LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 28: A detailed view of an Xbox One controller during day one of the 2019 ePremier League Finals at Gfinity Arena on March 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
When E3 was canceled, we were all left wondering where our big gaming announcements would come from. Surprisingly, we've actually gotten the first of these announcements a month early. Today marked the first in a series of streaming events this summer from Microsoft. Here are the most important announcements from today's Xbox 20/20.
Bright Memory: Infinite
Our first real look at a game developed on Xbox Series X. And it's a mind trip. It looks like a Call of Duty meets Destiny meets God of War meets Back to the Future hybrid? Supposedly developed by a single person, that's pretty impressive.
Scorn
One of the least pleasant games aesthetically that I think I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are incredible. But they make me go "EW! No! Absolutely not!" They just said that all of this would feature gameplay, and there was none in that one. I dunno, it looks like Aliens?
Chorus
Am I insane? They said this was all going to have gameplay, right? Did I just hear wrong? Anyway, this looks like a sci-fi space action game. The world reminds me of Mass Effect. I'd love to tell you what the gameplay reminds me of, but I didn't see any.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
This one is creepy. The vibe is dark and makes me think of BioShock. It's a dark world. Only a little bit of gameplay, but it does look pretty good. I'm guessing a sandbox open-world where you can choose who lives and who's a walking buffet.
The Ascent
Can you tell Cyberpunk is coming out this year? The futuristic cyberpunk theme is strong in this one. The first in our "Diablo, but..." games. This time, it's Diablo, but in space and with guns. Looks good, but nothing groundbreaking.
The Medium
Another game without any gameplay footage. Looks like a horror game, featuring a woman whose baby is probably the devil? Described as a next-gen psychological horror game. Composer comes from Silent Hill, so that's a huge win! It looks like a cool survival horror title.
Scarlet Nexus
Time to get Animu! We've got a pretty cool looking beat-em-up in the Bayonetta style. Much more anime in art design obviously. Kid has psychokinesis and uses it to kill monsters that until him, we're invincible. I'm usually not big on the anime-games, but this one looks pretty fun.
Second Extinction
Time to shoot some dinosaurs! Earth has fallen and you and a team have to use awesome guns to kill dinosaurs. It blows me away that in 2020, I'm seeing a trailer for a new Turok game. Wait, what do you mean it's Second Extinction?
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Death, taxes, and a new Yakuza game. I'm not making fun of that, by the way. The Yakuza series has been pretty damn good, especially as of late. This one certainly seems to be stepping away from what we'd traditionally expect. They're dialing the fantastical up to 11. Overall, it looks pretty fun. A lot of beat-em-up elements and a good art style.
https://youtu.be/7s5C-BG9glU
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I'd rather this be about the Viking god of rock: Valhalen. That said, it's interesting to see Assassin's Creed take on the Viking mythology. From the trailer they showed, it looks more like a God of War or Middle-Earth game to me.
Overall thoughts on Xbox 20/20
What the hell?! Is Microsoft gaslighting us? They do not know what gameplay footage means anymore. Cutscenes or footage rendered in-game does not equate to gameplay Microsoft. I can't believe I have to tell you this, but your consumers understand gameplay footage to mean what the game looks like while you're controlling and playing. Not while you're watching the cut-scenes. I'm genuinely angry right now. Do not allow Microsoft to get away with redefining what gameplay footage is.
Sure, the games look fine. But come on! Something about this show did not pass the smell test. All of that before we get to the fact that we didn't get a release date or a price point out of the Xbox 20/20 show.
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