Microsoft E3 2019 Press Conference Recap

This was Microsoft’s year to shine, as they were given an open field. Opportunities like this don’t come very often for companies, and it’s safe to say everyone was waiting on bated breath to see what Xbox could deliver. All in all, it was a safer show than many had hoped. Nothing earth shattering occurred and scant few details on the next-gen Xbox were unveiled. Despite that, there were a bevy of interesting games on display.

Outer Worlds

This new sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment is shaping up to be a good time. Fallout certainly flavors a lot of the action, but the setting alone seems worth a playthrough. Not long to wait, as this game releases October 25th.

Bleeding Edge

Ninja Theory debuted their newest project at the beginning of the show. I was a little disappointed to see the focus on mutiplayer, but it could have potential. The style also looks to be quite the acquired taste. A technical alpha rolls out July 27th.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Blind Forest surprised a lot of gamers when it released a few years ago. It was a hard-as-nails, old school metroidvania. The sequel launches February 2020.

Minecraft: Dungeons

Mojang finally gets to stretch their legs and do something a little different. Very much a traditional looking dungeon crawler, but it’s nice to see Minecraft keep trying new things. Spring 2020 for this one.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

This trailer primarily features footage from the EA Play demo. Turns out the game still looks incredible. Respawn Entertainment has yet to disappoint, and it looks like we’ll be far from disappointed November 15th.

Blair Witch

Definitely something I didn’t see coming, a new horror game based on the Blair Witch property. The wait’s not longer either, as August 30th is right around the corner.

Cyberpunk 2077

Keanu Reeves, baby. Seriously, the fact that Keanu was there to present for Cyberpunk seemed to earn the loudest reaction all show. Beyond that, this incredibly hyped game finally has a release date. April 16th, 2020.

Spiritfarer

I thought this game looked charming as hell. Take on the role as ferrymaster of the dead, but learn along the way. This management game is coming in 2020, and I’m certainly keeping my eye on it.

Battletoads

Rash, Pimple, and Zitz return! The original game was never my jam, but I know it has a special place in a lot of gamers’ hearts. This new game is looking like a pretty solid co-op beat-em-up. No word on release just yet.

RPG Time: Legend of Wright

Seemingly set in the notebook of a young child with excessive imagination, this games looks cute enough. The visual style helps it stand out in the crowded indie scene. Look for this one in 2020.

ID @ Xbox Showcase

There’s a whole lot of games coming via the ID@Xbox program. Here’s a sizzle reel showing them off.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Flight Simulator returns! It looks pretty gorgeous, too. See for yourself.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

Remastered in 4K, the classic returns. This is obviously a beloved game, and it’s cool to see it return for the fans.

Wasteland 3

They keep cranking these suckers out. Looks very much in the vein of the first two games, but that’s exactly what fans want. And they keep coming back for more.

Psychonauts 2

I can’t believe it, but Double Fine now belongs in the Microsoft Games Studios family. Not one to rest on their laurels, they also showed off some new footage. The original game has a special place in my heart, and it feels like I’ve been waiting an actual lifetime for the sequel. Hard to believe it’s almost upon us.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

It was inevitable. Smart move to do one final Lego Star Wars that wraps up every film. These games are usually a delight, and this looks to be no different. The Skywalker Saga comes to a close in 2020.

Dragonball Z: Kakarot

I’m trying to be cautiously optimistic about this one. The idea of an action RPG using the Dragonball storyline is a smart one, but there hasn’t been enough of the gameplay show off to get a proper feel.

12 Minutes

Being trapped in a time loop is one of my favorite storyline trappings. Things seems to continuously go horribly awry for the characters here, but I am itching to figure out the mystery.

Way to the Woods

This game is Journey with deer. That’s fine by me. Looks like something different and I always appreciate that. Sometime in 2020 is when you’ll see this charmer.

Gears 5

I love me some Gears of War. I’m in the camp that thought The Coalition did a wonderful job delivering their first chance at bat, and I’m interested to see what they do by taking more chances. Kait had quite the revelation at the end of Gears of War 4, and I’m frothing at the mouth to learn more. I can’t wait for September 10th.

Elite Controller Update

Microsoft’s luxury controller gets an updated model. I’ve never had the opportunity to check one out personally, but people swear by these controllers. There’s too many improvements to list here, so check it out for yourself.

Dying Light 2

Scott and I were quite surprised by this game last year, and it continues to look impressive. Turns out your character is infected but won’t go down without a fight. Combined with all the choices in the narrative, this game looks like it give the shot in the arm the zombie genre needs. Coming sometime in the Spring of 2020.

Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Challenge

Can’t say I saw this one coming. The Lego racing games of old were fun enough, but this looks to kick things up a notch. This wild announcement came with a more wild release date. June 13th, this very week.

Gears Pop!

Sure, it feels a little like a weird cash grab, but it strikes me as having enough heart behind it. It’s never a combo I would’ve imagined for a mobile game, but the Gears universe and characters are interesting I want to spend more time with them however I can.

State of Decay 2: Heartland

This newest DLC for Microsoft’s zombie franchise is taking an interesting approach. Choose one of two narrative paths, both leading to finding the same man in the apocalypse. It’s more than they had to do, and should excite series fans.

Phantasy Star Online 2

This struck me as a huge get. Phantasy Star Online 2 has been huge in Japan for years, and it’s been constantly bewildering that it hasn’t come west. It’s about time. This franchise was beloved back in the day, and I’m deadly curious to find out why.

Crossfire X

I’m going to shoot straight with you. I have very little idea on what Crossfire even is. It’s evidently huge in Asia, it’s an FPS, and Remedy Entertainment is somehow involved in the campaign mode for the Western release. Either way, we’ll find out in 2020.

Tales of Arise

I’m constantly tricked by the Tales games. I always think they’re just for me, but then I enter a rude awakening a few hours in. Here I am again, excited as hell. This seems to be a bolder take on the familiar formula, so let’s hope it pays off.

Borderlands 3

New trailer dropped for Gearbox Software‘s newest looter-shooter. It featured a more in-depth look at the characters and their classes, but didn’t reveal too much that was new. One surprise, though, is that Borderlands 2 will be getting a brand new, and free, DLC to lead into the new game’s story. Pretty interesting idea.

Elden Ring

Hidetaka Miyazaki. George R.R. Martin. From Software. This combination should absolutely get your blood pumping. No gameplay was shown, but in all those people I trust. This will absolutely be one to watch.

xCloud

Everybody is getting in on streaming this year. Xbox isn’t gonna rest on their laurels. This is their take, whether utilizing your own console or one of theirs. Should be interesting to see who wins these streaming wars.

Project Scarlett

Here it is, the future of Xbox itself. The same team that crafted the Xbox One X is working out the next generation, and it promises to be 4x more powerful than even the X. Microsoft talked plenty of features such as framerate and ray tracing. And loading screens. They would not shut up about loading screens. Coming Holiday 2020.

Halo: Infinite

The Chief is back! This is the only announced launch title for Project Scarlett so far. No gameplay here, but Master Chief was up to being his usual badass self. There was a nice focus on the positives of humanity as well, and of course the John and Cortana relationship is once again a central focus. Halo is always worth getting excited about.

Be sure to check out our other E3 coverage on the site. We’ve talked about EA Play and Bethesda already, but Ubisoft and Square Enix are coming up shortly.