Microsoft hasn’t necessarily been the most liked company in the past few months. It went from building hype up to the Xbox One to having to reverse every single policy introduced for the same, including an always-on Kinect, no self-publishing for indie titles and its controversial 24 online authentication for the console.
Now, we’re firmly focused on the games and services that Microsoft will be offering in the next generation. What can we expect when the company takes to the stage at this year’s Gamescom in Cologne? Here are our top 10 picks for the same.
It’s a long shot. Heck, it’s more than a long shot – consider that when Microsoft and Bungie first teased Halo Reach at E3, it didn’t show any gameplay footage until a full year later. It would be smarter to hype Halo when the Xbox One is out there and in the hands of consumers (and why take away immediate attention, no matter how meagre, from Halo The TV Series?). Regardless, if there was something about Halo at this year’s Gamescom, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen.
It’s Microsoft. It’s the Xbox One. And this is television. However, it should be a bigger point of interest than Halo The TV Series given how it actually intertwines with the game itself. It might not be the hottest, most unique announcement, but it will allow us to see just how good (or bad) the television connection will work out for the Xbox One and Quantum Break.
After Sony has been trouncing Microsoft again and again with its indie acquisitions, look for Microsoft to get some measure of revenge following its reversal of no self-publishing for indie games on Xbox Live for the Xbox One. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition could make an appearance along with Below, but is it too much to expect some new games to be announced?
We’d say that not much is known about D4, but the truth is, there are actually quite a few details that help us understand what we’re getting into. However, this is Hidetaka Suehiro’s game and if Deadly Premonition was any indication, things aren’t what they seem. Perhaps D4 will get some more details at Gamescom. Considering that it’s an exclusive but not quite in the AAA league, it wouldn’t hurt Microsoft to build it up now in preparation for a Q1 2014 release.
Hell yes! Who doesn’t want to be able to manage their own zoo, bring in the customers and research new inventions with which to keep your animal population satisfied? We’re not quite sure at this point, but we are sure that Zoo Tycoon will get a release date at Gamescom (earlier reports indicated it would be out by Fall 2013 anyway) seeing as it’s exclusive to the Xbox One and Xbox. Look forward to gameplay footage as well.
Kinect Titles
The May reveal for Xbox One was all about television and mass appeal games along with, of course, the console. E3 2013 was about the games. Could Gamescom be the event where Microsoft finally reveals what Kinect games it will be bringing to the Xbox One. We already know about one (see below), but what about the usual Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and Kinectimals sequels? We don’t expect them to be far behind. Perhaps Microsoft is waiting until the Xbox One has enough market penetration before revealing its Kinect titles? We’ll soon find out.
Rumours indicated recently that Microsoft is still up in the air regarding whether the Xbox One would have backwards compatibility or not. There’s a good chance this will be made possible using Azure, similar to how the PlayStation 4 will use Gaikai for backwards compatibility. This is due to the use of a Blu-ray disc drive rather than the typical DVD drive. There will at least be some clarification on the same come Gamescom, but we don’t necessarily expect to be able to use our Xbox 360 discs with the Xbox One.
You didn’t think Sony would be the only one to announce a release date for its next generation console, did you? We fully expect Microsoft to provide details on just when we can expect the Xbox One to release this November, which should be around the first week. Sony could release the PlayStation 4 earlier, as early as October 21st if rumours are to be believed. Gamescom 2013 certainly looks to be the last stop on the way to the next console war.
What do you expect to see Microsoft announce at this year’s Gamescom? Let us know in the comments below.