Microsoft’s spring showcase of the latest games for its platforms revealed the first behind-the-scenes video footage of Halo 4, along with a look at other games, such as Forza Horizon and Fable: The Journey.
Xbox 360
The next instalment of the blockbuster shooter series Halo 4 is set after Halo 3 as the Master Chief returns to face an ancient evil which threatens the fate of the universe.
Halo 4, developed by 343 Industries, will kick off a new trilogy of the series and will see a release for Christmas 2012. The developers uploaded a behind-the-scenes video for the game, which gives a first look at the Master Chief, the updated battle rifle and new multiplayer experiences from the game.
Forza Horizon was also highlighted at the showcase, which will be a ‘pick-up-and-play’ racing game as part of the Forza Motorsport franchise. It will arrive in autumn of this year. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport 4, which is coming this spring, will get a Porsche Expansion Pack with 30 modern and classic Porsche vehicles.
Kinect for Xbox 360
Lionhead Studios’ Fable: The Journey was also demoed at the showcase, where players use the full-body motion sensor to control their character in this RPG.
The game is set five years after Fable III, where the player must defeat a malevolent evil before it claims Albion. It will be available in autumn of this year.
The showcase also highlighted upcoming Mass Effect 3’s Kinect functionality, which implements voice controls to direct squad mates during battle and command weapon selection. It supports dozens of commands to interact with the world and characters.
Windows Phone
Microsoft also showed mobile games, including Sid Meier’s Civilisation Revolution. The turn-based strategy game will soon arrive on the Windows Phone platform.
A shooter by CAVE called Dodonpachi will also be available for Windows Phone, as well as the tile-based board game Carassonne with online multiplayer and leaderboards.
