I’ve just been watching the replay of the live show from yesterday’s Xbox Briefing and it was certainly packed with plenty of exciting game titles and features heading to the Xbox One platform this year and next. Here are a few of my highlights....
Firstly Rare Replay is now available for a bargain price of £19.99 and this combines the best collection of game titles from Rare’s 30 years of development – which is a pretty amazing achievement - and a massive 10,000 Gamerscore is also on the cards, so it offers a great challenge. You can check out the game list here.
There was also another showing of Quantum Break, which is developed by Remedy Entertainment the chaps who brought us Alan Wake. We got to see more gameplay elements as well as a snippet of the live Action series; starring it has to be said some recognisable Actors from TV and Movie, such as Lance Reddick from Fringe and Shawn Ashmore from X-Men fame.
The game has certainly taken the Max Payne slo-mo feature to the next level, but it will be interesting to see how it connects with the TV aspect which runs alongside. You can check out the gameplay video below....
Scalebound (another Xbox One Exclusive) was shown as well and this reminded me of DmC a touch, which is no surprise really given that it’s directed by Hideki Kamiya (who also directed DmC). Basically in Scalebound you are partnered by a fearsome dragon, so you can head into battle with your sword, special powers (as you seem to be adorned with dragon scales yourself) and the aforementioned dragon, to kiss some ass! There will also be a 4-player co-op mode when the game launches in 2016.
ID@Xbox titles were once gain in force and the best part is they will be available on both Windows 10 and Xbox One platforms. However out of all the games the point and click adventure title 'Thimbleweed Park' from Ron Gilbert (Monkey Island fame) got me excited the most. This has the same look and feel of the classic games that I loved growing up with as a kid, such as the aforementioned Monkey Island. It's heading to the above platforms in June next year.
From a hardware point of view Microsoft spoke of a few new features coming to the Xbox One. The first is good news for those with an Xbox One Digital TV tuner as in 2016 the ability to record Live TV (from the available free-to air channels) to your console's hard drive will be a reality!
By the looks of things it’s all controlled via One Guide, so you can schedule programs directly from the latter's interface. Additionally you can perform the same task via the Xbox App on Windows 10 or the Smartglass app on iOS/Android.
Apparently the function will record in the background, so it won’t interrupt your gaming etc.
Interestingly for those with Windows 10 you can use the Xbox App to stream the recording to your PC and also download them for offline viewing, which sounds like a cool feature.
Xbox Chat Pad
Microsoft also announced an Xbox Chat Pad which will work on Windows 10 and Xbox One platforms. It will let you compose messages to your mates, enter redeem codes, search for content via the store or the default web browser. It’s compatible with any Xbox One controller release so far.
There are also two programmable keys (Xbox One Only) on the pad, so you can set one to save screen shots or record gameplay for example (these feature unlock next year). The Xbox Chat Pad is out November for an estimated retail price of $34.99/29.99 pounds/34.99 euros.
Xbox One Limited Edition Halo 5: Guardians Wireless Controller. This is also heading to stores this year (October) and it features a unique laser-etched design inspired by Spartan Locke and UNSC technology, the controller includes metallic blue accents, UNSC military insignias and a bonus Requisition Pack including the Resolute visor. The controller will be available for an estimated retail price of $69.99/59.99 pounds/69.99 euros.
Xbox One Limited Edition Halo 5: Guardians “The Master Chief” Wireless Controller. Featuring the signature green and metallic orange accents of the Master Chief’s armour, the controller includes laser-etched designs and a bonus Requisition Pack including the Dauntless visor. The controller will be available starting in early October for an estimated retail price of $69.99/59.99 pounds/69.99 euros.
New Xbox One Console Bundles
Two new bundles were also announced at Gamescom…
Xbox One Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Bundle. This bundle features a 1TB custom-designed console and controller, a full game download of Halo 5: Guardians, a Warzone REQ Bundle that includes 14 premium Requisition Packs, access to Halo: The Fall of Reach animated series, and more. The bundle is available starting Oct. 20 for an estimated retail price of $499.99/399 pounds/499 euros, so fans will have the benefit of pre-downloading Halo 5: Guardians to be ready for launch day.
Xbox One 1TB and 500GB EA Sports FIFA 16 Bundles. The Xbox One 1TB EA SportsFIFA 16 Bundle includes a full-game download of FIFA 16, three Xbox exclusive FIFA Ultimate Team Loan Legends and one-year of EA Access for an estimated retail price of $399.99/369 pounds/399 euros. The Xbox One 500GB EA Sports FIFA 16 Bundle includes a full-game download7 of FIFA 16, three Xbox exclusive FIFA Ultimate Team Loan Legends and one-month EA Access for an estimated retail price of 319 pounds/369 euros. Regional offers may vary. As an EA Access member, you can play FIFA 16 and other upcoming EA games on Xbox One for a limited time before they’re released.
Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility & Windows 10
We now have a date for the Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility. Microsoft has confirmed it will arrive for everyone this November. Plus they also mentioned that every 360 Game released on the Games with Gold program from now on will also be compatible with the Xbox One upon launch. This means that you will effectively get access to four games a month.
Update: Both Gears of War and Shadow Complex are now added to the list of games that will work with the compatibility mode.
Currently the backwards compatibility is available for those in the Xbox One Preview program and I have had chance to have a go on this and it works pretty well! Essentially you have and Xbox 360 running in emulation, so you can play the game, bring up the original 360's game hub, send messages or even play multiplayer games with your Xbox 360 chums/party chat – that’s the plan anyway. However you can also tap into Xbox One features such as screenshots and gameplay capturing. Streaming even works with the compatible games.
Windows 10 is heading to the Xbox One this November, though Xbox One preview program users will get early access to this new UI optimised OS in advanced. Probably sometime in September is the word on the street.
You can view the full Gamescom conference below or visit the Xbox Wire News feed for additional games and footage (including more Tomb Raider).