Exciting Big-Budget Exclusives
What
better reason is there to choose a game console other than for its
library of games? Microsoft's stable of AAA console exclusives got off
to a great start in 2014 with Titanfall and Sunset Overdrive, but there's a lot of great games coming down the pipe, including Halo 5: Guardians from
343 Studios. Some people already got a taste of what's in store, with
more than 20 million matches played during a recent, three week beta
test. Of couse, there's more than just Halo; Microsoft and its partners
are planning to resurrect a bunch of series in 2015 that found success
on Xbox 360, including Fable, Crackdown, and Epic Games' Gears of War, the series that rivals Halo as the most iconic Xbox exclusive.
here's also a handful of third party blockbusters that are either exclusive to Xbox One or landing there first, including Rise of the Tomb Raider, the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2013 reboot, which is supposed to bring the "Tomb" back to Tomb Raider in a major way. Quantum Break is also on the way from Sam Lake and Remedy Entertainment (of Max Payne
fame). Quantum Break will play along with digital, episodic show, and
the way you play the game, which features time manipulations as one of
its primary themes, will impact the outcome of the show.
You can't talk about exciting Xbox One exclusives without mentioning Scalebound from Platinum Games, the team responsible for the great Bayonetta 2, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and The Wonderful 101.
Most of what we know about Scalebound at the moment is that you and a
dragon companion fight side by side in the wilderness against massive
monsters. We also know that Platinum makes excellent action games. The
combination of Platinum's design prowess and dragons sounds too good to
pass up, so don't be surprised if Scalebound ends up being a system
seller for some people.
Mesmerizing Indie Exclusives
While
big studios are plugging away, there are also a handful of indie teams
making games for Xbox One, including Capybara Games, creators of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Super Time Force. The Toronto based team is prepping Below,
a roguelike that embodies a strong sense of solitude and dread. The
pulled back camera drives home the notion that you're small in the grand
scheme of things, and Capybara Games has employed a foreboding palette
and visual style that's worthy of what looks to be a difficult and
downtrodden adventure. Who said games have to be cheery, anyway? We all
need a little punishment, sometimes.
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