E3 Recap: Xbox
The stage was set for Xbox to crush it at E3 this year. With PlayStation sitting this E3 out, Xbox had all eyes on them to deliver a killer E3 conference. Xbox showcased over 60 games in a long hour and a half press conference. From Keanu Reeves to LEGO Forza, here is a recap of what Xbox had to show at E3 2019.
Cyberpunk 2077
One of the most highly anticipated games of the decade had a new cinematic trailer at Xbox’s conference. The trailer gave a quick look at what leading a life of crime is like in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. There were no major story beats revealed, except for one of the most breathtaking E3 reveals of all time: Keanu Reeves.
Project Scarlett
At the end of the show, Phil Spencer and Xbox showed a brief video about Project Scarlett. The next generation console is going to be 4x more powerful than the Xbox One X, the current most powerful console available. The console will be able to run 8K visuals, and load times will be a thing of the past. The powerhouse console will be out Holiday 2020.
Xbox Game Pass for PC
Obviously, Xbox was going to talk about one of the best services in video games: Xbox Games Pass. The new Xbox app is now available for beta on PC which gives PC players access to a library of over 100 games. Xbox also announced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This version of Game Pass comes with Xbox Live Gold as well as Xbox Game pass for both Xbox and PC.
The Streaming Future
Spencer came out to talk about the near future of playing games wherever you want. He announced that players will be able to participate in a preview starting October 2019 which will allow them to stream games anywhere on Game Pass. You can use Xbox’s cloud servers or use your own Xbox as a server. Fans attending at E3 will be able to try streaming games like Halo 5: Guardians and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice this week.
Double Fine Productions
Spencer announced that Xbox had added Double Fine Productions to Xbox Games Studios. Of course, he was wearing a Psychonauts shirt to celebrate and tease the announcement. Tim Schafer came on stage to help Spencer with the announcement. Schafer was as funny as he always is and he gave us a new trailer for Psychonauts 2. While Psychonauts 2 will still be out on PS4, PC and Linux, expect future Double Fine games to be Xbox exclusives.
New Elite Controller
Xbox announced the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. The controller, influenced by fan feedback, gives players tons of customization options. You can even have up to three presets for different games. The new Elite controller will be out November 4 for $179.99.
Bleeding Edge
Ninja Theory’s new Xbox exclusive combines third-person melee combat with online co-op multiplayer. Bleeding Edge looks like Rage 2 and Overwatch had a baby. The game looks fast and fun, and it will be interesting to see how Ninja Theory tackles an online multiplayer game. Ninja Theory is best known for single player treasures such as Heavenly Sword, Devil May Cry and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Gears and Halo
Halo: Infinite and Gears of War 5 both made highly anticipated appearances. Unfortunately, neither game gave us that much to get excited about.
A teaser for Gears of War 5 set to the tune of “Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish showed various characters from the series, but really didn’t do anything except take up time. Xbox also announced the new co-op game mode called Escape. The new mode is a fast-paced 3-player mode where players exterminate hives from within.
A new cinematic trailer for Halo: Infinite also made an appearance. One of the biggest takeaways fans had from the trailer is that the Master Chief suit doesn’t look as good as it used to. Many Halo fans on Twitter said the suit needs a Tony Stark-level upgrade. Fans will be able to play Halo: Infinite when it releases alongside Project Scarlett in 2020.
LEGO Star Wars
One of the most anticipated announcements from one of the most beloved series in video games happened. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will include all nine movies in the Skywalker Saga. There is no release date for the game yet, but fans of LEGO Star Wars have been dreaming of this announcement for years.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A trailer for the next game in the Ori franchise showed off some intense moments players will get to experience in the game. The trailer looked great, and players will be able to play the game February 11, 2020.
Elden Ring
The rumored collaboration of From Software and George R.R. Martin had a trailer during the press conference. The trailer did not show gameplay nor did it give much information on the lore of this new world. The trailer was dark, and it looked like what you would expect from a collaboration like this.
Tons of Games
In addition to everything else in this recap, Xbox showed off tons of other games. Games like The Outer Worlds, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, Blair Witch, Phantasy Star Online, Battletoads, Twelve Minutes, Wasteland 3 and more made appearances. Most of the games shown at Xbox’s E3 press conference are expected to release in 2020 and are not Xbox exclusives.
If you want to check out everything that happened at Xbox’s E3, check out Xbox’s official recap.
