Microsoft unofficially kicked off the Electronic Entertainment Expo here with a slew of news about games in the works for this year and beyond.
Here’s a look at the five big announcements from Xbox’s briefing:
1. Halo dominates
This comes as no surprise, but the franchise that propelled the Xbox into popularity was the big star. On top of a quick teaser to 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians, the company confirmed a massive Master Chief Collection, which features Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4. Along with every campaign level, it features more than 100 multiplayer levels. For newcomers, it’s a quick way to catch up on Xbox One, while veterans can revisit their favorite levels from older games in 1080p resolution.
2. Tomb Raider returns
The rebirth of Tomb Raider served as a big success for Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix. The sequel made its global debut on the Xbox stage with Rise of the Tomb Raider. It’s set to launch in 2015.
3. More Crackdown
The first chapter of this open-world game was a surprise hit. It boasted police agents and criminals fighting for control of Pacific City. On top of weapons, players wield superhuman powers such as tossing cars into the air and leaping over buildings like Superman.
4. That Assassin’s Creed demo
Sure, it’s another Assassin’s Creed, but what’s most impressive about the demo of Assassin’s Creed Unity is the amount of activity happening in the background. The crowds gathered during the opening moments were far more massive than we’re used to seeing on older consoles. It appears to be another sign of the power of these new video game consoles. It wasn’t the only game that displayed this, either. Others such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Dragon Age: Inquisition showed a promising future for the consoles.
5. No Kinect
Microsoft was adamant that Kinect played a major part of the company’s strategy. One month after unveiling a model of the Xbox One without Kinect, available starting today, Microsoft used one game — Dance Central Spotlight — to showcase the motion sensor. Doesn’t look like a good sign.
randietech 