Continuing from Part 2, we will look at the digital games that are currently only available on
Xbox One consoles. Now there's not as many to look at, well to be honest - there's only
3, but they're well worth looking at. There's plenty of other games that are
also on PC, or strange Asian mobile games ported over like Q, but we'll focus
entirely on games you can only get on Xbox One.
Powerstar Golf
Now this was Microsoft's attempt at bolstering up the launch line up with an
Everybody's Golf competitor. First thing to get out the way, is the somewhat
controversial business model. This was the time when mobile games were
peaking, and Microsoft started experimenting with free-to-play business models
like in Killer Instinct. The game is riddled with micro-transactions, but
before you move on, the game is fully purchasable as a full title and you can
kind of ignore the micro-transactions from that point on.
Now onto the game - it's rather good! The game's presentation is like a
westernised, Everybody's Golf, with cartoony characters and a bright colours.
As with most golf games, the way you play is exactly how you expect. You have
your selection of your clubs, you have a power meter where you hit at the
power level you want, and then hit it as accurately as you can on the way
down.
Overall it's a rather good game, and worth checking out. I would advise the
free version, as you're at a massive disadvantage and at the mercy of being
disadvantaged until you pay up. However even with the full version, the games
'boss characters' can be a bit on the hard side and feel unfair at times.
Worth checking out, you'll get some fun out of it, but not an essential
purchase.
Sixty Second Shooter Prime
The only game on the list that's not published by Microsoft, Sixty Second
Shooter Prime is a twin-stick shooter in the vein of Geometry Wars. However, the
major difference is to survive 60 seconds as you are overwhelmed by an onslaught
of enemies hunting you down. As you've probably presumed, surviving those 60
seconds is incredibly difficult and is the major differentiator to its
competitors. You could call it the 'Dark Souls of twin-stick shooters'... Okay,
I'll leave now.
Seriously though, it's a rather fun little game, but nothing that will blow
your mind. The graphics are a bit on the simplistic side, with simple
wireframe graphics. However to the games credit, the visual style of the game
do a good representation of clearly highlighting approaching enemies. Each
enemy you destroy nets you points, and the goal is to rack up as many points
as you can. But even when you die, you're still netting points to level up.
Again, this is a fun little pick up and play game, but not an essential title.
You're always levelling up no matter your skill level to reach new levels in
the game and there's the 'Infinity' mode in the game where you can extend the
clock by picking up specific items. I had good fun playing this one, and it's
like £5 if you're interested, just don't go in expecting Geometry Wars level
of quality.
Crimson Dragon
And onto the final game, one highly anticipated by fans of Sega and Panzer
Dragoon back during its release. Directed by the creator of Panzer
Dragoon, Yukio Futatsugi, the game takes inspirations from his previous
titles. Originally an Xbox 360 Kinect game, the game was ported over to the
Xbox One with full controller support. Like the Panzer Dragoon games, you take
control of a dragon as you fly through on rail levels locking onto enemies and
clearing the screens.
Whilst the game is familiar, it feels more of an on-rail shooter than previous
Panzer Dragoon games. There's a nice distinct variation in locations, from
frozen lakes in snowy storms to weaving in between jungle canyons. Style is
something this game has, even if some of it's visual identity does feel
heavily influenced. This extends to its gameplay mechanics, though it's fixed
central camera is unique, weapons range from your typical rapid fire machine
gun to slow powerful lock on weapons.
Whilst not majorly praised on its release, I really enjoyed this title. As
with most modern games, there's plenty to come back to despite it's short run
time. You can train you dragon by getting items during run-throughs, which
help develop its skills and encourages replayability. Don't get me wrong,
Panzer Dragoon it ain't, but get past that and you're still going to have a
good time and it definitely scratches that itch.
Conclusion
So there you have it, this rounds of the complete list of Xbox One exclusives
you can only get on Microsoft's machine. It's obvious Xbox One's digital
exclusives are not strong enough of a library on their own to justify owning
an Xbox One console, but in conjunction with it's physical game library in
part 1 - I think it's worth pursuing if you're wanting to justify a small,
niche Xbox One Collection.
Also if you do get a modern Xbox console and you're not into PC gaming - well
there's plenty of other amazing titles on offer - both digitally and
physically. Worth noting, the last full Xbox One exclusive was Forza
Motorsport 6 in 2016 - since then, Microsoft are committed to launching their
titles on PC. Likewise, with Xbox having a smaller install base than either
Sony or Nintendo, 3rd parties don't want to run the risk of just having just
their game on sale for the Xbox consoles either.
So the age of Xbox console exclusives are long gone, but if there's any reason
to keep the consoles around, then here's the lists. Hope you enjoyed this look
back!
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