E3 2014: Press Conferences
With E3 2014: Press Conferences drawing to a close I’m trying to wrap my mind around all the incredible news scattered throughout the day from new games being announced to upcoming console features as next-gen plans start to become more apparent. The best thing about this year’s E3 so far is the focus on showing gameplay footage and not just impressive trailers, and I’m legitimately excited for what’s in store. There were 4 press conferences on Day 1: Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Sony. Microsoft sought to further increase its Indie base while also relying on nostalgia to increase excitement for the Xbox One as a few classic games are being released as remastered. Of course a few exclusives were announced including Scalebound, which features a dragon-riding archer, and Fable Legends, the next iteration in the series. Electronic Arts unveiled footage of its annual releases and threw in a few surprises too. Ubisoft showcased some gameplay from its biggest franchises and always knows how to entertain. Sony revealed some of its exclusives but also showed its hand in pushing for TV programming and game streaming services. Naturally some of the gameplay videos and trailers would overlap so I’ll only list games and videos once even if they were shown at another press conference, and for the games I haven’t posted about before I’ll include a link to my thoughts on it now.
Microsoft
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
What can be said about Call of Duty at this point? It’s an enjoyable series but I’ve come to prefer Battlefield for its multiplayer mode. With that said this gameplay video looks incredible and believe it or not I would actually get this just for its campaign mode.
Forza Horizon 2
Latest iteration in Microsoft’s racing series and somehow looks even more stunning than usual. Hopefully the microtransactions won’t be just as stunning this time.
Evolve
New IP from Left 4 Dead developer featuring 4-player co-op where players hunt an alien monster controlled by a 5th player. Interesting concept but appears to just be a twist on L4D, which could be good or bad depending on your preference.
Sunset Overdrive
Xbox One exclusive set in an open world where you play someone with endless adrenaline and a penchant for violence. Actually it’s set in a world where a contaminated energy drink turned the populace into mutants and you have to take out as many as you can in as many creative ways as possible. Mindless fun? Possibly but might be a blast with friends
Fable Legends
4-player co-op for the classic series and is an Xbox One exclusive. I’m slightly curious about trying it but I’ve soured on the Fable series so I would need to be extremely impressed, and this appears to be more action-oriented so I’m meh on it for now.
Project Spark
Create your own open world and games with this game-making….ah, game. You can download the free beta now to try it out and a familiar face makes an appearance in this video
Ori and the Blind Forest
Not sure what it’s about but watch this riveting trailer and tell me this game doesn’t have you intrigued. Reminiscent of the more recent Child of Light, this platformer is one I definitely want to get
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Complete collection of the Halo series on the Xbox One including digital copy of the upcoming Halo: Nightfall TV series by Ridley Scott and access to the Halo 5:Guardians multiplayer beta
INSIDE
New title from the creators of Limbo and looks just as creepy, although slightly more colorful, and the gameplay and ambiance looks great here. Definitely want to know more about this one
Rise of the Tomb Raider
We all knew it was coming eventually but that didn’t make the announcement of a sequel to the Tomb Raider reboot any less thrilling. No gameplay was shown but the setup in the trailer makes it seem the story will be even better this time around with an even tougher Lara.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Loved the gameplay video showing the open world, and the ability to track creatures while coming across random encounters. Graphics look stunning, as expected, and there’s no way my excitement for this game could be even higher.
Phantom Dust
Reboot of the classic action/strategy game released on the original Xbox featuring humans who are capable of controlling a mysterious dust engulfing the planet. No game play was shown but as one who’s nostalgic for turn-based RPGs this might be the closest thing to it so my interest is high.
ScaleBound
Xbox One exclusive that casts you as an adventurer who has to form a bond and tame his dragon to defeat a powerful evil. As a fan of fantasy games this is intriguing but haven’t seen any gameplay to determine how intriguing it actually is.
Crackdown
Xbox One exclusive featuring explosions, big guns and…more explosions. Open-world shooter that allows you to play co-op where you presumably will have to take down crime lords once again. Not at the top of my list of must-buys but looks like it’ll be a lot of fun and so I’m definitely keeping my eye on this.
Impressed, underwhelmed, or is the verdict still out for you for Microsoft?
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