E3 2016: Microsoft

New consoles, new ways to play and even more games! That's what the Microsoft conference had in store for us and here's a round-up of all that happened:
Xbox One S:
Fact:
It's smaller than the Xbox One. A lot smaller. Actually, 40% smaller, with a 2TB Internal HDD, an IR Blaster and an integrated power supply which combined with tweaks to the console's performance, allows for HDR gameplay and 4K video. It's also coupled with a new wireless controller which has textured grips, Bluetooth and wireless (with increased range). Starting at $299 and being released in August.

Opinion:
A very sleek opening video I must say. Never having owned an Xbox console, this could be one of the factors to move me there, coupled with the exclusives. I find it a bit odd that these big companies are releasing more hardware so soon, however, I mean, we're not nearly finished with this current gen and Xbox are releasing not one but (spoilers) two consoles? Hopefully, there will be enough of an incentive to upgrade.

Xbox Play Anywhere:
Fact:
Any game with the Play Anywhere symbol will allow you to play the game both on Xbox One and Windows 10, providing you bought the game digitally. Achievements and progress will be shared across both platforms as well via Xbox Live.

Opinion:
I love the idea of cross-connectivity between platforms, especially with progress and achievements saved as well, but I think Microsoft have got an uphill battle to convince players of the need for Xbox now. I've seen comments of people saying they'll just buy a better PC so that they can also run PC exclusives and with Xbox releasing two consoles, I'm not sure if it will be in their favour financially. Also, if you want a physical copy (collector's editions) then you'll have to get two if you want to play on both consoles.

Gears of War 4:
Fact:
All co-op modes will be cross-compatible with Windows 10 PC and Xbox One via the aforementioned Play Anywhere including in the new Horde mode. Release date: October 11th, 2016.

A little gameplay video was shown, showcasing destructible environments you can use to your advantage, including firing weapons at objects to hit enemies at an angle. More guns were shown and great weather effects - they're caught in a massive storm in which when an enemy dies or an object is dislodged it flies away.

There's also a Gears of War 4 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller available now.

Opinion:
Gameplay looked great, graphics looked great, humour was great, physics were great. Might have to pick this up I think.

Favourite Moments:
Any destructible environment part
The puns
The Buzzkill gun

Killer Instinct:
Fact:
Available with Xbox Play Anywhere. General Raam from Gears of War joins the fight.

Opinion:
Nice to have more guest characters joining the fight. Especially as 7 million people are playing, making Killer Instinct the No.1 fighting game on Xbox!

Forza Horizon 3:
Fact:
Available on Xbox One and Windows 10. Forza Horizon 3 is based in Australia. Cars range from a BMW and Lamborgini to an off-road buggy and trophy truck. Showcases are back including a race against an airborne truck, as is the open-world which is bigger than ever before, with new terrain and challenges. New vehicle types give's Forza Horizons 3 the biggest vehicle roster in a Forza Horizon game. A 4-player online co-op campaign is also here for the first time in a Horizon game, with cross-compatibility between Windows 10 PC and Xbox One. When you join an online co-op game, the world is seamlessly changed to fit your hosts, with traffic, time of day and weather all syncing. Release date: September 27th, 2016.

Opinion:
The location is really interesting and should make for some great spectacles and the seamless, cross-compatible multiplay also looks great. Can't wait to hear more about the cars and modes as I love a good driving game, which also doesn't take itself too seriously in terms of rugged physics. Great time to have upgraded my PC it seems.

Favourite Moments:
The truck flying on a helicopter
The seamless transition into co-op
The backdrops

ReCore:
Fact:
You play as Joule who can shoot, grapple and jump to victory. Supporting characters include Mack, a robot dog, Seth, a turret on wheels who can be used to grapple far away platforms and move with him and Duncan, the hard hitter, a giant robot who can erupt fire and punch stuff. It looks to be a mix between adventure and platforming.

Opinion:
The opening black and white painting looked really good and I was ready for a stylised indie side-scroller but then ReCore showed up. Not that I'm complaining mind you. Looks quite fun, a mix between Cloudbuilt level design and platforming, Borderlands graphics and Horizon: Zero Dawn's robots. The guns have me worried, though - didn't seem to do much/give much feedback. We'll have to wait and see.

Favourite Moments:
Cloudbuilt style platforming
The names of the robots

Final Fantasy XV:
Fact:
You can play Shadow of Colossus/Kronos from God of War 3 scale bosses and can warp out of danger (for example from a grabbing hand). There are QTE's in the game and it's being released September 30, 2016.

Opinion:
I love the giant boss fights and general gameplay and after playing the Platinum demo I know it plays well, however, I can't shake the feeling of it not really being a Final Fantasy game anymore, at least not one we're used to, although maybe for the better. Also, hopefully, you can't just warp out of every attack like in the demo we saw otherwise that's a bit of a cheat!

Favourite Moments:
Seeing the scale of the battles
Seamless change between gameplay and cutscene

The Division: Underground Expansion:
Fact:
Available June 28th (available first on Xbox One), with randomly generated missions in deadly urban dungeons.

