Xbox One's Hidden Gems
Since the launch of Xbox One at the tail-end of 2013, its
hard to believe how many quality games we’ve received. Huge titles like The
Witcher 3, Overwatch, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Destiny; multiple games in
the same franchise such as three Call of Duty games (and one remaster), three
Battlefield games and plenty of sports games; remastered titles such as
Dishonored and Halo: The Master Chief Collection among others.
But what of the games that slip through the cracks? Games
that may have been received well critically, but not hit their stride in terms
of sales? Lets take a look at some unappreciated games from the first three
years of the Xbox One’s lifetime…
Hitman
The Hitman franchise has always been similar to it’s
protagonist Agent 47: every game in the series has been quietly excellent. From
the PC exclusive original up until 2012’s Absolution (admittedly not one of the
fanbase’s favorites), Hitman games have been doing an excellent job of giving
you tools and opportunities to eliminate targets in inventive and often
hilarious ways. When 2016’s Hitman was announced to be released in episodic
form, I think most people were surprised and others were disappointed
(including myself). How wrong we were, however. The initial episode’s release
gave us two training scenarios which were worth the price of entry alone before
we were dropped into the biggest map in the franchise yet – Paris. With an
intelligent way of tracking opportunities and a near limitless way to take out
targets, the game was updated with more and more content before dropping
multiple episodes of similar quality all year long. Themed events such as
eliminating the burglar from the movie “Home Alone” at Christmas have long
endeared the “live” nature of the title to fans and newcomers alike.
Quantum Break
Xbox One Exclusive from the creators of Alan Wake and Max
Payne? Check. Performances from actors who have featured in some pop-culture
phenomena as Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and X-Men? Check. Ability to
bend and manipulate time and kick some serious ass? Check and Check. Remedy’s
third person action/adventure title has some great ideas including an
intelligent story interwoven with full TV episodes that are affected by the
game’s plot and some great time-bending gunplay and puzzles. Freezing time to
take out a room full of enemies never gets old, nor does using your powers to
ensure a barrage of bullets all hit their target simultaneously. The title was
also an early precursor to Microsoft’s “Play Anywhere” initiative – buy it once
and play on PC and Xbox!
Dying Light
Ok, here’s the thing. I’m a real “scaredy cat”. I’m a big
fan of intelligent horror movies and “jump scare” movies alike – but I still
find myself hiding behind the nearest cushion. Horror games, however, I can’t
deal with – except for Dying Light. While many will argue it isn’t that
frightening, there is just something about the daylight waning that fills me
with dread. In a sea of lookalike zombie games, Dying Light stands out for two
reasons. Firstly, killing the hordes of undead (and there are plenty of them!)
is rarely an option. Secondly, scavenging at night can bring it’s own rewards –
but it also introduces you to terrifying insta-kill monsters who will chase you
until you make it to a safe-house. Thankfully, your character is able to run,
jump and climb with parkour skills comparable to Faith from Mirror’s Edge - and
you’ll need all of those skills. Being caught a couple of kilometres from home
after-dark is a sure-fire way to give yourself nightmares!
Sunset Overdrive
Ah Insomniac Games. A developer that prides itself on bright
colours, inventive weaponry and a tongue-in-cheek sense of adventure. Often
aligned with Sony (see Ratchet and Clank), Microsoft threw down enough money to
ensure that Sunset Overdrive is an Xbox One exclusive. And we’re certainly glad
they did. In a post-apocalyptic Sunset City, a regulation-dodging energy drink
has turned citizens into mutants and its up to your customisable character to
clean the city up. Grinding along rails, running up walls and somersaulting off
of vehicles which are bouncy (something never really explained – but good lord
its fun), you can traverse the city without touching the floor – and its
something you’ll want to do as you unlock more stylish and hilarious weaponry
such as the TNTeddy – a weapon which fires exploding teddy bears. Sunset
Overdrive’s writing feels like the natural companion for the Deadpool movie –
breaking the fourth wall, pop culture references and plenty of self-referential
videogame jokes. It doesn’t get much funnier than this on Xbox One.
Not A Hero
Quite likely the most hilarious game on this list, Not A
Hero is a quirky title by the creators of OlliOlli. A rabbit politician known
as Bunnylord forsees the end of the world as we know it if he doesn’t get voted
into office and as one of his campaign staff your job is to kill vast amounts
of people who are attempting to derail his campaign. Its entirely as bizarre as
it sounds, and the wildly irreverent humour throughout ensures you won’t want
to skip any of the mission briefings. The charm here, however, is our fluid the
gameplay is once you’ve got the ebb and flow of combat down – imagine a 2D
side-scrolling version of Hotline Miami and you’re on the right track. Each
playable character has a specialty and their own unique (and expletive filled)
dialogue. While it may look cutesy on the outside, it really is a barbaric,
cathartic experience – just don’t play it in front of the kids…
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow
Six: Siege
Rainbow Six: Vegas and Vegas 2 were two of my favourite Xbox
360 shooters of all time. I even preferred their cover system to the now
universally-imitated one from Gears of War. Then I went online… and… it wasn’t
pretty. So when I heard that the next Rainbow Six instalment would be a
multiplayer focused title with a similar learning curve, I had some tense
flashbang flashbacks. When I composed myself and jumped into Siege, however, I
found a balanced (but still unforgiving) game with a sense of danger around
every corner and behind every wall. Happy-go-lucky this isn’t, and sprinting
around in the way you would in a more twitch-based shooter will certainly give
you a lead-filled headache. Play smart, however, and nothing is quite as
rewarding. Copious amounts of post-release content have really filled out the
initial skeleton of a game and learning each character’s offensive and
defensive strengths can lead to some incredible emergent gameplay options.
Divinity: Original
Sin
Final Fantasy XV, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Skyrim
Special Edition are all sensational RPGs. But if you, like me, yearn for the
days of turn-based combat, Divinity should scratch that itch and then some.
Originally a crowdfunded project for the PC, Divinity features writing that can
put triple-A developers to shame, smart combat mechanics which make use of
environmental hazards and elemental strengths and weaknesses AND two playable
characters which you can control with a friend in co-op. It’s as if Larian
Studios went through a ticklist of features they knew RPG fans would have in
their head and created something incredible.
What are your hidden gems for the Xbox One? Let us know!
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