This weekend, Summer Game Fest continued with a few more games showcases, the most anticipated being the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase which happened on Sunday. This one lasted a little over an hour and a half, featuring all new Xbox console and PC games.
A few years ago, the E3 Xbox showcase consisted mainly of Phil Spencer announcing newly acquired Microsoft studios. In yesterday’s showcase we are finally seeing many of the games that these studios have been working on. Games that are coming out pretty soon.
Even though I don’t currently own an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S, I do own a PC (even if it is a dinosaur, made up of ancient PC parts). I still enjoy watching the Xbox showcase though because a few of these games are not Xbox exclusive, and will be released on PlayStation and maybe even on Nintendo Switch. I’m also generally excited about any and all gaming news and updates. It’s just a great time to see so many new titles coming for all kinds of gamers.
Let’s go over some of the cool news and updates we got to see yesterday:
Redfall
We’ve seen and heard of Redfall before, but I believe this was our first time seeing some actual gameplay footage. If not, we most definitely got a closer look yesterday. Redfall is an open world, co-op first-person shooter that takes place on an island in Massachusetts overrun by vampires.
Back when Microsoft acquired Bethesda there were two unique shooters in the works from Arkane Studios. The first Deathloop released exclusively on PlayStation last year, by Arkane – Lyon. The second game, Redfall (an Xbox Exclusive), is being developed by Arkane – Austin.
Redfall is closer to Back 4 Blood and those types of games, where you can team up with friends to take out bad guys. I’m excited to see how the Redfall team takes the iconic first-person controls of Deathloop and implements and even expands on them for this game.
The story of Redfall also seems very compelling. The game even features a few characters, with special powers.
Redfall is coming to Xbox consoles and PC in 2023.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The original Hollow Knight was one of my favorite metroidvanias, even though I never made it to the end. I remember drawing Hollow Knight on paper at work, because I was so in love with the art and world of Hollow Knight. I still listen to the music of Hollow Knight.
This trailer is the one that the gaming world has been waiting on for a couple of years. Every time there’s been a new Nintendo Direct or Indie World Showcase, everyone starts talking about Silksong. It was originally going to be an expansion (or DLC: downloadable content) for the original game, but became too large and its own title.
We don’t quite have a release date yet, but knowing that Team Cherry is willing to share something has given us hope for a release date reveal — possibly in that next (hopefully happening this week) Nintendo Direct.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is coming to Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch, we just don’t know when yet.
High on Life
High on Life is a new game from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland’s game studio — Squanch Games. Their previous titles include Accounting+ and Trover Saves the World. While I never played the first two games, which were primarily focused on VR, this seems to be a bigger game.
In High on Life you are trying to save the world from an alien cartel invading Earth to get high off humanity. This game is more of a first-person shooter (FPS), featuring talking alien guns with different personalities (voiced by some of Justin’s friends). Seeing this trailer has me excited to finally go back and try out Trover Saves the World.
High on Life is coming to Xbox consoles, PC in October 2022.
*This is one game I hope to see on PlayStation or Nintendo Switch at some point.
Riot Games + Xbox Partnership
Although I rarely play League of Legends, I am a big fan of what Riot Games has been doing, bringing their well-known characters to new gaming experiences. Riot Forge is working as a publisher with different game developers to create games like Hextech Mayhem (Choice Provisions), Ruined King (Airship Syndicate), Song of Nunu (Tequila Works), Convergence (Double Stallion).
I think the Riot partnership with Xbox Game Pass is another good move on their part. Giving Game Pass subscribers all of the characters in League of Legends and Valorant should bring in some new players.
Forza Motorsport
I originally knew Forza as a premium racing sim (or Xbox’s version of Gran Turismo series). In recent years, we’ve seen many open world Forza games that were high quality racing experiences for more casual racing game fans. Forza Horizon was closer to a Need for Speed story, with the gameplay of a serious racing sim.
I love seeing Forza go back to their roots with a new Forza Motorsport authentic racing game. I can see this new game competing with the recent Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation Exclusive) with their new features like weather, time of day, advanced car damage and ray tracing.
I like that Xbox and PlayStation have their own original racing series. While Forza may have gone in a different direction for a couple of years, it’s cool to see them come back with an authentic racing game.
Forza Motorsport is coming to Xbox consoles and PC in Spring 2023.
Overwatch 2
For its first three or four years, Overwatch was my most played game each of those years. Although I have fallen off of the game, every time I go back I remember how much I enjoy playing it.
Overwatch was the first online first-person shooter I played that I felt like each hero played different. I spent many years playing Call of Duty games and other online multiplayer shooters that featured different classes or characters which all felt the exact same.
I’m excited to see the new heroes and gameplay of Overwatch 2. Also, if it’s free-to-play I won’t have to purchase the game on three different platforms this time (PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch). Having one cross-platform account would also be nice.
Overwatch 2 will be released on October 4, 2022 on consoles and PC as a free-to-play game.
The team will reveal a bit more this week, on June 16.
Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels
This is what Hot Wheels: Unleashed could have been. Imagine driving real-life Hot Wheels cars in the real world on those shiny orange tracks laid out across famous landmarks.
This is exactly what I was talking about before, how Forza has brought the racing game genre to new fans with these fun, exciting expansions through Forza Horizon.
The Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels expansion is coming to Xbox consoles and PC on July 19, 2022.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a game we’ve seen in showcases before. In this epic tale you will use your magic, guns and furry animal sidekick to take on the gods, beasts and strange creatures.
The trailer features the main hero taking out monsters, humans, skeletons, wild beasts and more with her ax. The gameplay has me intrigued, but I’m excited to learn more about this story and the main character.
Coming to Xbox consoles and PC in early 2023.
*Also coming to PlayStation.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
There’s something special about side-scrolling games and seeing how far they have come. One of my first games was Mario Bros on NES, and ever since then I’ve played hundreds of side-scrollers, and I will continue to play even more.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a gothic side-scrolling metroidvania with a few unique traits. The trailer showed off Benedict using some unique powers. We also saw some colorful, dark areas along with some black-and-white — I’m thinking those B&W scenes take place in a different dimension or timeline.
There’s also a strange, spookiness to this game that I’m really digging, but it’s not too scary or spooky.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox is coming to Xbox and PC in spring 2023.
*This would be a great Nintendo Switch game at some point — make it happen.
As Dusk Falls
Each frame of As Dusk Falls is its own beautiful painting. The art style is that of a motion graphic novel, featuring a stop-motion style animation.
The story follows the entangled lives of two families spanning over the course of thirty years. It’s a story-driven game with many choices to be made, and many different outcomes to see. The game can be played solo or with a group of up to eight players online. I’m not sure how that will work, but I’m interested to find out.
As Dusk Falls is coming to Xbox consoles and PC next month, July 19, 2022.
Pentiment
Pentiment is a brand new game from Obsidian Entertainment. I’m not sure if this is a game for me, but what has me interested to learn more is the beautiful, hand-drawn art style. The complicated 16th century story is also quite intriguing.
Pentiment is coming to Xbox consoles and PC in November 2022.
Diablo IV
I haven’t yet played Diablo Immortal, the new mobile Diablo game, but I now feel like it was created tactically to get people excited for the upcoming Diablo IV.
I mostly played Diablo III on my Nintendo Switch, and I will say that these visuals look quite amazing when compared to those. The original Diablo III was initially released ten years ago, so that does make sense.
This big, new Diablo game will also feature a whole set of new features, like shared online events, crossplay, special Player vs Player zones, and even more. The team is also heavily focused on the End Game content. Once you beat the game you will be able to continue to move forward and level up your character.
Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2023.
*It is also coming to PlayStation 5 — next-gen consoles and PC.
Cocoon
Cocoon is a brand new experience from Jeppe Carlsen, Lead Game Designer of Limbo and Inside. I played both Limbo and Inside, but only completed Inside. Both games were beautiful side-scrolling narrative-driven games, that didn’t have any combat. Instead both games featured hiding and puzzle solving. I do remember both games being pretty creepy and disturbing at certain points.
Cocoon looks closer to something like Journey, but I can’t wait to see what it has in common with the previous two titles. The way you warp from one world to another using crystal balls is some of the coolest visual transitions I’ve seen in games. You also play as a tiny humanoid character with dragonfly wings.
Cocoon is set to release on Xbox consoles and PC in 2023.
Starfield
We finally got it, fifteen minutes of Starfield. Even though this was our first look at Starfield gameplay, I noticed that the game already has recognizable theme music. That’s pretty amazing.
Starfield is an epic RPG set in space. For the past few years I had wondered, Will Starfield just be Fallout in Space? While it does have many similarities to the Fallout series, as a big RPG, I think it’s going to be able to stand on its own.
The visuals are a big step up from some of Bethesda’s other RPGs. The game actually looks closer to Cyberpunk 2077 (after the updates and fixes). This is a very ambitious game with a lot going on.
The customization in Starfield, from characters to spaceships, is insane. I first thought it was mainly a space exploration game, but there’s so much story going on. I’m sure you can be a simple space explorer/farmer and live out your days peacefully, but why do that when you can fight (or possibly become) a space pirate.
You’re even able to fly your ship freely and take on opponents in epic space dog fights. The craziest thing Todd Howard said during the presentation was that there are over 1,000 full planets to explore where you can land and search anywhere.
Starfield is coming to Xbox consoles and PC in 2023
Those are the big announcements to me, but I will include the full presentation below.
First, some other games and announcements I left out that were pretty big include being able to fly the Halo Pelican in Flight Simulator, a brand new Minecraft Legends game, Hideo Kojima working on a game with Xbox Game Studios, and Atlus bringing Persona 3, 4 and 5 Royal to Xbox consoles soon.
This was a great E3-style showcase from Xbox & Bethesda for Summer Game Fest. I’m happy to finally see many of the games that the Microsoft acquired studios have been working on for the past few years are finally coming out soon.
Check out the full Xbox + Bethesda Showcase right here:
VIDEO GAME BOOK CLUB 