Microsoft has just wrapped up its 90 minute Gamescom livestream but for anyone that missed it because they may have been too busy watching Monarch of the Glen on Sunday evening we have conveniently brought all the announcements into a neat little article for you. So, what did we learn? Well if I am honest, not much we didn’t know already:
Assassin’s Creed Origins
The livestream started with an exclusive new CGI trailer for Assassin’s Creed Origins which looked impressive, but there was no gameplay shown like at E3. This trend continued throughout the rest of the livestream with very little gameplay at all. The next installment in the series launches 27th October.
PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG)
PUBG did include a gameplay trailer but for anyone that has not seen any gameplay of this game yet, where have you been hiding? Again, it was confirmed that PUBG was coming to Xbox towards the end of this year via Xbox Games Preview but it was also announced that this will now be published by Microsoft themselves. Brendan Greene aka PlayerUnknown seemed very excited about this fact but was still reluctant to provide an exact release date. He did confirm it would be in 4K for the Xbox One X however.
Jurassic World Evolution
Then it was time for a brand-new announcement in the form of Jurassic World Evolution, a new simulation game from Microsofts’ go-to simulation development team, Frontier Developments, who previously have developed Zoo Tycoon, Screamride and Planet Coaster. Anyone that ever played Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis will know how good a dinosaur themed simulation game can be and with the pedigree of Frontier behind this new title, this could turn out to be an extremely good game when it launches in Summer 2018.
Enhanced Games
Next up was more information about the Xbox One X, something that the majority of people will have tuned in for. Here they provided details on games already released that would be receiving enhancements for the Xbox One X. Currently there is a list of over 100 titles being planned to receive enhancements but highlights include Diablo III, Gears of War 4, Final Fantasy XV, Halo 5, Resident Evil 7 and The Witcher 3. These games will receive updates that will enable them to take full advantage of the new console. Much like the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility list, the list of Enhanced Games will be constantly updated.
ReCore: Definitive Edition
Sticking with the Enhanced Games, and ReCore was one on the list that was singled-out. The Definitive Edition is set to launch on 29th August, almost a year after it launched originally. This new edition though will include the base game remastered for 4K and HDR capabilities, along with some new story DLC and a new corebot frame, the T8-NK. Rather than this be a kick in the face to people that already own it though, the Definitive Edition update will be free for anyone who owns the current game! And, if you own the Xbox Game Pass, this version will also be available through the subscription service starting next month. You can read our review here of the original release if this news has tempted you.
Windows 10 Announcements
The livestream then focussed on the Windows 10 side of things. Already announced was the Age of Empires: Definitive Edition to celebrate 20 years of the series and further news was promised for this title in the coming week at Gamescom but Microsoft also announced that another classic Microsoft RTS is returning in the form of Rise of Nations: Extended Edition. This is the same version currently on Steam but in an exciting piece of news, these will feature cross-network play allowing Steam users to play against Windows 10 users. Rise of Nations: Extended Edition will launch on 14th September with a special discount price to try and entice existing Steam users over to the Windows 10 version.
The day after, during the Age of Empires 20th anniversary celebration, definitive editions were announced for Age of Empires II and III, but in even bigger news, there will be an Age of Empires IV, returning the series to its traditional RTS roots.
Family Titles
In an interesting change of pace, the livestream then focussed on a few, more family-friendly titles heading to Xbox One. These are Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection from the Xbox One launch titles, and two games brought up from the 360: Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure and the criminally underrated Disneyland Adventures. What’s worth noting is that the two brought over from the 360 titles were Kinect only at the time of their original release, but now they will be playable with a controller, as well as maintaining Kinect capabilities. All will also have the Xbox One X enhancements, along with Play Anywhere accessibility, meaning you can play on Windows 10 and the Xbox One and will launch in time for Christmas at the price of £19.99.
Forza Motorsport 7
We knew this game was coming even before it was announced back at E3, such is the release schedule for Forza games with the Horizon festival taking a year off. Not much more information was given, except for the fact that you can play Forza with a Guitar Hero controller if you are that way inclined. They stated the list of peripherals you could use includes all requested and existing 3rd-party wheels, and instrument based peripherals as well. Specs for the PC version were announced as well, with a note stating that these are lower than previous releases, enabling more gamers to play without buying brand new rigs. Forza Motorsport 7 releases on 3rd October, or four days early on 29th September for anyone who buys the Ultimate Edition.
