June 11, 2017, 2:00 PM PT
Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA
Xbox One X
The biggest news of the Xbox conference was the final reveal of Project Scorpio. Now known as the Xbox One X, this represents Microsoft's take on the "enhanced" console generation we've already seen with the PlayStation 4 Pro. In comparison to the Pro, the Xbox One X represents a fairly dramatic leap in power. It's a heck of a lot stronger than the original Xbox One and the PS4 pro, with 12 GB GDDR5 RAM, eight custom x36 cores at 2.3GHz, liquid cooling units, and countless other widgets and bits that basically sum up to "a whole bunch more power."
However, this isn't a new console at all but an upgrade to the original Xbox One. As such, there isn't going to be any split-generation gaming. All Xbox One games should work on all Xbox Ones, though games will run better on the Xbox One X. Their targeted goal is 4K gaming at 60FPS for all titles on the Xbox One X, but we'll see how that pans out in the final version. At a bare minimum, you can expect significant improvements to both new and existing games. Older titles like Gears of War 4 or Final Fantasy XV will get patches to bring their resolutions up to 4K, rather like you saw with patches for the PS4 Pro. The Xbox One X will launch in November for the retail price of $499.
Xbox
According to Microsoft, Xbox 360 backward compatibility has been a huge success, and they intend to build on that. In addition to further improving the Xbox One/Xbox 360 backward compatibility library, they also plan to expand it, including backward compatibility for original Xbox titles. The example given in the presentation was cult favorite Crimson Skies, though we can expect quite a few more to be announced.
Anthem
Originally announced yesterday at Electronic Art's press conference, Anthem is the newest game from Bioware. On the surface, it seems like a combination of Destiny and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Players are in the role of a freelancer in the otherworldly city of Fort Tarsis. Their goal is to don powered exosuits called Javelins and take them out to smash baddies and earn loot.
What we saw of the game looked interest. Javelins seem extremely mobile and are capable of unassisted flight using jetpacks mounted to their back. The unit used by the demo character, the Ranger, is an all-around unit that is capable of high-mobility movement and the use of machine guns and missile launchers. We also got a glimpse of the Colossus, a much heavier and bulkier Javelin that seems custom-tailored for smashing and bashing.
What little we saw of the gameplay certainly looked familiar. It's an open world, with drop-in cooperative multiplayer where people can take their Freelancers and go on quests. This includes quests given by quest-givers in Fort Tarsis and random environmental quests scattered throughout the world. It also means precious loot hunting. We saw our viewpoint Freelancer find a rare gun after finishing a quest. All in all, it looks like EA's attempt to take on Destiny. It should be interesting to see more of it when 2018 rolls around.
New Games
The Microsoft conference didn't have much in the way of unexpected stunners, but we saw a few cool new games. The latest entry in the Metro franchise, Metro: Exodus was one of the first games shown on the Xbox One X. It looks phenomenal and has the same general tone and feel as the previous games. We saw a protagonist sneak through a foul-looking underground before emerging in a ruined village where they were promptly set upon by terrible monsters and forced to fight back using a jerry-rigged crossbow. It was a short but sweet trailer and looked awesome.
Forza made its yearly return in the form of Forza 7. Like all the previous Forza games, it's based on high-speed racing and features cars from a number of popular manufacturers, something they showed off by debuting a new Porsche supercar at the show itself. The focus on the gameplay presentation was Forza's 4K/60FPS visuals, which certainly looked stunning. The franchise is consistently one of the prettiest-looking games out there.
Indie and Cross-Platform Titles
A large portion of the presentation was taken up by Microsoft's confirmation that they're interested in bringing both previously PC-exclusive and lesser-known titles to the Xbox One. We saw a number of "console launch exclusive" games ranging from niche indie titles to the massively popular Battlegrounds, all of which will be coming to the Xbox One in the next year or so. There weren't many surprises here, but there were a few delightful ones. Ori and the Blind Forest will be getting a sequel in the form of Ori and the Will of the Whisps.
There were dozens of indie games on display, ranging from MMOs like Black Desert to follow-ups to classics like State of Decay 2. The latter is looking quite interesting, with a heavy focus on cooperative play between different characters. Even the long-awaited Cuphead made a brief showing to confirm it will finally be releasing this September.
Cross-Platform Titles
In addition to the exclusives, we saw a healthy helping of cross-platform titles. While Microsoft has frequently lagged a bit behind on Japanese games, it put a good dose of them front-and-center for this showing. It opened with Dragonball Fighters Z, a new 2.5D fighting game from ArkSys that was probably the most visually striking game at the conference. We saw some other Japanese games, such as Bandai-Namco's Code Vein, a Dark Souls-style game from the creators of God Eater. Square Enix's cult hit Life is Strange will be getting a prequel that follows popular character Chloe before the events of the original.
There were plenty of non-Japanese titles as well. Assassin's Creed Origins goes back in time to ancient Egypt to show the origin of the assassin's order. It seems like it's going back to basics with a focus on assassination, combat and parkour The trailer confirms a loot drop system and a new gameplay mechanic where your protagonist uses a pet eagle to scout and mark targets.
The other big star of the multi-platform show was Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the follow-up to Shadow of Mordor. Continuing where the first game left off, Shadow of War allows the players to go into Mordor and take on the dark lord Sauron with an army of orcs. The trailer was brief on info but promised a new and expanded Nemesis system, with more complex Orc interactions and a more in-depth army-building mechanic. Look forward to hearing more about this game once the show starts.
Minecraft
The world's biggest game was shown, though compared to previous years, it was fairly slim. Minecraft will be getting an update that allows for cross-play between all consoles and mobile devices. (It was a surreal moment when a Nintendo Switch showed up at the Microsoft press conference.) This will also include improvements to skins and available textures. Most noteworthy is the Super Duper Graphics Pack, which gives Minecraft a shiny 4K makeover.
Returning Favorites
The press conference wasn't heavy on new details, but we saw updated glimpses of previously announced games from earlier years. Sea of Thieves has come a long way from its basic presentation last year. Combat and loot-finding have been implemented more fully, allowing players to go into skeleton-filled caves and follow treasure hints for a chance to find boxes full of precious loot. We also saw players literally fire one another out of cannons to reach places faster, including the viewpoint character shooting themselves at an enemy ship as part of a boarding attempt. The attempt was almost successful, if you ignore the part where he was eaten by a shark.
Crackdown 3 got a new trailer hosted by everyone's favorite Terry Crews, who appears in the game as Commander Jaxon. Crackdown 3 follows the previous game's style of putting you in the role of a super-powered cop who fights crime primarily in the language of explosions and bigger explosions. All of the classic Crackdown mechanics are there, from huge weapons, to throwing cars, to collecting orbs for power-ups.
Summary
All in all, Microsoft's press conference was light on surprises but heavy on content. It showed over 40 games that are coming to the Xbox in upcoming months. In addition, we got a lot of info on future plans for the Xbox One, including the Xbox One X and improved backward compatibility. There were no huge, mind-blowing reveals this year, but it's clear Microsoft is focusing on filling out the Xbox One's lineup with both exclusives and new games. Fans may be disappointed in the lack of megaton reveals, but if this conference is anything to go by, there's a lot to look forward to in the upcoming years.