The 15 Best Xbox One Games of 2018
Creating a great games library is a delicate balance. Every hardware publisher needs to find the right mix of exclusives and third-party favorites to attract an audience. Nintendo can only sell so many consoles on the backs of Mario and Link, and the lack of major third-party games hurt both the Wii and Wii U. On the other end you have the position Microsoft found itself in this year with the Xbox One. The only major Microsoft franchise to release a new game this year was Forza Horizon. With nothing new from Halo or Gears of War, Xbox One owners looking for huge action blockbusters had to depend entirely on games also found on the PlayStation 4. If you reduce videogames to a mere corporate battle between the massive international companies who make the most prominent consoles, you’d have to conclude that Sony had a better year.
That doesn’t mean the Xbox One had nothing great to play this year, though. Some of the best games of the year came out for the system, including a couple of great console exclusives in Ashen and Graveyard Keeper. And the Forza Horizon series kept on cruising in style. 2019 looks stacked to be a banner year for the Xbox One, but you shouldn’t overlook all the notable games that came out on the console this year.
15. Forza Horizon 4
I am not a racing game aficionado, and to some degree that makes me a very honest critic when it comes to these types of games. As I said at the top, I don’t even like driving real cars. I have none of that American open road fantasy about me. So a game that can bridge all of these basic realities of my life and make me care about a car game is, in my mind, at least interesting. Forza Horizon 4 does that work. It makes me think about how following the right line and accelerating and braking at certain moments impacts the long duration of a race. It makes me care about road conditions, for God’s sake, and it does so in a way where I don’t have to be bogged down in simulation-y minutiae. To me, that’s impressive game design, and I applaud the bridge-building work that the developers of Horizon 4 have done to make someone who is a relative outsider to both this genre and enthusiasm about cars feel welcome.—Cameron Kunzelman
14. Ashen
Annapurna Interactive continues its streak of fascinating cult hits with this inspired gem. Ashen combines Souls-style combat with the worldbuilding and sense of adventure of a Zelda game, and wraps it all up with gorgeous cel-shaded artwork. It’s a smart attempt to bridge what some might think is an impassable chasm between idiosyncratic art games and market-friendly third-person action blockbusters. What matters most, though, is that it pulls off everything it tries to do with enough skill to hook players of diverse preferences and predilections.—Garrett Martin
13. Valkyria Chronicles 4
A decade’s a long time, so there was reason to worry about the first console Valkyria Chronicles game since the original came out in 2008. Valkyria Chronicles 4 captures what made that game such a success, though, between its brain-flexing strategy action and its gorgeous art style. For those who are deeply invested in the Valkyria epic, this game expands on the story of Gallia and the wars that ravaged Europa, touching on some of the same themes and emotions but without repeating itself too closely. Some ideas are timeless, and an anime tactical strategy game based on a fictionalized version of World War II is clearly one of them.—Garrett Martin
12. Vampyr
Dontnod’s Vampyr has more in common with Remember Me, the studio’s first game, than Life Is Strange, its commercial and critical breakthrough. Like Remember Me, Vampyr is an ambitious, idiosyncratic oddity that doesn’t quite fit into any recognizable genre. It might not be as slick or smooth as the biggest action games or most popular franchises, but it has more personality and more spirit than most of them. It can feel faintly embarrassing one moment, and then do something unexpected and with surprising confidence just a few seconds later. There’s probably an equal chance that you’ll hate it or love it. In an industry that constantly obsesses on trends and often disrespects the taste and intelligence of its audience, Vampyr is another refreshing and anomalous cult game from Dontnod.—Garrett Martin
11. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
There is too much of a good thing. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey proves that. As a game it has a strong core of enjoyable action built upon a reliable and slightly upgraded foundation. As a story it’s an intriguing personal journey with good ideas but lackluster storytelling set against the backdrop of war between Sparta and Athens, with a strong, charismatic pair of leads making up for a lot of dull dialogue and meandering conversations. As an Assassin’s Creed it turns Origins from an outlier into the start of the new status quo, sacrificing a bit of its identity in order to bring it more in line with Ubisoft’s other open world games. It still captures much of what makes these games special, though, from the historical setting, to the dynamic action, to one of the few stealth combat systems that isn’t too slow or frustrating to enjoy. Embark on this journey with confidence, but be prepared to lose a lot of your free time along the way.—Garrett Martin
10. Monster Hunter: World
The Monster Hunter series, as the title suggests, has primarily been about striking down massive beasts and using their remains to fashion new armor, weapons and food. While Monster Hunter: World certainly maintains that emphasis on killing giant beasts, the game also asks us to care about the monsters we slaughter, and understand our own hand in maintaining and destroying the ecological system.—Shonte Daniels
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