The Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase is one of the few major streaming showcases done by a massive publisher this season, and the sheer depth of games that Microsoft can present is impressive. Of course, Bethesda will be featured heavily, but what other surprises were in store for fans today?
Redfall Gameplay Trailer Shown Off
The first thing up was an Xbox console exclusive from Arkane Austin, which is some beta footage of the upcoming co-op vampire shooter, Redfall.
We see one of the characters with a pink-colored shotgun investigating a church, filled to the brim with blood and gore all over the place. Eventually, our heroine gets jump scared by a vampire, as she continuously blasts it to pieces. More vampires show up, but the player is saved by another character, Jacob.
The trailer continues by delving into the story by showing off some of the game's narrative, characters, and more. We see the player characters Jacob, Remi, Devinder, and Layla as well as a sizzle reel of their powers and skills.
The story trailer ends with the quartet fighting off cultists in a carnival park before more vampires show up. Much of the action is fast and furious, with plenty of action, solid visuals, and even character banter to keep you occupied in the apocalyptic streets of Redfall.
The trailer ends with a 2023 release window, with it promised to be on Xbox Consoles and PC.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The next trailer is a 2D action platformer, Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The game showcased solid visual styles, all gorgeously hand-drawn, with a dark, machine-like aesthetic giving it a gothic feel. Enemies are cartoonish but diverse in their abilities, including a montage of bosses before the trailer ends.
No release date, but Silksong will be coming to Game Pass.
High On Life From Squanch Games Announced
Squanch Games then delivers a really weird game from Justin Roiland of Rick and Morty, titled High on Life
The game is a FPS title with, well, talking guns. Living talking guns as you fight aliens with these unique talking guns. You even get a talking knife that loves stabbing people. JB Smoove, who you might know as Leon from Curb Your Enthusiasm voices one of the guns.
Obviously, is focusing on style and humor more than anything else. The games odd visuals invoke an Oddworld vibe. High On Life is a console exclusive that will be available in October 2022.
Riot Games Comes to Game Pass
Next up is Riot Games Mark Merrill for PC and Mobile for those who love Game Pass, who invites players on the Xbox and Game Pass to play all of their games, including every champion being officially unlocked on Game Pass for players.
The announcement ends with a little animated trailer featuring League of Legends, League of Legends Wildrift, Legends of Runterra with the Foundations Set unlocked, and Teamfight Tactics. The reel ends with Valorant, with all teammates unlocked for Game Pass players as well, and the promise that all of these games will be out this Winter.
A Plague Tale: Requiem Gameplay Trailer
Focus Entertainment then showcases footage from the game, A Plague Tale: Requiem.
Much of the gameplay is in a third person perspective, with one character leading another across a plagued world. We see a decent mix of stealth and tactical combat, as you sneak past enemies, shoot them from afar with a crossbow and sling, and of course, stab them with a knife from behind.
The gameplay is a perfect blend of action, combat and narrative.
New Forza Motorsport Coming Spring 2023
Forza Motorsport then races onto the scene (pun intended!) with a new in-game footage trailer.
Typically there is not much to say in these type of trailers, but Forza Motorsport looks visually stunning, right down to the sparks that strike up as your car hits the bumpers and rail guards of the track.
Turn Ten Creative Director Chris Esaki takes the stage to show off some of the technical capabilities of the game. We get an extended demo by Esaki, who talks about the fan-favorite track Maple Valley, touting how the demo presented is with no cuts or edits to it. Maple Valley is now dynamically lighted, a first for the series, while Esaki touts a massive improvement to the physics simulation of the game, as well as the advanced rendering and even procedural generation is used to create the nooks and foliage of the track itself.
The dynamic time of day adds simulation details and even more depth to the entire experience. Forza is clearly going for realism and a simulation format, with small things like temperature now affecting grip on the tracks. You also have new features, like customizing cars with fuel and tires during a race, and even car damage is now more realistic and dynamic, with individual scratches marked in the car chassis.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Update This November
Microsoft's Longest Running Franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary with an update.
We get an inspirational trailer featuring tons of different plane types and historical planes like the Spirit of St. Louis, from the early 1900s to more modern jumbo jets and world war II-era bi-planes, to futuristic, high-winged planes and helicopters across multiple landscapes.
