Microsoft put on another great show at E3 2015 with nice reveals of games we know and new titles soon to be released. A lot of their line up has been side lined to Gamescom later in the year, but it didn’t hinder the showcase what so ever.

Halo 5 Guardians looked impressive on the console with the four player co-op live on stage. Updates look very impressive but overall I am still not impressed enough to go back to the series. I am very much Halo’ed out.

ReCore looks very interesting as a new IP. A desert world with a female protagonist and her mechanical dog companion exploring. However the dog can change size and shape as long as his core is still active, even being able to use himself as an EMP to fend off against other machines. It will be very interesting to see how far the creativity in this goes.

After these initial reveals, Phil Spencer shocked everyone and effectively stole the show with the announcement of backwards compatibility for Xbox One. This is a huge leap forward for both the company and the console and allows players to play their old games with no additional cost. However, it wasn’t said whether this includes digital titles or just physical releases. I am sure this question will be answered in time. This was coupled by the reveal of the new elite controller with full customization capabilities for Xbox One and Windows 10. Definitely a peripheral to keep your eyes out for.

Fallout 4 had a presence at the event with some new gameplay featuring more of the world, characters and guns. The big announcement here however was that the Xbox One will be getting mod support alongside the PC release. A very nice feature indeed, Bethesda also revealed on twitter soon after theat they are planning to bring the same capabilities to PS4 as well, which is nothing short of awesome for us gamers.

Garden Warfare 2 was given some air time from EA and looks nothing short of helarious and fun. The first itteration was a blast to play solo and with friends and I hope this one carries the tradition. Favourite character from the trailer? Definitely the Orange. So cool, so suave and so full of zest.

We then had the reveal of Forza Six which is looking really interesting indeed. Sadly I am not much a of a racing gamer but I know other people out there are feeling pretty ecstatic, especially with the new Ford GT taking part. Dark Souls III also had a part to play soon after and left me thinking what the series could have in store with its final iteration. Also the character at the end of the trailer coming out of the coffin could be either Solaire, Artorias or the player character. Definitely one to look out for.

Rainbow Six Siege and The Division followed and not a lot of new gameplay was revealed. Instead there was the Xbox Exclusive deal that Siege will come with a cop yof Rainbow Six Vegas One and Two. A great deal for anyone that has and haven’t played those games. Afterwards we had Gigantic, the MOBA style third and first person game coming to both Xbox and PC. It looks beautiful and I am expecting a beta to release some time soon. The question here is the payment model for the free-to-play game and whether it is going to be worth putting the money in.

The indie developer showcase showed off the line-up of the next years titles and there was little to be disappointed with. They all look really fun and engaging with my personal number one pick being Cup Head. It brings back a lot of personal nostalgia from old school Disney and Looney Tunes cartoons and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The ID@Xbox guys also showed off their plans for Xbox Preview, a service to rival that of Steams Early Access. It is effectively the same as Steam allowing you to buy games still in development however it does one thing differently. The system allows you to download a demo of the game before putting money down, allowing you to get a taste before possibly wasting your money. A great plus.

Overall the entire show was great and here are just a few of my opinions. For my full thoughts be sure to check out the video above and let me know your opinions on the conference in the comments.

by Dominic Coles | June 16th, 2015