If you’ve been lucky enough to attend E3, PAX, gamescom or another show in the past you know that above-and-beyond the spectacle of these shows, one of the great joys of attending a marquee gaming event is being able to get your hands on games – lots of games. Getting to try them out early and discover lots of news games is awesome.
While we can’t recreate the experience of attending a big show entirely, we can help you get your hands on lots of cool new games early. As announced by Geoff Keighley as part of Summer Games Fest, Xbox is proud to reveal that our Summer Games Fest Demo Event will be live on Xbox One from July 21 to July 27.
We’ll have more than 60 brand-new game demos for upcoming, unreleased Xbox games available to check out for free! Look for the special Game Fest Demo tile on the Xbox One Dashboard that week to find the collection of available demos.
A few things to keep in mind:
- These are not normal “game demos.” Typically, the demos you see in our Demo channel are created after the game is completed (or nearly completed) and represent the final version. Many of these demos are early, and some are for games that won’t be out for quite some time. We’ve never done this before; what that means is that you’ll get to experience these games early – some way early – which is awesome, but you should also note that these games will continue to evolve and be polished as they near release. In other words, think of these as akin to “show floor demos” and not necessarily indicative of the final product. And speaking as somebody who has worked in the industry for a while – that’s not a bad thing! In fact, being able to check out games early and then see how they evolve is freakin’ awesome!
- These demos will only be up on the Xbox Dashboard for a week. Some might be re-published to the Demo channel later, but many will simply evaporate at the end of the week, so make sure to check them out while you can.
- The developers would love to hear what you think. Hit them up on social media or through their websites. If you like the game – tell them! If you have constructive criticism, they would love to hear that too.
As I mentioned, we’ll have a lot of games – somewhere between 75 and 100 when the dust settles. We’ll announce the full list closer to July 21 but here are some highlights:
Cris Tales: A gorgeous, indie love letter to classic JRPGs with a new perspective. Peer into the past, act in the present, and watch as your choices dynamically change the future — all on one screen as you play!
Destroy All Humans! The cult-classic returns! Terrorize the people of 1950’s Earth in the role of the evil alien Crypto-137. Use an assortment of alien weaponry and psychic abilities in the remake of the legendary alien invasion action adventure. Reduce cities to rubble with your flying Saucer! One giant step on mankind!
Haven: share the journey of two lovers escaped to a lost planet in a desperate attempt to stay together. You play as Yu and Kay, gliding over the grasslands of a shattered planet. The demo will give you a glimpse of the beginning of the adventure.
Hellpoint: An intense action RPG taking place on Irid Novo, a derelict space station soaked in an intoxicating dark sci fi atmosphere. Fight dreadful creatures, face the Cosmic Gods and unravel their twisted story. Should the challenge be too great, play with a friend in local or online coop
Skatebird: Grind on bendy straws, kick-flip over staplers, and carve killer lines through cardboard and sticky tape parks. Above all else, skate birds try their best!
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown: An audio based, action-adventure game that unlocks the full potential of 3D spatial sound. The Vale sets out to breathe new life into medieval combat and provide a truly novel experience for visually impaired and sighted gamers alike.
Raji: An Ancient Epic: An action-adventure game set in ancient India. A young girl named Raji has been chosen by the gods to stand against the demonic invasion of the human realm. Her destiny? To rescue her younger brother and face the demon lord Mahabalasura.
Welcome to Elk: A biographical adventure set on an island like no other, where every character you encounter has a story to tell. From the weird and wonderful to the dark and desperate, all the tales told on Elk are based on true stories of life on the road less traveled.
And that’s just a small taste – so many great games to discover and enjoy. I know I’ll be diving into a bunch of new games that week but if you get a chance to check it out, we’d love to hear what you think. If you like this program and would like to see us do it again hit us up on Twitter: @ID_Xbox (not all the games in the program are ID@Xbox, but many are). Stay tuned to Xbox Wire to learn more about what Team Xbox has planned in July and have a great summer of gaming!