Microsoft wrapped up their E3 Conference presentation around 2 PM Eastern Time on Monday the 10th, and they had a much stronger showing that many people believed they would have. With a few exclusive games that were both innovative and impressive, the Xbox One showed that it is still a gaming console. With a price point of $499 and a release date of November 2013, Xbox One will be a big change from the Xbox 360. Let's do a recap of what we saw from the E3 Conference:
Xbox One Games (In order of Introduction)
Metal Gear Solid V
Now open world, with all sorts of options with stealth, the all new Metal Gear Solid has a strong look and feel of "grittyness" to it, and it's now no longer a Sony Playstation Exclusive! With realistic weather that changes on you, and time that passes realistically as well, this game looks to be one you can't miss.
World of Tanks
Not much to explain here because World of Tanks, which is currently for PC, is now becoming an Xbox Exclusive. Free to play for anyone with a Gold Subscription, now you can get your 15 on 15 tank-warfare fix on the all new Xbox One.
Dark Souls
RYSE - Son of Rome
Coming from Crytek, the acclaimed developer of Crysis, RYSE looks to be absolutely phenomenal. With stunning graphics, this 3rd person action game looks pretty awesome. The game which puts you in the shoes of a Roman General, has no shortage of action, bloodshed, quick time events (QTE), and history. With the new "Smartglass" features that will come with Windows-based tablets and phones, you can even view your progress, history and more while you play.
Killer Instinct
It's back! Killer Instinct is coming back for the Xbox One!
Project Spark
Project Spark looks to be one of the most adaptive and innovative games that we've seen at an E3 Conference. Start out by making a basic world, complete with rivers, mountains, and anything else you want to add, and using Smartglass, you can then change the terrain further and add things like trees, hills, rivers, bridges and more. When you're done creating your world, hop into it with your character and start making your game. That's right, make a game...in a game. Anything goes in Project Spark. In the E3 demo, the player took his pet (yes, pet) rock, and turned it into a giant mech, which he then hopped into and started destroying goblins with. When you're done making your game with enemies, towns, and objectives, you can then save and share it with friends. And if they want, they can even "remix" it, adding things themselves.
Sunset Overdrive
An all new game coming from Insomniac Games, the makers of Ratchet and Clank, Sunset Overdrive is a pretty cool addition to the Xbox One lineup. Taking on monsters as a parkour loving character, you can hop and jump your way around the game world, using all sorts of cool weapons with a comic book feel to it. This all new IP from Insomniac Games looks very promising.
Forza 5
Forza Motorsport never fails to impress with its gorgeous graphics, high-speed gameplay, and sexy cars. Now more than ever, Forza looks stunning, and almost completely real. With revamped graphics that showcase light and shadows as well as textures so real that you could touch them, Forza once again ups the racing genre on Xbox One. Hands down, the coolest feature of the all new Forza is the all new "Drivatar". Your "Drivatar" is essentially an AI that learns how you like to race by learning your actions and reactions, and race in other races against other drivers. This allows races to be much more realistic, and makes the AI much more dynamic!
Minecraft
Already on the Xbox 360, Minecraft will be coming back in the Xbox One. With larger worlds, better graphics, and deeper digs, you can build even better worlds on your Xbox One.
Quantum Break
Remedy, the creators of Alan Wake, are back with an all-new action packed game. Play the game, then watch the TV show that adapts to how you play(ed) the game. Then, when you watch the TV show, you get an insight into the game. Although not much has been revealed about the game itself, it is going to be action packed with combat, drama, and excitement. Remedy never fails to produce a fantastic story.
Crimson Dragon
Remember the sequel to Panzer Dragoon that was accidentally leaked onto Xbox Live? Well, it's now confirmed. This Third-Person Shooter on rails, where you take on the role of a dragon rider, is now a confirmed Xbox Exclusive. It looks stunning, but technical issues prevented hearing sounds.
Dead Rising 3
Playing as an all new character stuck in the zombie apocalypse, you can explore, climb, and destroy pretty much anything in your path. In this all new open-world zombie game, you won't have to deal with any load times, and EVERYTHING can be a weapon. But be careful, anything you do can attract more zombies to where you are, and you may find yourself overwhelmed...if you do, use the environment and other various weapons to distract them and get away! With Microsoft's Smartglass, you can even call for help and artillery strikes!
Witcher 3
The third installment of the Witcher is upon us! Back and bigger than ever, immerse yourself in the massive and gorgeous open-world gameplay in The Witcher 3. With fantastic RPG Gameplay, you can even manage parts of the game with the new Microsoft Smartglass!
Battlefield 4
We've all been waiting to see some Battlefield 4 gameplay, and even though we had to wait a few extra minutes to see it due to technical difficulties, the game looks awesome. With intense, and good looking combat, jumping into Battlefield 4 looks incredible. Take advantage of the environment like never before, with being able to even use objects like planes to take down your enemies.
Halo
With three all new Halo things coming out, you won't run out of Halo to play and watch. Halo: Spartan Assault, a top-down third person shooter, is coming to Windows 8 as well as Windows phones and tablets. A Halo TV Series produced by Steven Spielberg will be coming out as well. Finally, we got teased with a cut scene from the upcoming Halo game for Xbox One. Not much is known about the upcoming game from 343, but it is slated for the Xbox One.
Titanfall
Microsoft finished strong with the all new game from the developer Respawn, which was formed by former Infinity Ward executives, West and Zampella. From the start, Titanfall looked incredible, with a whole new sci fi world, and a whole new shooter game. With a mix of jetpack parkour and mechs, the game looks to be epic. Respawn showed off some multiplayer gameplay, and with the ability to jump off walls onto higher up buildings, step into a mech to destroy or crush enemies, and great weapons, the multiplayer will be a must have. Note: Microsoft made it seem that Titanfall was only for Xbox One, but it is also being released for PC.
Xbox Live Changes
Smartglass
Smartglass will be a way for you to interact with your games, while you play them. Look at your stats, achievements, trophies and more while you play games. At the same time, you can have your Xbox search for online matchmaking while you play another game!
Upload Studio
All games are auto-recorded. You can then edit them a bit, and then upload them wherever you wish, and share them with your friends.
Twitch TV integration
Do you stream your games online? Xbox One will have Twitch.tv integrated with it, allowing you to seamlessly stream your Xbox One gameplay to your Twitch Account.
Xbox Live Bonuses
You can now share your Xbox live Gold account status (ability to play online) with the other accounts on your console. This means, not everyone in your family will have to buy Gold to play online. Anyone with Gold status will also now receive 2 full games for free every month!
Currency
Microsoft Points will no longer exist. Pay with real world money instead.
Sharing
Multiple accounts on the same console can share the same games, while up to ten people can be designated "family members"; each member can view the same game library on any console, and one member can play from the game library at the same time as the original console owner.
Always On Connectivity
Xbox consoles must check with servers every 24 hours. Once that 24 hours is up, games and apps will no longer work until connected again. This includes single player games.
And that's it! The full recap of the Microsoft E3 2013 Presentation! To see the full presentation, watch it here! Take a look at the Sony Recap as well!
