E3 2014 – Microsoft Xbox One
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, started off the Xbox panel at E3 2014 and mentioned that the people at Xbox “are committed to delivering amazing experiences that will help define this generation of games and delight the millions of passionate Xbox fans around the world.” It is thanks to these passionate Xbox fans who express themselves so well that Xbox delivers new features and updates monthly. Starting today, gamers will be able to get their hands on a Kinect-free Xbox One for a suggested retail price of $399. Of course, you will still be able to get an Xbox One with Kinect if that is what your heart truly desires. Additionally, Xbox One will feature Free to Play games such as Happy Wars, which is known from the Xbox 360. Those who enjoyed the iOS puzzler Threes! will be able to puzzle even more as it is coming to the next-gen console.
Other than Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Sunset Overdrive and the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the Xbox E3 2014 panel showed us many more games and eventually delivered a spectacular games lineup for the Xbox One.
Let’s start with the Forza series. Firstly, Forza 5 will feature the Nurburgring since today, completely free of charge. Next up is Forza Horizon 2 that will become available end of September. The racing game will feature over 200 slick cars, realistic dramatic weather atmospheres, seamless multiplayer, thousand player car clubs and an open world freedom to race in. Forza Horizon 2 will run in 1080p. If you have drivatars from Forza 5, you will be able to carry these over to Forza Horizon 2. This should make your already racing heart beat even faster.
Our next game is from the creators of Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock Studios, who are bringing us yet another multiplayer shooter, namely Evolve. Four Hunters will face a single player-controller Monster in action packed four-versus-one matches. You can choose one out of four classes, namely Trapper, Support, Assault and Medic and team up to take down this beast or you can choose to play as the beast itself using savage abilities to annihilate your human opponents. Leveling up will unlock new Hunter or Monster characters, upgrades, skins and perks.
Another big title is Assassin’s Creed Unity which will be the seventh game in the series. Set in Paris, during the French revolution you are playing as Arno, a new type of assassin with new combat skills and an improved stealth gameplay. In the newest installment of the AC series, you can opt to play the solo campaign or play in a four player co-op via Xbox Live. This is the first time ever in the AC series that a co-op mode is available in campaign and it certainly looks incredibly fun to do.
Dragon Age: Inquisition from BioWare is set in the land of Thedas. Due to a cataclysmic event, the world is doomed and it is up to you and your party of heroes to bring back peace as you lead the Inquisition. Dragon Age: Inquisition is set to release on October 7th, 2014.
Capcom has made it their mission to release a game with such a long title that it will be hard to remember it at all. Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition is available for download starting today and is a four player co-op arcade made for Dead Rising 3.
Dance games have been a hype all around the world and many can still enjoy a night filled with crazy dance moves in their living room. With Dance Central Spotlight, the newest addition in the award-winning Dance Central series, you will be able to sway your hips once again on the Xbox One.
Fable Legends, which was announced at Gamescom 2013, is yet another stellar title we saw at E3 2014. Using the Unreal Engine 4, the game features stunning, vibrant visuals. Team up with up to three of your best friends, each with their own play style or become the master Villain and take control of what happens on the battlefield by spawning monsters, placing traps and give your friends a rough time. The multiplayer beta is open for registration and will begin this fall.
Project Stark from Team Dakota will make its transition from beta to full release on Xbox One and Windows 8 this fall. The game gives players the ability to create worlds, stories and games and share these with the community where fellow creators will be able to enjoy these well constructed designs. If you think you have what it takes to build the most epic and adventurous world ever, you should certainly keep an eye out on this title.
The trailer for Ori and the Blind Forest from Moon Studios was visually brilliant and perhaps slightly emotional too but at first glance it reminded me of Spirits. In Ori and the Blind Forest, you are playing as Ori, a young orphan that was destined for heroic adventures. The game will be available for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC but other than that, we don’t know much about it. The gameplay video suggests that the game will be action-packed platform game but we will hopefully know more soon.
Phil Spencer, the same person who kicked off Xbox’s panel is now wearing a LIMBO shirt which hints towards either the game of its creators. Playdead, the developers of LIMBO, are back with another 2D platformer that features a very dark, minimalistic setting. Inside will debut on Xbox One early 2015.
If you have never heard of Lara Croft, one of the biggest female names in the history of gaming, you may be either very young or you are just a culture barbarian. Tomb Raider has been around for nearly twenty years and the franchise is still going strong. Rise of the Tomb Raider features Lara Croft, now a true survivor, in a secret world. She will learn to accept her destiny as the Tomb Raider, using her previously acquires survival skills and wits and travel to the most beautiful but deadly locations on earth. Rise of the Tomb Raider puts the tombs back into Tomb Raider, as suggested by fans of the franchise.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a fantasy RPG has a unique combination of nonlinear storytelling and an open world to venture in. Follow Gerald of Rivia, a professional monster hunter as he chases down a griffin. As the griffin continues to fly off to safety, you need to follow its blood trail, a nifty feature if I am allowed to say that. The rest of the gameplay features an even better looking combat system and an incredible, huge world. With over hundred hours of hand-crafted main and side quests gameplay, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt should be in your library when it comes out on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Phantom Dust, an Xbox original game, is back with all-new gameplay and revamped graphics. Exclusively to Xbox One, Phantom Dust will make you relive the story of the Espers, a group of humans that the ability to control dust to create powerful combat arsenals.
There has been so many videos and other news about Tom Clancy’s The Division over the past few months that it almost seems less than news worthy now but the new gameplay video is yet again stunning. Having a first-hand look at co-op mode where the secret soldiers are discussing tactics on how to take down enemies, eventually taking back a building that will represent a headquarter, was amazing. So far, the wait for Tom Clancy’s The Division is more than worth it as the graphics look even more stunning than ever.
Platinum Games next tittle, Scalebound, will be exclusively for Xbox One. In Scalebound you will be fighting alongside of dragons in a hostile world filled with creatures that think you would be a great snack. Another Xbox One exclusive title is… Crackdown! Planned for release in 2015, Crackdown for Xbox One is the third in the series. Fans of the franchise will be delighted to hear that the original producer of Crackdown is working on the newest game.
Unfortunately, that was it for the Xbox panel at E3 2014 but do not worry as we will cover more of E3 as it comes.
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