Side Quest, Episode 28: Xbox Press Conference Review (E3 2018)
Added 2018-06-11 02:07:08 +0000 UTCHome run.
Comments
That's fair. That's where I am (well, was) too. But, these are somewhat objective exercises.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 23:30:47 +0000 UTCI agree that Microsoft probably had the best conference, but once again I just don't care about their first party games like Halo, Gears, and Forza. Which means that Sony and Nintendo's both spoke to me more.
strawhatninja
2018-06-14 18:59:04 +0000 UTCPerhaps! I'm still not certain about the wisdom in cloud, but if you have the money, invest!
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-13 04:05:16 +0000 UTCMicrosoft came a long way and delivered big time. I like the way they are focusing on the future of Xbox and investing in new studios. I can’t help to laugh that they are also working on a streaming service like PlayStation Now. My guess is Sony was on to something for purchasing Gaikai.
JayLou83
2018-06-12 22:51:46 +0000 UTCIt was definitely one of their best conferences. Certainly the best I could think of.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:20:42 +0000 UTCI think everything was to point that Xbox has a future. It fosters belief in the now, and that a future will still exist. I think they were smart in many of their choices.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:20:22 +0000 UTCI mean, they're obviously working on a new console. That doesn't negate your investment in the now or immediate future.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:16:11 +0000 UTCLots of exciting stuff upcoming.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:15:51 +0000 UTCThank you so much! I appreciate it.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:15:42 +0000 UTCLOL. Hell of a conference stinger.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:15:34 +0000 UTCThe Game Pass presentation dragged and was unnecessary, but I like that they kept hitting it as they revealed games. Would have been smarter to keep it that way.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:15:25 +0000 UTCI'll believe the Playground Games thing when I see it, to be honest.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:15:02 +0000 UTCFor sure.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:14:47 +0000 UTCI'm not sure they were messaging to the undecided or against, as much as they were trying to rally their own. And I think they succeeded.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:14:40 +0000 UTCI think they did exactly what they could. And that's all we can ask for.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:13:40 +0000 UTCNotice he used the plural. Don't know if he misspoke or what.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:13:23 +0000 UTCThey just cancelled a Fable game two years ago and shut Lionhead down. Gotta give 'em time!
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:13:13 +0000 UTCNo idea. Probably just an aesthetic choice.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:12:57 +0000 UTCCompetition is good for all, and, as a PS4 gamer myself, most of those games will be playable on my console of choice, and that's great, too. =D
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:12:49 +0000 UTCI agree. I thought they did great.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:12:26 +0000 UTCThat's always a dangerous proposition! You see PlayStation doing that far less these days.
Colin Moriarty
2018-06-11 21:12:20 +0000 UTCGreat video, and I agree with the points made here Collin. It has to be at least one of the best conferences they have had. I also wound up writing way more than I intended but hopefully some of you find these thoughts interesting. It is by no means a full breakdown of their conference. Only select portions. While yes, this conference does not necessarily build the hype for the immediate, it does paint a really interesting picture for the near and distant future. Yes, this Fall will be slow with presumably Forza Horizon being the only big exclusive this year, but I for one am excited about Crackdown 3. The first Crackdown, no one was really all that excited about but once it came out everyone realized how awesome the game actually was. I think there could be a similar element at play here as well. I also think it was smart for MS to delay it to the Spring, as no open world game, except perhaps Assassin's Creed, can truly compete with Red Dead 2 in the Fall. Crachdown 3 was originally positioned pretty well, so long as Red Dead 2 stayed to the Spring. Since it was delayed however I think it left MS no real choice in the matter. Delay it 6 more months to find the audience it needs. On the point about Undead Labs, I think this is a great get for MS. This studio has been a pleasant surprise for Xbox owners. I honestly would say that State of Decay 2 hasn't gotten the fair treatment it deserves. It is a $30 game, not a $60 and yet it has been judged as one. Or so that it how it seems. I have been playing through with my first community in the game and it has been a blast. I really can't say it has been a disappointment at all. It is great that they acquired the 5 studios they did. Ninja theory is by far the big surprise here. One thing came to mind however... At the beginning of the Xbox One gen, MS essentially had 10 studios or so (Twisted Pixel, FASA, Lionhead, etc.) but over the course of this gen they have closed several... so they are really just building their catalog all back up to what it once was. It is likely a much stronger bench of talent but we shall see. With the Halo Infinite reveal, it is more a showing of intent and the general idea of what 343 is creating that is being communicated. The old art style is back, and it is all a call back to the original Halo games. I think they are nearly rebooting Halo, perhaps not from a story point of view, but from a mechanics and foundational game design level. I believe what we witnessed is a new engine (Slipspace Engine) that they had to build for an open world, or pseudo open world Halo game. Halo was once a pioneering game series that caught the lighting in the bottle. They are going to the foundation of the game to find that lighting again and create a Halo that will capture the imaginations of people again. Maybe I am inferring too much from the teaser, but this has been my personal thoughts on Halo for some time now. Hope you all enjoyed that... ;)
Tyler Goll
2018-06-11 16:00:55 +0000 UTCI'll give their conference a B- . Gathering up all of the 3rd party games for screen time that Sony has been deliberate and said they won't have time to so since they are showing their 1st party stuff was a smart move, but most of those games are cross platform, so lipstick on a pig and not something to make me buy an Xbox. The purchases of the different studios by Microsoft seems promising in the long run, but those recent cancellations from their existing studios is really worrying. Again, until those games come out and review well, I’m not really to buy an Xbox. Colin pointed out consoles, in plural, hinting on the prospect of newer consoles coming out in some point down the road. So why buy an Xbox now? Even then, with Microsoft’s sloppy ‘exclusive’ working, what is going to make me buy a console if I can get better visuals, loading times, etc etc with a PC? The more and more I think about it, the more and more I see the Microsoft conference as pillow fluff for the future, because that’s all they can do. I know they’ve lost the race this generation, but software sell consoles; they can purchase studios and lean on their Halo/Gears/Forza tentpoles ever more, but I’m not sold.
