The Xbox One launch titles have been announced and the list is fairly hefty… but surprisingly lacking in some ways. Here’s what you can play on launch day for the Xbox One.
We’re breaking this down by title, and we’ll let you know if it’s an exclusive, and anything else that might be relevant. So, in alphabetical order…
<!–pagetitle:Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag–>
Not a big surprise, as this is coming to pretty much anything with a processor in some way, shape, or form.
<!–pagetitle:Battlefield 4–>
Again, not the biggest surprise in terms of availability. But what is a big surprise is that this will be going head-to-head with…
<!–pagetitle:Call of Duty: Ghosts–>
So EA and Activision are slamming their top-selling shooter franchises together and seeing which one breaks, eh? That’ll be interesting. Also interesting? These two games are the only FPS titles in the One’s launch lineup. Considering the fanbase loves shooters, one assumes that won’t stay true for long, though.
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If you’d heard this was Kinect-only, good news! You can play this spiritual sequel to Panzer Dragoon with a controller.
<!–pagetitle:Dead Rising 3–>
After the hilarious new trailer, we’ve actually got some hope that this Xbox One exclusive keeps everything that made the franchise great, especially after the dour-seeming E3 introduction.
<!–pagetitle:FIFA 14–>
It’s a big deal across the world, and again, hardly a big surprise this will be on there.
<!–pagetitle:Fighter Within–>
Literally just announced, this will apparently be a Kinect-driven fighting game. Hopefully there’s more to it than just the Kinect gimmick.
<!–pagetitle:Forza Motorsport 5–>
As this is Microsoft’s flagship graphics and tech showcase, of course it’s coming. Sadly, despite the tantalizing hint from the GIF, there is not a mode to turn the cars into mechs.
Yet.
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Well, the fitness fans will be happy.
<!–pagetitle:Killer Instinct–>
We would be excited this ’90s franchise is coming back, but Microsoft burned all that goodwill when they announced you’d have to buy each fighter. So, yeah.
<!–pagetitle:LEGO Marvel Super Heroes–>
Not an exclusive but this will probably sell like hotcakes: The LEGO games are popular for excellent reason.
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Basically it’s a mashup of Transformers and Road Rash, and Twisted Pixel could certainly be onto something.
<!–pagetitle:Madden NFL 25–>
Yeah, like we didn’t all know this one was coming.
<!–pagetitle:NBA 2K14–>
For reaction, see previous slide.
<!–pagetitle:NBA LIVE 14 –>
Sure, right, EA. You won’t cancel this game again. Will this also ship with Half-Life 3? Call us nuts but something tells us the Xbox One will launch with twenty-two titles.
<!–pagetitle:Need for Speed: Rivals–>
This will probably will be a bit less graphically intense that Forza. But that’s OK, it’ll be on every other platform.
<!–pagetitle:Peggle 2–>
Somehow we suspect this one will be a lot like the last one.
<!–pagetitle:Powerstar Golf–>
Powerstar Golf is so well marketed, this GIF is in its first Google search results. Immediately followed by this image:
There is no way any video game could live up to the expectations that creates. But, man, wouldn’t Overlook Golf be an amazing game?
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Not to be a downer, but the long development cycle combined with early reports about meaningless gameplay do not bode well.
<!–pagetitle:Skylanders: Swap Force–>
Let’s face it, these little figures are the only part of the game people care about. Remember when Vicarious Visions made X-Men games?
<!–pagetitle:Watch Dogs–>
We’re all probably buying this game. Question is, do you care about graphics enough to pay a $500 premium for ’em?
<!–pagetitle:Zoo Tycoon–>
…Really, Microsoft?
<!–pagetitle:Zumba Fitness: World Party–>
One assumes the game will not be like this, but trust us, the gameplay videos are pretty boring.
This is a spectacularly uncompelling launch lineup. Every single game we can’t wait for, we can play on a system we already own. The exclusives tend to have drawbacks that, with a $500 premium larded on top, don’t make them worth it.
Don’t get us wrong: It’s unlikely Sony’s going to deliver a knock-out punch of a lineup, either. Except for maybe five titles it’s probably going to look exactly the same, really. But it’s still something of a disappointment that we hope is rectified soon.