A review of a year 2020 in which Microsoft offers a large number of exclusives, more muscle in its Game Pass and the entrance to the new generation with Series X.
Microsoft had a year in 2019 in which the Redmond company established itself in a generation that is about to end with a future base that enhances its entire structure and invites players to continue betting on them. From Meristation we will pass the list with the most important news and exclusives of Xbox in this 2020, in which a much more powerful Game Pass and the arrival to the new generation with Xbox Series X promise an intense and fun-filled year for all your users
What do we know about Xbox Series X?
Microsoft will launch its new generation of consoles this 2020. Xbox Series X became a reality during The Game Awards 2019, after knowing it for a long time under the pseudonym of Project Scarlett, it was at the gala where we met the name and appearance of it.
Xbox Series X will be launched in the autumn of 2020 and the price, not yet confirmed, should be around 500 euros as the launch price as Xbox One X did. A new command but compatibility with that of Xbox One, the latter will introduce a button to share screenshots and videos, as well as improvements to your crosshead.
The new Microsoft console will have four times the processing power of Xbox One X, AMD Zen 2 CPU architecture and 16GB GDDR6 RAM, SSD storage to make load times disappear, a 4K Blu-Ray reader, support for the ray-tracing and resolution 8k, 4k and 120 FPS. Despite all this power, Phil Spencer, Xbox boss, said it is as quiet as its predecessor.
Backward compatibility, a feature added throughout the life of Xbox One and that has allowed us to play many Xbox and Xbox 360 titles on our One and One X. This feature will be maintained, and as in One with some Backward compatible titles, X Series may include improvements for these. Great news that will allow users to maintain and enjoy their entire collection in the next generation.
There is a rumor that there will be two X Series models, with one of them more economically affordable and less powerful.
What will Microsoft offer in the future? More exclusivities and many of these unique console level? It does not seem the strategy to follow, but they have a large number of licenses on which a possible return would be a punch on the table of the American company. Rare's arsenal with sagas like Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct or Viva Piñata; Fable, a review of Lost Odyssey, Scalebound's 'return' or a new Brutal Legend are some of the licenses that Xbox could use to have even more strength in the next generation.
Present and future of the Xbox Game Pass
If you love playing video games, the Game Pass will be your best friend, one of the best inventions in the history of this industry. Under a subscription payment model, Microsoft introduced us in 2017 in the so-called fl Netflix of video games ’, a system that continues to grow and add renowned titles, along with others that since its launch we have at our disposal. This 2020 games like Bleeding Edge, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ori and the Will of the Wisps or Gears: Tactics will disembark from the first day in our Game Pass, but Microsoft goes further and continues to strengthen, adding a large number of games every month and also increasing the number of genres and options available. Do you like to play without thinking about a collection? The Game Pass is your thing, do you like to play, but also collect? The Game Pass is also for you. An increasingly polished product and that if it continues, it is a matter of time that it becomes an indispensable base of the industry and the players.
Titles like Grand Theft Auto V or The Witcher 3 were recently incorporated into the Game Pass, and the future of this will bring us this 2020 a large number of titles belonging to the Final Fantasy saga (practically all 3D numbers) and Yakuza.
Surely Xbox Game Pass brings us more surprises throughout 2020, and this will be another feature that will surely be part of the strengths of the Redmond company in the next generation.
Project xCloud
Microsoft wants to be on all fronts and that is why the game under streaming is also among the services it will offer and enhance in the future. xCloud is a technology that aims to rival what Google Stadia proposes, allowing you to play your titles on any device that is connected to the Internet without downloads, all from the cloud.
It is currently in the testing period, but will offer the possibility of playing with a catalog of more than 50 games. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to this service throughout the year, which should be polished over time, but playing wherever you want and what you want will be a reality very soon and one of the great assets for the Future of the company and the subscription model.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Release Date: February 11, 2020
One of the most emotional and beautiful games of the decade returns with a sequel that promises to improve the entire original. A larger map to explore, a greater number of challenges and skills, as well as enemies to fight against. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a visual show that enhances its predecessor and one of the most ambitious ‘Metroidvania’ in history.
The precision of its control, the challenge of its platform and how well integrated it is to exploration, along with an exciting story, make this title one of the most anticipated of the year. We will not have to wait long, next February 11 will be available and you can pre-download from the Game Pass.
Bleeding edge
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Bleeding Edge is the last bet of Ninja Theory, the stadium in charge of performing games such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West or Heavenly Sword. A multiplayer title that could be one of the great covers of this 2020 and reminiscent of character and style of play to other hero shooters such as Overwatch.
A visual style with a lot of personality, a 4v4 PvP system with the usual DPS, tanks or support characters and a varied number of heroes to choose from can make this exclusive one of the most impressive multiplayer titles of the year.
Gears: Tactics
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Few would have imagined that the Gears of War series could make such a radical leap with a title within the turn-based strategy genre. Gears: Tactics will put us in the role of Gabe Diaz and immerse us in an immersive story with great characters. A tactical style by turns, but under a great rhythm of play that will make us also face challenges of enormous size.
Set twelve years before the first Gears of War, Gears: Tactics will be available on the Xbox Game Pass and will offer us a completely new story in a surprising perspective while promising hours and hours of fun.