The visuals of course are stunning, but the biggest surprised to the nerds out there is a Halo tie-tin, where players will be able to fly the Pelican from Halo as a free add-on, available today.
Overwatch 2 Early Access This November, New Hero Announced
Blizzard Entertainment goes back to the well with Overwatch, providing a new trailer for the venerate team-combat game. Promising a new era this October, Overwatch is finally going free to play, after having a very long and successful run as one of Blizzard's better projects in the past few years.
But we also learn that Overwatch 2 is coming on October 4th 2022, and to celebrate everything, we get a brand new heroine thrown into the mix, the punk-inspired, Australian accented woman taking on three baddies at once.
Ara History Untold Announced
A world premiere for New strategy games then takes the stage, titled Ara: History Untold.
We go through a teaser trailer showing off great moments in history, featuring tons of artifacts, historical persons, and events easily recognizable. The trailer then cuts to a globe, before fading into the title screen.
The Elder Scrolls Online High Isle Expansion Coming June 21st
Pete Hines then takes the stage, talking about the upcoming games from Bethesda, starting with Redfall, then going into the latest expansion of The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle, which comes out next week.
A trailer for High Isle plays next, showing off a new narrative experience that focuses heavily on the Bretons. High Isle will be out on June 21st.
Fallout 76 Leaves Appalachia for The Pitt
Hines then comes back to talk about Fallout 76, talking about Expeditions: The Pitt, which is coming this September.
The Pitt was originally a DLC in Fallout 3, but Expeditions: The Pitt is a new telling of the story of the wasteland of Pittsburgh. Familiar locations, weapons, and enemies are prominently featured, including the auto-saw, and of course, plenty of Fallout 76 action is prominently featured. The Pitt for Fallout 76 will be out in September 2022.
Hines then talks about Starfield, teasing the game a bit by noting that Todd Howard himself will talk more in-depth on it later in the show, before cutting to Forza Horizon 5 for a quick trailer.
Forza Horizon 5 Brings in More Hot Wheels
The Forza Horizon 5 trailer then plays a punk version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" while colorful cars of all types race on Hot Wheels tracks. This little DLC is a collaboration between the two companies, and will be available in June.
Ark 2 Announced for Next Year
We get a pre-rendered trailer with a narrative talking about mankind now off-planet, as dinosaurs fight for food. We eventually see someone riding a trained T-rex, which is always cool. The trailer turns out to be a teaser for Ark II, which is scheduled for a 2023 release.
Scorn Release Date Announced
Kepler and Ebb Software then showcase a really graphic and moody trailer for Scorn that features tons of bio-organic gore and viscera that looks like a cross between Cthulhu and H.R Geiger. The game is in first person and in terrifying detail, and is planned for an October 2022 release.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Announced
Kepler comes back with another game titled Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, this one more in the vein of an action RPG that is fairly soulslike in its combat. We see a character slaying enemies in a third person perspective, talking about attempting to kill a god if it is at all possible while battling skeletons, monsters, and other creatures across vast landscapes.
One thing you do have in Flintlock is a pet fox monster, but outside of that nothing else is known except it is an early 2023 release.
Minecraft Legends Announced
Mojang then has a world premiere for a new game, titled Minecraft Legends
The trailer starts with a narrative, but it is visually heavily in the Minecraft style of blocky graphics. We see a peaceful world then besieged by a portal filled with pig-looking enemies, going after the blocky humans.
We then see two-block pixies flying across the plains as a hero holds a flag, bringing tons of undead troops to battle. We finally see a bit of gameplay, where players lead NPC characters in this tactical game against the invading forces, while building up their resources and world around them.
New Lightyear Frontier Trailer
The Xbox exclusive, Lightyear Frontier, is shown next, planned for the Spring of 2023 release.
Combining a bit of first and third person, we see the player in a giant mech farming, which is certainly a new way to do the life sim in a game. The mech is actually customizable, using it to explore and fight as well as farm and defend the homestead you create.
