Gamescom has arrived. The event, taking place as always in Cologne, Germany, was kicked off with Microsoft’s much-anticipated Xbox live stream. There were a ton of announcements, including world premieres, developer interviews and pre-order details for the Xbox One X — the latest Xbox console arriving November 7.
The latter half of the year is looking mighty fine for Xbox. Last week we published a list of the most exciting Xbox One games yet to release in 2017. But that’s not why you clicked on this post, so let’s get down to business.
Here are the five best reveals from the Gamescom 2017 Xbox briefing.
ReCore Definitive Edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd7482WHdNM
ReCore, the action-adventure Xbox exclusive from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune and the team behind Metroid Prime, is getting an upgrade. The Definitive Edition, which supports HDR and enhanced 4K visuals on the Xbox One X, will release on August 29 for $20. It’s a highly slept on game, but with this upcoming release there’s a second chance for Xbox users to experience it. In addition to the enhanced graphics, the new Eye of Obsidian expansion, as well as a new Corebot, will also be made available in the Definitive Edition. Peep that trailer above.
Jurassic World Evolution World Premiere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXHSMT69R6A
Microsoft announced a park-building sim where players can manage their own Jurassic World parks. There wasn’t a ton of info on the game, but at least we got a trailer. See above
Jurassic World Evolution will complement the release of the film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, set to drop on June 22, 2018.
Sea of Thieves Crossplay Support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbtBI9jcK9U
Sea of Thieves just got a whole lot bigger. The online pirating adventure game, expected for launch during the first half of 2018, will share the same world between Xbox One and PC gamers, Microsoft announced. On top of that, we were shown another awesome trailer from the highly anticipated project, featuring on-shore gameplay as well as an intense ship battle — with players being fired from cannons.
There’s another “important feature” worth mentioning: puke buckets. If you succumb to sickness, you can puke into a bucket, then use that bucket against other players. I think I just found my weapon of choice.
PRE-ORDER: Sea of Thieves
Two New Xbox One S Bundles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3gSQZk0Crg
Microsoft announced two new Xbox One S bundles coming this year. The first is a sexy custom 1TB Minecraft bundle, with a grass block print on its top and a transparent, illuminative Redstone casing on the bottom, “for the adventurers, the crafters, and those of you who just love dirt.” The bundle comes with a limited edition Creeper controller and custom Minecraft system sounds. There’s also a pink pig controller that will be sold separately. You can get your hands on this beaut on October 3 for $399.
Next is a Middle-Earth: Shadow of War bundle, set to drop alongside the game’s worldwide release on October 10. There are two versions: a 1TB and a 500GB, which cost $349 and $279, respectively. In addition to the console and one controller, both bundles will include a copy of Shadow of War, extra in-game items and a 1-month Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition and Pre-Order Details
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4axHXXEfjI
“The world’s most powerful console” is almost here. And to celebrate its almost-release, Microsoft revealed a limited edition Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition, with an inscribed Xbox One X console and controller. If you fancy the look, you’ll want to pre-order ASAP because “once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.”
The Xbox One X runs with 40 percent more power than any other console, according to Microsoft. A ton of existing games are being updated to support 4K resolution, including Minecraft, Gears of War 4, Halo 5 and Quantum Break.
Pre-orders for the console, which costs $500, have finally begun. This concludes our recap of the Gamescom 2017 Xbox briefing. The show officially runs from August 22-26, so stay tuned for more coverage.
