Lack of Xbox Exclusive Gameplay
The best E3 2021 showcase was by far that from Microsoft and Bethesda. In the space of an hour, we got an absolute ton of game announcements. We got to see more of popular franchises such as Sea of Thieves (Jack Sparrow, anyone?) and Forza Horizon 5 looked absolutely stunning as it took us speeding across the varied terrain of Mexico. Heck, even new game announcements came thick and fast with Replaced, Contraband, Redfall and The Outer Worlds 2 to name a few.
It was more than enough to get us talking –once again– about how ridiculously good value Game Pass is shaping up to be, and I’m feeling pretty darn good about having picked up a Series X in November now.
If I was to nitpick, however, there just wasn’t enough gameplay of these games, to the point where I have no idea what some of these games actually are.
Contraband seemed cool from its trailer, but we didn’t see any gameplay from the co-op title. Similarly, Redfall looked super stylish, but I’d loved to have seen how things will play out when I’m blasting vampires with my buddies.
But the biggest let-down in terms of gameplay reveals ultimately came from Halo Infinite. Following the outcry after its reveal last year, I was hoping to see a heftier chunk of single-player gameplay to alleviate any concerns I or other fans had about the latest instalment in the Chief’s story.
Instead, we got some cinematics and a drone camera giving us a look at part of the Zeta Halo ring we’ll be exploring in Infinite, and a quick cutscene of Chief and Cortana having a natter. It all looked rather pretty, but given that the game’s due to release later this year, it would have been great to see a hefty chunk of gameplay prior to that.
What were your biggest disappointments from E3 2021? Let us know down in the comments below.
