We are just two days away from the Xbox Games Showcase. We all are curious to see what will be presented at the showcase. Like everyone else, I have made some predictions for the show. Two games I really wanna see this Sunday are Fable and Avowed. I wanna see their gameplay and would love to get a release date or window for both of them. Also, I'm looking forward to the announcement of Gears 6. It has been almost four years now since the release of Gears 5. Hopefully, we get to see the next Coalition project on Sunday.
In this post, I'm not going to do any more predictions. Instead, I wanna talk about a few things that I don't want Xbox to present at their showcase. You might disagree with me on some or most of them, but that's okay. However, I would like you all to share on Twitter @dawer_hussain what you don't wanna see at the showcase. Okay, let's start.
First of all, we don't want to see a new controller at the Xbox Games Showcase. Unless Xbox is going to reveal a brand new Elite Series 3, please keep the focus on upcoming games. A whole lot of Xbox Series X/S controllers are available for us to choose from. I already own six of them along with two PlayStation controllers. I don't even have room to place my controllers in the gaming room. Ever since Series X/S launched, we have gotten a new controller almost every two to three months. There is the Forza edition, Shock Blue, Pulse Red, Halo edition, Halo Elite Series, Elite Series Core, Xbox 20th anniversary edition, and so many more. We have more than enough controllers. Now we just wanna play our games with those awesome controllers.
Last year, Xbox did something new at their showcase. They showed a roadmap of all the games that were going to release on Xbox and GamePass within twelve months of the showcase. I actually liked the idea, especially when they showed games like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Ereban: Shadow Legacy, and the big ones like Starfield and Forza Motorsport. I was super excited to play all of them, but only one of those came out. That was Wo Long. The rest besides Starfield still don't even have a release date. I know Xbox showed a bunch of other games during last year's showcase, and most of them did release within the twelve-month window, but going forward, they should not do this presentation again. Delays should be expected and the Xbox team should have known that. So for this showcase, just show us the games and only give us release dates if you are super confident about them.
Yes, I know many of you love your Elder Scrolls Online, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, and other online games. I am not a fan of those and don't like seeing new updates for those games at the Xbox Games Showcase. We can talk about those updates at Gamescom or some other gaming event. Xbox Games Showcase or E3 is a big, big event. On an event this big, we should expect new reveal trailers or gameplay for the upcoming AAA games. Yes, Sea of Thieves and Elder Scrolls have millions of players and those players expect new content every now and then, but the showcase should be about showing off brand-new big-time games. We should be seeing games like Fable, Avowed, Starfield, Gears of War, Perfect Dark, or any new AAA game at the showcase.
So Halo Infinite Season 4 is landing on June 20th. Gamers have had issues with Halo Infinite multiplayer since pretty much two months after the release of its first season. I truly enjoy playing Halo Infinite's multiplayer. I'm excited for season four but I don't want Xbox to spend more than a minute or two to promote it. We already know it's coming and we know how the game plays. No need to spend time on showing off the multiplayer. If Xbox and 343 Industries want to show something related to Halo at the showcase, it should be the single-player story DLC. Halo fans want to see what Master Chief is doing since the events of the main campaign.
In July 2020, we first got to see the epic reveal trailers of Fable, Avowed, and Forza Motorsport. In 48 hours from now, after almost three years, we just might get release dates for all three of them. To be honest, the last three years went by really quick, but in this upcoming showcase, I don't want Xbox to show us games that are three to five years away. Four years from now, it will be time for a new gaming generation, and Xbox Series X by that time would be considered a last-gen console. Do any of us at this moment really care about what games we will be playing on the next-gen Xbox console in the year 2028? I sure don't, and I hope on Sunday, we get to see the games that we will get to play on our Series X/S consoles within the next two years. Fable and Avowed better be there.
At every Xbox Showcase since 2018, we get to hear Phil Spencer talk. He's an awesome dude and we all know that he really cares about the future of Xbox. At every presentation, we hear him say that the future of Xbox is bright, and we the players are at the center of their vision. Phil, we really appreciate the kind words and the Superman music you play as you say those words, but we don't wanna hear them anymore. Actions speak louder than words! Come to the stage, present all of the amazing games, and let them do the talking. Since the start of this generation in late 2020, we have gotten only three solid AAA exclusive games on Xbox, and they all came before 2022. During the 2021 Xbox Games Showcase, Phil ended the show with an awesome CGI trailer of Redfall by Arkane Austin. The game released almost two years later and it is one of the worst games of this year so far. So, Phil, please don't butter us up with your kind words and remind us how you guys make all these games for us. At the showcase, if the gameplay presentations of the upcoming Xbox games catch our eyes, you won't need to say a single word to keep us excited for the present and the future of Xbox.
Aaron Greenberg recently responded to someone on Twitter that all the games we are going to see at the showcase are going to be running on an in-game engine. He said, "everything shown will contain in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics". Basically, there isn't going to be a CGI trailer at this year's showcase. I always prefer gameplay over CGI trailers, but I don't mind such trailers if the game that you are showing is two to three years away. However, for Aaron's sake, Xbox can't afford to show CGI trailers at the showcase. It won't be the end of the world if they do show CGI trailers, but it's not going to look good for Aaron Greenberg. Why? Because he will be providing incorrect information for the second time in about three years. Before Xbox Series X/S officially launched, Aaron said that the standard frames per second for games on Series X/S is going to be 60 fps. This year, an Xbox first-party game launched at 30 fps, and still there is no 60 fps option for it (you all know that game). Doesn't matter if he works for Xbox as a marketing manager or if he is the head of the company. As one of the representatives of Xbox, you can't be providing inaccurate information to your customers again and again. This Sunday, it should only be gameplay presentations for all the games.
Starfield is going to be one of the biggest games of the year. It is definitely the most important game for Xbox since Halo Infinite. After how 2022 concluded for Xbox with no AAA games, and after how Redfall launched last month, Starfield's presentation is very important for the Xbox brand. This presentation has to be special. It can't be a bad or even an average presentation. Last year, there were high expectations for PlayStation's exclusive, God of War Ragnarok, and it delivered. This year, there were high expectations for Nintendo's exclusive, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it ended up being a massive hit. Now, it is Xbox's turn with Starfield. June 11th is a big day for Xbox and Starfield.
So yes, those are the few things I want Xbox to be mindful of. No need to show a new controller unless it's Elite Series 3. No need to show updates on ESO, Sea of Thieves, or Grounded. Don't just show the upcoming season of Halo Infinite multiplayer, but also give an update on its DLC. Definitely don't show us games that we won't be able to play this generation. Phil Spencer should just present the games and let them do all the talking. No CGI trailers at the showcase. And finally, Starfield's presentation can't just be an okay presentation. It needs to blow our minds away.
We want Xbox to deliver on their promise and we want them to knock this showcase out of the park.
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