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It also must be mentioned that Ryse: Son of Rome, previously an Xbox One exclusive, now also available on PC, is one of the best-looking games ever made and even when it was only on Xbox One at 900p, it looked stunning. It is up there alongside Crysis 3, easily surpassing The Witcher 2 and any other game of its caliber. The only thing that comes close on console is The Order 1886 on PS4 which is running at a similar resolution, but even then Ryse is definitely the prettier of the two. This shows that the spec disparity between the two consoles is not necessarily as large as it is made out to be, especially not when developers know how to squeeze all the juice out of the Xbox One’s hardware.
So the big question is, Xbox One; yay or nay?
An Xbox One cannot be recommended enough by me from a hardware and all-round software perspective, but of course it is the games that matter, and the games worth owning an Xbox One for entirely depend on what system you are currently playing on. As a PC gamer, I find my Xbox One has more option for competitive shooters and racing games, which I do prefer on console as I enjoy analog sticks over keyboard and mouse for shooters-which does not apply for all PC gamers, but the general consensus is that an analog stick or wheel is preferred for racing. And indeed these are genres in which the Xbox has a clear advantage over a console like the PS4 with more selection; Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon, Titanfall, Halo, etc. Most multiplayer focused games are best played on Xbox One due to its robust online experience, boasting 300,000 private servers for reliable, low-latency infrastructure. And so far the Xbox One also has more to offer in terms of open world games; with Sunset Overdrive and Dead Rising 3. However, it must be noted that Titanfall and Dead Rising 3 are multi-platform with PC, and so the Xbox version is redundant for PC gamers unless you favour the accessibility of console gaming and the arguably superior online experience. For sports games and role-playing games, the PS4 has more on offer, simply due to MLB: The Show and of course its greater selection of JRPG’s, but outside of Major League Baseball, all sports games and the most relevant RPG’s seem to be multi-platform these days.
Then there’s a wealth of other styles of games from the epic; Killer Instinct (the first game in the brutal fighting series since the Nintendo 64), to the bizarre graphic adventure game D4 by the creator of the inspiringly weird Deadly Premonition, to Project Spark, the deep and user-friendly game creator, and the immersive open world, zombie-survival horror game State of Decay and many others…
Microsoft seem to be treating the Xbox as more of a next-gen machine than the Playstation 4, with more determination to bring out many high-budget AAA’s rather than a truck-load of lower-budget independent games. The roster of exclusive games in the pipeline for Xbox One include the likes of;
* Quantum Break – a cinematic, time-bending action game by the creators of Max Payne and Alan Wake
* Scalebound – presumably a dragon-slaying action rpg, by the creators of Anarchy Reigns and Mad World
* Rise of the Tomb Raider – The second title since the reboot of the franchise, the carries a lot of hope and promises more of that Uncharted-style action
* Forza Motorsport 6 – the latest iteration in this critically acclaimed racing simulator series by Turn 10
* Gears of War 4 – the much-awaited, gritty third person shooter by Black Tusk studios
* Halo 5: Guardians – the 5th game in the main series of this ridiculously popular franchise, by 343 Industries who developed Halo 4 and the Master Chief collection
* Fable: Legends – a free-to-play, online-focused rpg by Lionhead Studios
* Phantom Dust – A complete reboot of this beloved cult-classic strategic, action game
* Crackdown (3)- the next game in this wild, open-world superhero-style action series
…as for anything else, we have to wait until E3 2015 to find out what else Microsoft have in store. A new Banjo Kazooie or Conker game? Sunset Overdrive 2? D4 Season 2? Ryse 2? Forza Horizon 3? Left 4 Dead 3? Project Gotham Racing 5? The cancelled new IP; Shangheist? And perhaps a few remasters; Gears of War and Alan Wake? Anything is possible and there is a lot of reason to be excited about the future for Xbox. For the time being, if you already own a Playstation 4 it is difficult to recommend being a multi-console owner, especially as now both PSN and Live require a paid subscription. Microsoft have a lot up their sleeve in terms of software updates, but their job right now is to convince gamers that Xbox One is THE place to play. The only way they can get the Xbox One toe-to-toe with the PS4 in terms of sales, is to promise a breadth of new titles, as well as continuations of loved franchises. Maybe they can get themselves out of this ditch once and for all.
***Note: This opinion piece reflects the sole opinions of the author, is subjective, and does not represent the thoughts of the editorial staff as a whole.
