Join us for the Xbox Developer Direct
Forza! Minecraft! Redfall! And maybe more? Live from 8pm GMT.
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January's dragging on, it's still cold and miserable out so let's cheer ourselves up by getting together to see a good old-fashioned showcase. There's a new format from Microsoft tonight that might be kind of familiar given the name, and it promises fresh looks at Redfall, Elder Scrolls Online, Minecraft Legends and - you can probably tell this is the one I'm most excited for - the rebooted Forza Motorsport. There should be a little more besides, too, going from recent leaks - so join us from 8pm GMT for all the fun!
It's been wonderful hanging out with you all tonight - have a grand evening, and may your download speeds be fast enough to play Hi-Fi Rush before it's too late and you're a bit too sleepy.
If you don't mind I'm going to play Hi-Fi Rush.
PixelDragon says: Is it Red Fall or Redfall?Redfall, I believe.
FattyGlutton says: *Crosses fingers for Gradius 6 mic drop.*One day, my friend. One day...
Okay I did have one beer.
And no I've not been drinking.
Weebleman says: Stealth dorp indeedYou're a stealth dorp.
And I think Redfall is very much on people's radars now.
But Hi-FI Rush was a wonderful surprise - and an incredible stealth drop.
Okay Minecraft Legends hasn't quite sold itself to me yet, and I wish there was more detail on Forza Motorsport. Or any detail at all.
That was a bloody good showing.
And that, I believe, is that.
Which really isn't too far away.
And there it is - May 2nd.
VAMPIRES!
We should get a release date, at least.
I'm not sure what you're implying.
PixelDragon says: Yeah, I've definitely gone from mildly interested to 'Take my money!'STEALTH DROP THIS YOU COWARDS!
FattyGlutton says: Didn't UT99 have a teleporter thing? Loved that.I think so? The gadgets in this look like they pull from some of the best in FPS history.
Throw in Arkane's knack for all sorts of interesting gadgets and behaviours and that sounds pretty damn awesome?
I can see where that Far Cry comparison comes in now, too - it's the same sandbox, only this sandbox is a small suburban space with VAMPIRES rather than the wilds.
I'm definitely a lot more interested in it now than I've been in the past - there's that snappy Arkane style and some of the systems are now coming into focus.
PixelDragon says: Vampires with a Far Cry vibe? As much as I loved L4D that does sound more appealing.Innit just. Not that there's anything wrong with the Left4Dead formula!
And that made it a lot more appealing to me - and, I'm sure, to quite a few people.
There was a great interview by the lovely Josh West on GamesRadar earlier this year where it emerged this is more Far Cry than Left4Dead.
It's Redfall time!
So... that is quite tempting. I might add that to the download queue too.
And from today you can play any of the previous chapters for free.
slowdog1976 says: ESO is one of those games where, if you havent been there since day one and kept up with it, its very very overwhelming to try and come into. I tried recently. Failed. Just too muchI'm finding myself tempted again - I was hoping it'd be a bit easier to get into now though.
Oneandgonetwo says: Shadowdropping a new IP. Ballsy….Or it might be a bit 6/10...
And the people who are into TESO are *really* into it.
Oh man, I feel bad about being down on The Elder Scrolls Online because Matt Firor is one of the most disarmingly enthusiastic people I've ever interviewed.
I like how they basically delayed Forza Motorsport beyond Q1 and then made up for it by stealth dropping what looks like a banger.
Do you all mind if I just quickly sneak off to get this downloading?
That is a brilliant move.
It's hitting Xbox and PC tonight.
The game is out now.
Oh shit.
I'm a proper pro, me.
PixelDragon says: Any Megadeth in the listing?I only saw The Prodigy... I was pouring myself out some beer.
They said it's rock music... But the list of licensed artists shows some promise.
Barry Manowar says: Very Dreamcast era Sega meets sunset Overdrive. Could be pretty cool or end up really annoying. Hopefully the formerWes just pointed out it'd be good if the music was decent - and he does have a point.
A CAT NAMED 808!
But let's enjoy Hi-Fi Rush while it's here!
Just got brought back down to earth when I remembered it'll be The Elder Scrolls Online up soon.
This looks like a dream game.
The visuals remind me of Jet Set Radio.
The rhythm action reminds me of PN03.
And good god I think I'm in love.
There's rhythm elements to its action.
And yes there is some Sunset Overdrive in there - and that's more than okay! What a weird, wonderful game that was.
