Hey guys, I just got back from the Area One event in Philly and I played the Xbox One for about two and a half hours straight. They pretty much had every Microsoft published launch game there and I played all of them except for the ones that would be categorized as XBLA. That would include some Zoo game (Zoo Tycoon? I don't know) and Lococycle. Here are my impressions about what I saw and played.
The OS: The first thing I did when I got into a game by myself was press the Xbox button to see the OS. As soon as I did this the girl at the booth quickly ran over to me and told me not to press that button cause the OS isn't done yet. The only thing I can really tell you about it is that as soon as I pressed the button it went to the menu with no lag. It looked nice.
The Hardware: The first thing I noticed when I saw the box itself is that is looks much smaller in person. I tried to pick it up but it was pretty much stuck to the table. Good thing is that it wasn't in any sort of box so I could feel around the console a bit (naughty?). The materials feel sturdy and the design looks much better in person.
Controller: I absolutely loved the original 360 control and was a little skeptical about the Xbox One controller. From the pictures I saw it looked a little more bulky than the 360 but boy was I wrong. Not only is this thing smaller than the 360 controller, it also feels much more comfortable. As soon as I put this thing in my hand it fit perfectly. It feels like the guys at Microsoft payed alot of attention to how this thing fits in your hand. The ABXY buttons feel very similar to the 360's so nothing new there. The triggers felt a little weird at first but I got used to the quickly. The D-Pad is absolutely prefect. Overall I am very impressed with this controller.
Ryse: So this game looked really freaking pretty in person. The demo that I played was the co-op gladiator mode that was shown at Gamescom I think. While the visuals really impressed me, the combat left me with a very bad taste. X and Y are basic attack and B is to dodge. You could hold X or Y and get a heavy version of that attack. While many games have similar formats, Ryse probably does it the worst I have ever seen. It just doesn't seem to flow very well even with the addition of the executions. Speaking of the executions, these things happen way too often and actually messes up the flow quite a bit. The game just did not feel right to me.
Forza: I am going to admit, I am not a fan of simulator racers at all. I can't for the life of me see why people like these types of games. With that said, Forza looks freaking pretty and plays really smooth. Like, I said, I'm not a fan but I think fans will like the way it plays. Forza also gave me a chance to try the new haptic feedback triggers. I got a rumble sensation when I would press the brakes and wow did it feel legit. I cannot wait to try these in a genre that I actually like. I thought these things were absolutely amazing!
Kinect Sports Rivals: The demo that I played was of the wave race game. Not much to really say about this game except that it works. I didn't notice any real lag so that's good.
Dead Rising 3: This was one of my most anticipated games of the Xbox One launch lineup and I have to say, it didn't disappoint. The demo started me off with a couple of basic items that I quickly learned how to combine into even crazier wacky items. The first thing I did was turn the sledge hammer and saw into the sledge saw thing in the demos. I loved bashing the huge horde of Zombies with this thing. My favorite weopon that I used was one I created with a mic stand and amp. It turns into this electrical spear that zapped Zombies and cause a sort of chain lighnting move. The game didn't look particularly next gen but the amount of zombies on screen was amazing. The framerate was pretty steady so I think it might have been the build with the locked 30 FPS.
Killer Instinct: This is the game I spent the most time with (one full hour). First of all, let me say that I was a fan of the original and it feels good to see these characters again. The game looks very pretty, especially the particle effects. When I first started the game I had no idea how to play but I quickly got the hang of it and eventually was able to fight by myself against no one on controller 2. This is where I really got the hang of it and started to learn how to pull of some pretty sick combos. The game played very smooth and the combos I pulled off at the end were amazing. I went undefeated for a while and the girl at the booth started sending people to play with me. I eventually got my ass whooped by a guy that was way better than me. Definitely the most fun game I played.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that the build I was playing only had Jago, Saberwulf, Glacius, and Thunder. I played with Thunder most of the time.
Overall, I was very impressed with what I saw and I walked away with a much better understanding of the Xbox One.
