2013’s E3 is without a doubt one of the most exciting events in the video game industry. With new consoles and plenty of incredible games just over the horizon, CeX is here to give you the run down of everything Microsoft during their press event. Check out below for announcements and opinions!
The Conference in short:
Press events are always a flashy spectacle and what better way to start any event than opening with Metal Gear V The Phantom Pain. Beautiful artistic direction and a new story sees Keith Sutherland take the reigns as Solid Snake in his new adventure – excitement level: 10/10.
A new revamped 360 model was also revealed suggesting Microsoft still have plans for their current machine, which is never bad news for gamers not willing to stump out £429.99 for the Xbox One.
The incredibly popular PC MMO game World of Tanks was also announced exclusively for Xbox One bringing destruction across from the PC platform.
Xbox One titles were central to the next segment of the event with the Ryse: Sons of Rome debuting trailer. Astonishing graphics and QTE battle sequences had people awing over the graphics but seeking more from the content. Brawler fans were appeased with the official announcement of Killer Instinct to Microsoft’s new platform. A free-roaming FPS titled Sunset Overdrive captivated the crowd after, while Forza 5’s incredible graphics showed off the raw power of the Xbox One.
Xbox One titles continued pouring out with the exclusive that we saw during the Xbox One reveal Quantum Break next on screen. The futuristic FPS adventure is definitely one to look out for. Project Spark also had plenty of attention with it’s God-like creation powers allowing players to manifest their own environments, characters and worlds with clever voice-controlled creation tools thanks to the new Kinect.
The spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon titled Crimson Dragon was also teased as well as the incredibly impressive gameplay footage for Dead Rising 3, which in my opinion was the most interesting title on display during the conference. The conference finished with gameplay from Dice’s critically acclaimed Battlefield 4, a teaser from 343 Studios for a brand new Halo game and absolutely insane gameplay footage from Titanfall, a new always-online mech shooter resembling a combination of Battlefield and Starhawk.
The Verdict:
Microsoft gave answers regarding their questionable approach to used-game policies and always-online connection on a new website page they opened, which can be found here. Although the wording makes it a little difficult to fully understand, it’s clear that Microsoft will be a lot stricter with DRM technology than their rivals.
As for the conference itself, pretty lacklustre and uninspired is how I was left feeling when the curtain came down. All cross-platform titles will perform at a much better standard on the PC and PlayStation 4 due to specification differences, so that knocks them out the park straight away.
The exclusive titles, well there wasn’t much really to get excited for. Forza 5 is truly astonishing to look at, but is it something we all want from a next generation device? 343 teased not enough for Halo and most content tried to impressive visually without bringing anything particularly fascinating in terms of gameplay. I think Microsoft have forgotten that a game can be visually simple, but if it is fun to play people will still enjoy it. Not enough emphasis on indie developers was also a massive issue for me as most creative talent and brilliance derives from this area of the industry.
Was it worth watching, absolutely? Is it worth buying an Xbox One over the newly revealed PlayStation 4? Well ... anyway.
Igor Kharin