Gunfire Reborn Announced
We get a sizzle trailer for 4-player co-op action with Gunfire Reborn. Featuring cartoonish aesthetics, roulette-style randomness, tons of weapons and enemy types, and fast, frantic action, gunfire Reborn looks pretty solid and will be out this October.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Announced
A new trailer is then shown for plot twists new game, a 2.5-d platformer The Last Case of Benedict Fox. Steeped heavily in an occult, 1920s Cthulhu vibe, we see the player character, Benedict Fox guided by a mysterious, dark force, which seems to help him in fighting enemies and keep him safe, though the question is at what cost.
As Dusk Falls Trailer
Caroline Marchal then takes the stage to talk about As Dusk Falls, describing it as an interactive TV show that is a thought-provoking experience that Marchal is hoping will leave a mark on everyone who plays it.
We then get some footage of As Dusk Falls, with its unique visual novel style. Everything is in a hand-painted feel to it, that is jarring when compared to the 3D visuals of the world, but is rendered beautifully. The narrative allows for branching paths and unique story experiences as well, making As Dusk Falls more dynamic that it meets the eye.
As Dusk Falls will be available relatively soon, on July 19th.
Naraka Bladepoint Coming to Xbox
We get a sizzle trailer next for a Wuxia-styled online fighting game, Narka Bladepoint, players can take on up to 60 players at once, featuring a unique range of magical spells, sword skills and martial arts. You can also battle with friends across PC and Xbox, engage in a new campaign mode with the Game Pass launch in June for Naraka.
Pentiment From Obsidian Entertainment Announced
An odd indie game is next from Obsidian Entertainment, titled Pentiment. featuring a graphical design that looks to be based heavily on 14th-century art. Primarily a narrative adventure, Pentiment seems to have a unique look and style that you wouldn’t expect from the developers of Fallout New Vegas, but should be a pretty good game to play.
Grounded Full Release Available in September
Obsidian then comes back with a new trailer for full release of Grounded coming in September of 2022.
The trailer shows off the visual style in great detail, as your shrunken teens survive the yard and fight off giant insects while collecting parts to help a toy-looking robot repair itself to figure out what the heck is going on.
The big selling point is that the game is no longer in preview and that the full story is finally available for all to play, along with all of the game modes.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy Announced
Raw Fury then comes in with a trailer for something unique, Ereban: Shadow Legacy.
Eraban looks like a stealth-action game, where players must avoid robot sentries in a vague cyberpunk setting. The main character is a cyber ninja of some kind, using magical shadow powers to infiltrate and fight these robotic enemies in both close and far range. Whatever Ereban is, it looks stylish and a unique experience.
Diablo IV Coming in 2023, Necromancer Announced
We go from cyber ninja to a corpse being eaten by a wolf, before it explodes by the hands of a necromancer, who proceeds to raise a zombie of their own, before chopping its head off. The Necromancer is a character class that is joining the other characters in Diablo IV.
The dark and brooding mood of the trailer for the necromancer is fantastic, with the consequences of becoming a necromancer seemingly deadly. That is especially true when you call upon the undead to fight werewolves for you.
We finally dig deeper into Diablo IV with an actual gameplay trailer, with footage captured from the Xbox Series X. It is what you would expect, really, a very dark action-RPG with bloody visuals, unique locations, player customization for the character classes, and tons of action against hordes of enemies.
One big selling point is Diablo IV is now an open world, with 150 dungeons promised in the game to fight through. As players clear them out, areas become more friendly and useful as a hub for you, creating a growing impact on the world. This is also enhanced by local events, small story segments that can lead to fights against small enemy hordes, or even world bosses, which require a number of players in co-op to take out. The shared world of Diablo IV helps with this, with cross-play promised, and even PVP zones if you want to go in there.
Sea of Thieves Season 7 in July
Sea of Thieves then sings little shanty for players, touting their free updates and tons of features added to the game. The biggest of which is finally becoming a captain, customizing your ships right down to the ship's name.
Players can choose their path as their pirate captain, earn unique rewards, and use new cash-in points for tons of upgrades and more for Season Seven, which begins July 21st.
