E3 2018 – Microsoft Presentation

 

Like most presentations for E3, this one starts with a trailer for upcoming games. Microsoft opened with an amazing trailer for the upcoming Halo game: Halo Infinite. We got to see the wildlife on one of the Halo rings as well as a shot of a Master Chief, walking in to engage, putting on his helmet. After a shot of Master Chief putting an AI into their helmet, the conference began.

 

Phil Spencer walked out onto the stage. He immediately started talking about Halo Infinite. He addressed it as Master Chief's greatest adventure to save humanity. He took some time to thank those attending via FanFest. Those dollars were being put toward Gamers Outreach, allowing children in hospitals access to consoles so they can play with their friends. He talked about how gaming has become something we all treasure for its stories. He announced for this showcase there will be 50 games, 18 Exclusives for the Xbox, and 15 wold premieres.

 

After that, we got the second trailer: Ori and the Will of the Wisps. We got to see a young owl creature growing and playing with Ori. Ori seems to have learned a number more tricks, becoming more agile and compenent. This game has a release window of 2019.

 

After Ori was a world premiere: Seikiro: Shadows Die Twice, made by From Software. This cinematic showed demons, a little girl, a samurai losing an arm before awakening with a prosthetic and being told that death is not their fate just yet. We get to see the character using a grappling hook to transverse areas quickly, climbing as needed. It does appear that this game will be featuring more aggressive defensive maneuvers as well. We got to see the protagonist fight human, undead, and demonic foes. The aforementioned grappling hook can also be used to quickly grab and rush toward a large opponent as well. This game will be coming in 2019. Every part of this game looks as intense as the Dark Souls series that From Software is known for.

 

We got our next presenter at this point. Todd Howard from Bethesda came out to address the crowd. Behind him you could easily see the TV screen associated with Fallout. His first announcement was that the Xbox Game Pass would be gaining Fallout 4, launching today (June 10^th, 2018). After that, he announced an exclusive first look at Fallout 76. He explained that Fallout 76 is a prequel to every other game in the series and four times the size of Fallout 4. This game is set in the hills of West Virginia. We got to see a lot of the world, some of the new creatures and the landscape itself.

 

Another World Premiere trailer ran after that. This was for the game: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. A Square Enix title, it opened with a snow covered forest we got to pan through. After a cut away or two, we see a small snow topped home which we then go inside. It showed a young boy, Chris, playing with his toys and talking with his teddy bear about the Snowmancer. All this was to show his imagination and the stories that he would be telling. Not too much was said about it beyond it is set in the “Life is Strange” universe. It looks to have some serious elements as well as a lot of heart-warming ones. This game will be available, for free, until June 26^th on Xbox One.

 

An exclusive trailer was next from Microsoft Studioes. This was a trailer for Crackdown 3. This showed off the growing powers of the character. With an ever-changing arsenal of armor, abilities and a shape-shifting car, it looks to be an interesting game. It has a release window of February 2019.

 

The next trailer for was Nier: Automata – Become As Gods Edition. This looks to be getting an Xbox One enhanced version, further improving the graphics for this already amazing game. We just got to see game play showing off those improvements. This version will include all the previously released DLC as well. This is an amazing game and highly recommended if you have not played it before. It has a released date of June 26^th, 2018.

 

 

The next trailer was for Metro: Exodus. It started with “Welcome to the Volga.” We got to see a stronghold and a fair portion of at least one level in the game. We could also see some of the weapon customization offered in the game as well. The player character could access their bag in a calm section of the level and change the set up of their equipped weapon. It looks like this will feature more play above ground than the previous entries in the series have had. There looks to be as much conflict with the world above as with the opposing factions of humanity within Russia. It has a release date of February 22, 2019.

 

Phil Spencer came back on, not on the stage, but in the aisle with the audience. He talked about Metro to begin and what he loved about it. This lead into him announcing the first time that Kingdom Hearts would be on Xbox. Then the trailer ran for Kingdom Hearts 3. This is a long awaited game and it looks to deliver on the promise of the series as a whole. There will be questions answered certainly, but just as many raised. This trailer showed off a new world to the series: Arendelle from Disney's Frozen. We see Sora, Donald, and Goofy fighting the Heartless in this frozen landscape. We get to see the trio meet, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf. We also got to see some of the amusement abilities in play, the D-Links of Wreck-it Ralph and Simba. We also got quick previews of the Tangled world, The Monsters Inc., and Toy Store. The gummy ship looks to be returning, allowing for fighting between the worlds themselves, taking it up against even boss looking creatures. We also see a return to Olympus and seeing Hercules holding up a collapsing building to save people. We set to see a number of returning members of Organization 13. As well as an Evil Aqua. This game has a release date of January 29, 2019.

