Microsoft’s Xbox Series X Showcase: Halo Infinite and Forza, But Not Much Else
Microsoft wanted to blow the public away with today’s showcase focused on the Xbox Series X. But to us, the event needed more wow.
The real highlight was actual gameplay footage for Halo Infinite, which is expected to launch with the Xbox Series X. What we got was reminiscent of the best Halo titles of the past, but now rendered with some vivid 4K graphics.
Outside of that, the one-hour showcase leaned heavily on pre-rendered short trailers that didn’t exactly convince us we’ll need to buy the console when it launches this holiday season. Although Microsoft teased a new Fable game, State of Decay 3, and Forza Motorsport, many of the titles shown will also be available for Xbox One and Windows PC. Here we breakdown what we saw.
Halo Infinite
Microsoft kicked things off by dropping us directly into a Halo Infinite mission, which featured Master Chief gunning down scores of alien enemies. We drove a warthog, blew up enemies using an alien turret, and ultimately plowed through our foes like a boss. However, now you have a grappling hook, which will let you pull yourself toward enemies, or grab objects from afar.
“This is the most ambitious campaign we’ve ever created,” developer 343 Industries said in the footage. Expect the game’s world to be several times larger than the developer’s last two Halo games. However, Halo Infinite won’t be an Xbox Series X exclusive. It’ll also be available for Xbox One and Windows 10.
State of Decay 3
Get ready to kill some zombie deers. This teaser was pretty short, and doesn’t appear to depict actual gameplay. Instead, we got a creepy CG movie that shows our character alone in the woods trying to survive during a zombie apocalypse.
Forza Motorsport
This trailer had the best graphics out of all the games we saw. Most importantly, it gave us a glimpse of what the processing power on Xbox Series X can really achieve. The cars, the garages, and the racing environments all look like images taken out of real life. And the way the light beams over the vehicle hoods was icing on the cake.
Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment dropped a trailer for an upcoming first-person RPG game that looks a lot like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The footage showed our character wielding a sword in one hand, and magic in the other, as they’re about to fight an approaching enemy.
Fable
This one-minute teaser trailer doesn’t reveal much about the upcoming action RPG game. All we really got was a frog eating an innocent fairy. But we’re hoping the upcoming title can recapture the magic of the previous Fable games, which were a hit on the original Xbox and Xbox 360. Expect the new Fable game to also be available on Windows 10.
Everwild
This adventure title looks a bit like Avatar: The Last Airbender. You’ll journey with your friends creating bonds with magical beasts. It’s going to be released for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Windows 10.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
This short trailer showed a group of soldiers investigating a zombie-like threat set in the Warhammer 40,000 world. Microsoft says it’s a four-person co-op game, where you’ll take on hordes of enemies.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2
Ukrainian developer GSC Game World is preparing to make a sequel to its shooter survival horror game series. You’ll roam the devastated areas around the Chernobyl disaster site, exploring some pretty creepy phenomena. The game is slated to arrive in 2021.
The Gunk
You’ll travel to an alien world in this game, using your equipment to literally suck up alien gunk. Microsoft says you’ll encounter enemies and puzzles in your quest to unravel the mystery surrounding the forgotten planet.
The Medium
We liked what we saw in this survival horror game, where you play as a psychic visiting a haunted resort. Using your powers, you’ll be able to alternate between two different realities. The game is set to launch for both PC and Xbox Series X.
During today’s showcase, Microsoft also showed some existing games that’ll be arriving for the Xbox Series X. Among them is Destiny 2, which is also coming to Xbox Game Pass in September.
The upcoming games shown today will be joined by over a dozen third-party titles slated to arrive for the Xbox Series X. They include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Madden NFL 21, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
