Microsoft took the stage earlier today at E3, intent on proving to the gaming community that they haven't lost touch with their fan base. They promised to bring software, and they certainly delivered, showcasing almost an hour's worth of their Xbox One and Xbox 360 lineup. Here are some of the biggest highlights from the presentation.
"Metal Gear Solid V"
MSG V looks fantastic. It might not be a console (or even generational) exclusive, but it was still really great to see it in action. The graphics were stunning and the open world setting is quite possibly a franchise game-changer. Plus, we now have confirmation that Keifer Sutherland doesn't sound half bad.
In addition to a pretty lengthy gameplay demo, we also got to see some of those awesome cinematics that the series is known for. Kojima's distinct trailer style felt just as weird as always, but certainly strange in a good way.
"Ryse"
Crytek's "Ryse: Son of Rome" was on full display. Not only did we get a nice cinematic trailer, we also got a surprisingly big helping of gameplay. It might not have been the sort of gameplay style that everyone was expecting, but it's hard to deny just how great it looked.
No EA Sports
Sports games are fine, but not when they're taking up half of your timeslot. Microsoft made the right call this time around and left that suite of titles for EA's presentation.
"Quantum Break"
We didn't get to see very much, but just the fact that in-game footage was on hand was pretty great. It's also a good sign that they chose to use the Quantum Break segment to demo the game, and not talk about the TV show aspect. If nothing else, Microsoft seems to be learning from its mistakes.
"Dead Rising 3"
Microsoft has managed to hold onto the "Dead Rising" franchise, and the third installment looks like the most ambitious one yet. A huge open world, no load screens, and improvised weapon creation on the fly? Where do I sign up?
"Forza 5"
Is Forza 5 the prettiest car game ever? Quite possibly! Not only that, but the gameplay/tech demo also proved that some serious innovation is going into this installment. AI drivers that mimic the behaviors of their human counterparts is an extremely interesting idea, we can only hope it works as well as they say it does.
"Halo"
We knew some sort of Halo reveal was coming, but the moment when Master Chief threw back his hood had every journalist in the room surprised. Priceless.
"Project Spark"
When Microsoft said they were bringing games to E3, I don't think anyone expected they would arrive with a game that makes other games. There are a few similarities with Sony's "LittleBigPlanet," but the fact that you can go beyond drag and drop controls and delve into a user-friendly programming interface is extremely intriguing.
It also doesn't hurt that the Kinect and smart glass features, if they work, seem very intuitive. "Project Spark" is undoubtedly the coolest first party reveal of Xbox's E3 presence so far, and one that's sure to create a lot of buzz for the next few months.
For an alternate angle, check out a few of the Xbox presentation disappointments here.