The Xbox One console had a rocky start but due to some great console exclusives and price cutting at the end of 2014 it looks like Microsoft’s shiny black box is on the upswing. There are a number of promising looking games coming for 2015 (at least we hope in 2015) too ranging from AAA blockbusters to indie darlings. Whatever your flavour there’s something for almost every gamer in the line-up this year and we’ve ranked out or top 10 most anticipated Xbox One exclusives to look forward to.
10 – INSIDE
There isn’t a whole lot to know about INISDE just yet but the trailer alone is enough to make this one intriguing. Add in the fact that the team at Playdead is also responsible for one of gaming’s most unique and stand out titles of 2010, LIMBO, and you have something to be excited about. You can definitely see that LIMBO inspired style carrying through to INSIDE when you watch the trailer. Now while we did include this on an exclusives list it’s important to note that the exclusivity is timed and the game will eventually make its debut on other platforms as well, including the mighty PS4. If you have an Xbox One though, you’ll get to enjoy it first and this is one we certainly don’t want to have to wait long for!
9 – Fable: Legends
The Fable series offers up its fifth game with an experience that is fundamentally different from any other game in the franchise so far. With a strong focus on co-op play you can fill the boots of one of four heroes, or take on the role of the villain if you’re the dastardly type, and embark on quests with friends (or frenemies!) in Albion. Taking place a few hundred years before the original Fable trilogy you’ll have your chance to play this sometime in 2015 but an exact date still isn’t known.
8 – Gears of War Xbox One
As mysteries go this is the biggest one on our list. Do we have a release date? Nope. Do we have a completely new developer on the successful franchise? Yep, the almighty Microsoft purchased the rights to the franchise from Epic and handed the reigns over to Black Tusk Studios located right here in COG’s hometown of Vancouver, BC. Do we have a trailer, artwork, anything to whet our appetites? Again, nope. Are we excited as balls anyways? You’re damn right we are! Apart from snippets on Twitter about ‘massive progress’ being made on the title we know next to nothing about the next installment in the Gears of War franchise but rest assured that when it releases it will be one of the biggest Xbox One games to date.
7 – Scalebound
Here’s another game with very little information apart from its trailer and the heritage of the studio putting it all together. PlatinumGames (creators of Bayonetta, Vanquish, Metal Gear Rising) are partnering up exclusively with Microsoft for the first time to bring us what looks to be an action packed thrill of a game. In Scalebound you’ll be transported to a distant, hostile world where you’ll come face to face with many nasty creatures including the fearsome alpha predator dragon. The bond you’ll form with that dragon will be crucial to the survival of both worlds. Still no word of a firm release date but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a 2015 release.
6 – Ori and the Blind Forest
Forgive me for making a bad pun here but the creators of Ori and the Blind Forest are shooting for the Moon with this title which will be exclusive to the Xbox One console and PC. Moon Studios is made up of passionate developers who grew up on games like Zelda and Metroid while watching Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki films in the background. They want to create an experience with Ori that is just as memorable as those greats both in terms of gameplay and visuals. Taking on the role of a forest spirit this ‘Metroidvania’ style game will have you encountering memorable characters in the most atmospheric and beautiful settings you can imagine. One of the most stunning reveals at E3 in 2014 we can’t wait to see this game hit retail.
5 – Quantum Break
Developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment (Alan Wake) and published by Microsoft Studios, Quantum Break will feature live-action TV blended with regular gameplay. Set in the fictional North Eastern U.S. Riverport University, Quantum Break follows the three main characters Beth Wilder, Jack Joyce and Paul Serene through a winding tale of a time travel experiment gone wrong which has given them amazing abilities. There’s a lot of hype riding on this game and a whole lot of unanswered questions as to how the TV and gameplay will fit in with each other. Regardless, for Xbox One owners this is likely to be one of the most eagerly awaited games on the list.
4 – Crackdown
It’s back, baby! One of the most beloved franchises from last generation prepares to make its Xbox One debut and we could not be more excited! What do we know about Crackdown? Not a whole hell of a lot but the reveal trailer at E3, which likely doesn’t represent the final product at all, was enough to have us drooling into our laps. Over the top action and gunplay will be the order of the day when this bad boy hits the Xbox One console.
3 – Cuphead
StudioMDHR has made a lot of ripples for a company that has yet to produce an actual game. There’s a lot of hype for their very first game, Cuphead, which should be out sometime in the first half of 2015. Inspired by animated cartoons of old it is visually stunning and like nothing else you’ve ever seen before on a console. When Microsoft rolled their ID@Xbox trailer back at E3 a tiny snippet of Cuphead was shown and it was all anyone could talk about. We here at COG are extra excited for this one too as it’s some good Canadian kids behind the helm over at StudioMDHR. We’ll be keeping a keen eye out for any information we can gather up as it gets closer to release.
2 – Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara Croft made a huge splash in her return to form with 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot. Lara made even more waves, some might even call it a tsunami sized wave, when it was announced that the sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, would be an Xbox One exclusive. Of course the internet went into the equivalent of a digital shitstorm and in the end it came to light that it is more likely a timed exclusive than a permanent console exclusive. Regardless, Xbox One owners have something to be genuinely excited about as the Crystal Dynamics reinvention of the Tomb Raider franchise was one of the best games of 2013. We’re confident that they’ll follow it up with an even better game than the last.
1 – Halo 5: Guardians
It’s pretty much impossible not to wrap up a list like this without Halo at the top. The flagship franchise for the Xbox brand it almost single-handedly cemented the original Xbox console as a major player in the game. Here we are in 2015 with the Halo 5 multiplayer beta in full swing and legions of fans waiting to get a taste of what 343 Industries has to offer. Spartan Locke is the star as he tries to locate the whereabouts of one Master Chief who is missing in action. Guaranteed to have a compelling storyline and a rock solid multiplayer component this will be the game to get for shooter fans with an Xbox One console.