We get it, some of you aren’t total dorks like us. While you were getting home from work, cooking a healthy supper and maybe even having a relaxing bath to help unwind from a long day, we remained seated at our computers, waiting for Phil Spencer and The Gang to grace our YouTube players and tell us everything we can expect from Microsoft and the Xbox Series X.
They didn’t didn’t disappoint either (well, they didn’t disappoint as much as we all expected), showing off a mix of high-profile, anticipated games and some smaller, indie gems that really stole in the show. We’ve compiled a list of all the games (with trailers) that were revealed, in chronological order.
We can be organised sometimes.
Echo Generation
Lots of cubes, some weird-ass creatures and the possibility of a fire soundtrack, Echo Generation looks like it has the makings to be both a cult classic or a mainstream hit. It comes to Xbox One and Xbox Series X in 2021.
Exomecha
Exomecha is a free to play multiplayer shooter with giant robots, metal dragons and just a hint of Crysis. It actually looks a lot like one of those fake video games you see in movies produced by people who’ve never played a video game before. Which is to say, it looks fun but not very…good?
Hello Neighbour 2
The sequel to the weirdly popular co-op horror game, Hello Neighbour 2 sees you play as a journalist trying to piece together a whole load of disappearances in the local town. The first game had a fun premise and some decently creepy twists, so let’s hope the second can pull it off again.
Balan Wonderworld
A new 3D platformer from Microsoft and Square Enix, Balan Wonderworld looks creative, vibrant and more than a little Japanese. It also seems pretty ambitious, with 80 different costumes and abilities to find and unlock.
Halo Infinite
We already wrote up this nugget of news because this was easily the most anticipated reveal of the night. Halo: Infinite looks good! Even if some of the images were a little…jagged. Here’s hoping that anti-aliasing will be turned on the next time we see it.
State of Decay 3
The third entry in the excellent zombie survival series debuted last night with grim and moody cinematic trailer showing off…undead buck? Sure, why not? Makes a nice change from those undead dogs that are so blasted creepy.
Forza Motorsport
A new Xbox means a new Forza. Now with presumably even rounder wheels! Totally expected. It’ll look and play very good. What more do you want?
Everwild
The new game for acclaimed and beloved studio Rare, this was probably our favourite trailer of the showcase even though we still don’t really know what this game is. It was just a gorgeously shot, animated and composed trailer and it has made us very excited to see the game in action.
Tell Me Why
Unfortunately, Tell me Why isn’t the Backstreet Boys game we deserve but a new episodic adventure title developed by DontNod, the folks behind the beloved Life Is Strange series. It looks pretty cool!
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Not so much a new game but an optimised and improved version of the excellent Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It will apparently run at 120Hz on the Xbox Series X, which should make this gorgeous game look even better.
The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon DLC
Obsidian’s fantastic RPG The Outer Worlds is growing bigger than ever with a new planet, storyline, weapons, enemies and ways to be an intergalactic, capitalistic dick.
Grounded
Obsidian’s other project, Grounded is a survival game on a microscopic level that looks just quirky enough to set itself apart from all those other survival games.
Avowed
Obsidian’s other other project (we’m really concerned they’re gonna burn themselves out with all this work) looks like a new take on that classic sword-and-shield fantasy genre. Which is perfect because Elder Scrolls 6 is still a lifetime away.
As Dusk Falls
A new story-driven game set over a period of thirty years in Southern United States, As Dusk Falls looks beautifully illustrated and has some interesting ideas we’re excited to see unfold.
CrossfireX
And the award for most generic video game name of the night goes to…
Psychonauts 2
As quirky and irreverent as ever, this new trailer for Psychonauts 2 had actual Jack Black bringing his Tenacious D talent to the fold with some excellent vocals on a wild, weird song.
Destiny 2 and the Beyond DLC on Game Pass
There’s always another reason to get stuck back into Destiny 2 and the inclusion of it on Game Pass, with both old and new DLC, is one exceptional value proposition.
STALKER 2
There’s nothing much to say about this one, other than if you haven’t played the older STALKER games, you should get on that. They’re some of the best games ever made, so a sequel is happily accepted.
Warhammer 40K Darktide
Gone are the fantasy rats, and in their place are some weird looking alien bug things. Which is just as well, considering you’ll play a team of Inquisitors looking to shoot up all kinds of heresy.
Tetris Effect: Connected
The gorgeous Tetris game will now let your feel spiritually connected to the world with friends by your side. Fun!
The Gunk
Black sludge is just the worst, especially when it starts corrupting all those beautiful alien worlds. We guess you’ll just have to wade in there and clean it all up.
The Medium
Definitely our second favourite trailer of the show, The Medium looks like a real scary, really messed up horror game by Bloober Team, the folks behind some of the best horror games in recent memory, if you can ignore how mechanically shallow they are.
Fable
While some people have been labeling this as Fable 4, it sounds like this new, long-awaited entry in the beloved fantasy franchise is more of a soft reboot. We also already examined this one because, well, it’s Fable and that will always be kind of a big deal.