Joey Rawlings
2018-06-11 13:23:00 +0000 UTCWhy did I purchase a One X if they are building new consoles?!?!
Joey Finelli
2018-06-11 12:17:14 +0000 UTCMan I can't wait for Just Cause 4, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Division. Also can't wait to see Cyberpunk 2077 on ps5.
Anthony Stewart
2018-06-11 09:10:23 +0000 UTCNot sure if this is the place to do it, but solid content Colin! Have always been a fan of your writing/reviews since the days of Beyond🔥🔥🔥
Weldon
2018-06-11 08:58:41 +0000 UTCThey could have just played that Cyberpunk 2077 trailer over and over for 100 minutes and I still would have been satisfied!
Phillip Guglielmo
2018-06-11 08:30:49 +0000 UTCI gave it an A minus. Would be solid A or even plus if it wasn't for a few of the things we didn't care about. Mobile game (what the fuck was Gears Pop? lol), game pass talk, the demos were a little stale, and Crackdown 3 is officially a joke. That said, 90 minutes of video game videos, had me jazzed. I was almost exhausted by the end just cus I was like "I don't have time to absorb all this!" - Solid conference, and I dont know if Sony will be able to top it given that we're all being lead to believe we won't see anything new (we will, but that's not what they're telling us).
Owen
2018-06-11 04:58:44 +0000 UTCGreat conference, and great video. Agree with your points. Also, remember Playground is not only working on Forza Horizon, but also an open world action rpg game, rumored to be a Fable reboot.... The lack of any date or even year for Halo Infinite makes me think that may be a 2020 game. Gears 5 looks incredible and seems to be taking the franchise in a more story and character driven direction than before. I was hoping they’d have some first party surprise for this year, but that was wishful thinking.
Marius Skarsem Pedersen
2018-06-11 04:07:07 +0000 UTCI've been a Sony guy for all four generations and never owned a Microsoft console, but this was a hell of a conference, third party or not.
Andrew OLoughlin
2018-06-11 03:57:20 +0000 UTCAs a PS4/PC /NSW owner I enjoyed the conference. However I do feel like they did a poor job convincing me to buy an xbox. I hope those studios make great games so maybe we can have a studio arms race and also I hope Sony steals that gamepass idea and improves on it.
BM
2018-06-11 03:43:31 +0000 UTCI agree with your review. They needed to remind everyone that these games come out on XBOX too. The studio acquisitions and handful of first party games really showed they are not checking out anytime soon.
Zugdar
2018-06-11 03:25:26 +0000 UTCI was going to buy an Xbox one X after this conference. Then Phil said they are working on new hardware.... now I am not entirely sure if it’s worth it.
Nathan R
2018-06-11 03:15:12 +0000 UTCThought it was MS best conference in years, my only gripe is that I wanted a tease of Fable.
Andrew McGregor
2018-06-11 03:11:12 +0000 UTCWhat was the deal with the 100 or so systems on stage??? Where were the new IP? Other than that, great conference.
Matt Matlock
2018-06-11 03:02:17 +0000 UTCBeing a huge Soulsborne fan, the reveal of Sekiro won the day for me! Vault 76, DMC 5, Dying Light 2, and Cyberpunk also have very excited for what's to come. Though I am firmly in Playstation's corner this generation, I am stoked that Microsoft had a great showing - if anything, it made me even more excited to see what Sony has planned. "Competition is good for all" and all that good stuff :)
Justin Matkowski
2018-06-11 02:27:46 +0000 UTCMicrosoft came out swinging. Their best showing in quite a few years.
Jon Cordeiro
2018-06-11 02:27:10 +0000 UTCI will definitely check out the video after the Bethesda conference. It was a great conference, I just wish they had someone playing some of the games live to see how they really played.
Dean Redinbaugh
2018-06-11 02:12:00 +0000 UTC
