Xbox kicked off Gamescom with a special stream focussing on everything Xbox-related. Missed the show? Here’s our summary.
Things kick off with hosts Parris Lilly and Kate Yeager announcing an update on Dying Light 2 by Techland. This game has been in development for a very long time. Developing while also pushing out content for the first game is very ambitious. Maybe a bit too ambitious making the wait for the sequel a great ordeal. Dying Light 2 shows how things evolved after what happened in Harran. As to be expected, the world adapted to the new situation. Through the anarchy of a world in peril, factions formed and the infected aren’t the only thing to worry about. The parkour moves are updated with a whole set of new moves to perform even more flowing moves. Keep what made the first game great and add more is always a good idea. Personally, I lost some hope after the long wait but this new trailer looks awesome. Getting hyped again…
With Flight Simulator released on console last month, the fanbase has grown exponentially. Currently, more players are playing the simulator than ever before. Since Gamescon is based in Europe, the new European additions are highlighted. The world update 6 adds a lot of German places and even some specific German-based planes. The Topgun add-on announced earlier is hinted again but sadly nothing more was shown. Jorg Neumann really hammered on the details added with World update 6. Working together with real pilots and engineers really helps to capture the real-life feel this simulator has always gone for. This fall will also see the addition of multiplayer flight races.
Archvale, Next Space Rebels, Midnight Fight Express, Dodgeball academia, Bushiden, Flynn: Son of Crimson, Unpacking, Signalis, Unsighted, and Chinatown detective agency by humble games are all added on Gamepass.
Next up is Into the pit. The trailer shows some epic dungeon-crawling action. This fast-paced looking FPS-roguelite doesn’t quite excite me yet. Maybe more will be revealed later.
Age of Empires is obviously a big deal for Microsoft. It seems like forever since we had a new entry in the classic RTS series. Age of Empires 4 will be released on October 28 of this year. Instead of gameplay, we get a history lesson about the trebuchet which is arguably an epic weapon throughout history. Age of Empire can be made accountable to get history across many players young and old. Making sure they get the trebuchet right, they went the distance. This approach is obviously done for every element in the game making this even more valuable for education purpose without losing the fact this is also a great game series.
Xbox Cloud Gaming was already available for almost anything but console. Finally, you’ll be able to use the service on the console. 1080 and 60fps are promised. Hopefully, this promise gets fulfilled because this could potentially mean a revolution in gaming. Xbox One players will be able to play Xbox One X/S content on their gen 8 consoles.
Wasteland 3 will get a new DLC added: Cult of the holy detonation. The rangers can extend their stay in Colorado with what looks like another awesome addition to the game. The active updates released from time to time on Wasteland 3 through extended listening to the fanbase make this a passion project. The experience of playing Wasteland 3 is something I personally can highly recommend. The addition of this new DLC might be an ideal time to take a step in Wasteland 3’s whacky world. October 5th is the date to look forward to if you are interested in this DLC.
Sea of Thieves is holding an event to get a special ship starting tomorrow. A Borderlands-inspired ship called Mayhem can be yours. A strange crossover but for fans of both games, this limited event is a nice surprise.
More zombies and desolated gameworld in State of Decay 2: Homecoming are up next. Homecoming brings new maps, new weapons, new everything. Bringing more open-world aspects to the mix of the original game. The update to the game continuous on the already vast content available in State of Decay. This time around you are brought back home to Trumbull Valley.
Stray Blade looks like an FPS medieval blade to blade action RPG. The game seems to feature every run-of-the-mill action RPG thing you’d expect.
Crusader Kings III comes to console. This strategy game is already a well-liked name on PC but now finds its way to the Xbox Console.
Psychonauts 2 is up next. The first game came out in 2005 and was overshadowed by the big guns of the time. Despite its uphill battle, Psychonauts became a cult classic. 16 years later, Raz is finally back for yet another adventure, unlike anything you ever played. With recurring characters and new even crazier additions, this game will surely appeal to its original fanbase and hopefully excite new players to give Double Fine current Finest a try. Available August 25th.
The Gunk lets you explore a gunk-infested planet. Cleaning up the place will take some time and some adventuring. With a vacuum-inspired gun, this space adventure has potential.
Forza Horizon 5 takes us to Mexico as already announced. The new open-world racer has been praised all throughout this presentation making it one of the main features. The Forza Horizon Limited edition controller created further emphasizes the importance of this next release. The neon splashed-looking controller looks awesome and is a must-have for fans of the game. E3 already showed us how great this game will look making the presentation on Gamescon feel less impressive. Despite it all, Microsoft still tries to prolong the hype with new gameplay showcasing the Bronco Badlands and the Mercedes AMG One in jaw-dropping action. Even though I’m personally not on the hype train I have to admit this looks breathtaking. The visual grandeur really shows off the power of current-gen consoles and makes me wonder what more is to come.
Xbox delivered a well-made showcase featuring all its highly anticipated releases. Despite the slickness of the presentation, not much new was announced. The gameplay trailers of previously announced titles were amongst the only things that got me excited. If you needed an update on what is coming, this showcase was ideal but if you hoped for new announcements Xbox sadly didn’t deliver much exciting news.
