E3 has become one of the biggest days of the year for gamers, with all of the major publishers showcasing their upcoming creations. This year, the E3 festivities get underway on June 7 with EA Play, which runs until June 9.
The all-important press conferences take place on June 9 and June 10, and then E3 itself starts on June 11 and carries on until June 13. Some have been discouraged by the number of companies who won't be attending E3, but it appears to have paved the way for Xbox and Microsoft to dominate the show even more so than initially expected.
On Sunday, June 9, from 16:00 ET, the Xbox E3 presentation will commence. The highly anticipated showcase is expected to divulge key information concerning the console's biggest upcoming exclusive games, including Halo Infinite. It's a tremendous gaming franchise which is sure to set Xbox up as the champion of E3 2019 in the eyes of gamers, but how do the other platforms compare?
Xbox going big in 2019
The Xbox One has been noted as somewhat lacking in exclusive games compared to the likes of the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, but that perception could very well be changed at E3 2019. The biggest name on the sheet so far is, undoubtedly, Halo Infinite. Teased at E3 last year, Infinite will see the return of the Master Chief in a brand new game developed by 343 Industries with the state-of-the-art Slipspace Engine. Fans of the legendary franchise are very excited for this game, and the hope is that a release date and some gameplay footage will be revealed. It is one of the few new games confirmed to be showcased at E3 so far.
But Halo Infinite isn't the only much-loved title set to be unveiled by Xbox at E3. Along with a Forza Motorsport 8, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Phoenix Point, Battletoads, and possibly a long-awaited Fable game rumored for E3, Gears 5 is almost guaranteed to be shown and create a huge buzz. Following Kait Diaz, the fifth game in the mighty Xbox franchise is set to recapture everything that made the early games great while developers The Coalition have also made an effort to evolve the franchise with some new mechanics.
PlayStation backs out of E3
Xbox's primary home console competitor has decided to back out of E3 this year, citing that Sony is exploring new ways to engage with their audience throughout the year. What this has resulted in is a couple of Nintendo Direct-style videos called "State of Play" which have detailed a few new games set for release this year. The PlayStation's only major triple-A release has been Days Gone this year. While Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, WiLD, and Death Stranding are in the works, the lack of information regarding release windows, let alone release dates, hints to most of them being 2020 titles.
Mobile games with have a showing
The ever-prevailing fact of the games industry is that mobile gaming is a major player. These hugely available, "lite" games earn close to half of the industry's total revenue, so it makes sense that more are being unveiled and advertised at major events like E3. There's very little doubt that some new mobile games will be shown this year with Bethesda's Elder Scrolls Blades set to be among the new mobile games shown. Hopefully, Bethesda learns from Diablo's Blizzcon stage last year, don't hype-up their showing to be about the highly-anticipated Elder Scrolls VI, but then just present the mobile game.
Online casino games continue to grow
The online gaming platform of online casinos continues to grow in popularity all over the world. It has come to the point where developers host extravagant launch parties for their most anticipated games at launch, despite there being so many new games released each week. While all eyes are on the world of gaming as E3 nears, online slot developers have been keen to release their best new casino games like Trigger Happy, Seven Stripes, Fire Dragon, and The Mariachi 5 to make the most of the gaming hype that's swirling around right now. While Seven Stripes is a progressive jackpot game, the medium-to-high volatility of Trigger Happy and The Mariachi 5 are to capture the audiences as we close in on E3.
Switch continues to lean into its uniqueness
The Nintendo Switch opted into a huge task of competing on the mobile and handheld front and the home console front due to its hybrid form and the selection of games that it creates. But hats off to Nintendo; they've embraced the uniqueness of the console to offer the best of both worlds. At E3 2019, Nintendo will show a pre-filmed video, a Nintendo Direct, to show fans what's to come. The Switch will be Xbox's biggest competitor to be deemed "best in show," with the likes of the recently showcased Super Mario Maker 2 as well as Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, and Dragon Quest XI S set to titillate the crowd.
It's an exciting time to be a gamer, particularly if you own an Xbox. While the Nintendo Switch will be coming in hot, the range of highly-anticipated titles on the Xbox One should make Microsoft the bell of the ball at E3 2019.
A brand new Demo for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The new demo is 706mb..
The Largest Army of Super Heroes is back! Jump into the heart of the Marvel Civil War as Super Heroes collide over having to register with the government. Enter the fight for Pro- or Anti-Registration forces. Whose side are you on?
Content: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Price: Free Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions Dash Text: The Largest Army of Super Heroes is back! Mercenaries are attacking the Capitol in Washington D.C. and it is up to you and your team of Super Heroes to defend it. Thwart the enemy offensive with immensely destructive powers and new fusion combinations. Select your team of four from an exciting array of Super Heroes, including Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and more. Test your mettle as you enter the world of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2! For all levels, deeper RPG action and the entire roster of over 24 playable heroes and villains, buy your copy in September 2009! Download the demo.
The guys over at OXM have gone to all the effort of checking out the Xbox 360's older games to see if you can still get a game online. Check out the list below for the full info.