Ravenlok Announced
We see the game takes on a fairy-tale vibe, where players play a pre-teen girl in this dream-like world filled with creatures and monsters of all shapes, sizes and colors. Visually everything is striking in Ravenlok, invoking an Alice in Wonderland vibe that is rarely captured.
Cocoon Announced
The creators of Inside and Limbo then show off a new game as well, a mysterious title named Cocoon, coming in 2023.
The Cocoon trailer starts with the birth of a winged creature in a desert, as they slowly explore sci-fi landscapes and solve puzzles by caring about what look like giant spheres. Not much is shown in Cocoon, but the gameplay we do see looks promising to be sure.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Announced
Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo then come in with a dark trailer for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
We see tons of destruction and death in the trailer, with Wo Long being heavily based on mythology and death. The game is also a massive action title, which is set for a 2023 release.
The Persona Series Comes Back to Xbox
Phil Spencer then takes the stage to tout Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja, before talking about the return of the Persona series on the Xbox One by Atlus. Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are the three games coming together on Gamepass, with a final announcement for P5 coming in 2022.
Xbox Announces Partnership with Hideo Kojima
Spencer then comes back to announce a partnership with Xbox Game Studios and Hideo Kojima. Kojima then comes on screen to talk about a game he is excited to make, how Microsoft is the forefront of new technology, and that he will be more exciting news in the future for players. Kojima productions is now officially working with their teams from the Xbox Game Studios on a new title.
Starfield Extended Gameplay Footage
The extended video of Starfield begins as you would expect, looking at the stars as anticipation grows. We then are thrown into a hub that shows off a pathway across planets, before we finally see some gameplay sizzle for the first time.
The gameplay waits a bit, as Todd Howard takes the stage, touting Starfield as their biggest game ever. We are then taken to the moon of Kreet, an early part of the game according to Howard, in the year 2338.
The game starts with your spaceship landing on the surface of the moon, before cutting to the HUD of the player character in the first person. The player is flanked by a robot, and we see them beginning to scan some of the plant life while passing scuttling aliens on the ground. The camera shifts to third person, as we see crab-like aliens skitter away from us next.
The scanner is put to good use as the player uses a laser to mine for resources, before coming closer to a facility on the moon, now overtaken by space pirates from the crimson fleet. The player takes out a new gun and infiltrates the facility shooting down some pirates in the process.
We see a variety of weapons, including assault rifles and shotguns, as well as a lockpicking mini-game to open up a gun case for a new weapon. A lot of the gun play is reminiscent of Fallout 4 so far, right down to the quick menu reticule to switch weapons. We also find out your guns have secondary fire features, and even a jetpack in the vein of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Howard comes back and talks about New Atlantis, a capital city where a group called the Constellation is headquartered. Constellation is an explorers guild that focuses on finding artifacts across the galaxy. We see some in-game characters for the first time up close, along with multiple locations filled with characters. The main antagonists seem to be the Crimson Fleet, while another group shown is The Rock, a group of peacekeepers in the galaxy.
The trailer turns into a sizzle reel of sorts at some of the world and landscapes, before turning to Howard who then goes right into character creation. The creation suite is incredibly robust, not just in customizable looks, but also in the return of backgrounds and traits into the game. We see a glimpse of the skill system, with rank-ups by completing challenges in-game. Crafting also makes a return, which is more robust than ever. We even get the return of settlement creation with outpost building, and even spaceship building is promised, and showcased, right down to the crew members and layout of the ship.
Players will, of course, be able to fly their ships, so customizing it for space is also important. We see a glimpse of the space flight in action, which is reminiscent of what was seen in No Man’s Sky, right down to the way space combat seems to work. We get an extensive look at space combat, before cutting back to Howard closing out the preview of Starfield.
Howard then spends a little time showing off the size of the game, where you can literally land across over 1,000 planets for players to explore. And this is not just in specific locations, though they will be available, across the entire surface of the planet, it is possible to land anywhere.
Starfield is ambitious, to say the least, but it is one of the biggest games coming out in 2023.
With Starfield, the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase finally comes to an end. To say the least, the next year of games from Microsoft is shaping up to be an impressive lineup, filled with tons of titles big and small, plenty of updates, and of course, lots of surprises on Xbox Game Pass.
