The Worst
1) Overall Layout of The Press Conference
While it may be nitpicky to put this as one of the worst parts of Microsoft’s E3 press conference, some of the announcements seemed a bit misplaced. One thing is for sure that as fantastic as Anthem looks, it should not have been chosen to end out the Xbox presser, especially considering it was a game announced at EA’s press conference. Instead, it could have ended on a very high note exclusive to Xbox, with the huge reveal of the expansion of Xbox Backwards Compatibility to include original Xbox games. It is also questionable to have Forza 7 as the very first game to show off the Xbox One X, instead of what may be even more highly anticipated: Assassin’s Creed Origins. Don’t get me wrong, Forza 7 looks killer, however it may not have been the most exciting game to feature, especially for those of us who may be geared a bit more to other genres. On top of this, there were some titles that although we got to see a good portion of gameplay, it would have been nice to hear a few more details for them. I’m looking at you Life is Strange 2.
2) Lack of Surprises Amongst Game Reveals
Within the onslaught of the 42 different games revealed this year there weren’t a lot of hard-hitting titles, or ones that were even a huge surprise to see. While gamers will be able to get their hands on the likes of Assassin’s Creed Origins, Metro Exodus, Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2, Life is Strange 2 and Sea of Thieves, these reveals remain the biggest in a series of indie titles announced. Don’t get me wrong, I like indie games as much as a solid triple A title, however on the biggest stage of the year it felt as if Microsoft could have thrown in some big surprises. If I’m being entirely honest, the Xbox exclusives announced don’t make me want to run out and buy an Xbox One X when it’s released just to play them. Even though there were enough games to get excited about, without these surprises it just felt like the presser was a bit undercooked.
3) Price of the Xbox One X
Microsoft seems to have learned nothing from when they released the Xbox One at a higher price and were met with criticism from the fans. I completely understand that we, as gamers, get what we pay for when we purchase a new console, however the price of $499 for the Xbox One X seems a bit steep. Unless you have an unlimited supply of money, it really feels like a big chunk of change to dole out for the new console. It’s being reported that it will set Canadians back $599. But hey, what’s $600 for a brand new console right?
What are your thoughts about the Microsoft presser at E3 this year? Let us know in the comments below.