Game Help Microsoft E3 2014 Press Conference

[Fig]

Today was the live press conference for Microsoft and the Xbox staff. The games that we saw throughout the press conference included the following:

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Forza Motorsport 5 content & Forza Horizon 2
• Evolve
• Assassin's Creed Unity
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Sunset Overdrive
• DLC for Dead Rising 3
• Disney Fantasia
• Fable Legends
• Project Spark
• HALO: The Master Chief Collection/HALO 5 Guardians Beta
• INSIDE
• Developer games
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Witcher 3
• Phantom Dust
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• The Division
• Scalebound
• Crackdown

We saw Phil Spencer kick things off with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and it actually looked pretty cool. While I don't really like Call of Duty, you got to admit that Advanced Warfare looks pretty decent for those that do enjoy the series for what it is. The next titles that was shown was Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Horizon 2 and while Forza 5 was simply a new free track for download, it really didn't spark much interest to me at least and neither did Forza Horizon 2. While I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to the Forza series, I was indifferent with it and I personally thought it could have been better, at the same time I haven't really experienced the game first hand so I might not have a full opinion to say about the series. Valve then introduced us to Evolve and it looks gorgeous! While we only got a trailer for Evolve, I really want to see more about this game sometime soon! We then got a first look at Assassin's Creed Unity looked very amazing and I actually am interested to see how well Assassin's Creed Unity will turn out to be. It looks very promising with co-op multiplayer and really brings in more depth to the Assassin's Creed universe. Dragon Age: Inquisition looked very interesting it did catch my attention for a while.

A new IP was announced to the name of Sunset Overdrive. It looked pretty cool and while I don't think it might be my kind of game, it does seem to appeal a large amount of people and it does look rather enjoyable with its gameplay. New DLC was announced for Dead Rising 3 and honestly I was kinda lost. It seem liked the announcer was really too enthusiastic for the DLC but it was just new skins from what I can gather so I guess I wasn't that interested. Then we got Disney Fantasia information that was very quick and I didn't catch what was the focus behind it. Fable Legends is a new game that will allow players to play as either the fables from fairy tales or as the villains and wreck havoc among them. We also got a look at Project: Spark and it does The game seems rather large with over a million creators and the thing that got me curious was that Conker appeared for a few seconds and broke the 4th wall stating that they he hasn't had a game in ten years and thus he would have to make his own. That took me and probably the world by surprise. I do hope that we get to see more about Conker in future days during E3.

Microsoft has revealed that there will be a HALO: The Master Chief Collection available later on this year. In this collection, you get all four HALO game , with the anniversary edition of HALO 2 and it comes with the beta version of HALO 5 Guardians. I think this was the best thing that I saw from the entire press conference considering that I am a huge HALO fan! From the studio that brought you LIMBO, we get an first look at INSIDE and it looks glorious! It really captures the fell of LIMBO and will mostly like follow a similar suit in terms of gameplay and I for one am interested in what the game will be like. Wrapping up Microsoft's presentation, we got a better look at The Division, Scalebound, and yes Crackdown. While I'm not all that familiar with those three titles but they all look amazing and I wish I knew more about those games.

We then got a huge selection of games that Microsoft is partnering up with other developers and most of these games looked interesting but the game that caught my attention was Mighty No. 9, the spiritual successor to Mega Man. I can't wait to play that game as soon as it is released! Rise of the Tomb Raider, Witcher 3, and Phantom Dust were also revealed and while not much was known about them they looked very incredible. Ori and the Blind Forest really looks breathtaking and is probably the most beautiful game shown in the press conference! The art style is just gorgeous and it just takes my breath away!

What were your thoughts for the entire press conference? Do you think Microsoft nailed it or could it had been better? I personally thought that Microsoft did better than last year's E3 and it's great to see that they did much better now. Discuss on what you thought about Microsoft's press conference.

 

[A Link In Time]

The biggest unexpected announcement for me is Ori. That game looks gorgeous. Its art style somewhat reminds me of modern Rayman. As a platforming fan, it's definitely on my watch.

Of course the Halo news also has me excited. It's great to hear that the Halo Master Chief Collection was more than a rumor. Packing the main four Halo games in one package is one sweet deal. The Halo 5 trailer was alright, but news about the game is still incredibly sparse. At least we found out more about the character hunting down Master Chief.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Holy narrative.

Anyway, my thoughts on the press conference are pretty simple and concise. I thought it was okay, not great, not bad, but okay. They seemed to focus more on the actual games this year, lol, which was their disastrous demise last year and frankly their 2013 press conference put a lot of people off. This year it was all about the games--not what gimmicks the console had, not focusing mostly on entertainment-- it was about the one thing we care about: games and (I'll say it again for emphasis).

