Making the Grade — Review of E3's Microsoft Press Conference
Microsoft announced a new model of Xbox 360. This newer slimmer version is made to look like the upcoming Xbox One. And for those that are Xbox Live Gold members, there is good news: the company will bring two games per month, for free. There are still plenty of games still on the way; however the first two known games are Assassin’s Creed 2 and Halo 3. This bonus for Xbox Live Gold members will start July 1st through until Xbox One’s release.
Microsoft really focused on the games, which seems to be a smart move to get gamers excited, but what are the games? There are quite of bit of exclusive games, so here are a few of the games that caught my eye.
Ryse: Son of Rome (Crytek) — from what was shown, the game looks like a hack-and-slash, set during the Roman Empire’s heyday, and it’s very, very pretty. The game was being played by someone on stage, with an Xbox One gamepad. According to Cevat Yarli, from Crytek, he has been trying to make this game for years, but the advanced technology of Xbox One has made it possible to make the game to the best of their abilities.
Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac) — this is a stylized open-world shooter. From a artistic view, the game is very bright and colorful, which is to me is always a breath of fresh air. The content can be changed everyday depending on the wants, needs, and make of the gaming community. It promises to be crazy fun using parkour style mechanics. I’m looking forward to see how this will turn out, and what others think about it.
Quantum Break — This one is very impressive visually; however, I really don’t know what the game is about. From what I got the game is a combination of game play, and the player’s choice. The player’s choices affect how the story unfolds. We will see if there will be more about this game, however it left me confused and wanting to find out more.
Other games that were talked about are: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Minecraft: Xbox One edition, Killer Instincts, Forza 5 (Turn-Ten), Dead Rising 3 (Capcom), The Witcher 3, Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA 14, Gears of War, and many more.
Xbox One is priced at $499, 499€ in Europe and £429 in the U.K. The console is set to release November 2013. Microsoft did also publicize that they are getting rid of their point system and using just dollars now.
Overall I would give the press conference a grade of “C.”
Signing Out.