The most popular games online are Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that.
So what happens to the lesser known games as time marches on and the smaller games are squeezed off the shelves? Do the communities live on? Do the hardcore refuse to let go? Do newcomers to Xbox Live wander into empty lobbies and try to figure out why nothing is working?
We take a handful of older games in the office and give them a whirl online, to see what's left of the original communities...
1. SMACKDOWN VS RAW
RELEASED: November 2006
TIME PLAYED: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL PLAYERS: 14
Microsoft is now giving holiday shoppers even more value by reducing the price of its incredibly popular Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel by $30 to just $99 (U.S. ERP). The newly priced Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel now comes bundled with a driver disc and a demo of the acclaimed “Forza Motorsport 2” including full force feedback support. With its sleek design and cutting edge technology, the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel immerses gamers in an unparalleled racing experience.
The Wireless Racing Wheel is compatible with all of the most popular racing games on Xbox 360.
Xbox 360 offers the best value among next-gen consoles and is the only place you can play the greatest holiday line-up in video games history. This holiday, buyers will receive two free games bundled with every Xbox 360 console and Xbox 360 Elite. The highly-rated “Forza Motorsport 2” (Microsoft Game Studios) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) are both included for $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 console and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite
As you may know, Microsoft announced Q1 FY08 earnings results this afternoon. Xbox 360, the leading next-generation game console, announced life-to-date sales of 13.4 million consoles worldwide.
The Entertainment and Devices Division revenue grew more than 90 percent to $1.9 billion, driven by “Halo 3” (MGS) and higher than expected Xbox 360 console sales. Xbox 360 console units also saw an increase of more than 90 percent driven by the August console price cut, the record-setting launch of “Halo 3” and an earlier ramp-up to the holiday season in anticipation for the greatest holiday lineup in history.
Below is a summary of the news:
During the quarter Xbox 360 sold more than 1.8 million units, bringing life to date sales to about 13.4 million worldwide.
The strong demand for “Halo 3” generated approximately $330M of Microsoft revenue.
Looking ahead, the upcoming quarter has historically held almost half of all video game industry hardware and software sales. An upswing in console sales combined with software sales that last month alone outsold software sales for PS3 and Wii combined 3:1(according to NPD) have put Xbox 360 in a great position for the holiday season.
On top of that, Xbox 360 continues to drive third-party game sales across all platforms. Since November, third party partners have seen their titles hit the top ten 27 times for Xbox 360, compared to 2 for PS3 and 1 for Wii according to NPD.
Additionally, starting with “Madden NFL 08” (EA), we have an unprecedented string of titles that should each sell at least a million units, including “BioShock” (2K Games), the record breaking “Halo 3” (MGS), “Project Gotham Racing 4” (MGS), “Mass Effect” (MGS), “Guitar Hero III” (Red Octane/Activision) and “Call of Duty 4” (Activision). These titles make up the greatest holiday line up in video game history and it’s only available on Xbox 360.
This, paired with the new Xbox 360 Arcade at $279.99 that comes with a wireless controller and five free Xbox LIVE Arcade games along with two additional SKUs with price points of $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite which includes the addition of two games including “Forza Motorsport 2” (MGS) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) for a retail savings of more than $90, providing gamers with an unmatched interactive entertainment experience.
Of note, the Microsoft earnings conference call was transmitted live at http://www.microsoft.com/msft/default.mspx and the replay and press release will be available there as well.
Hot on the heels of a price reduction for all Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft is now giving holiday buyers even more value by including two great games with every Xbox 360 console and Xbox 360 Elite, a retail savings of $90 for consumers.
The acclaimed “Forza Motorsport 2” (Microsoft Game Studios) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) will both be included for the recently reduced prices of $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite. Both bundles will be available retail-wide by the end of October.
Xbox 360 offers the best value this holiday and is the only place you can play all the titles in the greatest holiday line-up of video game in history. This line-up includes “Halo 3” (MGS), which became the fastest-selling video game ever and is making history as one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time.
“Halo 3” (MGS) is just one title in an incredible holiday line-up that are all only available on one game platform, Xbox 360. Starting with "Madden NFL 08" (EA Sports), Xbox 360 has an unprecedented string of no less than seven blockbuster titles, each of which we expect to sell at least a million units, including "BioShock" (2K Games), the record breaking "Halo 3" (GS) "Project Gotham Racing 4" (MGS), "Mass Effect" (MGS), "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" (Activision) and "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Activision).
Xbox 360 is home to the most critically acclaimed next generation games according to Metacritic.com, the leading aggregator of game reviews from more than 100 publications. Of the top 30 next generation game titles on Metacritic.com, 21 are on Xbox 360 and five games exclusive to Xbox 360 score above 90 out of 100. In fact, “Forza Motorsport 2” (MGS) has received an aggregate review score of 90, producing a “Universal Acclaim” rating.
The most-respected game reviewers have spoken and according to them, Xbox 360 has more than double the games of the Playstation 3 and Wii receiving a score of 90 or higher.
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