Xbox Developer Direct 2024
The first Gaming Direct belongs to Xbox
Xbox leads the first direct of 2024 with a Xbox Developer Direct. In the first direct of the year, they talked about the upcoming games of the new year with first looks of games coming this year. Four studios will show off their next big Xbox game.
OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT - AVOWED
Avowed is the new action fantasy adventure game from the developers behind Fallout New Vegas. There was a brief overview of what to expect. Avowed looks to take the best aspects of the developer is know for and implement it into the game. There are many, many secrets in the game. There are many more ways to handle the combat.
Shooting, fighting, hack and slashing, magic and the like will blend together into a more exciting combat experience. There will be different load outs to help combat the varied encounters you can fight with.
A look into the world and the consequences that will carry over to the world. Picking the right way won't always be the best course of action. Even the side quest will have major consequences.
Obsidian looked all over the world for inspiration and it looks to be a very varied world to explore. Colorful or dull. Crowded or barren. The World of Avowed looks to be worth exploring.
Avowed is coming to Xbox, PC and Xbox Game Pass this fall.
NINJA THEORY - SENUA'S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2
Hellblade 2 is in the final months of development. while it won't be a long as most AAA games these days, it will have a very narrative heavy and rich game.
It follows Senua as she tries to stop the Vikings at Iceland from continuing slaughtering her clan. The voices in Senua's head is no longer a burden but a help guide to survival. The story looks to be a much bigger story than in the original. They try to get as much accurate into history as possible, but isn't afraid to throw in some supernatural elements into it. Professor Paul Fletcher and people with lived experience with psychosis to bring Senue's psychosis more real and accurate, much like in the first game.
Hellblade 2 will explore unique locations with some having hostel intent. There is brand new combat for a more unique way to tell a story and Hellblade 2 will be more combat heavy, but Senua isn't a mighty warrior.
Sound design, much like the original, will be a much bigger focus to bring to live Senua's psychosis into the audio. Headphones are, once again, highly recommended. There are music and audio design that enhances the game and Senua herself.
It's a few months away and Ninja Theory hopes that the story will connect to people in a special way.
Senua's Saga: Hellblades to arrives on the Xbox, PC and Game Pass on May 24, 2024
(SURPRISE)
SQUARE ENIX - VISIONS OF MANA
Square Enix comes in with a surprise behind the scenes look of Visions of Mana. Visions of Mana is the first new game in 15 years with the first Mana game, Secret of Mana releasing for the Super Nintendo in 1991. Mana was a Final Fantasy spin-off series, but the game became a hit with a cult following the new games was being developed and it branched off into its own thing. There are 17 games in total in the 30 year history of the Mana series.
Visions of Mana is hoping to bring the best elements of the 30 year franchise to bring something unique to the franchise. The brief gameplay footage showed of its action combat and a bit of its platforming.
Koichi Ishii, the creator of the Mana series, talks about how bringing fan favorite monsters that he created and design from pixel to a 3D model. Despite there outward adorable look, these monsters can be a real threat. There will be a wolf like creature that you can ride around in and it will be a mascot for the game.
There will be a whole new orchestrated score into the Mana series. Past composers comes back and together there will be about 100 new tracks for the game. There will be event musical cues through the game. The music will flow seamlessly from the exploration music, to combat music, to exploration music once again. The more intense the encounter, the more intense the music will get. The best thing is that there's no key change, no snap of the finger combat mode. It flows naturally and doesn't break from the exploration themes.
Visions of Mana will break away from the turn-based combat of the past and be a more action focused game. Magic, areal combat and basic combat can flow each other easily. Elemental powers, a staple of the series, will still be in the game in a big way. Elementals can boost your weapons or help you out.
Visions of Mana will be the first game in the series to be in a Xbox console. More will be shown at a later time.
Visions of Mana will arrive on Xbox (PS5 and PS4) and PC in the summer of 2024.
OXIDE - ARA: HISTORY UNTOLED
Ara: History Untold is a history strategy game from the makers behind the Civilization franchise. The Civilization franchise is known for its immensely deep gameplay. They want to break away from the preconceived notions the genre is known for and yet still keep that depth that fans of that genre loves and keeps coming back to. The game was made from the ground up. From the engine, art and research. The game will cover the history of the world depending on which era they choose to play in. Choices will be reflected upon the game itself. The world, when you first boot it up, will be nothing but animals and nature and each world will be different due to it being procedurally generated. The game will start off small like a couple of huts and eventually can balloon into a full blown modern cities and beyond. Each choice will effect the world you created.
The Prestige system will allow players to focus on what they want. It can be art, warfare, food or anything a society needs to thrive. If what you want to do is successful, there will be major prestige points and whichever country built it will have a strong advantage over other nations. There will be a deep crafting system that will change the nation the crafting is being done at. The game will be more fast pace than other games in the genre.
Oxide took a look at the entire history and their cultures and in broad strokes implemented it into the game. Leaders won't be just military minds or government officials. There are thought leaders, science leaders, culture leaders and many more.
Player feed back was important to the game and help expand and make the game as best it can be. Even after the game is released, they get feedback for players and will make the game better than before.
Ara: History Untold will arrive to PC and PC Game Pass this fall.
MACHINEGAMES - INDANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE
MachineGames, known for their recent Wolfenstein games, is now making a brand new Indiana Jones game for the Xbox. Todd Howard went to LucasFilms Games to see if they can make a game. LucasFilms Games was exciting on what Todd Howard had in mind for an Indiana Jones game. For Howard, MachineGames was the best choice to make a new game on this beloved IP.. They showed the first ever trailer to the game it looks to have everything you need for a great Indiana Jones game. Puzzles, unique environments, fan favorite characters and fighting Nazis. Surprisingly, this Indiana Jones game is in first person, a first I believe.
The first person perspective is something MachineGames is known for and here it won't be different. However, there will be third person moments, mainly with traversal and cutscenes. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The mystery of why a certain seemingly worthless artifact will lead Indiana Jones around the world. Along the way, he'll meet Gina. A new character with personal stakes of what is going on. There will be many ways to approach the game that will let players think like Indiana. You can even use the whip in a number of ways that will help you. The music will have a very bombastic feel, much like the original John Williams score. There will be plenty of puzzles to solve in the game, but many more secrets to uncover.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will arrive on Xbox, PC and GamePass sometime in 2024.
And that is it with the Xbox Developer Direct. A lot of the games looks great and it looks like the Xbox will have a bright 2024.