 

An exclusive trailer ran after that for Sea of Thieves. An oracle is shown looking into an Orb brought in by a Pirate. A new area seems to be coming with undead Pirates and skeleton ships. It lead on with the delightful Rare Humor to round out the trailer. This was to announce the 2 DLCs for the game: Cursed Sails (July) and Forsaken Shores (September).

 

After that was a trailer for Battlefield V. It showed a young woman thrown into the water. We got to see panoramic views of the Norway landscape, close ups of the snow crests boughs of trees, and Nazi soldiers hunting for people. At the end of the trailer, we see the young woman open their eyes.

 

An exclusive world premiere trailer for Forza Horizon 4 ran after that. A sports car is shown zooming through the pastoral landscape. Racing is shown in a variety of locations, weather, and seasons. After that, we show some rally racing in buggies and in a variety of other vehicles. It looks to be a fun take with lots of different conditions and options.

 

After that trailer Ralph Fulton, a Creative Director of Playground Games, came out to address the crowd. He talked about the setting of Forza 4. It is set in beautiful, historic Britain. He explained that the seasons change everything for this game. He reiterated that this game will be a shared open world. From there, he explained how the seasons will change the world. It will make the world more unique. 2 players are shown to use the new quick chat to find a friend to race against. The season will be dynamic and synchronized for all players throughout the world. We also got to see a blimp come into the world to signal the start of a new world event. These will challenge all players within Forza to engage in a task for rewards. This game has a release day of October 2, 2018. It will also launch on the Xbox Game Pass on the same day.

 

Phil Spencer came back on after that to talk about the next game. He talked about the company's commitment to invest into preexisting worlds and searching for new ones to share. He talked about how Microsoft studios created a new branch: the Initiative. He also was welcoming the studio Undead Labs, who are joining Microsoft. He also announced that Microsoft has acquired Playground Games and Ninja Theory. They also announced that Compulsion Games will be joining Microsoft Studios.

 

After that, a trailer started running for “We Happy Few.” We got a better sense of the story from this trailer, with a couple arguing about the truth. They talk about Joy and the fallout from it. We get to see the unique animation style applied to the world. This game has a release date of August 10, 2018.

 

Another exclusive trailer ran after that. This one for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. We got lots of action in this trailer. You see a playing running down the road amid chaos, getting into vehicles and the crazy fighting that is inherent to the Battle Royale style of play. Lots of explosions and chaos to show off the frantic pace of action to this game. It also had the announcement for War Mode tucked into it, with 2 massive teams that would be working together. There will be new places to fight with new weapons and tools. These updates will be out in Winter of 2018.

 

A world premiere trailer ran after that. This was for the updated Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. This adds in the DLC, adds new characters, Voice Over options and a number of improvements over the initial release. This is a great way to get into the Tales series and go through the most recent release with all the formerly Japan Exclusive content. It has a release window of Winter 2018.

 

Another world premiere followed that one. This one is for “The Division 2.” The trailer starts talking about Washington DC. It spoke the virus that ripped through New York and how it took less than a month for Washington DC to fall as well. All the preparations could not stop this disease. It talked about the communities that forced small havens for themselves but are constantly under siege.

 

The trailer then took us into a rain forest. Here, we join a squad of Division Agents as they explore the tropical exhibit of a Zoo. They emerge into the greenhouse itself. There they find a small camp and learn about a group of soldiers that took much needed medicine and most of their drinking water. They mention going to the Sink Hole to regroup. From there, the whole group gathers together and heads to a downed plane. They take on a Heavily armored Boss enemy with a large squad supporting them. We get to see a lot more interesting equipment in play for this game. We got the release date at the end of the trailer as March 15^th, 2019.

 

Ashley Speicher came out to talk about the Xbox Game Pass. She explained that the Game Pass has been to allow gamers to play any of the games that are offered here. It has been very well received. She then said they have been working on speeding up the launching of the games. “Naturally, we are calling it FastStart,” she said. This is based on machine learning, allowing it to learn from how gamers actually play. Apparently the present load technology has a number of manual loadings inside it while this is aided by a more procedural approach. This technology will be coming out with the June Update. She then announced a few games coming to GamePass: Halo: Master Chief Collection (later this year), Forza Horizon 4, and Crackdown 3 (simultaneous with global release). More indie titles and other Microsoft Studio titles are being added all the time. She then revealed 3 games that were added the day of the presentation: The Division, Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 4.