For me I was always going to be analysing what exclusives MS had up their sleeve, so I'm going to eliminate the other multi platform games for now. To be honest, most seemed flashy and of course looked pretty awesome, but the substance seemed to lack for the most part. Apart from two or three, the rest just didn't engage my interest or enhance my senses, so to put it. For example, Scalebound: a game set in what seems like a futuristic but prehistoric era (god that sounded contradictory), involving colossus almost myth-like dinosaurs, with a protagonist who can ride and seemingly take elements from these beasts. It's one of those games where you look and it's all action, but I have a big feeling it's going to be a huge flop as I've seen this happen multiple times before. This happened a lot and It may be my premature judgement getting the better of me, but for the most part of was just... mediocre. The majority of games didn't really shout "buy an Xbox One because of me".

However a few games captured my interest. Inside seems like an incredibly creepy, atmospheric, and in a way, Ico-like game. I didn't expect this kind of game to be an exclusive for Microsoft, so that was a good surprise in my opinion. The Witcher 3 also looks like a cleaner, smoother Skyrim and it's beautiful in design. Never really been a fan of the series, but there's a lot of hype around this game. I'll have to wait until more info come out though, for now it's a gorgeous looking massive RPG (that's about all I got from the trailer). Project Spark would be the final game that really captured my interest. I love the art style and if it's promising what was seen in the trailer then my god Microsoft have something there. Still not sure what, more how, exactly you create things though - it was quite ambiguous in that aspect. Are they shooting for a bigger, more ambitious Little Big Planet? If that's the case then I look forward to seeing the execution.

---

Overall I thought it was average for the year after their big console presentation, but not bad by any means. A few bright sparks and rather interesting creative games, but also a lot of games which scream "buy me because I look good". Hopefully that's not the case with all of them.

 

[octorok74]

I feel the same as Cool guy. It was okay. Not all that impressive. The best thing to me was the Master Chief collection. That 4000 gamerscore is as good as mine. But I love how they planned all that out. I was sort of hoping for Bungie to show up, but they will most likely be in Sony's thing again.

One thing that did surprise me is that The Division decided to show their face. After saying they had nothing at all done, I was shocked to see them. But at the same time they kind of had to show up to prove they are working on something. Makes me wonder though how much of that game demo was actual gaeplay versus just clever trailer work.

 

[Mido]

I do hope that we get to see more about Conker in future days during E3

Yes.

Microsoft's Press Conference was definitely intriguing, and the fact that Spencer emphasized the games to such a degree put a smile on my face. Since I've been on the fence about the One for a while, it was a nice change of pace to see what games were in store as opposed to the other entertainment involved.

First, there was the Halo: Master Chief Collection that caught my eye. By golly, that game amasses so much content! A history lesson with the great gameplay that the Halo franchise is known for, I see great things coming from the journey back into Halo's early days!

Assassin's Creed: Unity caught my eye with the "creating your own brotherhood" aspect of the game. Cooperative multiplayer seemed to work rather seamlessly in the presentation, but I can't bank on that just yet. Also, I really was amazed by the environment of the chaotic French Revolution. I am intrigued as to where Ubisoft's going with this!

Sunset Overdrive....Insomniac does it again! This game looks like a fun time wrapped in killing sprees and explosions! A basic concept of gameplay meshes with a vibrant atmosphere, and I think it looks pretty cool for the most part. I am excited for more!

Then. there's Project Spark. Aside from my Conker fangirling, I think the game has some promise. Ultimately, I think it will be either decent or fall short. The game reminds me of Disney Infinity, and as JC said, Little Big Planet. The potential is there, but I only wonder whether it will deliver.

Fable Legends offers a cooperative concept that isn't new, but can be flexibly used. While I observed the Villain aspect of the game, it reminded me of what Zombi U aimed for, and it seems like Fable Legends may deliver.

For some small points, I thought the Tomb Raider trailer was well done. Everything else opened my eyes, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of them at the time. Overall, a solid E3 conference.

 

[Mercedes]

Well for a start, I think one thing Xbox Team proved is that they're all about the games. Even if they didn't show anything you were interesting in, I like to think they've really distanced themselves from a year ago and produced probably their best conference tbh. They said 90 minutes of games and boy did they deliver! I know people will still harbour a grudge about the original Xbox One reveal but I think Phil Spencer has proved it's definitely not like that anymore. Games games games. No Kinect bull****, no TV. Games! Is what I like to see! More of this, games industry.

From someone who already owns an Xbox One, they've definitely made me happy with my purchase is all I can say, can't say fairer than that, and I think they've kicked off E3 with a bang. If Sony and Nintendo keep up this quality, hell, I'm going to be absolutely broke!

