Xbox One launches game preview, promises variety

When the Xbox One was first announced, people criticized its lack of games. However, at E3, Microsoft showcased its gaming potential, showing off several pieces of software.

It even has four exclusive day one launch games at retail: “Ryse: Son of Rome,” “Dead Rising 3,” “Forza Motorsport 5” and “The Fighter Within.”

“Ryse: Son of Rome” uses an integration of the new Xbox One controller and the Kinect 2.0 in a single player linear story.

The player controls Marius Titus, a Roman general. While the controller controls Titus, voice commands control his legion.

While controlling Titus through melee combat, option quick time event finishing moves are an option. The story follows Titus throughout his life, from his childhood all the way to the best general in the Roman army.
As Titus can control an entire army, in “Dead Rising 3,” protagonist Nick Ramos becomes an army. Building off of the previous installments, “Dead Rising 3” adds an entire city full of zombies to maim, kill and now mow over with vehicles, a first in the series.

Also, this game does makes the time based missions optional, while putting more of a focus on Ramos’s skills as a mechanic to build weapons, like a SledgeSaw, a combination of a sledgehammer and a chainsaw.
The Kinect features include distracting zombies or bringing them to you if you make too much noise.
Speaking of vehicles, the Xbox One has its next game in its racing franchise making its debut at launch. “Forza Motorsport 5” takes a turn for the arcade style with more of a focus on controller play.

While this iteration of “Forza” has less vehicles and locations as its predecessor “Forza Motorsport 4” had, it adds some new features, like Formula One cars.

“The Fighter Within” is a fighting game exclusively for the new Kinect 2.0 that shows off the new technology by making the combat more immersing and more action packed than previous games that tried using the Kinect sensor for similar fighting experiences.

In this one-to-one fighter, basic actions, like punching, blocking and dodging translate directly. Complex combos, which would be difficult to perform, use simpler, yet still difficult, actions to translate.

Aside from the retail games, the Xbox One has several downloadable games available at launch, including “Killer Instinct,” “Crimson Dragon,” “LocoCycle” and “PowerStar Golf.”

“Killer Instinct” is a launch game where players can pay per character or get the entire game, which is a remake of the original Nintendo 64 title with returning characters such as Jago, which is free for everyone, Black Orchid, Spinal, Glaciaus and Chief Thunder.

“Crimson Dragon” is an on-rail shooter where humans ride and control dragons on a planet that humans discover.

“LocoCycle” is an arcade game where a self-aware motorcycle drives along a road, dragging a poor man behind it.

“PowerStar Golf” is a nontraditional golf game similar to “HotShots Golf,” where players can customize their golfers and use powerups in their swings.

After these titles come out, the Xbox One has several other planned exclusive releases, from the multiplayer tech shooters “Titanfall” and “Sunset: Overdrive,” to the casual motion-controlled fun of “Kinect Sports Rivals” or the arcade style of “Peggle 2.”

Everyone picking up the Xbox One at its release (Nov. 22 for $499) will find something to play, from killing Romans and slaying zombies, to riding dragons and racing cars.