Microsoft's E3 2018 Presentation: The Highlights

Players complaining that Microsoft didn't have enough exclusive content will be happy as Microsoft took the world by storm with their E3 presentation. The Xbox One has raised the bar in terms of its library and future outings, and it now falls to the other companies to catch up with them.

Halo Infinite

The Xbox E3 Conference opened with a familiar face, or rather, a familiar mask.

The next game in the Halo franchise will be Halo Infinite. We were shown almost nothing of this game, except for some familiar characters and settings from the Halo series.

Ori And The Will Of The Wisps

The sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest has been announced and it is coming exclusively to Xbox One and Windows in 2019. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an absolutely gorgeous platformer that looks like a more artistic version of the latest games in the Rayman series.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

We were given our first glance at From Software's latest title during the Game of the Year Awards of 2017. We have finally been given a closer look at the game that is now called Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

The best way to describe Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is that it looks like a more action orientated version of Bloodborne that is set in a fantasy version of ancient Japan.

Fallout 76

Fallout 76 is set before all of the other Fallout games and is named after Vault 76, which is based in West Virginia.

Those who are excited about more Fallout games will undoubtedly be hyped for Fallout 76, but the trailer showed us nothing that we haven't seen from the other games in the series.

The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit

The next game set in the Life is Strange universe is called The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. This is a game that follows a young boy named Chris and his fantasies about being a superhero.

The most surprising thing about The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is that it is supposed to be 100 percent free.

Crackdown 3

There was a trailer for Crackdown 3 that showed us some more of the exciting action from the game and gave us a February 2019 release date. The trailer featured a lot of Terry Crews yelling slogans at the camera, depending on the person, this is either good or bad.

Metro Exodus

The next game in the Metro series is Metro Exodus, which allows the player to experience the world above. Metro Exodus promise a dynamic world, with changing weather cycles that will influence the events around you.

Metro Exodus is due to be released in February 2019.

Kingdom Hearts III

There has never been a Kingdom Hearts game released on a Microsoft system.—until now. It was revealed today that Kingdom Hearts III will be coming to the Xbox One in January.

The trailer for Kingdom Hearts III gave us our first look at a world based on Frozen, which is a huge get for Square Enix, as well as Microsoft, for being able to show it to the world for the first time.

New Sea Of Thieves Content

Those who are still playing Sea of Thieves will be delighted to learn that two new DLC packs will be released for the game. We were only given a brief glimpse at the content for these new pieces of the game, but they seemed to depict supernatural enemies and new lands set in dark and foreboding places.

Sea of Thieves: Cursed Sales will be released in July, with Sea of Thieves: Forsaken Shores released in September.

Forza Horizon 4

The game that received the most attention during the Xbox E3 conference was Forza Horizon 4. This racing game will be set entirely within the United Kingdom and will feature a dynamic world that is always filled with people playing online.

One of the biggest features of Forza Horizon 4 is the ever-changing weather, which will tie into in-game events.

New Studios Joining Microsoft

One of the biggest announcements made during the Xbox E3 conference was that Microsoft had added several established studios to their company, which include; Undead Lads, Ninja Theory, Playground Games, and Compulsion Games.

Microsoft also created a new studio, known as The Initiative, which exists to create games across their various platforms.

War Mode In PUBG

The third map of PUBG will be added to the game over the Summer, though a full release date wasn't given.

The War Mode of PUBG will also be coming to the Xbox One version of the game at some point during the Winter, though a full release date won't be given.

Tales Of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

One of the best Xbox 360 exclusives will be returning to the Xbox One this Winter, as Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will be coming to the system later on this year.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 was announced for a March 15, 2019 release, though the beta is available right now.

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 shows a much more open and dynamic world than its predecessor. The game is set in Washington D.C. and will have a widely different aesthetic from the cramped New York city that was featured in the original game in the series.

Session

There had been speculation that a new game in the Skate series was coming. It seems that we have received something entirely new, as a Kickstarter backed game, called Session, will be bringing realistic skateboarding action to the Xbox One and Windows in 2019.

