We’re far removed from the “who won E3” conversation of the past — mostly because E3 is now dead, and the Summer Games festival is dancing on its corpse. The downside is that we don’t have a centralized place for our Summer Olympics news, and the upside is that there’s no scrambling competition between platform holders and publishers.
Instead, each showcase has room to really stand out and show a little face in the spotlight. Today, Xbox is proving that’s a good thing: a slew of great games — most of which are due out in the next 12 to 18 months — are given breathing room. A delightful mix of gameplay, cinematography, and insight, all rounded off with some cool production design and some standout moments (looking at you here, Keanu).
Let’s look at the stats; of the 27 games on display, 13 were from Microsoft’s internal teams – the first-party studios that form the core of MS’ output. In addition to this, there are 21 Game Passes, dates, and dates announced. It’s a pretty solid product, right? A nice set menu will be coming after we’ve been cleaning up the scraps off the floor for the past few years. Redfall’s nutrient-poor crumbs may have left a bitter taste in the mouth, but we’ll be eating well from Starfield three months from now, through the crowded “early 2024” window, and for the rest of the year.
Whether it’s the little bits and pieces on offer (the Yakuza: Like a Dragon American Holiday spinoff looks great), or the bigger fantasy titles like Avowed and Fable, the Xbox has a lot to offer. If you want graphics and a tech showcase, the Hellblade is for you. If you want something with depth and range, you got Avowed. If you wanted BioShock but didn’t, you’ve got A Clockwork Revolution.
Because I’m a terrible secret weeb, Persona 3 Remake and Metaphor: ReFantazio hit a very specific itch. The former gives players a fresh look at one of Atlus’ best games, while the latter appears to be renaming Shin Megami Tensei for a more Persona-centric audience. While that sucks – MegaTen has a great identity and I hope the series continues – more Atlus RPG goodness is always a good thing.
There were some negatives, though; a new Microsoft Flight Simulator was shown off, despite Microsoft promising it would be supported for the last 10 years. I’ve seen discussions on Twitter about this, and I’m interested in Microsoft’s response to it. Still, at least we got a really cool Dune sidekick. Sci-fi fans have a lot to look forward to.
Speaking of which, there’s the Starfield showcase – very, very good. I reserve some judgment given the press and media still haven’t had a chance to play this, but an hour of in-depth gameplay is just what the doctor ordered; seeing space combat, shipbuilders, how NPCs work, potential romance on offer, cities, wilderness, planets …it’s almost overwhelming. I don’t know what it’s going to feel like when you play it, and I can’t wait to be overwhelmed by the incredible amount of content. This is the RPG that Bethesda has been training for its entire life, and the fact that it’s coming… is basically unbelievable. I look forward to being a horrible space pirate jerk.
So, a quick thought? very good. I’m so happy to own an Xbox Series X again. I’m looking forward to almost everything that’s shown. Starfield will take months of my life. That’s the point of these showcases; to give us cool things to excite us and present them with confidence and enthusiasm. When the showcase is this good, everyone wins. Now is a great time to love video games.