Opinion:
Played the beta and enjoyed The Division but never got round to get the finished product. This could add an unlimited amount of content to the game, which is never a bad thing, as long as they can fix the glitches and hackers I've heard so much about! Also, this is a Ubisoft game, but not in the Ubisoft conference. Interesting.

Favourite Moments:
New traps
The music

Battlefield 1:
Fact:
Xbox players get the game early on October 13th (compared to October 21st), but only if they are members of EA Access as well.

Opinion:
Don't know how I feel about exclusive parts for different consoles. Exclusive games sure, but exclusive parts or timed releases? Seems to alienate a wide part of the fanbase surely?

Xbox Live:
Fact:
More live servers resulting in a faster, more reliable network. Background music has been added, allowing you to listen to your own music while playing, as well as language region independence (allowing you to choose any language, no matter where you play) and Cortana. Available on Windows PC, Xbox One/360, iOS and Android.

Clubs are being added in September, allowing you to make communities of people who all love the same thing and talk about it or set up parties etc. For example, Minecraft Creators Guild.

Looking for Group is also being added - an ad which allows you to ask for specific types of people to join your multiplayer game such as 'Medic Wanted' for The Division.

Arena: a tournament platform which allows you to access all the new competitive tournaments, get information and sign up either solo or with your friends. Top publishers such as High-Rez (Smite), EA Sports and Wargaming (World of Tanks) have signed up to use this service as well as Microsoft's own titles.

Opinion:
I love the idea of Arena and Looking for Group - it should make finding proper teammates/tournaments a lot easier. Cortana as well is always good to have, but I wonder what she'd say if you asked her to close Halo...

Minecraft:
Fact:
Players across Windows 10, iOS and Android can play together and share worlds. The Friendly Update is being released which includes the aforementioned cross-connectivity as well as dedicated servers (Minecraft Realms) which allow for the ability to host your own realm (instead of port-forwarding your own servers). Xbox Live achievements are now on iOS and Android as well as Windows 10 and Minecraft is now available in Oculus VR.  Texture Packs are now also available on Windows 10 and Pocket Edition.

Minecraft Add-Ons - which allow for mobs and items to be remade into something new (a skeleton get's turned into a zombie for example), are coming this autumn to Windows 10 and Pocket Editions (consoles next year). Not only do they remake the textures but you can also add weapons such as fireballs to them. Villagers can also be changed, for example, to be able to fight by tweaking their AI and giving them weapons.

Xbox Live users can try Minecraft Realms for free. More information being released at Minecon in September.

Opinion:
Yay! With dedicated servers and mods as well as achievements across all mobile devices, not to mention VR, this looks like a great update to the game we all know and love. Hopefully, they won't forget about the original vanilla version of Minecraft on PC though.

Favourite Moments:
Dragon!
Minecraft in VR
Beefed-up Iron Golem

Xbox Wireless Controller/Xbox Design Lab:
Fact:
You design it with different colours, they build it and ship it out to you. Front, back and buttons can all be customised differently and you can even write text on the front to show it's yours.

Opinion:
Awesome idea to be able to customise your controller and make it your own. Love the amount of customization options as well.

Favourite Moment:
All the colours!

Inside:
Facts:
Released on June 29th. Limbo is free on Xbox One (and Steam for a day) as a celebration for Inside's release.

Opinion:
Great art style and atmosphere - all the things you expect from the creators of Limbo.

Favourite Moment:
The chilly atmosphere and sound effects of the whole trailer

ID@Xbox:
Fact:
Over 1000 games are in development for Xbox and Windows today.
Independent games lineup:
Cuphead - a platformer in the style of old Disney Mickey cartoons
Outlast II - a sequel to the indie hit horror game
Deliver us the Moon - a survival/exploration/episodic title where you are humanities last hope for survival
Flint Hook - a pixel platformer/roguelike
FAR - an atmospheric 2D vehicle adventure
Slime Rancher - a cute 3D farming game about slimes
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - a stealth-oriented, real-time, tactics game
Figment - an isometric adventure game based in a surrealist world
The Culling - a battle-royal game similar to The Hunger Games
For The King - a turn-based single-player/multiplayer co-op roguelike
Beacon - a sci-fi action roguelike
Stardew Valley - a pixel-art farmer reminiscent of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory
Hand of Fate 2 - a sequel to the card/action role-playing game Hand of Fate
Below - a top-down adventure game
Raiders of the Broken Planet - an online action game
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - a Metroidvania style game
Yooka-Laylee - a 3D platformer harkening back to the old days of 3D platformers
Everspace - a single-player rogue-like space shooter

Ark: Survival Evolved is part of the Windows: Play Anywhere scheme so if you bought it on Xbox One you can now play it on Windows 10 at no additional cost. Releasing in autumn.

Opinion:
That's a lot of upcoming games and I'm really excited to see the final product of some of them, especially Stardew Valley (which I've played on PC), Cuphead and Yooka-Laylee. Oh, and Slime Rancher. And Everspace. And, well you get the idea.

Favourite Moment:
All the new games!

We Happy Few:
Fact:
A creepy, survival game with a Dishonored art style and Bioshock influences. Available on Xbox Game Preview July 26th (also makes it available on Xbox One before other consoles).

