Xbox One E3 2013 press conference recap and highlights
Let's start things off
Microsoft took the E3 2013 stage, amidst a torrent of criticism and controversy surrounding their Orwellian DRM choices, to reveal the real Xbox One. The one it wants us to be excited for. The one it wants us to spend a lot of money on.
Microsoft heard the call from distressed gamers, showing more than 20 games during their hour-and-a-half long conference and revealing more news than anyone expected. Missed any part of? Weve got you covered! Here's the full recap.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The next installment of the Metal Gear Solid franchise opened the show. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain trailer showcased real-time weather, dynamic CQC, and a new open-world format. The trailer introduced us into the major players, like buxom sniper Quiet, the child Eli, and Skull Face, the burnt-face man from the Ground Zeroes trailer.
The new Punished Snake shows off some interesting mechanics, including some fascinating stealth maneuvers. Side saddle, people!
Xbox 360 redesign, Live revamp
Before it even got to the Xbox One, Microsoft announced a revamped 360 console. The new style mimics the design of the upcoming Xbox One. Sleeker, boxier, and shinier, the system is now available in stores. It'll look great next to your Xbox One, or so they say.
Xbox Live is also being revamped, allowing for two free game downloads a month for Gold Members, the first two being Assassins Creed II and Halo 3. Sure, it's no PlayStation Plus, but it's good to finally get some games for our $60 a year.
World of Tanks
World of Tanks is coming to Xbox 360! The MMO tank warfare game will make its console debut on the current generation. World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition will sport all of the features of the PC version, now available to the vast Xbox Live network.
New 360 controls set for the Xbox 360 controller, Xbox Live-specific networking, and completely free to play, World of Tanks will be out this summer, allowing you to blast apart the treads of friends and foes alike.
Max and Dark Souls 2
The Xbox 360 section closed out with two world premiere trailers. First it looked like Pixar make a game, but Max: The Curse of Brotherhood was pretty damn close. Solid platforming and a certain charm makes this one to watch.
After Max came the EXACT OPPOSITE experience in Dark Souls II. Just seeing the trailer made us want to pull our hair out, but then we realized its only a trailer and we dont have to play it yet.
Ryse: Son of Rome
The Crytek-developed title was re-introduced as Ryse: Son of Rome. A full gameplay trailer showed us exactly what to expect from this Roman romp, which looks about as intense as third-person warfare can get.
The Xbox One controller (no longer Kinect as originally thought) was used for the third-person sword combat, complete with quicktime events and Saving Private Ryan-esque cinematics. Our ears are still ringing from the explosion, and the 300-style shield wall made us giddy.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is back, as an Xbox One exclusive no less. The Rare-developed fighting franchise saw a brief teaser at the Xbox show, giving us glimpses of Jago, Sabrewulf, and Glacier.
The original announcer sounds like hes back, and we saw a crazy 50+ hit combo. much in the style of the classic arcade KIs. You'll also be able to stream your matches directly to Twitch, using Xbox One's integration with the mega-popular livestreaming service. More viewers means a bigger community, which always bodes well for a fighting game.
Sunset Overdrive
Ted Price from Insomniac took the stage to announce Sunset Overdrive, an Xbox One exclusive IP. We saw zipline headshots, monsters, and a vinyl-record shooter. Vinyl records! Dubstep gun take note. Plus, the game seems to have a heavy emphasis on parkour elements and flying across the map with fantastical gymnastic flips.
No gameplay yet, just a CGI trailer introducing us to this new game, but were looking forward to more soon.
Forza Motorsport 5
A real McLaren sports car introduced Forza Motorsport 5 ! A real car! Like, with big fat tires and everything! Forza is toting realistic graphics and the end of A.I. via cloud computing.
The opposing vehicles,, or drive-atars, will now drive like people thanks to the limitless power of cloud computing. While this looked impressive, what happens to this limitless power if we cant connect to the cloud?
A focus on indie games
Though indie games were noticeably absent from the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft made up for lost time by revealing support for small studios. Phil Harrison took the stage to talk about the indie game scene and how Xbox One will fully support indies.
The first game to show off the new indie features? Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. We dont need to tell you about MIinecraft. Youve all played it. The new version will have better multiplayer and support larger maps.
Quantum Break
Television show? Video game? Well, Quantum Break sounds like its both. Though it was initially revealed a few weeks back, we were finally told how it would actually work. Choices made in the game will create a personalized television show for each player, emulating those choices.
We were introduced to Jack Joyce, the hero of Quantum Break, as he calmly walked in on a a frozen-in-time explosion. He pulled a screaming doctor from the time-locked calamity, just before the time-bubble seemed to implode in on itself. We still have questions, but were excited to get the answers.
