Xbox E3 Conference Highlights

E3 is upon us once more and Xbox’s press conference has just come to a close. So what delights do we have in store for us on the Xbox One over the next 12 months?

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Obligatory Call of Duty game, but this time with Kevin Spacey. Same old, same old but with better graphics. Bound to be a favourite despite the plethora of better, more colourful and imaginative games that have been put on display this year.

Forza Horizon 2 – Obligatory Racing game. Looks good though, the Xbox One really is the platform for racers, the cars and the tracks look incredible.

Evolve – A perfect blend of cooperative and competitive gameplay. Could this be the future of multiplayer gaming? Coming from the guys who gifted us Left 4 Dead – Turtle Rock Studios – I truly believe that this could be something to watch out for.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity – What more do you expect from the guys at Ubisoft Montreal? These guys pour blood, sweat and tears into these games and Unity looks like it is set to be their best yet. Set in revolutionary France in the late 1700’s. The good guys at Ubisoft showcased the game’s new four-player co-op, allowing you to create your own Brotherhood and take to the streets of Paris together.

Sunset Overdrive – Now THIS is what we’re talking about. The good folk over at Insomniac games have cranked out this beauty for the Xbox One. Imagine if Dead Rising and Borderlands had a baby, then Tony Hawk Pro Skater comes along and vomits a rainbow all over it. Needless to say, Sunset Overdrive looks incredible. Man oh man are we excited to play.

Dead Rising DLC – Capcom have turned the amplifier up to eleven with this new DLC. Aptly named ‘Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition DX Plus Alpha’, the add-on basically adds more insanity to the mix. Letting you “cosplay as your favourite Capcom character”, including all of the previous Dead Rising heroes, then unleashes you back into the world collecting power-ups and generally causing chaos. And it’s out NOW.

Halo: Master Chief Collection – We had a feeling this would happen, and we’re so glad it has. “This is about Master Chief’s journey. His past and his future”, allowing old fans to replay the saga once more, and for new fans to venture into the fray on the Xbox One and fall in love with the old Chief themselves. And now on the 10th anniversary of Halo 2 the team have remastered the hallowed shooter, all in glorious 1080p. Multiplayer maps included. Bravo 343 Studios. They even gave us a little peek at Halo 5: Guardians including announcing the beta, which is coming in November along with the Master Chief Collection.

Crackdown 3 – Well I certainly didn’t expect this. A brand spanking new cooperative Crackdown game for the Xbox One. Microsoft sprung the trailer on us which was basically a 3 minute romp of explosives and mass destruction, and we wouldn’t expect anything less. No release date as of yet, but I’m sure we’ll hear soon.

The Division – I’ll be honest, I didn’t have much hope for The Division when it was announced since the Tom Clancy games are a little bit played out. But this isn’t like its Splinter Cell brothers, it is a completely different beast and a toe-curlingly exciting one at that. Set in a near-future dystopian New York City, this third person shooter looks both grippingly realistic but a whole heap of fun. With a minimal, futuristic display and what looks like extremely smooth combat and gameplay, The Division is set to be a Game of the Year contender for sure.

Rise of the Tomb Raider – After the success of the revitalisation of the Tomb Raider series in 2013, Crystal Dynamics & Square Enix have given us the trailer for the next Lara Croft game. Heart pounding and awe-inspiring. If the 2013 Tomb Raider is the jumping off point for this, we are certainly in for a treat. “After hearing the cry from our fans loud and clear, we will put the tombs back into Tomb Raider, all in our gritty Survival-Action style” said Square Enix product development head Darrell Gallagher. They’re listening, and I have a feeling we’re all going to have a blast with Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015.

Project Spark – This game has been in development for a while, but it was officially announced today at the Xbox conference. To explain it simply, it’s a game-making game. You control everything, make what you want to make, it’s completely up to you. It’s kind of like Xbox’s answer to Little Big Planet but on a blasphemously large scale. And it top it all off, the one and only Conker the Squirrel from N64 classic Conker’s Bad Fur Day is what seems to be Project Spark’s mascot for the whole jolly affair. Colour me impressed and excited for what could come from this. Keep your eyes peeled.

Of course, much more was announced from Xbox this year, but these are just a handful of highlights that really got my motor running. What a way to start E3, what a year of gaming we have in store for us.