Opinion:
A creepy, survival game with a Dishonored art style and Bioshock influences? Sign me up.

Favourite Moment:
The pinata turning into a rat.

Gwent:
Fact:
A full, standalone version of the card game from the Witcher 3, it is a multiplayer card game with cross-play allowing you to play gainst people regardless of console. A single-player campaign is also in development. Mechanics and visuals have been updated from the original version and new features have been added. 4 factions are available offering different play styles: Skellige Warriors, Northern Realms, Scoia'tael and Monsters. It will be free to play and a closed beta will be on Xbox One and Windows in September. Register at playgwent.com.

Opinion:
Never played The Witcher 3 myself (it's on my 'to play' list), but I've heard good things about Gwent as a whole and am looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Favourite Moment:
The cosplay

Tekken 7:
Fact:
Coming early 2017. A new story mode where the cinematics transfer seamlessly into gameplay. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was given free for Xbox Live Gold members all week of E3.

Opinion:
I own Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Wii U myself, and have always enjoyed the fighter and this iteration seems to have kicked things up a notch in terms of spectacle. I'm excited.

Favourite Moments:
Seamless transition between gameplay and cinematics
Such power!

Dead Rising 4:
Fact:
Coming holiday 2016 and available on Xbox One and Windows 10, Frank is back. This time, with new weapons and crafting options and... a Christmas theme?

Opinion:
Looks really fun, and I can't wait to see what crafting options there are to spell mayhem with zombie parts.

Favourite Moments:
The new weapons
The Twitter intro

Microsoft Studios Publishing:
Facts:
13 originals have been published since the Xbox One launch. New titles in development from Microsoft Studios:
ReCore
Killer Instinct
Gears of War 4
Forza Horizon 3
Note: they are all part of Xbox's Play Anywhere program meaning you can pick up where you left off on console, on your PC and vice versa

Opinion:
New titles are never a bad thing, neither is cross compatibility.

Scalebound:
Fact:
Scalebound has 4 player co-op and is exclusive to Xbox One and Windows 10 (and is part of Xbox Play Anywhere). You can use a bow and arrow and can jump on to your dragon to get close to an enemy you couldn't normally reach. You also seem to be able to fire balls of fire(?) out of your hands and your dragon can also shoot fireballs. Like any Platinum game, big boss fights make an appearance, the biggest of any Platinum game in fact (your dragons are dwarfed by them in actual fact). You can transform into a Dragon Knight-esque person which allows for more damage and can be launched by your dragon to reach new places. Available 2017.

Opinion:
Who hasn't dreamt of fighting Platinum style bosses on top of a dragon?! The game looks awesome, and co-op is always appreciated. I can't wait to see what else you'll be able to do with your dragon and what boss designs they come up with.

Favourite Moments:
Shooting fireballs both as a human and as a dragon
Turning into a dragon knight
Turning on some music - now it gets serious
Getting flung by the dragon

Sea of Thieves:
Fact:
Xbox One and Windows 10 Exclusive (Xbox Play Anywhere is in effect though). Band together with friends to explore the world, find treasure and fight enemies, even other players. You can walk around on land and on the ship, moving individual parts such as the anchor. You can drink alcohol, where you will then become drunk and the world will be distorted. Your can battle other players ships and repair damage with visual feedback being very apparent (you actually start sinking and water fills up the holds).

Opinion:
Think Guns of Icarus ship gameplay but pirate themed and with a cartoony art style. Pretty good right? From what I've seen of the game it looks really fun and chaotic and we'll have to wait and see what other treasures the game has in store for us.

Favourite Moments:
Slowed down pirate anthem
Freeze-frame stills showing off different aspects of the game
The ship sinking
The cartoony world

State of Decay 2:
Fact:
Teamwork is key and you can build up your base. Part Dead Rising-esque comedy, part Left 4 Dead Teamwork, part The Last of Us backdrop. Coming 2017.

Opinion:
I like the idea of a strong role-playing and team aspect in a zombie survival game. It looks good, if they can get the game polished and precise that is.

Favourite Moments:
Building the base
The country song playing in the background.

Halo Wars 2:
Fact:
Based in The Ark, you face off against a new faction called The Banished and the head of the faction Atriox. Releasing on Windows 10 and Xbox One February 21st, 2017. Available on Xbox Pay Anywhere. Beta on Xbox One was from June 13th to June 20th.

Opinion:
I've never played the original but RTS's are one of my favourite genres and big battlefields are always a hit with me. Looking forward to this one.

Favourite Moments:
Seeing the big armies battling it out.
What if one day, game's cut-scenes looked as good as those cinematic trailers

Project Scorpio:
Fact:
6 teraflops of power, 8 CPU cores and 320GB/s of memory bandwidth allow for 4K gaming, high-fidelity VR and the best frame rate as well as rendering at 60Hz. Games and accessories made for this will still work on older Xbox Ones and vice versa. Coming holiday 2017

Opinion:
This console is powerful. Very powerful. And if it can deliver all that it promises, at a reasonable price, it will be awesome.

Favourite Moment:
Teraflops

Thanks for reading, Satamer.