Xbox at Gamescom 2022 recap: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Age of Empires, Sea of Thieves and more
Xbox’s Gamescom 2022 presentation covered more than a dozen exciting games
The first game that Microsoft intends to show off today is Microsoft Flight Simulator. In our glowing review, Tom's Guide awarded the game 4.5/5 stars and a coveted Editor's Choice award. According to editor-in-chief Mike Prospero:
"Microsoft Flight Simulator [not] only looks fantastic, but also leverages Microsoft’s satellite imagery and live weather data to provide the most realistic experience yet ... As I was writing this Microsoft Flight Simulator review, I would get lost for hours simply admiring everything outside the cockpit."
We don't know exactly what new additions the company will announce for the game today, but Microsoft Flight Simulator has received a steady stream of updates and expansions ever since it debuted in 2020. Another substantial add-on seems like a good bet.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of 2022.
The game picks up where A Plague Tale: Innocence, the cult hit from 2019, left off. Like its predecessor, A Plague Tale: Requiem will be a stealth/survival game that follows a pair of siblings in medieval France. Equal parts touching and unsettling, A Plague Tale: Innocence won fans over with its unusual premise and unconventional gameplay.
Microsoft’s schedule seems pretty set, and the company’s primary focus at Gamescom 2022 will be on the 12 games listed above. However, a few weeks ago, a glitch in the Xbox app suggested an intriguing possibility: the ability to stream Xbox games that you own, even if they’re not on Xbox Game Pass.
Of all the games on the docket for Xbox at Gamescom 2022, Age of Empires IV has the longest amount of time devoted to it, at a staggering 55 minutes. We’re not sure what Microsoft has in mind, since the company just announced a huge expansion for the game: two new playable civilizations, the Ottomans and the Malians. The civilizations will be free to download, and will debut on October 25.
Perhaps Microsoft will go into more details about the Ottomans and the Malians; perhaps it will discuss the game’s lively multiplayer scene; or perhaps we’re about to get a paid expansion, complete with new campaign content. We’ll know for sure in a few hours.
The Xbox Gamescom 2022 livestream is just about five minutes away, so tune in now if you're interested in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Otherwise, come back at 8:40 AM ET, when coverage on A Plague Tale: Requiem will start.
Xbox head Phil Spencer is introducing the Gamescom livestream. He says thank you to fans around the world, and reiterates that we're going to take a look at games either debuting or getting major updates within the next 12 months.
First up is Microsoft Flight Simulator. There's a new mode called City Update, which helps the game create even more realistic cities based on real-world map data. In a fitting move for Gamescom, the first City Update highlighted here is for Germany, which includes Bonn, Dusseldorf and, of course, Cologne.
Also available today is the Junkers F 13, a famous German airplane developed in 1922. It was the world's first passenger aircraft made entirely from metal. The development team also shared some detail about how they recreate digital replicas of old planes, even if complete, working models no longer exist.
Another highly requested addition was the "glider" category. These vehicles require a lot of momentum to start, but can glide for hours under ideal conditions. Much like helicopters, recreating realistic airflow conditions is vital to the experience.
Now that Flight Simulator is done, we're taking a quick look at a new trailer for The Last Case of Benedict Fox, a stylish Metroidvania that will be out in Spring 2023. After that, it's on to A Plague Tale: Requiem.
If you're at Gamescom, you can play many of these games for yourself, as some of the Xbox hosts have pointed out. The stream will be back online in a few minutes.
Next up is A Plague Tale: Requiem, a sequel to 2019's cult hit A Plague Tale: Innocence. Medieval French siblings Amicia and Lucas will pick up a few months after they left off in the last game, with the threats of war and sickness still looming large.
More developer commentary, especially about mocap, voice actors, and the challenge of writing for child characters. No earthshaking revelations here, but if you're A Plague Tale fan, it's an interesting glimpse behind the scenes.
There's a trailer for Disney Dreamlight Valley, an interactive sim that lets you interact with a bunch of classic Disney characters. The game will be out on September 6.
Next up is the Sea of Thieves panel, which will run for about half an hour. So far, the developers are talking generally about what it's like to work on the game, and to be back in the office after working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The developers are guessing the top 10 ship names in Sea of Thieves. "Sloop Dog" is amusing, as is "Usain Boat."
A recent Sea of Thieves story arc involved a "decision point," where the players had to choose how the story would progress. The developers discussed the challenges of developing content for an either/or scenario, where only one route would ultimately make its way into the game.
One memorable aspect of the original Pinocchio story is that lying would make the titular puppet's nose grow. The developers have acknowledged that the concept of lies, and how easily we tell them, will play a central role in the game, and have some kind of effect on gameplay.
Next up is Gunfire Reborn, a first-person shooter where you can play as a variety of bizarre creatures in a stylized, cel-shaded world. Co-op multiplayer seems to be the main focus here, with a big focus on weapon variety. The game will be out on October 27 for Xbox platforms, but it's already out on Steam.