A cel-shading look taken even further by its incredible animation and fidelity.
No it's Hi-Fi Rush which washes away any disappointment I was feeling - this looks IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE.
Well, that was that. And is this JET SET RADIO FUTURE!
I was hoping for a date or some kind of new detail.
There's nothing new that's been said yet really beyond the car count and the introduction of Kylami.
It really is - I'm watching in a windowed screen so that's not really doing it justice. I bet it's jaw-dropping on a proper set-up.
PixelDragon says: It's a looker for sure
There's yer ray-tracing.
This is all lovely, but I'd love to hear more about structure.
Gran Turismo made great strides in that area in GT7 (I'm probably misremembering but I think it was with the help of some ex-Turn 10 people?) This Forza does sound meaty, in typical Forza style.
Also it'll sound good, apparently.
I'm off to Daytona this weekend for the 24, and my main motivation is seeing the absolute state of these things in the morning when they're caked in shit.
I bloody love dirty cars.
But also hey dirty cars!
Give us some LMDh cars if you're talking recent!
They say over footage of a bloody Riley?
Over 500 cars - a decent amount - and the promise of 'recent' racing cars.
It's Forza time!
I hope Mojang don't get shut down if this turns to shite, basically.
That was also really interesting, also quite good fun - I managed to play a fair amount of it - and a novel use of the franchise.
But also that name, and its premise, have got me thinking of Fable Legends.
This looks like a really fun strategy game, and a really interesting take on Minecraft staples twisted into something else.
I've not actually played JSRF for an age - I adored it, but I know going back to the original Jet Set Radio was rough as some parts of it haven't aged well. I guess I'm scared of going back to it and not liking it.
Malek86 says: Let's not forget Martin, the leak mentioned the game looks a bit JSR-ish, and the popup window there seemed pretty colorful?Stop doing this to me!
chrisdeku says: Minecraft, worst possible start. Also I've been saying Mo-yang wrong for 10 yearsMe too, Chris. Me too.
Also this is a tough game to sell in this format, as fine as it looks.
I wasn't paying attention to a lot of this because you got me thinking about Jet Set Radio Future. Yes it's all your fault I've gone off the rails.
Right, Minecraft Legends.
But what if?
(It won't happen, I'm sure).
Indeed, but now I can't stop thinking about the prospect of Jet Set Radio Future making an appearance.
Malek86 says: Yeah, looks like that Tango game is the big surprise after all.
The timing's unfortunate, though, seeing as they just directly booted out a load of developers as part of the recent wave of brutal layoffs in the industry.
As a general connoisseur of showcases I'm also just quite excited about this new format Microsoft has in Developer Direct.
You make it sound much more glamorous than it really is.
Oneandgonetwo says: My prediction. Game Dev Showcase Reporter Simulator TM. Join our hero Rob Martinson as he battles underwhelming trailers, annoying hosts and poor stream quality whilst downing a beer….
And obviously the more great racing games there are the better.
This is a series that used to field a new entry every two years - so six years on from the last one I'm expecting some big changes.
And the big one, for me at least - Forza Motorsport.
Then there's Minecraft Legends...
Arkane's Redfall we already know about, too - though I think there's going to be a desire to show that off fully and try to challenge the perception of it being a Left4Dead clone.
And of course some of the games are known quantities - apologies, The Elder Scrolls Online, I'm sure you're amazing but at this point I can't imagine ever getting fully onboard.
And we know what not to expect - namely there'll be no Starfield here tonight.
Unfortunately Tango Softworks' new game already leaked, which I think was going to be the one surprise amisdt the stuff that was already billed - but still, a closer look at it could be exciting.
(We love you really Larry)
I think maybe discovering that he's actually human would be a more shocking reveal?
slowdog1976 says: shall we make ludicrous predictions? mine would be that major nelson has been fully digitised and will be the xbox's new alexa style AI/ voice control
Oh god don't...
Malek86 says: I hope we get some surprises too. ... JSRF maybe?
Ain't that the truth. There's no chance of me sleeping through this one. Unless this beer really does go to my head.
iLoveTLOU says: I am not used to live events at a reasonable time
Around 45 minutes I believe.
Rahmus says: Do we know how long this thing will be? Keen to see what MS have to show other than the obvious, they’ve been too quiet for too long.
Also apologies if your comments were caught in a moderation queue - they should flow more freely now!
Bear with me while I get set up in the shed (ie pour myself a beer and get a back-up ready).
Well hello, hi and how do you do?