the gaming industry into 4K gaming and high quality VR.” While nothing else about the Scorpio is known just yet, Microsoft has confirmed that accessories and games on the existing Xbox One and Xbox One S will be compatible with Scorpio.