More granular info on Gunfire Reborn. There's a large online multiplayer community, big boss fights, a steep learning curve, a variety of playable characters - all pretty standard roguelite and multiplayer stuff. The upcoming Xbox launch should open up the community a bit as well.
There's a sizzle reel about Xbox aficionados sharing their feelings on Gamescom. Since Gamescom hasn't had a physical show in the last few years, they all seem pretty excited to get together in person again.
We're back with High On Life from Squanch Games. This is the latest game from Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty.
If you've played Trover Saves the Universe, High On Life seems to have a pretty similar tone. High On Life seems more action-oriented, as you collect a variety of talking weapons. The first one on display is a talking gun, who sounds an awful lot like Morty from Rick and Morty.
We got our first glimpse of the game's combat. Each weapon in the game has three different abilities, one of which is primarily for traversal. Kenny, the game's first gun, has a "Glob Shot," which can knock down certain platforms and open up new areas.
Like Trover Saves the Universe, High On Life seems incredibly dialogue-driven. You have a number of dialogue choices, and each voice actor recorded a lot of extra, improvised lines. If you like the freewheeling nature of Roiland's animated comedies, you'll probably enjoy High On Life, too.
We also got a look at the game's first boss fight against 9-Torg. Kenny dealt out damage by shooting 9-Torg, while Knifey (an equippable talking knife) helped the player leap around the battlefield and dodge toxic sludge. That's all the gameplay we're going to see at Gamescom 2022, though.
Here's a trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. It's a cooperative FPS, which will be available on November 30.
Next up on the Xbox Gamescom 2022 showcase is Planet of Lana, a peaceful side-scroller with a striking, watercolor art style. You'll also get a catlike companion called Mui, which lets you interact with various parts of the environment.
More members of the Xbox team are weighing in on Gamescom. After that, we'll learn more about Obsidian's Grounded, which will be in full release this fall.
Phil Spencer himself is weighing in on Grounded, talking one-on-one with Adam Brennecke, the game's director. Brennecke explains that Grounded's full launch will be an opportune time for both new and returning players to check out the title.
When Grounded goes into full release on September 27, the major addition will be a full story mode. Up until now, Schofield said, players have lacked some important context for the game's "shrink down and explore a backyard" premise. That context will be available in about a month.
Obsidian is in the process of ensuring that bases and player progress from Grounded's early access period carry over. However, the devs are also encouraging players to start new save files in order to experience the story mode from start to finish.
The Grounded interview is done, and now we've got a sizzle reel about games available on PC Game Pass.
One of the most visually striking games on display at Gamescom 2022 is Pentiment, a medieval adventure game from Obsidian. We're taking a look at a trailer right now.
Unlike most Obsidian games, Pentiment casts you as a specific character: Andreas Maler. However, you'll still get an opportunity to customize some aspects of Andreas' background and skills.
The Obsidian team is currently discussing the medieval paintings and woodcuts that inspired the art of Pentiment. We've also seen a few gameplay snippets, in which Andreas can choose dialogue options that will affect the gameplay.
Right now, the Pentiment team is taking a deep dive on the game, which is admittedly a little esoteric. Tom's Guide will check in again toward the end of the interview around 12 PM ET, then focus on major updates from each subsequent studio.
Xbox is currently showing off Xbox Game Pass on the Samsung Gaming Hub, which we covered hands-on a few months back. It's an impressive experience, and essentially lets you play console games while completely bypassing the console.
Minecraft Legends, one of the biggest games of the Xbox Gamescom 2022 conference, is the topic of discussion right now. Touted as an "action strategy game," Minecraft Legends presents a different take on the tried-and-true Minecraft franchise. The game will be out in 2023 for PC and Xbox platforms.
As a strategy game, Minecraft Legends is a little outside of developer Mojang's usual wheelhouse. To facilitate the strategic gameplay in Legends, Mojang teamed up with Blackbird Interactive, a developer with extensive experience in the real-time strategy field.
The Minecraft Legends presentation is done, and the Xbox hosts are showing off a sizzle reel of Gamescom 2022. Next up is Age of Empires IV, which will finish off this year's Xbox presentation.
If you're waiting for news about other civilizations coming to Age of Empires IV, you'll have to keep waiting. The Ottomans and the Malians are the big focus right now, and the Age of Empires IV development team doesn't want to comment on any other potential civilizations just yet. However, the game is "alive," and players should probably expect more playable empires in the future.
And that's the end of the Xbox Gamescom 2022 livestream. There weren't any huge announcements. But, as Microsoft promised, there will be some substantial additions for more than a dozen fan-favorite games within the next 12 months. Sometimes, that's all you can ask for.
It's not yet clear when the next major Xbox event will be, but Tom's Guide will keep you posted when it happens. Until then, enjoy the rest of Gamescom 2022.