 

A compilation trailer ran after those announcements. Outer Wilds made an appearance with the note it was a console launch exclusive. Afterparty was next with the note it will be available through the Xbox Game Pass. Next was the 8-bit game, Kingdom: Two Crowns. The Golf Club 2019 featuring the PGA Tour got some quick screen time after that. Following that was a preview of Warhammer: Vermintide which was previously shown to be coming with the Game Pass. Next we got a look at the space combat in Fringe Wars. Below, a console launch exclusive was next, letting us see the exploration of the mountain. We then got a look at the frantic combat of Conqueror's Blade, with a horde of Calvary soldiers charging into a castle and other looks at the siege combat. Then we got a look at the exploration of Waking, another Console Launch Exclusive. We see the main character dealing with foes and apparently hugging a specter. The next game was Raji An Ancient Epic. We see the title character running in their world, exploring and fighting monsters. Then we got to see a quick cutscene from Super Meat Boy Forever. Planet Alpha came on next, letting us see more of the platforming at play. We then got a look at the game: Islands of Nyne Battle Royale. Then we got a quick look at the game Sable with its more traditional animation style. The same is said for Harold Halibut A Homemade Adventure Game with its claymation style. Bomber Crew which will be available through the Gamepass got a quick moment as well. We then got a quick look at Children of Morta and the Wind Road, both exploration games. Children of Morta has more an 8-bit appearance while the Wind Road takes us through feudal Japan. Wargroove was next, showing a few modes of play. Generation Zero came up after that, opening with quadrupedal robots running next to a road, through the woods and at least one getting blown up by a person. We got a quick look at Dead Cells as well after that. Ashen, which had been announced for the Game Pass, got some screen time following that, letting us see the game in action as the protagonist fought through shadowy creatures.

 

There was a break after that rapid sequence of trailers before a Square Enix logo came on screen. It was immediately clear this was for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It began with Lara sitting by a camp fire, talking about her journey and a vision she had. This gave us a quick glance at an eclipse and an Aztec style sacrifice. We see Lara in a number of different styles, somewhat implying, much like Rise of the Tomb Raider, will need to manage her attire dependent on the situation. She finds an old obsidian blade that seems to bring her a lot of trouble because Trinity was trailing her. We also see Lara having to deal with getting washed away by a flood tearing through a town. From there, we got a wonderful montage of traps, puzzles, and underwater challenges she will be facing. It ended with the release date of September 14, 2018.

 

We then got another Console Launch Exclusive trailer. For the first time in a while, we were looking at a new Skating game: Session. Set with a hip-hop track, we see the skaters just cruising under a freeway in a skate park, pulling off tricks.

 

Another exclusive trailer showed after that. A woman voice talks about her past 3 lives, living in a simple smithing village, a sorcerous one and her present one. She talks of the world, the Black Stone and power it has. It is revealed that the MMORPG Black Desert beta is coming in Fall 2018.

 

A world premiere trailer ran after that. This was shown with the ingame engine and running in real time. It was clear it was a demon attacking a city full of civilians. A quick cutaway from the introduction showed a van charging in with the words, “Devil May Cry” on its side. It looks to be continuing from the reboot of the series not that long ago. We get to see Dante working with a mechanical arm, fighting through demons and monsters in the chaotic, fast-paced style that we know the series for. It also looks like we will see why Dante lost part of his arm early in the game. This is revealed to be Devil May Cry 5. We got a quick look at the original Dante as well then the release window of Spring 2019.

 

After that trailer, Matt Walker and Hideaki Itsuno came out from Capcom. Itsuno led with that he had been waiting years for this, to announce that DmC is back. Matt took over after Itsuno admitted that English is hard. He started with that it had been 10 years since the release of DmC 4 and that fans had been wanting a true sequel. He stated that they scanned fully costumed models and used that as the base to animate their new characters. It was made for the fans of the series and it will have the tight and precise controls that the series is known for.

 

Another Console Launch exclusive was next. This was a DLC announcement for Cuphead, the indie game that took the world by storm last year. It will feature a new playable character, Ms Chalice. It will be on a new island, with new bosses, charms and much more. This is titled, “Cuphead and the Delicious Last Course.” All we know about the release is that it is coming in 2019.

 

Next was a trailer for a isometric game with a adventuring fox. Done very much in the Zelda style of exploration and dungeons. We got to see some sweeping landscapes for this game and a bit of the combat, with the fox fighting grasshoppers. It also showed the fox dodging a guarding against more aggressive foes. At the end of the trailer, the game is revealed to be Tunic.

 

Phil Spencer came back on to talk about just the reach of games. He talked about the power of the shared gaming experience. This could be with your friends in the same game as you, or those watching you through Mixer. He then announced that the remaining trailers are unique and no one in public has seen them before. The first, Spencer alluded to, was from Bandai Namco.

