Ranking the Top 12 Xbox One Exclusive Games of 2017
With the recent crushing cancellation of Scalebound, the totally insane co-op action RPG from Platinum Games, Xbox One gamers have suffered a big blow right at the offset of a new year. 2016 brought about some truly incredible experiences from first party studios including Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4, and Quantum Break. While Microsoft understands that their fans love and adore franchises like Halo and Gears, it’s pretty safe to say that the next entries in either of those series won’t be showing their faces for quite some time.
So what exactly does the Xbox One look like in 2017? With competition from old rival Sony looking stronger than ever, and Nintendo upping its game with a new console launch, Microsoft can’t rest on its laurels for a second this year. Xbox gamers will have to wait until Holiday 2017 for Project Scorpio, dubbed as being “the most powerful console ever made,” which means Microsoft needs to have a consistent lineup of quality exclusive software to keep their fans happy. We looked ahead at the calendar for this year and handpicked what we thought were some of the most promising exclusive titles coming to the Xbox brand in 2017. Let’s get into it, shall we?
12 – Phantom Dust
The re-release of Phantom Dust has been in a tricky place these past two years, with even its development being called into question. When it was first announced during E3 2014 a small but vocal fan community showed their enthusiasm for reviving the action/strategy card game from the original Xbox, but since then little to nothing has been shown on the project. Last we heard is that Microsoft is still aiming for a 2017 release and that the game is still very much alive. Here’s hoping it sees the light of day this year.
11 – Thimbleweed Park
The point-and-click adventure genre has made a massive comeback in recent years and the trend continues with Thimbleweed Park. Developed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, creators of Maniac Mansion and Secret of Monkey Island, Thimbleweed Park is a direct throwback to those games in both its visuals and gameplay. Expect a quirky cast of characters, decision-based gameplay, and a ton of laughs to boot. I’m hearing we can expect this during Q1 of 2017.
10 – Voodoo Vince: Remastered
This 2003 Xbox classic is getting the remastered treatment, and we couldn’t be happier. A lot has been said about the frequent habit of remastering old games this generation, but when the effort is on an obscure or overlooked game, then I’m all for it. That just means more people will get the chance to play this goofy but smart 3D platformer, and probably for a low price point. I’m not expecting much from the update (original creator Clayton Kauzlaric has stated the gameplay remains unchanged) but it could open doors to a possible Voodoo Vince 2 down the road if the interest is high. Fingers crossed!
Click on thru to page 2 to continue our countdown…