Experiencing the Xbox One

A sneak peek of upcoming games and more.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to get to know Microsoft‘s Xbox One just a little bit better. My first real experience with the system came in August at Fan Expo when CapCom was on hand to give us a taste of what was to come in their game, Dead Rising 3, but it was short and of course focused on the game and not the system. As media gathered inside the Xbox One pop-up store located at 11 Bloor Street West in Toronto (which will be there until December 29), Craig Flannagan, director of marketing for Xbox Canada told us about the next generation of gaming and how XBO is “the best place to play games”. After the brief introduction, it was time to meet the new system.

There was something so familiar with picking up the Xbox One controller for the first time. My first game of choice? Forza Motorsport 5, which I’ll break down in a little bit. The first noticeable difference between the new controller and the 360 is the thumbstick size. It’s smaller which allows for a more controlled maneuverability and it felt more comfortable for me than the 360. While this is a definite plus for me, my colleague found the smaller thumbsticks a little harder to adapt to so quickly. The bumper and trigger buttons are wider and much more comfortable. The D-pad is now plus shaped which makes it easier to hit the right direction during a game, and the battery pack is now flush with the controller instead of sticking out like the previous model. Overall, Microsoft has said they made 40 design improvements to the controller, including the triggers having a built-in rumble system called “impulse triggers”. The responsiveness of the controller was fantastic–it was immediate and precise and while the sensitivity was turned up much too high for my liking (which immediately caused me to crash my McLaren right into the closest wall), it was easy to adapt to.

The bi-level space is a gamers haven and it played host to large televisions and multiple consoles, all with Day One release games available to play, and play we did. While there were almost twenty games there to pick from, we picked a handful of games that really stood out to us that will all be available Day One of the system launch and broke them down below. Our full gallery of event photos can be found HERE

FORZA MOTORSPORT 5

 
Alright, racing games aren’t really my thing, but this game was so beautifully done (presented in 1080p at 60 frames per second) I didn’t play one round, but two. The second time was when I really focused on the game and it’s handling. I was driving a Bugatti Veyron in Prague, and as I moved from asphalt to cobblestone, I could feel the difference in how the car moved and responded.

With two hundred cars and about fifty tracks to pick from, this is not a small game and it only gets bigger as car packs will be released periodically to fill your garage and bring you the latest and greatest even before they hit the real life showrooms. And, by learning how you and your friends drive, the power of cloud is even able to deliver real human behaviour.

Are you a fan of “Top Gear”? I am, and I was elated to hear that the team have decided to partner up with Forza to bring you an incredible feature. Take on Stig’s Digital Cousin in unique car challenges, turn a Power Lap on the Top Gear Test Track, and hear show hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May share their distinctive automotive insights throughout the game. Remember, Chicago is a sharp one!

Killer Instinct

If the title seems familiar it’s because Killer Instinct was originally released in 1996 for Super Nintendo. In the free-to-download version for the new console, you can will be reunited with old faces from the game who have been given modern makeovers including Sabrewulf, Jago, Thunder and Glacius as well as meet Sadira, one of their new characters to the game. With the free-to-download version you will receive one character, with others available at a base price of $4.99 per character, or you can pick up the Combo Breaker Pack, which includes eight characters total – six at launch and access to two new characters before release for only $19.99.

The play style is familiar to every Mortal Kombat playing button masher and Nicole from Xbox Canada was happy to play a round or two while taking you through the game information. Our match was Sabrewulf versus Jago, and while it hardly seemed fair, Jago held his own with ranged attacks that kept Sabrewulf from getting in close and doing a combo–that was until the second round. Once I was told how to begin a combo, it was all over for Jago as Sabrewulf bit and slashed away at Jago’s health, eventually winning the round and allowing me victory.

Fighting games like Killer Instinct are great, but people can get tired of them quickly. It’s more fun to play a couple rounds with friends so it’s a go-to game when you have people over, but personally I’m not sure if I would get much use out of it otherwise. Since it’s free-to-download though, even if you just get the basics with that, I will definitely be adding it to my gaming list.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Call of Duty: Ghosts was sitting pretty on the second floor with the biggest set up out of all the games, boasting four consoles and televisions on each side of an island so eight players could battle four on four in a Team Deathmatch (our team lost to the developers by two kills) and it was clearly the main attraction. People flocked to speak with the developers and try their hand at the game that was released on November 5th for current gen consoles.