 

This premiere trailer showed us a a variety of worlds across a number of different properties. This did include a ship from One Piece, and Frieza's space ship. We then get a look at one of the characters, instantly recognizable as Naruto, then Monkey DeLuffy, and then Goku. A shift in perspective and we get to see Frieza himself charge up and unleash a narrow beam that levels buildings. We then see the heroes start to move in and attack the Space Tyrant, complete with Goku going Super Saiyan. Villains and heroes from all those franchises start to appear and start to join into the battle. This game is then revealed to be Jump Force. At the very end we get to see Death Note's Ryuk and Light Yagami before seeing the title and the release window of 2019.

 

Another trailer ran immediately after that. It opened with the quote: “There is nothing permanent except change.” - Heraclitus. A man started narrating, saying it had been 15 years since the fall and that people have been fighting for everything useful within it. In the background we can see the remains of San Francisco, where we see the TransAmerican building working as a Windmill, covered in Solar Panels. We get a little more information on the world after that. Another transition leads us to Paris, with the iconic Arc de Triumph in ruins. From there, we finally get the reveal of the title, “Dying Light 2.”

 

Now, Chris Avellone, the narrative designer, came on stage to talk about Dying Light 2. He talked about this being a bold sequel to the game. It will have an improved parkour system, deep and tactical first person melee combat, and the Infected emerging from the depths of the city to feed on whoever they can find. They refer to the setting of this game as the “Modern Dark Ages.” He went on to say that the choices of the player will have genuine consequences for the game itself. It was made very clear, this will impact the look, feel, and story, all based on what you do. We then got to see a demo of the game, showing off some of these impacts. This game will apparently have its own ecosytem to respond to these elements. We get to see the impact of following through on the mission shown, gving the Peace Keepers (one of numerous factions) access to a water supply. They improve the area but they are very rigid in their approach and enforce their rules and will on everyone in this area. They then show us another approach where you team up with the water merchants to sell it on the black market. We see the gangs and mafia moving into the area. We then got a quick look at what can be seen at night, with an infected horde moving in and one charging in with a scream.

 

The next exclusive premiere did not show much beyond words. After a fairly dramatic reading, a hovering bike smashing into stone that flashes and disappears. From there, we got to see the title, “Battletoads.” We get a few details about it, with the biggest being the body morphing genre mash-ups that the series is known for. It will have 3 player couch co-op, a key feature. It will also have 4k hand-drawn 2.5D graphics. What little we could see was a stronger animation style than what we had seen the Toads appear in before. We do know that the game will release in 2019.

 

The next trailer was another world premiere, for Just Cause 4. A man spoke of being born to fight wars that no one could win, without fear or failure. Rico, from the last Just Cause, must take on the Black Hand and the terrifying thing that they have created. We get to see the grappling hook, the parachute and a wingsuit in play. It definitely looks like it will be as crazy as the last game. It ends with Rico driving a car straight into the manufactured Tornado. This game has a release date of December 8, 2018.

 

Another world premiere trailer ran after that one. Just after the Microsoft studios logo, we got to see the well known red Gears of War symbol. The trailer took a comical twist here, with the character being an animated funko pop figurine, having broken through the wall. Using no dialogue and more grunts and points, a quick scene plays out, with 2 others joining the lead having demolished most of the wall. A trio of bad guys show up that are then quickly blown up with a flying grenade one of the first three launched. This title is revealed to be “Gear Pop”, releasing in 2019.

 

Then another trailer, for Gears of War itself ran. We get to see 2 Gears break off the group to fix things that have happened. We see them head across tundra and into the depths of the underground, searching for where it all began. This is revealed to be Gears of War 5, with a release window of 2019.

 

Phil Spencer came back on stage to start wrapping up the presentation. He told us how many they showcased at this presentation and the freedom that the GamePass offers. He talked about the variety of games that were shown here. He also made mention that the Streaming engineers are working to make console quality gaming available on any device. He then mentioned that hardware engineers are deep into building the next Xbox. They are committed to keep on the cutting edge of gaming and keeping the best experience on Xbox.

 

Just as he was wrapping up, it looked like a hack took place on all the displays. This is quickly revealed to be a final trailer, for CD Projekt Red's upcoming title, Cyberpunk 2077. This was the final premiere trailer of the presentation. We get to see a lot of the work, the wide-spread adopting of cybernetics as well as the stark contrast of the wealthy and the poor. It was an intense trailer with a lot happening in a short period of time.

 

After that, to conclude, we got a recap of the various trailers that we had seen throughout the presenation. Microsoft certainly had a lot to show and did a good job of doing just that.