Grounded
Release Date: Spring 2020
After The Outer Worlds, Obsidian Entertainment prepares a new release. Grounded will introduce us to a survival game in which human beings have been reduced to the size of an ant, remembering the proposal to films like ‘Honey, I have shrunk the children’. In Grounded we will have to cooperate to survive and collect resources that allow us to move forward within our world with a completely different perspective than we are used to.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Release Date: 2020
A video game classic, a benchmark of simulation, had been without a new installment for more than ten years. Microsoft Flight Simulator returns, a title so ambitious and graphically powerful, that not even an Xbox One X or a high-end PC could move in all its splendor. To do this, you will need a good internet connection, and that is that part of the graphic aspect of the game will reach you from Microsoft servers.
A game so ambitious that covers the entire planet earth, in which even a tiny village will appear in detail, and you can find your home in this ultra realistic experience. That is why the internet connection is so important. An ideal game for aviation lovers, but that will also allow a simpler control so that anyone can relax and enjoy the wonders that the planet offers us.
Tell Me Why
Release Date: Summer 2020
DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind the popular Life is Strange saga, will launch this 2020 Tell me Why, a new narrative adventure that will take place over three chapters and will also be available on the Xbox Game Pass.
Developed in a small town in Alaska and described as an intimate thriller, Tell me Why will introduce the story of twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan, who will meet again and use their special bond to unravel the mysteries of their beloved but troubled childhood.
Crossfirex
Release Date: 2020
Crossfire is one of the most successful games, but in turn more unknown in our territory. A phenomenon in Asia, the shooter gives CrossfireX a jump to the consoles that we will live first on Xbox One.
Developed with the Finns of Remedy Entertainment, the game will offer an individual campaign, as well as a great multiplayer experience and, how could it be otherwise, a battle royale.
Battletoads
Release Date: 2020
The return of a legendary video game, developed by Rare, is one of the most nostalgic and fun proposals in the Xbox catalog this year. Action in the purest Beat’em up style in which up to three players can play and thus kill all the enemies that appear and move forward with our charismatic characters. And in case you didn't know, yes, the races with motorcycle-mounted obstacles return. Get ready, battle frogs return.
12 minutes
Release Date: 2020
Annapurna Interactive brings us a title that surprises with its proposal in the purest style on "Groundhog Day". The game takes place in a small apartment and the surrounding areas will require us to play continuously throughout a 12-minute cycle to try to solve the mystery that the game proposes.
An author game with a lot of personality made by Luis Antonio, an artist who has worked at Rockstar Games and Ubisoft, but who left these companies with the goal of making his own video games.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Release Date: 2020
The expected expansion of one of the most personality videogames in history will come this year. Without yet a specific date, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will introduce us to a new island to explore and face new enemies and challenges; a new playable character, Ms. Chalice, with whom we can also play in the original game; as well as new weapons and skills that will help us in our adventure.
Halo Infinite
Release Date: Christmas 2020
Microsoft's flagship, Halo, returns this Christmas. Not much is known about Halo Infinite beyond which the story will continue after Halo 5: Guardians. A title that promises to take the franchise to its highest levels, to be a reference at all levels in the expected return of the Master Chief.
Halo Infinite will serve as a link between generations, and we can enjoy the game on Xbox One but also on Xbox Series X. An outstanding graphic aspect and possible functionalities that surprise users, with features never seen before in the saga. The multiplayer, will once again be one of its strong points, and that Microsoft wants with this new installment of Halo to get this saga to be a reference at a competitive level.
Everwild
Release Date: Unknown
Little is known about Rare's new game, the historic British company. Everwild is a title that could accompany Xbox Series X launch, but it is more logical to think of a later release. The game has a fantastic design that can remind at times of titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and that seems to take nature as the main focus.
Forza Motorsport 8
Forza Motorsport 7 Porsche GT2 RS 4K Front
Release Date: Unknown
The new installment of Forza Motorsport could be one of the launch games for Xbox Series X, as is usual with driving titles at the beginning of a new generation. A title that will surely take advantage of the graphic power of the future Microsoft console, in what will be a new experience with a large number of circuits, locations and vehicles.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Release Date: Unknown
The imposing work of Ninja Theory will have a second part in Xbox Series X, confirming in The Game Awards that it will be one of the games that appear in the next-generation console of Microsoft. Details about the new title are scarce, and it is difficult to venture what an adventure will propose to us that, apparently in the trailer, will have a spectacular graphic appearance and will show us a Senua, played by Melina Juergens, that promises great emotions.
Microsoft is presented in 2020 with the desire to confirm and finish convincing its current user base in order to make the leap to the new generation with them, but also to get more players to see them as a great option. Xbox Series X is one of the reasons, but the Xbox Game Pass and its appetizing catalog of exclusives too. Xbox goes further, the commitment to backward compatibility and keeping everything acquired make Microsoft a comfortable option for many players. A system that works masterfully from the interface, through the system of achievements and multiplayer service since the beginning of the American company in the video game industry. With more or less problems, Microsoft has not stopped evolving and looking forward. A historic year is coming in the industry, and Xbox will be one of the great protagonists.
