This week has been pretty wild when it comes to announcements. However, the best is yet to come, as Microsoft has a slew of surprises up its sleeves for this Sunday’s Xbox Bethesda showcase.
While it’s true we won’t see a release of Starfield anytime soon (since it’s delayed to 2023), we will probably get a glimpse of the game in action, along with new content for Halo Infinite and other goodies.
But what do we really want to see with this Sunday’s showcase? Well, here are five games that we’re hoping make the cut, in one form or another. Definitely keep these on your radar.
Goldeneye 007 Remake
This one’s kind of obvious, since we’ve seen all sorts of Achievements and leaks about the game’s potential re-release, especially since it’s 25 years from its initial release. Goldeneye 007 would not only serve as a welcome title for Xbox Game Pass, bringing in thousands of local and online players; but it’d also make for a nice bridge between Microsoft and Nintendo, as the original game could easily pop up on Nintendo Switch Online as well. We sense that this one will be one of the bigger surprises of the show, and we can’t wait to give it a go.
But not as Oddjob, obviously.
Forza Motorsport
Before Forza Horizon 5 came along and blew our feeble little minds, Microsoft confirmed that the next chapter in Turn 10 Studios’ awesome Forza Motorsport series was in the works. And though it didn’t have gameplay at the time of its reveal, this Sunday’s showcase is just a good a place as any to see the game in gorgeous action. Can it top Forza Horizon 5? Or will it simply strive to be one of the best damn racing games out there on its own terms? Whatever the case, we’re eager to see this one in action – and more importantly, where it’ll take place. What we wouldn’t give to be able to race on the streets of Tokyo!
Dead Island 2
Obviously the Xbox Showcase will be home to some key third-party titles. So why not a lovely little surprise from Koch Media? Dead Island 2 has been roaming around since its initial reveal in 2014, before it lost its developer and basically sat in development hell. Lately, however, we’ve been hearing that a new team has taken over, and the game is potentially moving along to some kind of release later this year. Of course, that’s not confirmed, but the fall/winter season seems just as good a time as any to unleash some chaos on the undead. Imagine if it got a Christmas release. Jingle bells, shotgun blasts, zombies at our feeeeeeet…
Fable
Though part of us still sorely misses what happened with Fable Legends, Playground Games has promised a revival for the ages with its new Fable game. Hopefully, Microsoft has some gameplay footage in store for its Xbox Showcase, displaying just what the game will have in terms of spirit from the previous releases, as well as some awesome-looking new ground that it’ll cover on the Xbox Series platforms. Oh, and we totally want to get married again before we venture out into the great unknown. Yeah, you heard us.
Perfect Dark
Ever since we got the unveil trailer quite a while ago, we’ve been eagerly anticipating the return of Joanna Dark to the game scene. And though there’s been word about development troubles, the fact that Crystal Dynamics, the masterminds behind the latest Lara Croft games, are lending a hand is great news. Hopefully, we’ll see more of the game in action at the Xbox Showcase, giving us an idea of what to expect from Ms. Dark’s return. And hopefully she still has a suitcase buddy that’s on hand to shoot a few enemies.
BONUS: Gears 6
If there’s one thing that’s inevitable, it’s that popular games will spawn sequels. We haven’t seen a new Gears game in a few years, so it seems about right that Microsoft will, at the very least, announce that Gears 6 is in the works. That’s not to say we’ll get it anytime soon – 2023 at the earliest, we’re betting – but at least it’ll remind us that some awesomeness is on the way. And to hold us over in the meantime, there’s always that rumored Gears remastered collection, featuring the first four games from the series. Whatever the case, keep that Lancer handy!
