E3 2009: what games Microsoft showed

So, at the beginning of its press conference, Microsoft announced that the song All You Need Is Love from The Beatles: Rock Band will be an exclusive DLC for Xbox 360. Those were the very “5 musical minutes” that were reported this morning.

So, at the beginning of its press conference, Microsoft announced that the song All You Need Is Love from The Beatles: Rock Band will be an exclusive DLC for Xbox 360. Those were the very “5 musical minutes” that were reported this morning.

Next, Tony Hawk took the stage, promoted a new accessory and the game Tony Hawk Ride, after which we were shown several gameplay moments.

This was followed by a lengthy demonstration of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, in which we saw firefights, snowmobile chases, and ice wall climbing. By the way, two maps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be timed Xbox 360 exclusives.

Square Enix representatives announced that sales of the Final Fantasy series exceeded 85 million copies and showed gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360, which will be released next spring.

Then came the exclusives. Cliff Bleszinski pulled off an “epic fail” by claiming that they were about to announce their new blockbuster. What they actually showed was Shadow Complex from Chair studio for Xbox Live Arcade—a side-scroller.

Next, Crackdown 2 was announced, accompanied by a CGI teaser. No release date, nothing.

Left 4 Dead 2 is yet another Xbox 360 exclusive. Most likely, just like with the original, it will also come out on PC.

The Splinter Cell: Conviction presentation was one of the coolest. They showed an extensive demo that is truly impressive. Good old Sam Fisher is back in action, and he clearly hasn't lost his touch. Release—this fall on Xbox 360 (and PC).

Next was the long-awaited announcement of Forza Motorsport 3. Turn 10 Studios showed a ton of gameplay, a powerful editor, and so on—we will dedicate a separate news article to discussing this game. After all, it's a competitor to GT5. Release—October 2009. Another “awesome” addition to Microsoft's tally.

The announcement of Halo 3: ODST was… rather ordinary. Visually, the engine has been outdated for a long time, but the game has always won players over with its gameplay. Release date: September 22, 2009. In addition, purchasers will gain access to the beta test of Halo: Reach—yet another Xbox 360 exclusive. What it actually is remains unclear for now. But it is coming out late next year.

Another cool demonstration was Alan Wake. The gameplay delights and surprises. Unfortunately, the release will take place no earlier than next spring.

The final project turned out to be Metal Gear Solid: Rising for Xbox 360 (not necessarily an exclusive). With 2 hours still left on the countdown timer on Kojima's next project website, he was already done at the Microsoft conference and celebrating at the nearest casino… well, nobody knows how it really went down. Raiden will be the main protagonist of Metal Gear Solid: Rising. This is not MGS5, but a spin-off. That's all, no further information.

We will cover the stunning presentation of Project Natal in another news story.