D4
Microsoft Studios and Swery65 announced D4, an episodic murder mystery. The game features a cel-shaded aesthetic, but the character designs have the same appealing plainness as the peculiar players in Deadly Premonition.
Could this be related to the old franchise D? The obscure series had entries on the PS1 and Dreamcast, and pits you against horrific mutants in unnerving, realistic settings. Time will tell if this is the next in the series, but we can't wait to see more.
Project Spark
Kinect-based Minecraft/Little Big Planet. Thats the best way we can explain Project Spark. Instead of building the world block by block, players will say what they want to see, and it will appear.
SmartGlass integration will allow the title to be played across multiple platforms. Also, rocks can become pets. Pet rocks have officially invaded gaming; weve come full circle.
SmartGlass, Upload Studio, Twitch
Just as he did at E3 2012, Marc Whitten entered the arena to talk about SmartGlass, specifically how the Xbox One will expand upon it. Instant leaderboards and achievement comparisons with friends, launching games through SmartGlass, and joining friends games were all featured.
Later, Upload Studio showed off the video editing and uploading features of the Xbox One, including a partnership with Twitch for instant streaming. Oh, and they also threw in local currency replacing Microsoft Points and expanded friend lists. SWEET.
Dead Rising 3
Open world zombie brawler Dead Rising is back in Dead Rising 3, and it's exclusive to Xbox One! A new hero in Nick Ramos, a new city in Los Perdidos, and an old enemy in the undead await us in the next installement of Capcoms top-selling franchise.
In the demo, Nick was surrounded by zombies very quickly, and tons of them. The Resident Evil-esque aiming is a welcome sight, and weapon crafting is back as shown through the Sledge Saw, table saw meets sledgehammer. However, the SmartGlass artillery strike was a bit much. How does a lowly mechanic get access to that?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is indeed coming to the Xbox One, bringing along new gameplay featuring our man Geralt, silver locks and all. Expect more of the same intense fantasy combat, as well as more plots featuring brooding protagonists.
The new open-world format is a plus, and the multi-region open world makes us think that the Witcher 3 could match Skyrim in terms of scope and scale. Sounds like the best way to end the Witcher trilogy with a bang.
Battlefield 4
Developers from DICE took the stage to show off Battlefield 4, suffering from some massive technical difficulties, but the demo finally played and impressed. The first DLC will be exclusive to Xbox Live as well.
The demo was more of the same beauitful graphics and explosive gameplay weve come to expect from the series. Were attributing the technical difficulties to the legions of Mirrors Edge fans who wanted that instead.
Below, Black Tusk Studios Teaser
Capybara, the creators of SuperBrothers: Sword and Sworcery, unveiled their latest game Below, looking to be a retro-style roguelike. It features a really small character walking around and doing... something. We seriously couldn't tell what it was, exactly--he was too small. But it looked cool!
But for as little as we know about that, we know even less about Black Tusk studios next game. It was shown off, highlighting a single agent rappelling down a giant skyscraper in a city of neon. No title was given yet, but it looked pretty.
Next-gen Halo!
A lone man walking through a barren desert, shrouded with a cloak covering his entire body. Hes looking for something unknown. All of a sudden, the ground below him breaks away, and a giant mech reveals itself. The mans hood is dropped, revealing the Master Chief. Halo is coming to next-gen.
No gameplay was shown, but 343 Industries was revealed to be behind it. The game will feature cloud-based online and a new 60 frames-per-second engine. Nothing more was shown, but were pumped.
Microsoft Points making way for local currency
Microsoft Points have become cumbersome. With every other online marketplace using normal currency, it was a matter of time before Microsoft did the same, and they finally announced it at E3.
We're glad that we no longer have to worry about the extra math. If something is five bucks, just say five bucks. We're on board with this move, Microsoft.
It'll release in November 2013 for $499
Before showing the last trailer of the day, Microsoft announced what we were all looking to hear: November 2013, $499. November was expected, but that price point makes us...well, its more than we thought. Not a lot more--it's a powerful system, after all--but more.
This may be what most people focus on, as that number is a lot higher than even the analysts expected. We wonder how gamers will react to that steep price point.
TitanFall
Respawn Entertainments first game as not-Infinity Ward mixes the mechs of Lost Planet with the shooting combat of Halo. We saw stealth camo, big machines, and more in the first trailers.
Killstreaks earn Titans, which can be deployed against our enemies on the battlefield. Using the Titan looks like a lot of fun, and we hope we get to try it this week.
On to the next one!
Games and release dates and price points, oh my! Microsoft delivered the goods in a big way, showing over 20 games and giving us the info on release date and price.
What say you, GamesRadar faithful? Are you impressed? Will Microsoft be getting your money this November? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here for more news from the big show!