E3 is almost here and the anticipation of what’s to come is at an all time high, but for now we’re going to look back at the past week. Whether it’s a review or news, the Xbox 360 or the One, these are the five things which stood out for us in what could be called ‘the calm before the storm’.
1) Xbox and Oculus partner up for something special
Okay, so this is a pretty big deal in the world of gaming, when two of its iconic brands, Microsoft and Oculus, decide to team up for the greater good. When Oculus Rift launches in Q1 of next year it’ll come bundled with an Xbox One controller to use with Rift games, which is great news for those used to playing on Xbox. When you consider the streaming capacity, that’s only possible for Windows 10, coming to the Rift, it’s worth taking a second to imagine the likes of Halo and Forza being streamed to it… our excitement just cannot be contained!!
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we like to call a game changer.
2) New Xbox One 1TB console revealed. 500Gb version gets a permanent price cut
A few of the early Xbox One buyers will be wishing this news had come a lot sooner, as we’re sure you’ll all agree, the bigger the storage, the better. The installation of games nowadays takes up a large chunk of storage and even though you can add your own external hard-drive currently, this 1TB size as standard should cover the needs of most casual gamers. It won’t make much of a difference to us hardcore lot though; we’re already struggling with our extra external 2TBs.
Anyone who was hanging on before making the purchase of an Xbox One will be rubbing their hands now at the £349.99 price, plus the fact that they’ll be getting a newly designed controller bundled in with it too.
3) Assassin’s Creed Syndicate books and collectible figurines revealed
Ubisoft announced a few items of interest, which are available to pre-order, to accompany and compliment the future release of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. For those of you whom enjoy the finer things in life there are a number of collectibles that might entice you to spend that hard earned cash. Our personal favourites are the two figurines of the Frye twins, Evie and Jacob, because not only do they look badass on their own, you can push them together for a pretty sweet family diorama.
With a couple of books and life-size replica weapons/accessories on offer too, we’re sure there will be something for a wannabe assassin to pick up for their collection.
4) The Avengers assemble with the first LEGO E3 2015 trailer
When you combine LEGO and Marvel, you’re bound to create a game that’ll excite the masses and that’s exactly what the upcoming LEGO Avengers game does. The trailer came across rather well due to it feeling like a blockbuster movie whilst squeezing in the standard LEGO humour. As long as you’ve seen the destructive battle of New York and the Age of Ultron then this should be a great way to relive the films. Whether you’re on old gen, new gen, Xbox, PlayStation or Nintento, LEGO have got all bases covered.
5) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review
We couldn’t look back on the week without bringing up our mammoth review of one of the biggest games so far this year. There was no doubt that the third Witcher title from CD Projekt RED has so much awesomeness going for it with a enthralling story and superb looking visuals, however there were issues that gave us a virtual slap in the face at times. Thus meaning, no playthrough ever went by without problems, with some minor ones which were easily ignored, whilst some were more noticeable and really hindered the enjoyment factor.
Oh how amazing it could have been and surely will be once the developers have gotten to grips with the bugs and glitches.
Well that’s been our week, but do you agree with the choices we’ve made? Feel free to tell us your highlights from the world of Xbox in the comments or via Twitter @TheXboxHub. Join us again in a week, after what should be a busy one.
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