Microsoft has had a tough time since last year’s E3. The company has spent the past 12 months correcting a series of missteps ranging from its used game policy, Kinect bundling and Xbox Live requirement for its entertainment apps.
Sony has taken an early lead in console sales this console generation.
After originally billing the Xbox One as an all-in-one entertainment system, new Microsoft head Phil Spencer has promised to refocus the console on gaming. We’ll see if he can deliver this year when the show kicks off at 9:30am PDT.
…and so it begins!
9:35: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Xbox will be first to play all of the add-on content.
9:45 Nurburgring track available starting today. Free for Fora Motorsport 5 owners.
9:47: Forza Horizon 2 coming September 30.
9:49: Evolve, a 4 vs. 1 FPS by the creators of Left 4 Dead.
9:50 Assassin’s Creed Unity. Set in 18th Century Paris. First time you can form your own brotherhood and join up to three friends on Xbox Live.
9:53: Watching four-player demo right now. Team of Assassins.
9:56: Four-player co-op is glorious assassin mayhem.
9:59: Dragon Age Inquisition will be out on October 7. Premiere content first on Xbox.
10:00: Microsoft’s showing off Sunset Overdrive now. Really highlighting the frenetic pace of the action.
Here’s a juicy quote from the main protagonist: “Here’s the situation; a contaminated energy drink has turned everyone into mutants. There are survivors, doing everything they can. to survive, but some of them are dicks… All this place needs is a hero, one who doesn’t just survive, but does it with style.”
10:03: If Insomniac Games can pull off the pacing of the game, Sunset Overdrive is going to be a wacky, hilarious ride.
10:04: Hands- on now, showing how you coast along rails and zip-lines, as well as some of the unconventional weaponry and the freaky-looking bosses.
10:05: Sunset Overdrive will feature an eight-player experience called Chaos Squad. Coming October 28th, exclusive to Xbox One.
10:06: Dead Rising 3: Arcade Adventure? 1-4 player co-op Old school Capcom arcade style.
10:08: Dance Central Spotlight is coming in September as an Xbox One exclusive digital-only title.
10:09: Going hands-on with Fable Legends. Showing off a few different heroes for Fable. Four-player demo.
10:11: You can play as the villain in Fable Legends. Villain player controls the level from up above, like a “malevolent god.” Villain sets up all the traps in the level. Fable Legends multi-player beta begins this fall. Sign-up online.
10:17: Project Spark. Co-op campaign, Introducing: Galaxies. New space environment?
Conker is coming to Project Spark.
10:18: Moon Studios trailer for a gorgeous platformer. It’s called Ori and the Blind Forest.
10:23: Dan Ayoub: Executive Producer of the Master chief Collection.
10:25: Features a single unified interface, all four games everything unlocked on a single disc. The collection will have custom playlists across different games. Full anniversary retreatment. Retouched every part of the game. Switch from new to classic at the touch of a button. Halo 2 Anniversary will contain the original multiplayer, exactly as it shipped.
10:26: Six iconic Halo 2 maps have been recreated. Showing gameplay on Ascension. Four-player. Spartans vs. Elites Master Chief collection has over 100 multiplayer map. Every map ever released on Halo 1-4. Running on the original engines, running at 1080P, 60 frames per second. The Master Chief Collection will ship with 4,000 gamer score for achievements.
10:28: Halo 5: Guardians Beta coming this holiday. Next generation arena multiplayer 60fps on dedicated servers. All new spartan abilities available in the Master Chief collection.
10:30: Microsoft showing off a selection of games from 2015 portfolio and beyond
First up: A game from Incredible studio coming in early 2015. They’ve been working on it for the past four years, Inside.
10:31: Playdead.com/inside. Xboxprogram director taking the stage. Microsoft ready to talk indies.
New indie games coming to Xbox One: Plague Inc, Knight Squad, White Night, EarthLock, Cuphead, Drifter, Lifeless Planet FRU, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Threes, Below.
10:35: World premiere: Rise of the Tomb Raider. Coming holiday 2015.
10:37: Showing off some new gameplay from The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. The demo takes place 10 hours into the game at the Witcher hunts a Griffin.
10:39: Can traverse any viewable location in the world, all the way to far-off mountain peaks.
10:42: Now he’s attacking the Griffin. Now he has a griffin head tied to his horse.
10:44: Microsoft rebooting another original Xbox game. Phantom Dust.
10:46: Next up: Tom Clancy’s The Division.
10:50: The Division is coming 2015, new content will arrive first on Xbox.
10:52: Now we’re looking at footage from Scalebound.
10:55: New Xbox exclusive: with an all-new campaign and multi-player: Crackdown. The team is led by the original game creator.
11:00: That’s it folks. Keep up with all of TNW’s E3 coverage here.
That’s a wrap.
Head here to keep up with the rest of our E3 2014 coverage this week.
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