Andre’s E3 2018 Microsoft Press Conference Thoughts
The E3 Microsoft press conferences are always interesting in how they present their games. In the E3 2018 Microsoft Press Conference, they use the term “exclusive” very loosely. Despite that, their presentation is not that bad, but the most important question is, does their presentation urge you to buy an Xbox One console?
Halo Infinite was announced with a cinematic trailer that announced a new engine, but no gameplay. I was a bit surprised they led off the conference with this, as they didn’t even have a release date attached to it. Ori and the Blind Forest was one of my favorite games years ago, and this year they showed off a new trailer for Ori and the Willow of the Wisps (2019). I am definitely interested in Ori and the Willow of the Wisps, even if we don’t know any new gameplay yet.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019), developed by From Software, looks like a game with fun gameplay. One of the few games presented that peaked my interest, but not an exclusive to Xbox One. It looks like another ‘Souls game’ in a samurai type setting I look forward to seeing the finished product. The new Metro game. Metro EXODUS was shown and it looks as great as it did last year. I am not big FPS player myself, but I have to admit, this game looks good.
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) was also shown and I was impressed, just like every other Forza game. This was the only game shown during the conference that moved me to even consider owning an Xbox One. This was also the only exclusive shown that has a 2018 release date, which is disappointing. Devil May Cry 5 (2019) was also shown, not an exclusive, and I have to say this is a game I am intrigued in. For some reason I managed to avoid ever playing a Devil May Cry game, but that may change with Devil May Cry 5.
Cuphead in the Delicious Last Course (2019) was shown as new DLC coming in 2019 and I will definitely play it when it comes. The most intriguing announcement for me was Dying Light 2, which is a franchise I didn’t care about before, but Dying Light 2 touts a custom experience with many choices a player can make for the story. If Dying Light 2 meets the hype presented at E3 2018, I may have to consider playing it. The most surprising announcement that I didn’t see coming was a quick teaser for a new Battletoads (2019) game. I can’t wait to see what the gameplay looks like.
Several new Gears of War franchise games were announced; Gears Pop (2019), a mobile game, Gears Tactics, a strategy game, and Gears of War 5, a new main game. I am interested in Gears Tactics, as I am a fan of the X-COM style games and Valkryia Chronicles. Gears of War 5 does nothing to get me interested in the franchise, and the presentation provided no details as to why this one is any different than its predecessors.
Cyberpunk 2077 found itself in the main event slot of the conference, and the trailer was very interesting, although no gameplay was shown. It was good to finally see something from Cyberpunk 2077, but nothing was shown to get me truly excited about it. Still waiting to see more about it. The E3 2018 Microsoft Press Conference was a mixed bag, as interesting games were shown (I didn’t mention them all), but never truly gave me an urge to want to own an Xbox One. It was also weird that Cyberpunk 2077 was in the last slot, not an Xbox One exclusive or even a console exclusive, which cemented my disappointment in the E3 2018 Microsoft Press Conference as a sales pitch to buy an Xbox One.
