Definitely a lot shown off!
Running through the list:
Starfield - So, the big one. I went into this game with rock-bottom expectations, but I definitely came away from this presentation feeling quite enthusiastic about what they were showing off. They were definitely ticking all of my boxes, when it comes to the features that I would want from a game like this. But, I have to temper my expectations extraordinarily because this is still a Bethesda game, and Bethesda games are jank.
If (and this is a
big if) they can pull this off, this could be an incredible game, but I definitely have my doubts, and I am very curious to see what the reviews end up looking like, for this one. Label me cautiously optimistic.
Forza Motorsport - Graphically impressive, though car games have been this way for a while. I don't really care all that much about the non-Horizon series though. Good for those who care more about track racing!
Hellblade 2 - Tried the first one, but it didn't grasp me. Not too much to go on here, because it is basically just a cutscene. Looks cool though.
Fable - Looking forward to this one. Looks very British. Even my girlfriend was really interested in this one. Looking forward to seeing some gameplay.
Avowed - The artstyle makes this one look a little cheap, but Obsidians strengths are in its story. Apparently this one takes place in the Pillars of Eternity world. Looking forward to hearing more.
TESO: Necrom - An expansion for a game that I don't play. Didn't really do much to make me want to play it.
Towerborne - So its a sidescrolling brawler, by the people to made Banner Saga. Didn't really grab me, but looked nice.
Clockwork Revolution - It looks like Bioshock Infinite, but has been made the same studio who made the Wasteland games. As far as I know, they have never made an FPS before. Maybe we will see some of their RPG prowess rear its head? Definitely interested in this one.
Path of the Goddess - Interesting artstyle (though maybe not necessarily in a good way). I traditionally haven't really enjoyed many Japanese games, and I can't really see this one changing that.
Metaphor Re Fantazio - This trailer was just noise to me, but I assume that this is pretty much fantasy Persona.
South of Midnight - Really interesting artstyle, but is by the guys who did We Happy Few which was also very style > substance. Cautious, but interested in seeing more.
Star Wars Outlaws - Interested in this one, but Ubisoft puts a big dampener on my expectations. We'll see!
Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty - Looks really cool, but still haven't touched the base game. Will need to rectify that some day.
Payday 3 - Looks like a prettier Payday 2. Though I think Im not really the kind of person who enjoys these sorts of games anymore. Still, nice to see!
33 Immortals - Loved Spiritfarer, but this didn't really do it for me. Its a game that seems very reliant on multiplayer (and with such a large group-size!), and I can't really see this one having the legs to last very long post-launch. I hate to say that about an indie game, but I can't see this beating my expectations.
Flight Simulator 2024 (plus Dune) - Visually very impressive, but not my thing.
Sea of Thieves: Monkey Island - An expansion for a game that I don't play. Didn't really do much to make me want to play it.
Fallout 76: Atlantic City - An expansion for a game that I don't play. Didn't really do much to make me want to play it. Amazed this one has lasted this one.
Cities Skylines 2 - I think Cyberpunk was a tough act to follow (especially with a tagline along the lines of "Roads don't matter without you" or whatever it was). Happy to see MS shine the light on more niche genres, and looks like a decent improvement over the original game, but im not too sure anyone really came to see this.
Persona 3 Reload - If I ever go back to P4, and end up liking it, I'll be sure to check this one out.
Persona 5 Tactics - Gonna be honest, zoned out of this one. Refer to my thoughts on P3 Remake.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Im never too sure what to think about the tone of these Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, but this seems pretty on point. I have Yakuza Zero which I have yet to try out. I should give that a try at some point.
Overwatch 2 - Im not really sure what they are doing with this. They recently announced that they had cancelled the more in-depth singe player mode, so I assume that whatever this is, is going to be really watered down. Hard to say, will wait and hear what people say about it. Also pretty cheeky of them to try to sell you access to these new heroes, when heroes used to be available to everyone immediately and for free.
Still Wakes the Deep - Looks like a pretty cool horror game! Not really my genre, but interested to see more.
Dungeons of Hinterberg - Looks cutesy. I'll wait and see what people say about this one.
Jusant - Definitely a unique premise and gameplay loop. Not sure it is for me, but we will wait and see.
Overall, I was pretty positive about this showing overall. I think it has been my favourite showcase of the season so far, and there was more here that I was interested in, then the Sony show, or the Summer Games Fest.
I was very surprised that they didn't show off the upcoming Halo battle royale game that we have been hearing about, which makes me think just how far off this game is going to be. Im even more surprised that they didn't show a trailer for the upcoming Halo Infinite Season 4 update, which is right around the corner, even though they happily showed off some other live service stuff. Looks to me like Microsoft might just be trying to push this game underneath the rug, which may well be for the best.
But im just happy to see some of Microsoft's acquisitions finally starting to pay off. Admittedly a lot of these trailers (whilst in-engine) still represent games that are probably years away, and we still don't really have a fantastic idea about how a lot of them will play.
