written by Jih-Wei Peng
Although things have quieted down some with the onset of Corvid-19, make no mistake: The Great Console War hasn’t ended, it’s merely on hold. With both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X plumping for a holiday release, the likelihood of a Christmas Truce is vanishingly slim, and chances are we’ll all be home for Christmas with a bad case of Trench Thumb. Having looked at the PS5’s offerings last time, it’s time to cross over No Man’s Land and find out what Microsoft is preparing for their devastating salvo.
To begin with, the Xbox Series X itself is a beefy machine in and of itself. Packing a custom-designed CPU founded on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture, it’s got four times the power of the Xbox One X. A Navi-based GPU powered by AMD’s latest RDNA graphics tech clocks 12 teraflops and makes full use of hardware-accelerated ray tracing, while their NVMe SSDs should help cut load times and installation to a fraction of what they once were. On top of that, Microsoft is fully committed to both backward AND forward compatibility with their Smart Delivery system, not only allowing games from the original Xbox to be played on the Series X but also allowing games brought on the Xbox One X to be automatically upgraded to their Series X version if the developer comes out with such.
So much for the hardware, but what kind of software does Microsoft have to go with it? Read on to find out our list of most hotly anticipated games for the Xbox Series X so far.
Halo Infinite
The Xbox flagship title accompanying the Series X launch is no surprise, but details on the gameplay are still somewhat sparse at present, with the first look at gameplay promised in July. The devs 343 Industries have however promised that the game will be a “spiritual reboot,” concluding the story of the Reclaimer Trilogy while refreshing the palate with a return to the heart and soul of the Halo series. While there’s no hard and fast release date yet, it’d be surprising if Halo Infinite didn’t come out when the Series X does, during the holiday season.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory managed to create something truly remarkable with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, an exploration into the reality of living with psychosis in a world that doesn’t recognize mental health issues as such – something not quite as confined to the past as we might be entirely happy to acknowledge. Details on the confusingly named Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 are thin on the ground at present, but given how the first game focused on Senua’s journey, it may well be that the sequel will focus on how she applies her new understanding of herself into the society around her. There’s no certain release date yet, but it’s likely not coming out until the Series X launch at the very least.
Watch Dogs: Legion
After having romped around the technological world of Chicago and San Francisco, Ubisoft is bringing the WatchDog series across the pond to old Blighty, where London has completed its transformation into a total surveillance state and the people are waiting for any excuse to fight back against techno tyranny. And I do mean any excuse, as Legion’s key touted feature is the ability to recruit anyone you meet into Dedsec, each with their unique backstories, relationships, and abilities, each of whom can become your protagonist – and each of whom can die permanently, bending the story appropriately as it happens. Although the game was originally set for a March 6th release, it’s been delayed and there’s no solid word yet on when the new release date is.
Gods and Monsters
Having drunk deeply of the well of Greek history but finding themselves wanting more, the Ubisoft team that made Assassin’s Creed Odyssey decided to dive into Greek mythology in a new, more light-hearted game that looks more than a little bit like a Ubisoft take on Legend of Zelda. Saving the gods and gaining their abilities to explore a charmingly vibrant open world sounds like a good time, but unfortunately while the game was originally slated for a February 25th release, the current schedule is “sometime after July 1st but before 2021.”
Bright Memory Infinite
Bright Memory Infinite is a remarkable breakout by FYQD-Studio, as it features fluid combo-based combat and AAA graphics despite all being developed by one man. Originally intended to be released in episodes, the first of which is now available on Steam, Infinite was picked up by Microsoft and slated to be expanded out into a full-length game that will be released sometime next year.
Call of the Sea
Out of the Blue’s debut title is a first-person adventure puzzler where you guide a woman named Norah on her search for her husband in a remote South Pacific island during the ‘30s. Billed as a tale of mystery, adventure, self-discovery, and love, the game provides tantalizing hints of taking cues from Lovecraft’s themes without actually being a horror game, spending your time and your strange fascination with your discoveries exploring a lush and beautiful island instead of going stark raving mad. The game was only just announced and there is, as yet, no word of a release date.
Chorus
Third-person space shooters aren’t that common these days, and it’s nice to see Fishlabs take a stab at a AAA take on the genre. While solid gameplay information is hard to come by, the ex-cultist Nara and her sentient starfighter aren’t relying solely on traditional flight acrobatics and gunnery, as psychic powers like teleportation and telekinesis add a certain something to the traditional physics-based tools at the disposal of space pilots. Not to be confused with the musical adventure of the same name. Currently, the game is set to be released sometime next year.
Scorn
It doesn’t take long at all to figure out that HR Giger is one of Ebb Software’s favorite artists, as their entire game is suffused in his particular aesthetic. Pulsing, organic architecture, the main character that vaguely resembles a skinned human, weapons that squirm and wriggle in your grip, and enemies that are all the more creepy for being slightly pitiable, Scorn is a game that will live and die by its art direction. A troubling development history beginning in 2014 was hopefully cleared up by an exclusive deal with Microsoft for an Xbox Series X release, though there remains no certain release date.
The Medium
Bloober Team’s newest creation is relying heavily on the hardware of the Xbox Series X for their newest release, as the central premise of their game revolves around being able to see – and interact with – two entirely different but parallel worlds overlaying each other. Using your second sight to see into the spirit world, you must unravel the tragedy behind an abandoned hotel resort and the visions of a child’s murder. Thus far the spirits claim that there will be a holiday 2020 release, but time alone will tell if these spirits are benevolent or malevolent.
Second Extinction
An orbital drop with an asteroid may have wiped out the dinosaurs the first time around, but as any good Mobile Infantryman knows at the end of the day you’ve got to send in the infantry to secure a planet. With mutated dinosaurs having scoured the Earth of humanity, the survivors have retreated to space and look to retake our home planet with guerrilla strikes, co-op teamwork, and a wide variety of weapons, abilities, and equipment. Unfortunately, there is no known release date and our dreams of Turok co-op will have to remain patient a while longer…