http://www.computerandvideogames.com/436917/the-highs-and-lows-of-the-xbox-one-launch-games/
Chris's Most Surprising Game: Ryse
Until recently I was looking forward to most of the Xbox One launch titles... except for
Ryse: Son Of Rome. I'll admit I fell for the 'it's all QTEs' anti-hype that had been doing the rounds when it was first revealed and as a result it fell by the wayside for me as a must-have title.
After getting the chance to properly sit down with the near-final version for an hour or so, I came away pleasantly surprised. Ryse may not boast the sort of depth of content that's going to give Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag any sleepless nights, but it's clearly a solid adventure that I look forward to playing in full.
After playing the near-final game, I came away pleasantly surprised."
It's gorgeous, too. One section I played had the protagonist battling enemies at a campsite, with numerous campfires dotted around. The orange glow from the fire while I battled around it was incredible, while moving away from it and fighting in the darkness provided a stark contrast, with figures almost silhouetted against the moonlit sky. TL:DR - it looks cracking.
Granted, I still had some niggles - with only the X button used for attacks the combat seems a little basic, and the various gruesome death blows, while glorious, seem like they're executed (ahem) randomly - but given that I haven't played through the whole thing yet, for all I know these issues will resolve themselves as experience points build.
Tamoor's Most Surprising Game: Killer Instinct
Part of my excitement for Killer Instinct is down to a natural affinity for fighting games; I can usually have fun playing anything from carefully crafted, technical fighters such as Marvel Vs. Capcom or Street Fighter or Virtua Fighter, to dumb fun games like Bloody Roar. I can even enjoy this-is-definitely-shyt fighters like Tournament of Legends on Wii. Good or bad, I'll derive entertainment from it.
Initially I expected Killer Instinct would more likely sit in one of the two latter categories than the former. Partly because the series has never been all that technical, but also because it's being developed by Double Helix, a studio with very little fighting game development in its history.
However, based on a number of hands-on sessions with the game, my expectations have very slowly shifted. I'm starting to think that Killer Instinct, like Street Fighter 4 currently, will be one of those games I'll probably be playing for a long time after release.
Killer Instinct is loaded with different gameplay systems, some unique to the series, others cherry-picked from current fighting games, like the 'Instinct' system, which is effectively X Factor from MVC3.
Most fighting game players love to take hold of gameplay systems, explore them, see how far they can be pushed. The more systems the better, and between Killer Instinct's multi-tiered combo system, breaker variations, shadow moves and over-the-top finishers, there's plenty to sink teeth into.
Crucially though, Killer Instinct looks and feels great to play. Bouts are blisteringly paced and are a visual spectacle. Fireballs have never looked so good.
As a free-to-play game, there's really nothing to lose in checking this out. But based on what I've played so far, I feel like it might have some staying power.
