Xbox Games I’m Looking Forward To

Ever since the Xbox Games Showcase back in July, this is something I’ve been wanting to write, and with the additional reveals in September, doubly so.

Nothing too fancy to say here; a lot of games were shown, and some attracted my attention more than others. Whether I have to go on my trusty Xbox One or upgrade to an Xbox Series X to play, here are the games coming to Xbox that I’m most looking forward to.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I feel almost morally obligated to lead with this, since I already have it pre-ordered from Amazon. If that doesn’t say “looking forward to,” then I don’t know what does.

I wasn’t sure at first whether I was going to get it on Xbox or not, though, as all my other Yakuza and RGG Studio games are on PlayStation 4. But while I’d like to keep everything “in the family,” I always wished it had been on Xbox back when I first started falling in love with the series with Yakuza 0. And since this is a new beginning for the series, now seemed like the perfect time to make the switch.

Gears Tactics

This came to Windows back in April, but I’m pretty sure my humble desktop PC would not be able to run it very well, if at all. So I waited patiently for a console release… it had to happen, right?

The answer is apparently yes. I had a hunch they were saving it for the Series X|S release, and apparently, I was right.

Truth be told, while Gears of War has always seemed cool, I’m kinda mediocre at it. But a strategy game? Specifically, a turn-based strategy game? Well, now you’re talking my language! So yeah, this one makes the cut.

Dirt 5

If I’m being honest, I’ve never played a Dirt title, but it gives me kind of a Forza Horizon vibe, so I’m curious, at least.

The Ascent

Described as “a solo and co-op action RPG set in a cyberpunk world,” it reminds me of Halo: Spartan Assault if it were set in, well, a cyberpunk world. Dunno if that’s how it plays, but it’s enough to make me curious, at the very least.

Scarlet Nexus

A slick-looking anime action game from the company that brings us slick-looking anime action games, but without the anime license that’s usually attached, as near as I can tell. I’m intrigued enough by this that I’d like to give it a go.

Halo Infinite

Ah, now this is such a weird one for me to include. As you may know, I’ve got a long, weird, but affectionately appreciative history with Halo. In short, Halo seems pretty cool, but I’m not a first-person shooter kind of guy, so I haven’t played much outside of Spartan Assault.

And yet, this one just looks so… fun?

Sure, the graphics have some pop-in and other stuff that could use polish, I’m sure, but… as I watch the above video, I just don’t care that much. I like watching Master Chief and this guy interact. I like watching Chief go out into this wide-open world which, to my eyes, looks just so very nice. Driving around in the Warthog looks like so much fun. Based on this trailer, Halo Infinite just looks so enjoyable to me.

I’m not an FPS person, but for some reason, I just really, really want to play this FPS. This feels just so weird to me.

And now I’m wondering if I should try to find a way to play the other five or so main series games before this comes out, or just jump in here.

Flight Simulator

While the trailers are breathtaking enough on their own and I like seeing where I live on-screen, it was LGR’s review of the PC version that led me to think “hey, this is kinda like Forza, but with planes!”

And that was all it took.

Forza Motorsport

While I generally prefer Forza Horizon, Forza Motorsport ain’t too shabby, either. More’za Forza is always good by me.

Everwild

This reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but without The Legend of Zelda. I think I can work with that.

Tetris Effect Connected

Reason 1: It’s Tetris.

Reason 2: There is no Reason 2.

Okay, so the multiplayer stuff has got me intrigued as well, and I just love this style of sound and visual effect. Reminds me a bit of Pac-Man: Championship Edition, Galaga Legions, and Lumines. Combine that with Tetris, and why wouldn’t I want this?

The Gunk

Image & Form has a lot of cred with me due to their SteamWorld games, so I’m eager to see what they can do outside of that universe and with an added dimension.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis

I have Phantasy Star Online 2 (and why not? It’s free), but I haven’t managed to get into it quite as much as I like. I love it, I love playing it, but I feel like I’m not playing as… shall we say, “efficiently” as I could or possibly even should be. It’s something I’ve been meaning to look into.

That said, New Genesis is promising to shake things up a bit, and I wonder if I wouldn’t be better served placing my focus there. Guess we’ll see!

Either way, it looks good, and if it’s as enjoyable as the one we just got, well, of course I’m looking forward to it.

Fable

I’ve been meaning to try Fable for quite some time now. Maybe this will be the time?

Runners-up

Bright Memory Infinite

As I said, FPS isn’t quite my bag. That aside, this looks interesting enough to me to pique my curiosity enough to keep an eye on it, even if that doesn’t lead anywhere.

Tell Me Why

So, turns out this is already out (the seeds for this list were planted before it was), and I just haven’t gotten around to it, thanks in part to getting this place running and other things. It’s an intriguing trailer, at any rate.

Grounded

Sea of Thieves meets Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? I’m intrigued. And this is out as well, maybe I should look into it now.

Avowed

Another “oh, this looks good, if only it weren’t in first-person” title. Haven’t really seen enough to say anything besides that, but it caught my attention.

As Dusk Falls

The visual style here is very unique. I wouldn’t be opposed to learning more.

Psychonauts 2

I never got to play the first, so I’m sort of left wondering if I should look to this, or check the other out.

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So that’s my list. It’s probably missing some stuff I’ll be slapping my forehead over later, but from the two digital showcases, I found more than enough stuff to look forward to on Xbox in the coming weeks, months, and perhaps even years. And odds are I won’t even get to touch nearly all of it, so I feel like I’m sitting pretty here as far as potential options go.

Thanks for reading!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.