The Xbox is home tosome of the best video games of all time, with Microsoft pushing its gaming initiative to the very limit and becoming one of the biggest driving forces in the entire industry. While Xbox titles aren’t always exclusives, the fact that they’re available on more platforms means that more and more people can check out these great games for themselves and see exactly why these games are so notable in their own right.
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Several Microsoft franchises have gone on to feature a litany of great titles with little to no duds whatsoever. The following series are great examples ofXbox titles that have maintained a steady level of qualityfor the most part and justified their standing in the industry as IPs everyone should always keep an eye on.
6Halo
Halois one of the first names that come to mind when people talk about franchises made by the Xbox brand.Halo: Combat Evolvedwas one of the most legendary first-person shooters of all time, featuring a highly competitive multiplayer mode along with a single-player campaign that was quite engaging and introduced players to one of the most riveting sci-fi settings in gaming history, rife with its fair share of memorable characters as well.
The franchise has been through its fair share of ups and downs, but there’s no denying thattheHalogames have maintained a constant level of excellencethat many other titles in the same vein fail to achieve. It helps that the story of the series has also been a riot barring a few missteps that long-time fans dislike.
5Fable
There was a time whenFableused to be a flagship Microsoft RPG seriesthat players waited with bated breath for. However, after the release of the third game and the unraveling of Peter Molyneux’s web of lies, the hype for these games died down quite a bit. Perhaps this was the best thing for the series, since this allowed the Xbox brand to distance itself from Peter Molyneux and let the franchise simmer for a bit.
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Suffice it to say, players soon started remembering the good old days when they lived the life of an adventurer who could either save the world as a hero or doom it by committing the most villainous acts. After all, all the games in the series have always been rated highly by critics and fans alike, and it’s easy to see why so many people are positively jubilant at the prospect of a new game to finally continue the legacy ofFable.
4Gears Of War
Many people don’t give enough credit to the many ways in whichGears of Warrevolutionized third-person shooting on consoles. It was the first game to introduce cover-based shooting, making it a perfect fit for console players while also forming a template that future third-person titles (and even some first-person ones!) would follow.
All the games in this series serve as great examples of how to do third-person shooting right, with the constant threat of the Locusts being quite engaging indeed. The characters and villains in this series get slowly fleshed out over the course of the series and become the biggest draws of a franchise that prioritizes both great action set-pieces andgrounded character moments.
3Forza
TheForzafranchise features two sub-series that have both been quite excellent for their own reasons. Players who want a more realistic sim-driving experience should definitely check outForza Motorsportand the host of game modes it has to offer, challenging the most hardcore racer on tracks where a single mistake can prove to be quite costly.
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For players who want to bridge the gap between casual arcade racing and realistic sim mechanics,Forza Horizonis the perfect series to check out. Both series feature gorgeous graphics, and the more open-ended approach toForza Horizonmeans that people can dabble in car customization and other technical mechanics without getting overwhelmed by these systems if the racing is what interests them the most.
2Age Of Empires
Age of Empiresis arguably the greatest real-time strategy franchise of all time. It might not be the very best, but pretty much everyone has heard about this legendary title that tasks players with trying to build a civilization and achieving greatness through military, commerce, or both.
Of course, warfare is always a huge part ofAge of Empiresand has been consistently entertaining since its first entry. The fact thatAge of Empires 4could release after ages and still become one of the most played and enjoyed RTS titles around despite being mechanically similar to its predecessors speaks volumes when it comes to the legacy of this title.
1Banjo-Kazooie
Banzo-Kazooieisa beloved platforming title that needs no introduction, with the first two games in the series being full of charm and character. That being said, most people didn’t really love the changes made byNuts & Bolts, focusing more on vehicle creation as opposed to making a creative platforming title.
So, it’s pretty impressive to see thatBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Boltsstill manages to rack up a decent 79 rating on Metacritic. It’s a testament to how high the standards of the first game are that a simple switch of the game mechanics ended up causing such a massive backlash that has led to the series being nothing more than a fragment of the past.
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