It’s almost that time. When the world will finally see what 12 teraflops of computing power will deliver on the Xbox Series X.
We already know that this event will be exclusively for third-party games, so no Halo: Infinite or Forza until June. So far, only Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been confirmed for the event, but in this piece, we want to deep dive into other Series X games we want to see revealed.
Further down in the piece, you’ll see the musings of Bossman Vinny Fanneran and our favourite Mancunian, Christian ‘Reggie’ Wait.
But for now it’s my turn.
Thomas Telford: Harry Potter RPG
Of all games I am hoping to see at Inside Xbox Series X games showcase is…. the rumoured Harry Potter RPG game that was leaked early last year and has since all but disappeared from the world wide web.
A Reddit user shared leaked footage of this rumoured Harry Potter game but Warner Bros Entertainment has since wiped it clean from the web. Now, there’s plenty of video leaks of games that have turned out to be fake, but what gives this leak credence is the quality of the actual video.
It looked far too polished to be something that was made just to troll people. It’s believed to be an open-world RPG and takes place in the 1800s. Just imagine being able to choose your own house or wander the halls and grounds of Hogwarts on next-gen consoles.
Apparently you’ll be able to choose whether you take the path of good or evil. According to IGN, you’ll play a student in 5th year and can choose one of eight wizard types.
It’s believed that Avalanche Software is the team behind this project. In 2017, the studio posted job listings for someone with ‘a deep understanding of British culture and grammatical presentation’.
What does Reggie want to see?
Christian ‘Reggie’ Wait: The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Daedalic is known for its ‘Point and Click’ genre contributions such as The Night of the Rabbit and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, and I can’t stand the genre. It’s not quite a visual novel and not quite an engrossing game experience, my opinions are my own.
However, one of my favourite fantasy franchises might win me over. Gollum will be the first Lord of the Rings game IP not based on Peter Jackson’s trilogy in 10 years or so, coming straight from the Tolkien Estate. This means no Andy Serkis or film references what-so-ever.
The recent screenshots show vast vistas of Middle Earth and the deep dark caves of Mordors mines, alongside multiple choice dialogue for our little Smegol. This game could explore a time of Middle-Earth that isn’t well documented. We might even see what Gollum was up to before he developed his man crush for Frodo and later dumping him for the One Ring.
Nothing is really known about the game besides these recently released screenshots, which is very exciting. Hopefully some next-gen polish and my love for all things Tolkien will make me fall in love with the point and click genre?
Vinny Fanneran: Any AAA Racing Title, Maybe a Sports Title
While my compadrés are looking for something in particular. Hoping to scratch their respective personal itches. Looking for gameplay they will enjoy.
I will be looking out for Series X games that showcase silky smooth frame-rates and visual acuity, and that’s why I want to see Forza, FIFA or PES, Madden, NHL 2K or any other cutting-edge racing or sports title.
Most other genres give devs and visual artists a lot of leeway in how their games will look – sims of racing, soccer et al. do not get that privilege. Realism in texturing, lighting, animation and phyics are non-negotiable for games representing beloved real-life subjects.
In addition, racing games have long been the standard for displaying a system’s power. From the scaling sprites and line-scrolling of the 80s, through the polygonal racing boom of the 90s, all the way up to the extant Gran Turismo and Forza – racing games have served as tech demos. Highly-playable, popular tech demos.
The need for speed (intended) coupled with everyone knowing what a car looks like offer two of the most compelling reasons why this graphics w***e wants to see some racing and, maybe some football.