After a moderate demo earlier in the year, Microsoft really brought out the big guns with its Xbox gaming showcase in July, giving fans a proper glimpse into the future of the platform. With an impressive number of console launch exclusives and world premieres debuting over the course of the hour, we're here to cut through the fog and identify five important things you might have missed from the showcase. xbox games. Let us give you some of the finer details that emerged during Microsoft's biggest launch for the Xbox Series X.
Halo Infinite has a grappling hook, new weapons, and a new villain.
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(Image credit: Microsoft) At the end of the hour, Microsoft gave us our first look at Halo Infinite's gameplay, and it appears to be an open-world game with a ton of objectives, set in a Halo ring world. The premise follows the Master Chief as he crashes on the planet with his fellow pilot, only to discover that it has been invaded by The Banished, a Covenant splinter force introduced in Halo Wars 2. Depending on the map screen, missions will be limited. by difficulty and will spread across the entire map - the Master Chief will also be able to find and apply upgrades to his new equipment, such as the falling wall and grappling hook, which he can use to platform and throw items at enemies. The trailer also introduced a new arsenal of weapons (obviously). Some of the weapons seen in the trailer include a powerful pistol called the Mangler and a mid-range rifle called the VK78 Commando. The game will feature wildlife, run at 60 FPS, and be several times larger than Halo 4 and 5. The new big villain is Warchief Escharum, banished tribe leader from this ringworld, which itself is ruled . by Halo Wars 2's Atriox. He also mentions another dangerous force known as The Harbinger... fans are likely to be unchecking who he is as we speak!
Obsidian is making his own Skyrim-Killer, set in the Pillars Of Eternity universe
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(Image credit: Microsoft) If you've been following Obsidian's back catalog, you might have played 2015's Pillars of Eternity or 2's Pillars of Eternity 2018, both critically acclaimed isometric RPGs set in a rich world. . Well, Obsidian's next game after The Outer Worlds finds himself once again in this universe posing as a Skyrim assassin. You can quickly notice the Elder Scrolls of Avowed comparisons due to the first-person perspective and magical melee combat and dual-use runes. It's a look, that's for sure, but we wouldn't keep expecting it to release around the launch of the new consoles, as this blockbuster exclusive looks to be in the oven for a few more years.
Psychonauts 2 is coming in 2021 and will feature original songs by Jack Black
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(Image credit: Microsoft) In what was undoubtedly one of the most surreal and charming trailers in the showcase, we got a sneak peek at Double Fine's Psychonauts 2, a sequel to the cult platformer classic from 2005. The Year The game's release was later revealed in an Xbox blog post after the show, slipped to 2021. As is tradition in Double Fine games, Jack Black will appear in Psychonauts 2 as "Mote of Light," the theme of one of the levels of the game. He will teach Raz the power of "Time Bubble" which allows him to slow down objects to "create makeshift platforms" and sing a mind blowing ballad about the smell of the universe and the taste of heaven. Gnarly!
Stalker 2, the first Stalker game in 11 years, is an Xbox Series X exclusive release
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(Image credit: Microsoft) One of the biggest shocking debuts of the night was GSC Game World's Stalker 2, which toured the store to reveal that it would be an exclusive release for the Xbox Series X console. Stalker is a beloved FPS franchise from immersive sim from the 2000s, but Stalker 2 has had a hard time coming out: it was canceled in 2011 and will be revealed again in 2018. This makes Stalker 2 the first Stalker game in 11 years since Call of Pripyat, which landed in 2009. It's definitely a game series you should look into if you're a fan of games like Deus Ex, Dishonored, or Pathological: and the trailer's decrepit, atmospheric setting is a good place to start.
Tetris Effect: Connected brings multiplayer to one of the best games of this generation.
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(Image credit: Microsoft) Another surprising reveal came from Lords of Synesthesia, Enhance, responsible for legendary titles like Rez, Lumines, and Tetris Effect 2018, which was originally a PSVR-exclusive experience and absolutely essential in its own right. The game recently made the jump to other VR platforms, and now a new version of the game, Tetris Effect: Connected, will be available at Xbox Series X launch. The worst you can assume is that this is just another Tetris game. : you should blindside and see for yourself when it launches later this year. If you're interested, search Enhance's back catalog and find out how they use games to deliver their visual and tactile vision. Connected streamlines the single player journey mode and introduces cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes into the emotional experience. It will also be fully cross-platform with PC and available to all Xbox Game Pass subscribers. If you don't plan on getting an Xbox, good news! Enhance will deliver the Connected update to the PS4, Epic Game Store, and Oculus Quest versions of the game in Summer 2021.