Xbox’s 2023 games feel like the Series X launch lineup we ne…

Even though we Xbox Series

It’s no secret that Xbox was slow to get started and then maintain stability in this console generation. For example, in 2020 the company introduced a weak console launch lineup composed of ports and remasters. While 2021 brought a flurry of great games, it was followed by a comparatively barren 2022. And 2023 also did not fare well (due to being a massive flop). relapse,But other than that, this year performed excellently hi-fi rushGrand scale StarfieldSolid ports of the two Age of Empires games and earthquake secondA new Minecraft title, and a tech showpiece forza motorsport,

Given that diverse lineup, these games demonstrate both the potential of the Series Xbox’s lineup is also expanding into 2024, so it looks like we’re at the proper start of the Xbox Series X and S console generation… even if it’s a few years too late.

A New Beginning

Looking at the 2020 launch lineup for the Xbox Series While there were some nice 4K and 60 frames per second (FPS) upgrades for Xbox One games, the only new draw was the console port. gears strategymultiplayer-supporting Tetris Effect: LinkedA temporary next generation special edition of Yakuza: like a dragonand some smaller indies like falconer And Bright Memory 1.0,

Most of those games were or came later on more platforms and, in general, did not provide a strong argument for why players should stick with this console generation. But looking at the number of games released by Xbox this year, it finally looks like we have a bundle of good Xbox exclusives that show what the platform was always capable of.

in my review forza motorsport, I note that the game feels like a launch title because it is such an impressive technical showpiece. It runs at 4K and 60 fps in performance mode, which many games this generation haven’t done. The closest comparable games are Astro’s Game Room And Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered On PlayStation 5, that effectively showcased the power of Sony’s console early on.

forza motorsport It was also created as a platform that developer Turn 10 Studios could expand upon over time. It plans to slot in new single and multiplayer content from time to time, including new cars and tracks. A game like this means a lot to a console’s lifespan in this live-services era. This is what Microsoft tried to do Hello AnantEven if it has not been able to perform as per expectation due to delay of one year killer instinct On Xbox One.

Then there’s the matter of games that feel intrinsically next-gen in scope. Whereas this is a much more vague feeling between person to person, like the scale of a game Starfield Something feels like it doesn’t work or run properly on Xbox One. It’s a historic, enthusiastic first-party release that brought the entire video game industry into the spotlight, which is something Xbox has managed to do only a few times in the last decade and it used it at the beginning of this console generation. could go.

On top of that, you’ve got hi-fi rush And minecraft legends 2023 stand-in for specific quirky launch titles, in line with games like Sackboy: A Big Adventure Or Ryse son of Rome, The Age of Empires ports show integration between the PC and console publishing departments of Xbox. And it’s also been a solid year for third-party games like day-one Xbox Game Pass titles exoprimal And P’s lie Getting membership on launch day. This is perhaps the first time in nearly a decade that Xbox looks healthy on both the first-party and third-party fronts.

While it’s impossible to say that Xbox has completely regained its mojo or that this marks a definitive end to Microsoft’s struggles, 2023 is still the first year where it really feels like the Series . Thanks to a jam-packed Summer Showcase this June, we’ve got an extensive game lineup and reason to believe in the feasibility of future game lineups. This feels like a console launch year for Xbox. Although this is a bit worrisome as we are three years into the lifespan of these consoles, hopefully this is a sign that things will get better going forward, with Xbox actually rebounding after the 2022 lows and relapse,

So, what does this sentiment mean for players? Xbox Series For those who don’t have an Xbox system, if you get one now and download immediately it will feel like the generation has just started Forza Motorsport, StarfieldAnd hi-fi rush,