Black Desert Online

The beautiful MMORPG called Black Desert Online will be coming to the Xbox One in Fall 2018. You can already play this game on a Windows computer if it contains the hardware chops to actually run it at an acceptable speed, but we will be receiving a console port at a later point this year.

Devil May Cry V

Devil May Cry V had been leaked for several days before E3, but it was good to finally get a clear look at the game.

Devil May Cry V continues on from the events of DmC and follows the new version of Dante, who is sporting a prosthetic arm that contains magical powers, which he can wield against the hordes of demonic foes that he will have to slay in the game.

Hideaki Itsuno took to the stage to hype up the game and talk about how he felt that it was the best thing that he had ever worked on. Devil May Cry V releases in Spring 2019.

Cuphead DLC

We were given a brief glimpse at the upcoming DLC for Cuphead, which will feature a new island full of levels for you to fail repeatedly at.

One of the biggest revelations is that the Cuphead DLC will add a female character named Ms. Chalice to the game.

Tunic

Tunic is an absolutely gorgeous looking game that resembles an isometric Legend of Zelda title. The game stars a fox who fights off other animals using a sword and gets to solve puzzles in dungeons.

Jump Force

Bandai Namco is releasing a new crossover action title using the characters from the various Weekly Shonen Jump manga series. The trailer showed Goku and Frieza from Dragon Ball Z, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece, Naruo from Naruto, and Light from Death Note.

This isn't the first that a Weekly Shonen Jump crossover game has been released, but there has never been one with production values as high as this one.

Dying Light 2

One of the games that received a lot of attention was Dying Light 2. This is a first-person action game where your choices decide the fate of the characters around you. A lot of time and effort went into making your decisions as impactful on the story as possible, with each outcome changing how the game world works and your own individual story, as you help a settlement fight off hordes of undead.

Battletoads

Fans of incredibly difficult 8-bit action games should rejoice, as a new game in the Battletoads series is coming. All we know about the title is that it will be a 2D game that will feature a three-player co-op mode.

Just Cause 4

A lot of information about Just Cause 4 has been leaked over the past few days, so it came as no surprise to see it finally announced during Microsoft's E3 conference.

Just Cause 4 had a trailer that, frankly, made it look exactly like the previous two games in the series. Just Cause 2 & 3 were exciting games, but they really need to shake things up with the fourth installment and that doesn't look like what they have done so far.

Just Cause 4 is due to be released on December 4, 2018.

Three New Gears Of War Games

We heard rumors and seeing leaks concerning a fifth Gears of War game over the past few weeks, but none of us expected to see three new Gears of War games being announced at once!

Gears Pop! is a game that is being made in collaboration with the Funko Pop line of vinyl figures. We were only given a brief trailer for this game, so we know almost nothing about its gameplay.

Gears Tactics is a game that looks like XCOM if it were set in the Gears of War universe. The game was in an alpha form, so it is still at a very early point in development.

Gears 5 is the name of the upcoming Gears of War game, which will star Kait Diaz as she seeks to learn the reason behind why she is having telepathic visions.

Gears 5 will be coming to the Xbox One & Windows in 2019.

Cyberpunk 2077

Microsoft closed their show with a fake hacking of their event. It turns out that this was a setup for the trailer of the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 showed us a futuristic world with an aesthetic that was both beautiful and disturbing. The major problem with this trailer was that it showed no gameplay and didn't tell us much about the story, so it didn't really tell us anything about Cyberpunk 2077, outside of a few hints about the setting. We still remember the deceptive trailer for Dead Island, so it's hard to get expected about a pre-rendered trailer anymore.

Conclusion

Microsoft pulled out all of the stops with their E3 presentation. They dropped the previous tactic of trying to wow the world with numbers and framerates and, instead, offered a lot of compelling reasons to purchase the Xbox One, due to the strength of the upcoming library of games.

NEXT: WHAT SONY NEEDS TO DO TO WIN E3