While we just played a regular round of Team Deathmatch, there’s a game mode we didn’t get to see called ‘Extinction’. This new four player co-op mode features a unique, fast-paced survival gameplay and base defense as your team works together to face an alien race that has overrun an isolated Colorado town. The multiplayer mode now offers hundreds of options for customization including 30 new weapons, 20 new killstreaks, 14 maps out of the box, seven new multiplayer modes and a new Squads mode for six player cooperative play.

The dynamic for the campaign mode has changed as well; now playing as the underdog with a single squad that is outnumbered and outmatched by the enemy, the single player campaign opens with an unthinkable mass event. America is reshaped and unrecognizable and everything lies in ruins surrounding you as you and your brother come across the remnants of a group shrouded in mystery and known only as the Ghosts. Together you must not only defend what’s left, but also take the fight to the enemy before they complete the destruction and end our way of life.

Dead Rising 3

I had previously gotten a glimpse of the game back at Fan Expo but I could finally try my hand at Dead Rising 3. It was a very popular game at the event but I managed to get in a solid ten minutes of play during which I built the already notable ‘RollerHawg’ and a weapon that was a combination of a shotgun and a ski pole that fired multiple projectiles into the hordes of undead at once.

While it looks like the game still needs a little bit of work (I experienced a little bit of lag when faced with literally hundreds of the undead in the street), it’s coming together well and brings back some familiarity from the previous games while linking together all new elements of gameplay.

Set 10 years after the events of “Dead Rising 2,” “Dead Rising 3” takes place in the vast city of Los Perdidos amid a nationwide zombie outbreak that’s on the brink of decimating mankind. The story follows Nick Ramos, a young mechanic with a strange tattoo and a mysterious past who must find a way to escape a city full of thousands of bloodthirsty zombies before an impending military strike wipes the city and everyone in it off the map. But Nick can’t do it alone — he must join up with other survivors to stay alive and fight their way out before it’s too late.

One of the most interesting things about the game is its SmartGlass integration, allowing you to transform your compatible tablet or phone into a Zombie Defense and Control PDA. Swamped by the zombie horde from all sides? You or your buddy on the couch next to you can call in an airstrike to bail you out. Ready to start a new mission? Incoming in-game calls and text messages deliver “live” briefings through your Xbox SmartGlass-enabled phone or tablet.

Xbox SmartGlass also allows you to keep track of your progress with a mission checklist and a map that helps locate hidden items and locations, and even features a news ticker of real-time updates on the zombie outbreak in Los Perdidos.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

I already picked up the game for the current gen console but I couldn’t resist taking on an entire enemy fleet on the high seas. The visionary difference alone is stunning and I was taken by surprise at how great it looked because Black Flag even on current consoles looks stunning. The problem with the current gen though is that it’s obvious it can’t keep up as well as the next gen can. The performance from the game was better than expected.

There are 75 locations in the game that you can discover as you play through as Edward Kenway, a charismatic yet brutal pirate captain, trained by Assassins. You can loot underwater shipwrecks, sink or board enemy ships and command your ship, the Jackdaw, through the unforgiving sea. Stand amongst legendary names such as Blackbeard and Benjamin Hornigold, as you establish a lawless Republic in the Bahamas and relive the truly explosive events that defined the Golden Age of Pirates.

Ryse: Son of Rome

This game alone might sway you to purchase the new console if you have been on the fence about it. The game has caught some criticism for it’s combat styles being akin to the usual button masher, but Ryse is so much deeper than that and as it comes closer to it’s release date, we see how it has evolved into a title that may just be the most interesting of all the games at the event.

The visual pull to this game was just the beginning and it was obvious this was a hot game as people crowded the playing stations, even just to watch their fellow gamer try their hand on the Roman battlefield, pummeling the enemy with sword and shield attacks or commanding your army against a siege. Like a scene out of 300, your army works together and you slash your way to a valiant victory as the bodies add up around you. A strategy based game paired with basic combat is what makes this game what it is, and we can’t wait to see more from Ryse, especially on the XBox One.

 
Other games at the event included Crimson Dragon, Kinect Sports Rivals (which saw a couple people riding on a jet ski using their bodies to control the game), Just Dance 2013, Peggle 3, Project Spark, Zoo Tycoon, Battlefield 4, and an incredible demonstration of Xbox Fitness, where the Kinect was able to determine the players heartrate within a few seconds and report back to her via the screen.

If you want to try out the new system or any of the games before you buy, remember that the pop-up store is located at 11 Bloor Street West in Toronto open from November 7 until December 29 and it’s so fun and inviting, you just may want to stay all day.

Images courtesy of Xbox.