Xbox New Zealand pulled out all the stops to showcase a stream of new releases coming out on the Xbox One console in 2015 / 2016. To show their appreciation to the media and their loyal fans, Xbox hosted XONZ, an exclusive, invite only event where invitees were able to test out some exclusive games, chat to game developers and meet fellow gamers.

In other words, XONZ was the place to be for hard core gamers and those who enjoy testing out yet to be completed projects.

XONZ was broken up into two parts, spread across the entire weekend of 24th – 27th September 2015. The first two days were reserved for media only, followed by two days of epic proportions for Xbox fans who managed to get themselves invites through Xbox New Zealand’s Facebook page. I was lucky enough to head to the Friday event on behalf of The Vanguard, Shane the Gamer and PokeCollection.

Suffice to say, I had a blast and felt like a kid in a candy store. In fact, that description is quite possibly an understatement of how excited I felt. It helped that I was there with a few people from the PokeCollection team who made the experience even more so special (guys, you know who you are).

The day started with a bit of time playing Rock Band 4 (Harmonix) and mingling before we received a briefing from Jason Spiller, Category Manager for Games and Xbox Live, Steven Blackburn, Manager for Xbox New Zealand and a representative from game developers; Crystal Dynamics.

I managed to have a brief and pleasant chat with these guys who seemed to be just as excited about the event as we all were. I only wish I had a chance to really thank them for organising the event and to applaud them on their efforts.

After the briefing, we were split into groups and taken on a gaming tour of sorts. We managed to get an inside look as well as some game-play time on some of the following games:

• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division (Ubisoft)
• Forza Motorsport 6 (Turn 10 Studios)
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (The Coalition)
• Rise of the Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics)
• Halo 5: Guardians (343 Industries)
• FIFA 16 (EA Sports)
• Cuphead (Studio MDHR)
• Fallout 4 (Bethesda)

As someone who has never played on an Xbox console before, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Halo 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Considering that these games were not the full release versions, the graphics were off the charts and gameplay was smooth (mind you, I’m not familiar with gaming lingo and my expertise is more on comics and anime than gaming, so bear with me).

What I really enjoyed about Rise of the Tomb Raider was the fact that there appeared to be an incredible story and was very different from the last Tomb Raider game I played, which was the original back in the old PS One gaming days.

After spending time playing games, I managed to take a few pictures with Fallout 4’s Vault Boy, which apparently started a selfie trend, followed by a discussion with one of the Xbox staff who was in charge of demonstrating the latest Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller.

I’d never seen anything more beautiful! Okay, I’m exaggerating a little, but that controller was one sweet, elegant and impressive device. It felt great in my hands. It had good grip, was lightweight, had some cool interchangeable parts and most of all, had features to make playing racing games a lot easier.

All in all, it was a good day that really celebrated gaming.

Xbox New Zealand did a fantastic job of putting together an event like XONZ and has me convinced that I need to get my hands on an Xbox One console. I can’t wait to hear about the fan days this weekend and the reactions of the general public. I’m sure it will be nothing but positive.

Shout out to my new friends at Leaping Tiger and AFK: The Webseries who do some amazing work themselves.

The post Xbox NZ Gives Back to Fans with XONZ Event appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Xbox New Zealand is giving games fans an exclusive chance to play the greatest Xbox line-up ever at XONZ, a dedicated Xbox event on Saturday 26th of September, 2015 in Auckland.

Kiwi gamers will be able to play the latest versions of triple A titles such as Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Forza Motorsport 6 and Lego Dimensions among many others.

Fans will also get the chance to talk with developers from 343 Industries (Halo), Microsoft (Forza) and Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider), who are flying in especially for XONZ. The local Bethesda team will also be on hand to catch up with fans on Fallout 4.

Content from next year’s highly anticipated Remedy title Quantum Break and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division will be showcased to the crowds, as will a hand-picked selection of Xbox@ID indie titles including Cuphead, Plague Inc. and Wasteland 2: The Director’s Cut.

“XONZ will give 300 of Xbox’s biggest Kiwi fans a rare chance to see and play our greatest line-up of games ahead of their launches in the run-up to Christmas,” said Steve Blackburn, Xbox New Zealand Lead. “Having developers fly in to New Zealand to meet local Xbox fans is an opportunity not to be missed. Not many New Zealanders get to travel to international gaming expos like E3, Gamescom or PAX, so we’re delighted to be able to bring a slice of that to them.”

Attendees will also be able to get hands on with the highly anticipated Xbox Elite Controller ahead of its New Zealand release in November, as well as check out the latest Xbox Hardware including the Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 Limited Edition and Xbox One Halo 5 Guardians Limited Edition.

To register your interest and secure a place at this year’s biggest NZ gaming event head over to the Xbox NZ Facebook page HERE check out the XONZ Event and be one of the first 300 fans to register your Gamertag to secure your place at this year’s event. Gamers must be at least 16 years old to attend XONZ.

XONZ

When – Saturday 26th September, 2015

Time – 10am-3pm

Where – The Studio, 340 Karangahape Rd, Auckland

Age Rating – Gamers must be at least 16 years old to attend X0NZ

Playable

Halo 5: Guardians (Warzone)

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege

Forza Motorsport 6

Lego Dimensions

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

FIFA 2016

Cuphead

Plague Inc.

Wasteland 2: The Director’s Cut

The post Xbox’s New Zealand XONZ Event This Month! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.