The Xbox Partner Preview was a quick 30 minute live stream put on by Xbox to showcase some upcoming games and announce some new ones. Showcasing 11 games in total, we got some first looks at brand new games and some more in depth looks at games that have been looming over our heads. Plus some release dates to be excited about.
The preview started with a showcase of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. We got a reveal of Dondoko Island, a place to take a break from the chaos, build relationships with interesting characters, and decorate to your hearts content. I will admit, I didn’t know what to expect from Like a Dragon, but it wasn’t an island simulator.
Continuing on we get our first new game reveal, from the creators of Powerwash Simulator we get IKARO: Will Not Die. A soul successor to Velocity, a brand new fast-flowing roguelite to hit the scenes. I get some Hi-Fi Rush vibes from it. The game looks very splashed and fast paced with some fun looking game play revealed. No release date was mentioned but with gameplay in the reveal I can’t imagine it being that far out.
A game that I’m excited for, Still Wakes The Deep. A narrative horror game by The Chinese Room that was first announced at the Summer Games Fest. There was still no exact release date but we did see some direct in-game footage. In only about three minutes or so, there wasn’t a ton revealed but it does look eerie and it looks like there could be some real tension built into this game.
Then we got a release date and some preorder bonus details for RoboCop: Rogue City. An in-depth gameplay reveal for Dungeons of Hinterberg, with some exploring and combat, but mostly showcasing the social side of the game by following the main character Luisa. Our second new game reveal follows, Spirit of the North 2, a short reveal including some gameplay, the game looks very pretty but has no release date yet.
Followed up are some bigger showcases including Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, Ark: Survival Ascended, and Alan Wake II.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater came with our first in-engine look at the new game, confirming Unreal Engine 5, which is sure to be exciting news for Metal Gear fans.
Followed up by a game I hadn’t heard of prior to the partner preview, Manor Lords. I thought the gameplay looked intriguing, it looked like a city-builder meets RTS and I thought that was interesting. Along with the gameplay a release date of April 26th was revealed, and it will be on Game Pass day one.
If you didn’t get the chance to play the closed beta, The Finals open beta is open right now until November 5th. The Finals is a unique FPS game where your squad of three will compete in the most anticipated combat entertainment game show. With some very flashy and fast-paced combat I’ll be sure to check this beta out.
In a bitter sweet reveal we got our first look at Ark: Survival Ascended. The reason it’s bitter, is we obviously don’t have Ark 2 yet, but it’s sweet because Ark definitely looks good in Unreal Engine 5. The reveal didn’t come with a release date for consoles but with a big surprise later that day it was released on Steam.
Then perhaps the biggest reveal was the Alan Wake II launch trailer. With some awesome looking gameplay, I think it’s safe to say this game will be a hit and we don’t even have to wait that much longer with a release date of October 27th.
What reveals are you excited to see?
