5 Key Takeaways from Xbox’s Partner Preview

Microsoft had a 30-minute Xbox Partner Preview on Thursday, March 26, showing off a mixture of new game announcements, upcoming ports, and updated launch windows or dates. Nineteen games were shown in total. Here are my top five takeaways from the event:

5) Super Meat Boy 3D Is Releasing Next Week

The third installment of the tough-as-nails platformer was announced last June, so we knew it was coming, but announcing that it’s releasing in just five days on March 31 was surprising. While the series is well-regarded, there are question marks as to how smoothly the transition from 2D to 3D will go. We won’t need to wait long to find out.

4) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Is Getting New DLC

Roughly 16 months after its initial launch, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl announced a major story expansion entitled Cost of Hope. The story runs parallel to the main game, and once again your decisions will impact how the new chapter unfolds. Cost of Hope is set to release this summer, and according to Xbox, there will be a second DLC expansion in the future.

3) Dispatch and Hades II Are Coming to Xbox

Although my schedule has robbed me of the opportunity to play much of Hades II, I enjoyed the original a lot, and by all accounts the sequel is just as good, if not better. I did play Dispatch late last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Both games will be hitting Xbox in the months ahead, starting with Hades II on April 14.

2) Several New Titles Piqued My Interest

There was no shortage of interesting games on display—Forever Ago is pure Annapurna, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn looked like Mass Effect meets Telltale, Artificial Detective has a bad name, but an interesting premise, and Moosa: Dirty Fate reminded me of Kingdom on Netflix—but even among those I thought Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish and Alien Deathstorm had the most potential. That Alien Deathstorm trailer was just dripping with LV-426 vibes.

1) Stranger Than Heaven Was the Show’s Standout

Even in a packed 30-minute presentation, Stranger Than Heaven was the one game that immediately made me want to get my hands on it. Set across five eras (1915, 1929, 1943, 1951, and 1965) and in five Japanese cities, Stranger Than Heaven had great graphics and gameplay that seemed like a mashup of the Yakuza series and Sifu. An extended look is set for May 6, so clearly Xbox thinks Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the developers behind those Yakuza games, is onto something special. Let’s hope that’s the case.

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