by dustin brewer
Microsoft finally held their massive games announcement Thursday morning and Dustin is recapping all the best and worst from the event.
After Sony finally unleashed the PS5 and showed off a wide array of games they were working on for the console, all eyes turned to Microsoft to see what they’d do. Throughout the gaming industry many fans & analysts started using the phrase “make or break” in terms of the pressure facing Microsoft for their Series X Games Showcase. So how’d it go?
Up: Open World “Halo”
You can’t have an Xbox event without the Master Chief and “Halo Infinite” certainly made waves with their campaign gameplay premiere. While some fans were quick to criticize the graphics, many more were hyped at the announcement that “Infinite” will feature a much larger map to explore and an open-world environment that will continue to be updated with new content after launch.
Down: Not a Lot of Actual Gameplay Footage
Before the event, Microsoft had announced that most trailers presented would be cinematic game announcements and first looks but still, this revelation upset fans all over again as they wanted to see more of what the next generation of gameplay from Xbox games would actually look like. With so much between the PS5’s conference and Microsoft’s, it’s a bit surprising they wouldn’t have put a few more gameplay videos together, no matter how minor or brief.
Up: “Fable” is Back
“Fable” has always been one of those “Yeah I’ll believe there’s a new one when I see it.” and well, here we are. Let’s. Go.
Up: Jack Black Joins “Psychonauts 2”
I have no idea what’s going on here but I’m all for it.
Up: “S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2” is Finally Coming
The long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel is finally coming to console for the first time ever. Details are scarce about the newest game in the survival-horror franchise but the trailer looks like it will certainly follow a similar path of claustrophobic horror set within Chernobyl. I’m not the biggest Xbox person and even I’d consider buying the console as GSC Game World reveals more.
Up: All of the Game Pass You Can Handle
If you were underwhelmed by the lack of gameplay videos during the Showcase, hopefully you at least perked up for this news: Xbox will be doubling down on Game Pass and emphasizing the service much more on Series X. A $10/month subscription will give you access to ALL first party titles released for the console. Among talks that Next Gen games will likely be $69.99 each, this is an unbelievable move that automatically gives Microsoft a leg up in the Next Gen console wars.
There’s still much left to be desired from this event and Sony’s PS5 reveal (including minor details like actual launch dates and a price but hey, who’s here to nitpick). If you’re feeling underwhelmed by the lack of gameplay footage just take a deep breath, enjoy the trailers for the announcements they are and remember: the next generation is almost here.
What titles are you looking forward to most on the Xbox Series X? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter. And stay tuned for all the latest on the next generation of video game consoles.
HefferBrew 