Xbox fans finally got a long-awaited look at the console’s upcoming games.
After Sony’s summer offering was widely seen as a disappointment, Microsoft’s expectations were cautious.
It’s been a tumultuous year with the high-profile fight over Activision Blizzard’s acquisition and the disastrous release of Redfall.
But the overall verdict seems to be that he put on a pretty good show.
“Oh, we’re finally doing it, aren’t we?”
Fans got their first look at the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) update, Fable, thanks to a two-minute trailer featuring giant Richard Ayoade.
The show’s trademark British humor seemed set in the same world as its prequels.
There was also a good mix of third-party games.
The biggest was probably the reveal of the multi-format open-world title Star Wars: Outlaw.
And then there was Starfield, the Triple-A RPG from Elder Scrolls studio Bethesda, which had its own hour-long demo.
Starfield
Billed as Microsoft’s biggest release in a long time, the planet-hopping RPG promises players an entire galaxy to explore.
Bethesda showed off a variety of mechanics, such as different play styles and a ship-building system.
People were impressed by the sheer size of Starfield, with The Guardian calling it a “supermassive black hole of a game,” although some fans were worried they wouldn’t have time to play.
Director Todd Howard said the game’s level of detail means it will be captured at 30 frames per second on both Xbox versions.
And some will have mixed feelings about the news that the Elder Scrolls creator has resurrected one of the “annoying” characters for his space odyssey.
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It would be unreasonable to expect any showcase to be filled with big reveals, and several expansions for existing games have been announced.
Fallout 76: Atlantic City, Overwatch 2: Invasion and Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom were featured.
The Monkey Island add-on for the popular online pirate Sea of ​​Thieves was also announced, perhaps the biggest “we didn’t know we needed this” announcement of the night.
And the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty update was introduced with a recorded message from Keanu Reeves.
The promotion for the original game wasn’t as breathtaking as its E3 appearance, but many supported it.
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One of the main complaints, if you can call it that, was that many of the games teased on Sunday will not be released until at least next year, as Eurogamer pointed out.
A couple, including Fable, have not given a release date.
And there was some grumbling about the Hellblade II trailer showing no gameplay.
But if there was a Metacritic page for Microsoft in 2023. for the demonstration, it would probably be said that the exhibition received “generally favorable” reviews.
And even PlayStation fan site Push Square was among those who recognized it as “probably the strongest Xbox Showcase in recent memory.”
Microsoft still has hurdles to clear in its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and the PS5 remains the best-selling console.
Still, it’s clear he has big plans for the game, so the big green machine is worth keeping an eye on.
Microsoft has collected all of its demo trailers on your website.
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