E3 2011: Top 4 Non-Disappointments of Xbox 360 Conference

Although we were a little disappointed with the Microsoft conference, it wasn’t all bad news. In fact, there were several exciting, if not totally unexpected, announcements. Here are our top 4 favorite moments of the Xbox conference.

1. New Halo Trilogy
   Although it came at the end of the conference, it’s taking its rightful place at the front of our list. Although we’ve seen Halo spin-offs in the form of ODST and Reach, it’s been four years since a true Halo title. And not only that, but the original developer Bungie is no longer behind the series. With this in mind, when Microsoft announced  a brand new trilogy, starting with Halo 4 next year, the crowd roared. Although we weren’t show much, it looks like Halo might be taking an even darker approach, with it looking just slightly reminiscent of the recent Dead Space 2. It’s just too bad we have a year and a half to wait.
2. Kinect Support
   While some hardcore gamers may cry that Microsoft pushed Kinect support too much, it does show you that the company isn’t letting people’s $150 investment go to waste. Furthermore, the company is marketing the device to play casual and hardcore games alike. With games like Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Fun Labs, families should have a bevy of titles to choose from. For the hardcore, Microsoft confirmed Kinect Support with Ghost Recon (which will allow you to issue voice commands), Mass Effect 3 (which allows you to choose dialogue options via speech support), Forza Motorsport (which will let you steer with your hands), Ryse (a Rome-themed hack and slash title developed by Crytek), and Ghost Recon (which will allow you to initiate voice commands). There are also titles that will appeal to both adults and kids alike with games like Dance Central 2 and the upcoming star wars lightsaber game. So if you’re a fan of motion controlled-games, the Kinect is going to have you covered. Halo 1 Remake.
   
   
3. Halo Remake
   Although Halo may not be the Xbox’s #1 shooter anymore (looking at you Call of Duty), Halo is still one of Microsoft’s top franchise. And it all began 10 years ago with the original Halo, and to celebrate that, Microsoft is completely remaking the original Halo, in HD, with updated characters models and environments, and it comes complete with full online support (including co-op!). Although the trailer had some noticable framerate drops, it can’t stem our excitement for what is one of the best Halo games.
4. Gears of War 3 Demo
   CliffyB and Ice T took the stage to demo an awesome-looking boss fight from the campaign mode. Two years have passed since the events in Gears of War 2 and Delta Squad has taken to the seas on a freighter. Somehow there’s always a type of locust for every last bastion of humanity and this boss is a massive leviathan sea creature with tentacle arms. To defeat the boss, they would have to shoot its eyes as it crashed into the ship deck and took a giant bite of the deck. Mech suits were a part of the demo and may have been more powerful but moved slower. The boss may have had its difficulty toned down for the live demo because the only threat might have been a tentacle occasionally crashing over the ship deck. In Gears of War fashion, the boss was taken out by a cutscene with explosive barrels falling from an overhead bridge. Despite a short teaser demo at the briefing, Gears of War 3 should be one of the best games to play on the show floor.