All right y’all, gird your loins, it’s Video Game Summer, and us hot girls gotta get ready for it.
“It” in this case is the 2022 Xbox Game Showcase. In a time when the live presentation format is seemingly going out with a whimper, it’s definitely heartening that at least the bigwigs are trying to make a presentation for us. Yes, there is something to be said about this only being possible because the men behind the presentations are billionaires, but until better solutions are presented, this is what we got. And for what it’s worth, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Bethesda in particular has been hard at piecing together Starfield, its upcoming space-based RPG, and on top of that, Microsoft itself has a diverse lineup of upcoming titles within its own studio, and its offshoot studios. So, let’s get right into it!
Where and When to Watch
Unless anything changes (and hopefully, unlike other gaming events, this one will stick), Xbox Game Showcase will occur on June 12th, at 10AM PST. It’s expected to run around 90 minutes, in order to cover everything, from smaller titles to the blockbusters that would have been shown at E3.
As for where, Xbox has provided a list of various streaming platforms that will run the livestream in more than 30 languages (including ASL). All the standard ones are there, including YouTube and Twitch. But for those who really want to be part of the “Xbox experience,” they themselves are hosting a watch-party you can tune into.
Expected Lineup
It’s all but guaranteed that Starfield will finally present a gameplay demo. Bethesda has been dropping concept art and other little tidbits for the past few months, but the people wanna see their funky little creation in action. It’s been years since we’ve gotten a proper Bethesda title, and in those years, fans have resorted to making 20-minute Oblivion compilations just to say sane. I beg of you, Bethesda, give us the gameplay, I’m so sick of hearing about the high elves.
On the flip side (i.e. Microsoft’s side), there’s Fable, which was announced back in 2020. This series was once Microsoft’s favorite child, up until it became the family disappointment, so many RPG fans are rapt with curiosity as to how this new installment could reinvigorate the series. The announcement trailer sure seems to hearken back to its roots, with cutesy-fantasy graphics and painfully British humor, but we need more to go on, and the showcase is the perfect place to indulge.
Aside from those two, however, there’s quite a bit more to talk about. If I had a scroll I could roll out for you, I would, but, well, I don’t, and therefore cannot.
Let’s start with Avowed, Obsidian’s upcoming fantasy RPG, which appears to be a callback to the “woowah”-style fantasy that defined World of Warcraft. Considering how great Obsidian is at world-building and narrative-branching, I’m excited to see what they do with a modern fantasy title, although I have to admit, I’m tired of how war-drenched fantasy titles can be. And if the trailer is any indication, war is gonna be the name of the game in this one. We’ll just have to see, and hope we get some more details come June. Obsidian also announced The Outer Worlds 2, but again, there isn’t much to go on quite yet.
Then there’s the Perfect Dark reboot, which many were very excited about. I’m sad to say I don’t know too much about this cult-acclaimed series, so I’m hoping to learn more during the event.
We also have two co-op titles from Xbox that might make an appearance: Contraband, a smuggler adventure game, and Redfall, an open-world FPS. Both trailers certainly seemed interesting, with fun gameplay and cool characters, but it’s always hit-or-miss with multiplayer games, so I’m gonna keep my expectations reasonable.
If you’re curious about Bethesda’s new Indiana Jones game, I honestly doubt we’ll hear anything at all about it, considering it’s still early in development and was only recently announced. Then again, anything is possible. Another recent announcement was Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which again, there is a chance we will get to see gameplay, but it isn’t especially likely.
Now, one title they would be wise to show off is Everwild, which was announced back in 2019 and has since gone through various ups and downs. People are immensely curious about this beautiful title, and considering we live in a time where most of us have at least contemplated going off the grid to live amongst the beasties, there’s no better time to showcase what they have for us.
For the Forzaheads, I’m pretty sure you’re covered.
And lastly, I’m sure all you want is a new Elder Scrolls. I also want a new Elder Scrolls. Even my older sibling, who’s never played an Elder Scrolls, wants the new Elder Scrolls. Todd did say that Starfield was taking precedence, but then again, Todd Howard has said a lot of things (I say that with love). If you’re really, truly hoping for some TES6 news, I’m right there with you, because like every year for the past few years since its announcement, it’s been reasonably likely that we’d get any sort of news. Just make sure to keep your clown suit on hand, in the also-likely possibility that we’ll be putting it on yet again.
(Featured Image: Xbox and Microsoft)
