No one gets left behind

Microsoft has constantly been lagging behind the nearest competitors at Sony by a big margin. According to some estimations for every Xbox One unit sold, there have been 2 PS4s. Though that may not seem like a very big difference, when noting that this has been the case over a period of about three years now, the significance of the issue cannot be undermined. Microsoft responded to this division by announcing not one but two more members in the Xbox family- the Xbox One S as well as the upgraded and much rumoured more powerful console titled the ‘most powerful console to date’ codenamed ‘Scorpio.’ And though the press conference wasn’t the Jaw-dropping punch Microsoft needed, it was enough to do for the moment.

The press conference kicked off with the Xbox One S reveal that was all but expected and even though we all kinda saw it coming, the awe was certainly undeniable. A 40% reduced size giving way to a more mobile, sophisticated looking console. That was a really good way to kick off.

This was followed by an extended Gears of War 4 gameplay trailer. For a game which is undeniably Microsoft’s biggest of the year, the game showcased a lacklustre reveal trailer at E3 2015 which did the game more harm than good. The trailer here needed to be good and boy did it deliver. It displayed all the signs of familiarity a retro-gears fan expects and all that said, depicted a fresh atmosphere welcoming new players to come and join the phenomenon the franchise has become. Exhibiting new weapons, enemies and varied environments, the trailer did a lot to make up for the damage done a year ago.

There was a subtle focus on the Play Anywhere feature coming to the console which will let users play or continue their games on both the console as well as their Xbox. This was a little overdone at times as one started feeling like the conference was for Windows devices but that part is forgivable given the scope the said feature will provide.

As for the Forza trailer, wow! Beauty is something very often associated with the series but that trailer plus the music plus the setting plus of course ear-gasmic roar of the engines combined to create 2 perfectly made hype-inducing minutes. With Australian setting and introduction to 4 player campaign co-op, the game looks like the most ambitious and diverse Forza project yet. Let’s hope it delivers.

Post-forza was the period where the conference suffered when it slowed down marginally. The 6 new features were given far more importance than they deserved. Sure stuff like music and cortana on the console is always good but in a situation where you have just 90 minutes to make the best of, I think  these could’ve simply been announced somewhere else. Elsewhere there were other reveals such as the Division underground dlc, General Raam coming to Killer Instinct and that awful Minecraft demo that seemed to last for a decade. Even last year there was focus on Minecraft but that was really good given how well the game worked with Hololens and I understand the emphasis that had to be given since Microsoft didn’t spend all that money for nothing but that is what Minecon is for. A simple 2 minute demo would’ve been enough.

The Recore gameplay trailer was good but too short to properly absorb for a game coming out in September. I expected at least a small live gameplay demonstration onstage.However the little we did see seemed promising. And besides if not anything else, the game looks gorgeous.

There were two zombie-based action games announced, both decent and both expected. Dead rising 4 has been announced to be a timed exclusive for the console. It looked broodier and bloodier than ever but we’ll just have to wait to see more. State of Decay II had a well designed CG trailer enough to intrigue me. And talking of well made CG trailers, how good was that Halo Wars II trailer. It might be difficult to guess the game is a strategy based exclusive but regardless of that or the fact that Halo trailer have always been intricately made, this was really good stuff.

We also had Scalebound co-op premier and it was a magnificent fight onscreen. It was just a tad overlong but had me cheering by the end. It’s just sad that the game keeps getting pushed back.

Speaking of delays, what’s with every game moving to 2017. It’s not exactly subtle and not a move Microsoft would’ve been happy about moving into the year after an incredible 2015. We know Crackdown and Scalebound are both set to release now in 2017 and after the press conference, we know Halo Wars comes out next year as well. This has led to an incredible exclusive lineup to quickly evaporate out of proportion. We can all  but hope that all three are worth it.

Before the end I would like to mention the underdog amidst all the big AAA titles. The independently made We Happy Few showed us a peek into the world. The game strangely reminded me of Bioshock which is nothing but a good sign. Since last year, I have been curious to know what is being done with the game and I wasn’t disappointed.

To conclude, Microsoft did not lead us into a full blown console reveal, but acknowledged the ‘Project Scorpio’ currently in development set to be the most powerful console in technical terms to date. My response to this was divided. In my opinion this was a horrible marketing strategy for Xbox One S as players would instead of buying the S console revealed earlier, preferably wait an year to but this appealing more powerful console. This might affect Xbox sales more than Microsoft thinks. However I was stoked by the hype and the subtle trailer which just managed to not reveal too much while giving me just enough to be more than just excited. After this, the no one getting left behind message given by Spencer delivered just the right message. It was exactly what I wanted top hear and a great way to end the conference.

E3 Media Briefing given by Microsoft in 2016 was far from the best Microsoft has offered in recent past.(barring the awful xbox one reveal event as well as E3 2013) And even though the conference did not manage to deliver with the panache of 2014’s conference (arguably Microsoft’s best to date)  or even match up to 2015’s great one, it was still in itself a very decent way to start a new age for Xbox. Let’s just hope that they continue going uphill from here.