By: Tyler Miller

We’ve gone through two of the press conferences already, and now we’re up to Microsoft. There’s a lot that I’m looking forward to from them so let’s not waste anymore time and just get right on into this!

What I’m Looking Forward To

 Crackdown 3

It’s been a while since Crackdown 3 was first announced, and we’ve still haven’t seen that much gameplay from it. This has got to be the year for the game to show what it’s made of. Give us a nice demo that shows us the craziness that can happen in the game, and maybe even show us that fully destructible environment in a live setting? That’ll certainly get the blood pumping.

Gears of War 4

This one is a no brainer. Gears of War 4 is going to be the big title that Microsoft shows off at their press conference, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they started things off with it. Last year’s showing of the game was a nice graphical demonstration, but it didn’t really show much from a gameplay perspective. Epic Games is sure to blow the roof off with a bombastic gameplay demo that reminds fans of why they loved the series so much, so color me excited for this one here.

ReCore

ReCore is a mysterious game since we only got a CG trailer announcing the game last year at E3. All we know is that you play as a female heroine that travels a dangerous world with robotic companions that are powered by blue orbs. Since last year we haven’t heard anything about the new IP, so I’m hoping that we get another look at the game this year since it seems intriguing and promising. It has Keiji Inane and the makers of Metroid Prime behind it, so it has plenty of potential to be a great game.

Sea of Thieves

Rare surprised and excited everyone last year when they revealed their new IP Sea of Thieves, and for good reason. The prospect of playing a pirate game with all of your friends in an open world against other players is a dream for many gamers, especially after the amazing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag let us be assassin pirates in the caribbean. Not to mention, Sea of Thieves also looks gorgeous so that’s a plus as well. We haven’t heard anything else about the game since it’s announcement, so I’m really hoping that we see the game next week at Microsoft’s show.

Cuphead

Cuphead has been one of my most anticipated games ever since it was announced. The game’s old timey cartoon art style rubs me the right way and the gameplay looks like loads of fun. The game now has actual platforming levels as well, so it’s no longer just a bunch of boss battles which makes me even more excited for this game. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t showcased at Microsoft’s press conference, whether it be during an indie game sizzle reel, or during its own time. Cuphead needs some more time in the limelight, and it needs to come out ASAP.

Scalebound

Platinum Games hasn’t been delivering the best games as of lately, so Scalebound is the company’s chance to earn it’s pedigree back. The game looks intriguing enough thanks to last year’s gameplay demo at Gamescom, but I would definitely like to see more of it. Show off some of that multiplayer you guys teased at the end of that demo. Show off some more of the combat and how else you can use your dragon in and out of combat. Oh and if you can fix the frame rate some too, that’d also be great. Bring the big guns this year Platinum and use those dragon flames to set the crowd on fire.

Microsoft Hololens and VR

Last year’s demo of Microsoft Hololens absolutely blew me away the second the table flew apart and became a Minecraft world. My jaw literally dropped in awe watching this demo take place and sent my hype meter through the roof. I honestly don’t know if they’ll bring it back this year since Microsoft is looking to get into VR with the Oculus Rift, but I sure hope they do because the Hololens is too cool to not show off. Speaking of VR, it’s almost a guarantee that Microsoft will have some sort of VR game at their press conference being played on the Xbox One (or it’s rumored upgrade) with the Oculus Rift. I’m looking forward to seeing what games are going to be VR compatible and what new original games will be made just for it.

Xbox Scorpio

Rumor has it that Microsoft is going down the same route Sony is, and is making a more powerful version of the Xbox One that’ll be capable of 4K gaming and VR. If these rumors are true (which they certainly seem to be given all the news that’s come out about them) then it’ll be interesting to see just how true they are and just how much more powerful this new Xbox One will be.

What I Don’t Want To Happen

Spending Too Much Time On VR/AR

The big craze this year is sure to be VR, so it only makes sense that Microsoft would want to spend some time talking about it and showing it off on the Xbox with the Oculus. The same thing goes for the Hololens if they decide to bring it back this year. If they do decide to dedicate time to these platforms, I only hope that they don’t spend too much time on it. VR and AR are things that are better experienced than watched, so watching people play VR/AR demos for an extended amount of time won’t necessarily be the most exciting thing in the world. Just set aside enough time to these things to pique our interest and get us excited, and then continue on with the show.

Microsoft has been on the rise ever since it’s horrible press conference in 2013. They’ve slowly been earning back their respect and making their E3 press conference an exciting affair as opposed to a semi exciting one that’s filled with too much talk about TV and sports. They delivered last year, so I’m fully expecting them to deliver this year. We’ll find out what they have in store for us Monday morning.