Xbox E3 2018: Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Gears 5 - all news, trailers and games
Microsoft E3 2018 knocked everyone’s socks off with 100 minutes of announcements, game reveals, and more, Get all the news from the show right here.
Microsoft hosted its E3 2018 briefing this evening, and came straight out the gate with a look at the next game in the Halo series.
The trailer was a cinematic trailer affair for Halo Infinite. It was a rather lovely trailer, and it was good to see Master Chief again at the end. Halo Infinite will reportedly focus more on Master Chief’s story, something 343 Industries learned the hard way with Halo 5.
It also looks like the story will be set on another Halo. You can clearly see the ring reaching up into the sky, and one other thing looked familiar: the Warthog. Sadly, release date was not provided.
Phil Spencer took the stage after the trailer to the announced 50 games, 18 titles with exclusivity and 15 world premieres would be shown today.
As promised yesterday, a video for the single-player campaign was shown for Battlefield 5. It was very short, and really didn't tell us much, if anything, but it was a rather nice for what little it showed.
A trailer for Ori and the Will of the Wisps came on next. Lots of love shown for that by the audience, and for good reason. The original was a fabulous game. The trailer showed off some of the combat mechanics, interesting enemy encounters and the return of challenging puzzles The story-driven adventure releases on Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2019.
From Software's new title Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is being published by Activision. The trailer was just fabulous, and we can't wait see more, especially since it's directed by Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Set in late 1500s Sengoku Japan, you play as Sekiro, also known as the ‘one-armed wolf’, whose purpose is revenge and rescue. It's a single-player game featuring RPG elements, and is due for release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in early 2019.
Four times the size of Fallout 4, Todd Howard came on stage to discuss Fallout 76, which takes place in West Virginia, as we figured due to the John Denver cover playing in the previous trailer. Fitting location, considering the the lovely Greenbrier resort in the state has a massive underground vault. Fallout 4 is also coming to Xbox Game Pass. Well, actually, it's out today.
The Division, Elder Scrolls Online, Vermintide 2, and more are also on the way to Xbox Game Pass.
A video for Crackdown 3 was shown along with one for Nier: Automata Become As Gods which was announced earlier. - albeit a bit early. It's out on June 26.
The Fallout news was followed by a video for Metro Exodus which will grace consoles and PC on February 22. The area in the trailer showed a huge drainage basin, along with a heap of bandits and a religious cult to deal with. There’s also, as you might expect, a bunch of mutant people and animals to shoot.
A look at Cursed Sails, the next DLC for Sea of Thieves, was shown. It was a rather fun watch. It's coming in July, and the next content drop, Forsaken Shores, is out in August.
Playground Games gave us a look at Forza Horizon 4, set in the UK. It features a shared open world, and dynamic seasons which "change everything." Time of day and seasons are both tied to players in multiplayer, which allows all players to have the same experience.
World events allow the entire community to come together to earn "big rewards," joining other players is easy, and quick chat options are available. There will be seasons, and something different every time. Forza Horizon 4 is out October 2, and is included in Xbox Game Pass.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming to Xbox for the first time. The news came alongside a new trailer. The release date was leaked a bit early, so we already knew it would be releasing on January 29. It's also coming to PlayStation 4.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is coming to Xbox One, which is a pretty big deal. It will contain all previously released content from the PS3 version for the first time in Europe. Fans can expect both English and Japanese voice overs. Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition is also coming to PS4, PC and Switch.
A PUBG trailer was shown, and it gave us a look at the winter map. As you'd expect, things look snowy. It was also announced Sanhok would finally arrive on PC June 22, and is coming to Xbox in late summer 2018.
A first look at The Division 2 was shown, featuring gameplay of agents doing recon in the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC. We expect to hear more on the game tomorrow during the Ubisoft presentation.
Devil May Cry 5 made an appearance, and this time out, the game stars Dante's buddy Nero. The poor fella has lost his demon arm, but the robotic replacement doesn't look too shabby. Devil May Cry 5 will feature three playable characters, each with their own brand of stylish combat to battle demons in a destructible environment.
Devil May Cry 5 will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in spring 2019.
