By: Max Cannon
Microsoft kicks off the start of E3's big day of press events. With yesterday's leak of the slimmer Xbox One confirmed we can look forward to seeing some more surprises today. My guess is some Gears of War 4, Crackdown, ReCore, and Sea of Thieves and a new IP that none of us could see coming. Fingers crossed for some Resident Evil 7 as well!
Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox One S
Any new game you pick up that is adorned with the "Xbox Play Anywhere" logo will allow you to pay for the game once and download it to both Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms. This is definitely a strong initiative on Microsoft to unite both their console and PC communities.
That unity is even stronger by linking together all of the online communities. Microsoft announced that Xbox One and PC players will be able to play most games together on a cross-platform network. I'd assume that applies to any game with that "Xbox Play Anywhere" stamp on it.
Also Microsoft announced the Xbox One S, which is a 40% smaller Xbox one with a larger hard drive. Check out their reveal video below.
Gears of War 4 Brings Back the Horde
Horde 3.0 will make its way to Gears of War's new sequel alongside some pretty crazy weather effects. Dynamic storms pound the ground with brutal lightening as shown off during the stage demo, presented by famed voice actor Laura Bailey. While the game looks impressive, the story seems to take an interesting turn with the return of the original trilogy's hero, Marcus Fenix.
In an effort to make sure Gears of War is everywhere, the villain of the first game, Raam, will make his way into Killer Instinct. The free to play fighter will add Raam for free this week but then charge an undetermined amount for the character, I would assume.
An early look at the storm we saw at Microsoft's E3 demo.Courtesy of Game Informer
Forza Horizon 3 Drives Through Australia
Forza Horizon 3 will release very soon on September 27, 2016. An added focus on the social aspects of the game was shown off with a strong focus on the aforementioned cross-platform play. The games focus on Australia takes players to an environment unseen in the series so far.
If you've played the Forza Motorsport series the Horizon spin-off is a little bit different. A focus on open world gameplay and co-op missions shifts the focus in a new direction, I'm looking forward to playing it in the coming months. Check out the new trailer below!
ReCore Is Just a Few Months Away
September 18, 2016 is the release date for Microsoft's exclusive ReCore. The game was originally revealed at last year's E3 and we got our first look at gameplay today. The game seems to be a third person shooter that focuses on carrying a core to different robots. When that core is placed inside the character they awaken and assist you.
The new trailer focused on Mack the dog, Seth the spider, and Duncan the big, buff fighty robot thing. For a deeper look check out the trailer below!
Minecraft: The Friendly Update
A massive update is coming to Minecraft, but not just on Xbox One. You can expect to see this update on the Pocket Editon of Minecraft which is available on iOS and Android. This will allow for cross-platform play and the ability to add texture packs to any version of the game.
John Carmack showed off the game running on his Gear VR while he played with iPad players. Then someone got an Xbox Live achievement on their iPhone! Walls are really being broken down here.
Expect to see Minecraft: The Friendly Update rolling out soon.Courtesy of Mojang
Design Your Own Xbox One Controller
Want a white controller with red buttons? Or a green controller with blue buttons? Want to put your name on it, or better yet, your gamertag? Currently at xbox.com, users can create and customize their very own Xbox controllers.
Cost is around $80 with more money required to add text to the controller. It may be pricey, but man does it look pretty.
Add a little flair to your new Xbox controller with Design Lab.Courtesy of The Verge
Inside From the Creators of Limbo and ID@Xbox
If you haven't played Playdead's classic game Limbo, you've been missing out. Luckily the game has made its way to the Xbox Marketplace for free to hype up audiences about their new game Inside. Inside will release on June 29th and early impressions are very positive.
A quick sizzle reel was played to show off the ID@Xbox games, this including DayZ and Stardew Valley which are both hotly anticipated games to come to consoles.
Inside's release date is only weeks away, a welcome surprise.Courtesy of Playdead
Set Sail With Rare's New Game
From Rare, the team behind Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and Rare Replay, comes an open world, online, pirate game. Originally revealed at last year's E3, Sea of Thieves had a new gameplay trailer to show off. This included ship battles, underwater gameplay, and an always connected world.
The game wasn't given a release date but you can see the gameplay below!
Halo Wars 2 Heads Back To The RTS Series
If you were looking forward to seeing a new first person Halo game than do I have some disappointing news for you. Halo Wars 2 is an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game and a sequel to 2009's Halo Wars. The game is a direct sequel to the original and features the same crew featuring a newer and stronger threat.
A beta was released today and will go all the way to June 20th, so if you'd like to check out the game hop onto Xbox Live and start downloading! We've got a quick look at the trailer below!
An Even More New Xbox Console
That Xbox One S won't be the new console in town for much longer, as earlier rumored Microsoft was indeed working on 2 new consoles. Project Scorpio is coming soon and with it comes the most powerful console of all time, 4K resolutions and a standard 60 frames per second.
The new console will release during the holiday of 2017 and looks to shake up the standard console generation with this quick turnaround. VR is expected to run from the Oculus Rift on the new console, so look forward to a very futuristic new console.
Have Your Say!
Now that the new console is official, do you want it? Will you be picking up a Scorpio or an Xbox One S? What games stood out to you? Comment below!
