Just as a result of I do know that headline could have a few of you primed to begin typing within the Comments part, know that this column isn’t about Xbox exclusives. Those, as everyone knows by now, are nonetheless dripping out of the Xbox Game Studios spigot reasonably than flowing. But the back-pressure is rising, and I’m certain I’ll write extra about what’s subsequent in a future column. For as we speak, I need to focus merely on video games being launched for the Xbox Series X and S proper now, this Fall, whether or not they’re unique or not. Most of them aren’t, definitely, nevertheless it doesn’t make the next assertion any much less true: we’re within the single greatest 90-day stretch of sport releases since Xbox 360’s historic Fall 2007.
That legendary run, culminating within the second anniversary of the Xbox 360 on November 22, included an insane smorgasbord of video games that have been exclusives: Halo 3, BioShock, Mass Effect, The Orange Box, and Project Gotham Racing 4. Throw within the multiplatform releases of Rock Band, Assassin’s Creed, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and, fairly truthfully, I’m unsure if we’ll ever high that. But Fall 2023, aka Right Now, is certain doing its damndest to strive! Take a have a look at what’s come out not too long ago and what’s nonetheless on the way in which within the subsequent couple of months:
- Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
- Sea of Stars
- Starfield
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Cocoon
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Forza Motorsport
- Sonic Superstars
- Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1
- Ghostrunner 2
- Alan Wake 2
- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
That’s 15 large video games within the span of about 12-13 weeks. There are extra after all, however I’ve significantly chosen the higher-profile releases, with the exceptions of Cocoon – which is from a gameplay designer who labored on Limbo and Inside and simply obtained a glowing assessment on IGN – in addition to Sea of Stars, which has already been launched to glorious opinions. Plus, Baldur’s Gate 3 is due out on Xbox Series X and S by the top of the 12 months. And if solely they got here out at a tempo of about one every week, as that averages out to! But alas, teams of them are clustered collectively, making it even trickier to seek out time to play all of them as they every have their water-cooler second. On the plus aspect, at the very least Sea of Stars, Starfield, Lies of P, Forza Motorsport, and Like a Dragon Gaiden both already launched or shall be launching immediately onto Xbox Game Pass on day one, making your potential monetary outlay a bit much less intense (or, maybe extra possible, permitting you to get extra of those video games this Fall).
By this level in earlier years, we’d sometimes see builders and publishers who’ve realized that their sport isn’t going to be able to ship through the Fall season push out into January, February, or Spring of the next 12 months. But that’s hardly occurred this 12 months. Everyone is solely releasing their sport, and we’re getting an El Niño-like storm of big-deal blockbusters. Are any of us complaining? Heck no! But it certain could be good to have an additional 12 hours within the day to play all of them. Still, it certain beats final 12 months. Remember how dry that was? Conversely, I feel we’re going to look again on Fall 2023 with the identical fond recollections now we have about Fall 2007. Let’s benefit from the second, we could?
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s government editor of previews and host of each IGN’s weekly Xbox present, Podcast Unlocked, in addition to our month-to-month(-ish) interview present, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey man, so it is “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
