E3, what a magical time. Press conference day is always my favorite, mostly because it's a guaranteed trailer fest. Microsoft brought the heat as the starting pitcher, tossing thirteen trailers our way over the course of an hour and a half. We better get going, this will be a bit of a ride.
Forza Horizon 2 - E3 Trailer
For the love of goodness, this is pretty. Forza has always looked good on the 360, but this is pushing it to a new level. Crazy rain physics, bro. How funny would it be if the weather changed that fast in game? Driving down the street and BOOM the sky turns over to night and it's pouring.
Lots of sweet cars, even more crazy views, and an open world to speed them through. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
Forza Horizon
Xbox One, Xbox 360
Release: 30 Sept 2014
Producer: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Playground Games, Sumo Digital, Turn 10 Studios
Evolve - E3 New Monster Trailer
The worst versus mode in Mario Party plus one. I think the word I'm using for Evolve is curious. It wasn't my favorite trailer of the conference, but it certainly doesn't seem bad in any way. I'd be more confident in my feelings if I knew how the monster played versus being one of the characters. That's really the unknown variable here. Left 4 Dead sure was a playground for co-op, so you have to place a fair amount of trust there.
Evolve
Xbox One, PS4, PC
Release: 21 Oct 2014
Publisher: 2K Studios
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Dragon Age: Inquisition - E3 Trailer
Fluidity is the name of the game in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and boy did everyone have some serious flow to them. Switches to shots of gameplay (which were just barely out-performed visually by the cinematics) were smooth and fun to watch. No matter what path you choose, you will have some serious ass kicking ability in this game.
I'm also starting to think the next generation is going to be defined by the little things that they improve on visually. Some improvements here and there that make a face look more natural, or the way you move with a shield more realistic. Inquisition is a great example of a lot of the little movements looking really great.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PC
Release: 7 Oct 2014
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware
Dead Rising 3 - Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 DLC Trailer
Tofu?? Nice! I love the direction that Capcom has gone in here. As Jalen Rose says: give the people what they want! You have a game that did generally okay on the scale that was the Xbox One launch, but it still is a gorgeous game with a lot of zombies to kill. Bring back old characters, give them Capcom nostalgia-inducing costumes to wear, and make it an arcade add on. I could see people picking up Dead Rising 3 just to get a shot at this. Plus there was a slam-a-lama ding-dong... so... it wins.
Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 DLC
Xbox One
Release: Out Now
Publisher: Capcom, Microsoft Studios
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Project Spark - E3 Trailer
This game has a fantastic attitude. It's all about creation, giving gamers a true sandbox to manipulate and call their own. You can jump into games that your friends have made, and even edit and tweak those, making all of the possibilities pretty endless. Not to mention... CONKER! We haven't seen that little squirrel in a long time and I gotta say, it's good to see him back. Wielding a giant chainsaw. I love video games.
Project Spark
Xbox One, PC
Release: TBA
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Team Dakota
Ori and the Blind Forest - E3 Trailer
This one punched me right in the feels. Proof that 2D side scrollers are going to look every big as good as anything else on this system. Emotional storytelling without ever saying a word. A gimmicky light show at the press conference but damn if it didn't make me FEEL things. You don't need guns to make a great game, and I have a feeling this will be a great game.
*Top 5 Tuesday Nominee*
Ori and the Blind Forest
Xbox One
Release: TBA
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Moon Studios
Halo: The Master Chief Collection - E3 Announcement Trailer
Speaking of great games WITH guns... Haloooooooo! 14-year-old me is drooling at the prospect of playing snipers and shotguns on Lockout. Plus, THAT is what the Halo 2 graphics will look like on the Xbox One. This will be a perfect catch up for those who missed the series (if you're out there... do yourself a favor), along with beta access to Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Xbox One
Release: 11 Nov 2014
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: 343 Industries
Developer: 343 Industries
Inside - E3 Reveal Trailer
Remember Limbo? And how eerie it was? Well, these are the same people who made that game, and they've turned the eerie up to a million. You control a boy again, but instead of a forest, you're in a town. A broken one to say the least; you never quite get an idea of what is going on, but it surely can't be good. It makes me really want to know more, the greatest success a trailer can have.
*Top 5 Tuesday Nominee*
Inside
Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PC
Release: TBA
Publisher: Playdead
Developer: Playdead
Xbox One Indie Game Montage
I'll be quick with this one, since it's more of something you need to watch. Favorites include: Aztez, White Night, Cuphead, and Lifeless Planet.
Rise of the Tomb Raider - E3 2014 Trailer
Snaps for Lara! Screw the man! Like, the establishment man, not the man man. First thought: I need to play the reboot Tomb Raider. Second thought: I also need to play this one. I kind of like that they're having Croft embrace her newfound life as both a raider and a killer, as the traumatic experiences from the first game have brought this beast out from inside her... and she loves it. Fantastic opportunity for Square Enix to really dive deep into the character. This is how she was made.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Xbox One, PS4
Release: Holiday 2015
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Phantom Dust - E3 Trailer
Not gonna lie, I've never even heard of Phantom Dust before. Never having the original xbox (and pretty much only playing Halo 2 with my friends) I missed out on a lot of those exclusives. The original is described as a "pseudo-card-based action/strategy game" where you make decks of skills based on the cards that you collect. The trailer shows action and destruction on an epic scale, I'll be interested to see if the gameplay can match the intensity and gravitas that the trailer provides.
Phantom Dust
Xbox One
Release: TBA
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Scalebound - E3 Trailer
Did... did he just gain that monster's skin as armor when he cut off its limb/tail? If that's a feature of Scalebound... then count me in. Anyways, big monster fighting bigger monster, then an even BIGGER monster appears so you can fight it while riding a dragon. People are so creative these days.
Scalebound
Xbox One
Release: TBA
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Platinum Games
Crackdown - E3 Trailer
Technically the "surprise" announcement of the Xbox presser, Crackdown is getting the next-gen treatment, exclusively for the Xbone. Is this another case of a trailer being bigger than the game? If co-op missions involve the coordination of delivering a truck bomb to the top of a tower via blowing up another building to use as a ramp, I'd have to say that I would want to do that. Very badly.
Crackdown
Xbox One
Release: 2015
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Cloudgine
Sunset Overdrive - E3 Trailer
Best trailer of the Microsoft press conference, by a landslide. It laughs in the face of conventional video gaming (while taking shots at cover systems and war games) while introducing the unique and surprisingly colorful setting. That's the best part of Sunset City; it's the most vibrant zombie-infested area I've ever seen. With zombies becoming a bit of a cliche in the gaming industry, Sunset Overdrive looks to breathe some life (no pun) into the genre. Shabam!
*Top 5 Tuesday Nominee*
Sunset Overdrive
Xbox One
Release: 28 Oct 2014
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Insomniac Games
In Conclusion: Microsoft and Xbox were all about the games this year, and rightfully so. Between Xbox One AAA exclusives, fan-favorite reboots, and a wealth of indie games poised for release, the holiday season should be a busy (and successful) one for the box. E3 is the best.
*Top 5 Tuesday Nominee*
Sunset Overdrive
Xbox One
Release: 28 Oct 2014
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Insomniac Games
In Conclusion: Microsoft and Xbox were all about the games this year, and rightfully so. Between Xbox One AAA exclusives, fan-favorite reboots, and a wealth of indie games poised for release, the holiday season should be a busy (and successful) one for the box. E3 is the best.
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