The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase Was One Big, Glorious Ad for Game Pass

On Sunday, June 13th, 2021, Xbox and Bethesda held the appropriately-named “Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase” as its presentation for the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year. As of this writing, we’re just about 12 hours out from the Nintendo Direct for that company’s offerings, but whether or not Nintendo “wins” E3 this year (a silly notion, further exacerbated by the introduction of actual “E3 Awards” this year), Xbox & Bethesda killed it out there.

Here’s what really stood out to me among the 30 games revealed.

Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life

After getting an Xbox Series X and deciding to start streaming again, the first game I set out to play was Sea of Thieves. And you know what? I liked it! I haven’t spent a lot of time in it, but I did get the Duke ship parts, so at least there’s that. But I really need to find a crew the next time I play.

But I digress.

As it so happens, I’m also a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, the first one, specifically, as I’ve yet to have the pleasure of checking out the rest. But I really liked what I saw!

So, suffice to say, seeing these two icons of piracy come together like this? This does put a smile on my face.

Wait, wrong Disney franchise. Moving on!

Halo Infinite

As I’ve said before many times, I like Halo, I just haven’t historically tended towards playing many of its entries, mainly because many of its entries are first-person shooters, and that’s a style of gameplay I’ve had a rough time getting comfortable with. Last year’s peek at Halo Infinite drew me in, though, enough that I’m willing to give it another shot. This year’s trailer has added fuel to that fire. Burn, baby, burn.

The main thing featured was the multiplayer reveal trailer (for some reason, Xbox doesn’t have the story overview trailer above on their channel outside of the full presentation), but I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. But on the other hand, if it’s free-to-play, then what have I really got to lose? Plus, that armor apparently comes in orange, so at least I should be able to find a look that suits me while dodging enemy fire.

Also: Grappling hooks, hell yeah!

The Outer Worlds 2

Yeah, I never got to play The Outer Worlds. This was just a really fun trailer.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

I never imagined I’d be excited for one of these games, but after looking at the game in action and learning from LGR’s review that you can tone down the “sim” stuff so that it’s more like Forza in the sky, I’ve been really eager to give it a go. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law — who’s worked with planes all his life, to say nothing of flown them in the past, and is a lifelong player of this series — is also eager to try it out on his Series S when it comes out later this year.

That said, this trailer sweetened the deal with a bonus at the end: Top Gun. I have yet to see the original movie (it’s on my to-do list… and it’s a big list), but Konami’s adaptation was one of the first video games I ever owned, so I have some fond memories there that have me looking forward to this, especially if some of the excellent soundtrack is there. Of course, even without the license, I’d be happy to just fly the fighter jets.

Forza Horizon 5

Speaking of Forza, the speculated-upon fifth entry in the Horizon spin-off series was announced. Curiously, they didn’t alternate with a new Forza Motorsport entry as usual, but that’s okay — I like Motorsport, but prefer Horizon, anyway.

Also, the rumors about Playground Games’ plans for the next installment were true:

And it looks really good! I empathize with those fans who want an installment in Japan, and I’d love to see them bring it to Canada, personally, but hey, there’s always Forza Horizon 6 for that. In the meantime, this looks pretty slick, and I can’t wait to make a run for the border!

Oh, wait… in my case, that would just take me to the States. Well, back to the drawing board.

While there wasn’t something like a Killer Instinct or a Battletoads or a new Banjo-Kazooie to grab my eye, I still like the spread of games shown here.

But there was something else there so big, it eclipsed every single game reveal, trailer, and update at the show. A common thread which ran through nearly every trailer shown over the course of an hour and a half.

Xbox Game Pass

So here’s the thing.

There were a good few games I’m eager to try out. And there were even more games shown that I’m curious about, but uncertain of, especially at $60+ a pop. From Starfield to Psychonauts 2, from Contraband (which it turns out isn’t about the heroes of Konami’s classic run ‘n gun series forming a rock group) to Twelve Minutes, from The Outer Worlds 2 to Grounded, there are a lot of games I would like to try, but really just can’t afford to try them all — especially when there are so many I just don’t get to complete.

I like a good buffet. Rather than eat a whole lot of one thing, I often am happier getting to eat a little bit of a lot of things. And as time has worn on and feels like it’s grown even more scarce, I find myself in a similar place with video games: I’d rather play a little bit of a lot of games, while saving those games I know I want to play a lot of for more special (or professional) occasions. (In truth, that’s how it was with a lot of games growing up; between rentals, playing at a friend’s house, not being able to save, and other things, there were many games I loved to play that I never got to see through to completion.)

Enter: Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass is perfect for someone like me, as I can try out an ever-increasing number of games on the platform and play as little or as much as I want (and get a discount if I want to purchase them digitally for keeps). It’s how I tried out Sea of Thieves and Gears Tactics to play them on our livestream, and is a big part of why I feel so emboldened as try Flight Simulator and to give a genre I’ve long thought I wasn’t cut out for (or wasn’t cut out for me) in Halo Infinite. (And if I like what I play there, there’s a whole bunch of other Halo titles waiting right there, too.)

Of the 30 titles revealed during this showcase, 27 will be included with Xbox Game Pass. That means a lot less worrying about whether or not I’ll like a game after spending money on it, and a whole lot more discovery and playing.

Do I sound like a shill here? Maybe. But speaking for myself, and I suspect some others out there may agree, everything I said is true.

Well, except for one thing.

There was a trailer for something during the showcase that was even bigger than Game Pass:

Drink it in, man.

Thanks for reading!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.