Looks at Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the new skating game Session, Tunic, Black Desert Online, Hyper Universe, and Captain Spirit were shown. The latter is a Life is Strange "experience".
Cuphead DLC called The Delicious Last Course is coming next year. In it, Cuphead and Mugman are joined by Ms. Chalice for a DLC add-on adventure on a brand-new island. Expect new weapons, new charms and Ms. Chalice's brand new abilities. Players will take on multifaceted, "screen-filling bosses" to assist Chef Saltbaker in Cuphead's final challenging quest.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the company had acquired Playground Games and Undead Labs, which wasn't a surprise. Buying Ninja Theory was a surprise though - at least for us. Spencer also announced a new Santa Monica-based studio called The Initiative.
Bandai Namco showed a world premiere of its new game for Xbox One users. Jump Force is coming in 2019 and it features Naruto, Goku, Luffy, and many more famous Anime and Manga characters fighting in iconic landmarks such as New York City’s Times Square and the Matterhorn in the Alps. It will also release on PS4 and PC.
A trailer for Dying Light 2 was up next, and the game's narrative designer Chris Avellone came on stage. He discussed how the choices made in the game will change the world, and have consequences. For example, providing water to the public may help people, but a faction will use it as currency. You can choose to help the people, or join with the factions. There are hundreds of choices to be made. Dying Light 2 is set to be released on Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4.
Battletoads is finally coming back, but not until next year. It will be a 2.5D game with hand-drawn 4K graphics, and it's an entirely new game with three-player co-op.
An August 10 release date for We Happy Few was announced.
A trailer for Just Cause 4 was shown, after those lovely screens leaked earlier today, a few days after being leaked on Steam. And guess what? You can ride a freaking tornado. This is why we love Rico. He's the ultimate badass. He is so badass, even tornadoes are like "sure man, hop on."
This time Rico will be taking on the Black Hand, an extremely powerful private army, with the usual mix of grapples and wingsuits and vehicular manslaughter. And just being Rico. Just Cause 4 is due to launch on December 4 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. H
The Coalition boss Rod Fergusson came on stage to announce a Gears of War mobile title called Gears Pop, and an RTS spin on the IP called Gears Tactics. The biggie though was Gears of War 5. Two trailers were shown for it, and it's out in 2019.
As Kait, players can play solo or with a friend in local split-screen co-op, or online co-op in Gears 5. Every mode can be "experienced" in 4K Ultra HD resolution at “a smooth 60 frames per second.” Nice. Like its predecessor,it is a Xbox Play Anywhere title, playable across Xbox One and Windows 10 accounts. It will also be made available on Xbox Game Pass when it releases.
Microsoft closed things off with Phil Spencer discussing the company's commitment to the cloud and how it wants people to play games "where they want, when they want, on any device they want." He also said the console team was working on the "next generation of Xbox consoles."
At the end, things went out with a bang when a super slick video of Cyberpunk 2077 was shown. It rocked. In the game, you play as V, a lone agent in Night City, California, a city voted “the worst in America”. Huh. We thought that was Newark. Anyway. The game will involve navigating the various criminal and corporate interests that make it a deadly place to live.
Most characters are outfitted with cybernetic gear that enhances their physical attributes and combat abilities, which certainly doesn’t make things any safer. Sadly, we still don't know the release date. More on Cyberpunk 2077 was promised by CDP this week, so keep your eyes peeled.
Unfortunately, Fable 4 was a no show, and there was nothing regarding Banjo-Kazooie or a hint that Conker would return. And those rumors on a Perfect Dark project, well, they are just still rumors for the time being. Phantom Dust is still dead too, apparently.
E3 2018 doesn’t technically start until Monday, June 11, but the past few years, many publishers have opted to host separate presentations ahead of the conference.
Later this evening, Bethesda will host its off-site presentation.
On Monday, we’ll find out what Square Enix, Ubisoft, and Sony have in store. Nintendo will follow with its own pre-recorded Nintendo Direct on Tuesday, June 12.
Be sure to look over our handy E3 2018 conference page to find out start times, how to watch and everything else you need to know.
If you happened to miss all of the EA Play 2018 reveals yesterday, just give that link a click.