Gonna discuss all the announcements one by one, of the Microsoft exclusive ones at least. Going to sound very easily pleased to perhaps some people, but, who cares, I love games, big whoop!

The Good

Halo: Master Chief Collection.
They couldn't have handled it more perfectly, in my opinion. Original engines, original multi-player, Halo 2 getting the Anniversary treatment, and all that in 1080p/60FPS and with dedicated servers! Being able to jump between the games across one menu-screen, custom play-lists... Remakes and re-releases are nice but they don't usually sell me on a console, I look for new experiences, but this sure as hell did. Perfection, 343, absolutely handled perfectly! Halo 2 is definitely my favourite multiplayer of the series, I will be playing a lot of that! Also, loved it when that guy killed the host and then quickly tea-bagged him. They really know their audience.

What I wish-listed when discussing the rumours on GAF, they basically delivered. Well done 343, I'm sure Bungie approves too!

Approval: 10/10

Halo 5: Guardians
This conference really made my inner Halo fangirl come out! Can't say much else but NEW HALO!!!!111 I'm enjoying how it's looking to go more into Master Chief's character; he's a cool character but he's still somewhat of a blank canvas. Not necessarily a bad thing, he fulfils his role as resident badass well, but it would be nice to get a bit more development out of him. 343 delivering big!

Approval: 9/10

Sunset Overdrive
Probably the biggest new IP I'm excited for. Not much to say other than the game in motion looked like a tonne of fun to play, and that pretty much sums up Sunset Overdrive; fun. Love the art direction, the vibrant colours and such, and how much variety there seems to be with all the weapons, power-ups, and traversing the city. Easily the biggest IP that I'm currently waiting on.

Approval: 10/10

Phantom Dust
I remember the original! I recall it being really imaginative and different. So it getting rebooted is a really good choice by Microsoft,;just like Ken Lobb said, if you're going to bring a game back, why not make it a unique and innovative one! The CG trailer was enough to make me interested in how exactly it's going to play, definitely excited for that too.

Approval: 8/10 (excited but would like to have seen gameplay)

Scalebound
Dragon May Cry! Well, it's Platinum Games making a brand new IP exclusive to Xbox One... not much to say, really, bar HELL YEAH! Again, like Phantom Dust a bit, the CG trailer was enough to pique my interest in how it'll play, but it's just always nice to see new things. It does look pretty funky how he kind of used the creatures powers as his own! Will need to see gameplay but, come on, Platinum. They've got this!

Approval: 8/10 (again, gameplay would be nice. But I trust in Platinum!)

Forza Horizon 2
Damn, my body is ready! The original Forza Horizon was pretty amazing, and Project Gotham Racing was astoundingly beautiful from when it was released. Hopefully this game is a perfect meld of the two! If so, I'll be a happy girl. The original game was a fresh, innovative take on the racing genre, much better than the bog-standard Forza games, so can't wait to play it.

Approval: 7/10

ID@Xbox Games
The greatest compilation of creative, innovative games I've ever seen with just so much variety between each one! How can anyone not like it?!

Approval: 10/10

Ori and the Blind Forest
I... I'm intrigued. It reminds me a lot of Ubisoft's recent Rayman games in terms of art-style, which are among some of the best looking games around as far as I'm concerned, except I really love its use of light and darkness and it could even eclipse Rayman in the beaut status! Gameplay wise I'm not sure, of course, but I'm staying cautiously optimistic because the fleeting things we saw looked great.

Also, the sad bit when little Ori was scratching the guy I presume is dead... I feels, and I don't even know what's going on!

Approval: 9/10 (very excited! Don't screw it up)

Project Spark
I love a good bit of user-generated content, and this is looking to be the greatest example of it. The variety that you can make seems incredible for a game priding itself on being easy to use; we saw 2D platformers, 3D adventure fighters, even a chess-like board game! Is something I love doing and modern technology allowing us to share them and play them together with friends, can't wait for it.

Maybe it's the PC gamer in me, but I love mods, so a game like this which is like a Garry's Mod-esque sandbox to make anything out of just is very exciting to me.

Approval: 8/10

Crackdown
I'm aware of how much critical acclaim the Crackdown games have gotten and I'm very aware of how good they are, but I've never actually played them! Maybe that's a big regret in my gaming career but I'll definitely rectify it with this up-coming one. It'll be interesting to see how the Xbox One handles a game in the style of Crackdown, and I'm expecting some good things!

Approval: 7/10

Inside
It's the next Limbo. What's not to love?

Approval: 9/10

CONKER??!!