Xbox One X Data Transfer
Mike Ybarra then turned up on the stream to discuss options for transferring data and games over from the Xbox One/One S to the new Xbox One X. In summary, if they are on the same local network, you can easily transfer your games over to the new One X rather than putting discs in or having to re-download them again. 4K updates can also be downloaded before launch. All this adds up to you having more time to play games on launch day.
State of Decay 2
In what was fast becoming a reoccurring theme with the Gamescom livestream, this was re-treading old ground once again. No new details were confirmed for this game currently. Yes it now contains co-op gameplay, yes it will contain plenty of Easter eggs, yes it looks fantastic. Mark this down for Spring 2018 in your calendars.
World of Tanks
Another game that will be receiving a 4K update but also a few more details were announced.
War Stories was announced as an all new campaign approach to the game, allowing solo gameplay in World of Tanks exclusive to consoles. But for those looking to stay online in World of Tanks, it was confirmed that it would be utilising Arenas in Xbox Live. Both of these features are expected very soon
ID@Xbox
Again, we were treated to the same trailer from E3 showcasing upcoming (and some now released) ID@Xbox games. Aside from the ones already featured in the livestream such as PUBG and Cuphead, others to look out include Hello Neighbour, Fable Fortune and Strange Brigade.
The livestream also offered up some numbers including that there are currently over 1,500 ID@Xbox games in development, and that everyone has the ability to develop their own games directly on their own Xbox and release right onto the Xbox Store themselves. Simply download the Dev Mode Activation app on your Xbox to get started
Sea of Thieves
It was another game we had seen plenty of already at previous Microsoft conferences but this time the team at Rare came with a new announcement – Cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10.
Sea of Thieves is also holding another Technical Alpha test this week during Gamescom and invited anyone that wants to take part. Just go to seaofthieves.com/insider for details.
Minecraft Themed Xbox One S
Away from all the reveals about Xbox One X and enhanced games etc., Microsoft were keen to show that they weren’t putting all their eggs in one basket and showed off a new Minecraft themed Xbox One S. The console takes the appearance of the iconic Minecraft grass block on the front/top, and underneath has a transparent chassis with a redstone livery on the outside, and light up redstone accent inside the console.
Two new controllers were announced as well from Minecraft: The creeper and the pig. Both of which are, quite frankly, adorable. The creeper controller comes as part of the Minecraft console bundle, but both are also available separately. The controllers will be available before the console, which launches on 3rd October.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
Another game we got ‘another’ look at but this one does look fantastic, and the Balrog in the trailer looks terrifying. It also will be receiving the 4K update to make the most of the Xbox One X and launches a few weeks before on 10th October.
Cuphead
This game is finally just around the corner on the release calendar, coming out on 29th September. And when it finally does I and many others will hope it was worth the wait. No new details again for this title but since as it has been in development for so long and been on peoples radar there just doesn’t seem to be anything more to even announce for this one.
Surviving Mars
The second brand new announcement during the livestream, and its another sim-management game. The twist for this one is that it is set on Mars, but the narrative during the trailer gave the impression that not everything is as rosy as it makes out. This gave me a Bioshock-esque feeling in that the powers that be from higher up are controlling those that put their trust in them and giving them a false sense of security.
Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition
They had been teasing a huge pre-order announcement throughout the livestream, but that didn’t stop it leaking the day before elsewhere. Much like when the Xbox One originally released and had the Day One Edition, the Xbox One X will be getting its’ own edition for the early adopters. This version is keen to keep the codename that it was originally called and this is plastered on the console and the controller. The console also includes a unique decal on the front of the console.
Oh, and a stand to keep the console vertical.
And that’s the livestream in a, very large, nutshell. The general feeling is that Microsoft have played it very safe with this livestream. They announced a lot of the games on this list would play better on the Xbox One X with enhancements but obviously, they will work just fine for those not yet ready to upgrade. I can’t help but feel that the delay to Crackdown 3 just a few days before had a severe impact on what they were planning on showing this week and that may have been why they switched focus to show all the existing games or soon to be released games that would be receiving the enhancements to 4K for the Xbox One X.