Approval: 12/10

The Okay

Fable Legends
Me and Fable have had a very strained relationship. Fable 1 was fun but nothing like the big Molyneux promised it to be, and then I felt Fable 2 was a step-back. And then Fable 3 was god awful! So I wasn't amazingly excited for Legends. What I saw did look promising I suppose, it looked gorgeous to boot, but it did look just a little bit generic in how it appeared to play. And the villain thing I can see being quite slow and sluggish for the villain person, I was expecting an Evolve-like HUGE BOSS you control.

Approval: 6/10

Disney Fantastia
Interesting. Very interesting! It's not really the type of game I go for, not at all, but... Disney. I like Disney! I like the songs and I like the worlds. I'd definitely need to see exactly how it plays and stuff before making up my mind at all, but it's not completely out of my books for sure. So, eagerly anticipating more news! But for now, I'm neither feeling it nor not feeling it!

Approval: 5/10

Forza 5 DLC
It's free. Can't exactly complain about free stuff, can you? I've seen that track on Top Gear before a lot, they love it, so it'll be cool to race around it on Forza I suppose. But again, free. So I have no strong feelings for or against.

Approval: 5/10

Dead Rising 3 DLC
It just looked weird! I'm not really into those weird wacky games, actually. Seems odd because I'm so excited for Sunset Overdrive, which is very wacky, but the ones that are just stupid for the sake of being stupid... I don't get excited for them, and nor am I a huge fan of most of Capcom's games, so I definitely am not this DLC's target audience. It doesn't look bad and, like the previous DLC, I have no real strong feelings for or against.

Approval: 5/10

Dance Central
It's... Dance Central. No doubt my niece will love it, and I'll enjoy it with her, but I'm not on the edge of my seat for it!

Approval: 5/10

The Bad

Nothing!

There was nothing which made me cringe and nothing I genuinely disliked. It all ranged from spectacular to good to alright. Usually the Kinect stuff was the cringey "Can I turn it off now?" part of the show, but there was none of that. Approved!

Multi-Plats

Witcher 3
... want. So bad.

Approval: 11/10

Rise of The Tomb Raider
The recent reboot of Tomb Raider was one of the best games of that year and one of the best games of the entire generation, in my opinion. Absolutely adored how it was a much more real take on advanture and the toll it took on Lara emotionally and physically. Can see how it has been effecting her in just the trailer! So damn, yeah, can't wait for that game.

Approval: 9/10

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
One of the first Call of Duty games since COD4 days that I see and think it actually looks really good. Tuned in not knowing what I was watching and thought it looked really cool, and then at the end when he dragged the guy away and the arm was still there... Gross, but, powerful! Might actually need to get this game.

Approval: 7/10

Evolve
From the guys behind Left 4 Dead! Count me in. I saw the early access Alpha footage not so long ago and it looked great then, and had much more to go on than the quick trailer we got shown this conference. But it didn't dampen my excitement for the game, not at all, and the Beta on Xbox One shall be a very cool thing to be involved in if I can! Will definitely be buying this game, but probably not on Xbox is has to be said.

Approval: 8/10

----and more but I'm tired----​

So that's a lot of brand new franchises coming our way! I'm super happy about it, and not even counting those countless Indie titles! <3

Overall, a very strong conference I thought, and a good starting point. I'm super excited for what Sony and Nintendo will be announcing too, and I think MS gave them a good stepping stone in which to dive into even more games! This E3 was always going to shape up to be a good one, all the companies have something to fight for and all the companies have their hardware out and ready to go, so it is all about the games. And Phil Spencer delivered that! Solidified my purchase of an Xbox One, it was the right choice, and now it's up to Nintendo to do the same for my Wii U, and for Sony to try and attract me to the PS4. Have at it!

Keep up the quality Sony and Ninty, and you'll leave me a happy gamer! So 2 thumbs up from me, Xbox!

 

[Dan]

Well I bleedin bloomin blinkin loved E3 this year, cos there was a lot of really good games that made me bloomin happy!

Here is my list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Project spark
I love games that let you create a bloomin bunch of content, this is gonna be real fun, which reminds me of the time me and ma boyfriend played mario kart 8 and he did a fart in the middle of the race cos he tried to distract me!
Anyway this is a good game 1104/10

Witcher 3
jiopjiopjiopjiopjiop mkl jniopbjioprtbjiorthjiortbjiortbjiop omg this game, so bloomin amazing! ahhhhhhhhhhh 11 billion / 10

Over all I bloomin bleedin bladdy bimmy loved it!

UFC game
The graphics were nice the men were even nicer.

Mirrows edges
FAITH IS SO PRETTY!

Over all I bloomin loved it all!