My Xbox Experiences: Part 2

I’m back again with my Xbox experiences, and this time it is all focused on the Xbox One. This is the machine that really accelerated my respect of the Xbox brand and allowed me to try a lot more of the first party lineup. However, at no point between 2013 and 2015 had I ever thought I’d be interested in getting one.

In 2013, I’d covered the Xbox One reveal conference and felt the One was unimpressive from what was shown, making note of the fact that E3 really needed to be great for them otherwise the One would be the losing console of the three – which is saying something considering we know how things turned out. E3 2013 gave a lot of u-turns on a number of things, and it had a whole host of games, but the WiiU looked a whole lot more attractive with Mario Kart 8 and the already released LEGO City Undercover.

I’d skipped out on covering E3 2014, but come E3 2015, it was clear I’d been won over.  Despite the little showing it got, Forza Motorsport 6 interested me greatly, and knowing that the console already had Horizon 2 on it made it a more attractive option. And this was also the E3 which Nintendo had faltered in a bad way. So, in October of 2015, I finally became an owner of the Forza Motorsport Edition Xbox One – complete with a download code of Forza Motorsport 6. Which was a surprise, as I was expecting a disc. It also meant I couldn’t get stuck into it until the next day, letting the game download overnight through the wired connection to the student home internet. And the next year and a half proved my reasoning for not keeping the 360 around was pretty weak when both the WiiU and One sat side-by-side in front of my TV.

When I played the game, it was as great as I was expecting, with some of my favourite tracks from the fourth returning and some interesting new ones that I found just as good. However, I wanted to explore more of the games on offer that I had missed over the last two years. Cue EA Access and the Vault, giving me access to full games within EA’s library. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and Titanfall were the two games I first tried, and both were pretty fun. I had reinstated my Gold subscription, and took advantage of the Games With Gold I was now able to claim again. Dirt 3 was one of the first, but didn’t get played beyond the first try. Forza 6 was just that good for me. Even the lure of a new Need For Speed wasn’t enough to pull me away from Forza Motorsport 6, though I did get a number of hours played on the trial. Same goes for Star Wars Battlefront [though ultimately I went PC on that one].

2016 and 2017 were packed full of releases and new additions to both EA Access and Games With Gold. The first lot being an average game called Zheroes and the charming Unravel. Oh, and GTA V. Yes, I’d already bought it on Steam and had made a great amount of progress in making my Online character a part of the world with houses, cars, and a style similar to my own, but I’d never touched the offline story content of the game. The Xbox One version would make sure I did. And I had fun with the story, much more than I was expecting. I already knew what I was getting come the end, and made the only choice that makes sense. Occasionally I’d be booting that completed save back up to pick the boys up again and go hiking up Mount Chiliad only to ‘accidentally’ knock one of them down the side of it. I enjoyed Titanfall more than Garden Warfare, but that didn’t stop me getting the second Garden Warfare game once it became available in the Vault. Perhaps not surprisingly, I played it less than the first. I had fun with Defence Grid 2 when I claimed that through Games With Gold, but just like the first it was a played once and never touched again game. I seriously have no idea what it is with me doing that with free games. Even ones I like.

Sunset Overdrive was also claimed on Games With Gold, and this one I didn’t find all that good. There was just something that felt stilted about it, almost as if the freedom that was advertised wasn’t there to the degree I was expecting. Though I have no idea what my expectations regarding the game were in the first place, so I can’t really be saying that without giving it a full chance. If Crackdown is any indication, I’ll pick it up again sometime soon and find myself in the groove enough to complete the main storyline. The Xbox 360 got a bit of love as I bought Midnight Club: LA Complete, though at the time didn’t dedicate enough time to it. This is another game I’d had fun with on the PSP, but with this one being the full game, it was easy to consider. As for the Xbox One, it was time to play catch up with the Forza series, buying both Horizon 2 and Motorsport 5 before Horizon 3’s release. While Horizon 2 kept me busy, Motorsport 5 just sort of sat there, and I had to admit to myself that the regular track racers just weren’t as exciting to me anymore. Or maybe it just five being a downgrade of six, as I was still playing the latter.

I won’t say much about this one, as I’d already reviewed it, but LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens released, and since the massive discount I was expecting the Steam version to have didn’t happen [after all, LEGO Jurassic World was cut massively in price just after launch] it was to the Xbox One for the game. Not only that, but 2016 was when I started dropping off from PC gaming, so nearly everything went to the One. Red Dead Redemption became part of the Backwards Compatibility of the One, and had a sale going for it, so I jumped at the chance to buy it. Worms WMD and a small game called Obliteracers were bought around that period, with Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate and SSX 3 being claimed from Games With Gold and the Vault respectively. There wasn’t much happening in 2017 with new games until April came with two at once. LEGO City Undercover had already been fully completed on WiiU, and while I wasn’t going to be repeating that, I did want to have the game on a console I was using a lot more. And Yooka-Laylee arrived as well, though I didn’t play it as much as I was expecting. I’d also downloaded Skate 3 from the Vault. And with Star Wars Battlefront now in the Vault, I could now play more, and also took the opportunity to get the season pass for it – something I had neglected doing on the PC version.

The Switch was taking over my gaming time as game after game released on it for me to buy, but I still found time for the One trying out both Watch Dogs games, along with playing through other games. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 had made it onto the Backwards Compatibility list, so it was time to replay the game I had originally played on the Wii and made some progress in on Steam. Needless to say, I didn’t get very far but had fun doing so. A number of games came along as well, with Need For Speed Payback being played through EA Access trial, Game Pass being introduced which allowed me to play Gears of War 4, and purchasing Sonic Forces and Star Wars Battlefront 2. Payback fixed the control issues I had with the 2015 game, but I didn’t find much to keep me playing. Gears was fun for the amount of time I played it, but I just couldn’t continue to the end as it got pushed to the side and eventually had to be deleted to make space. As mentioned previously, I was falling out from PC gaming, and a year after I’d bought it for PC I now had Steep for the One.

2018 was mostly Game Pass and Games With Gold for new additions, with Crazy Taxi, Split/Second, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. I even trialled Burnout Paradise Remastered and The Sims 4 through EA Access. And then, the blowout of original Star Wars goodness. Both original Battlefronts were bought, along with Jedi Starfighter. I covered those three for Star Wars month, along with both Force Unleashed games and both EA Battlefronts. The next game I tried from Game Pass was Zoo Tycoon, and one that I found quite good. Sure, it doesn’t have the customisability of the old ones, but it’s still a decent simulation management game. Sea of Thieves was also through Game Pass and it is a great sandbox to explore. I don’t mind the fact there’s little content for it, as exploring the world and coming across secrets is fun. And the last game on this post is Fortnite – the great survival 1v100 game. I did try PlayerUnknowns’ Battlegrounds during a free weekend, but found it to be slower and less action-packed.

These six years with Xbox might have had gaps with few new things happening for me, but the games I have were definitely fun. I might still be a Nintendo-first gamer, but the Xbox has given me a new favourite series in Forza and allowed me to try out new games that Nintendo would never get. Plus, Microsoft seem to be going more user friendly in terms of services – so if Backwards Compatibility and Game Pass carry over onto their next console, I am so there day one.

My Xbox Experiences: Part 1 [Personal]

I’ve said before that my Xbox history has been determined by Forza, and that is certainly true. It’s been just over six years since first joining the Xbox family, and I’ve had some great experiences over the years – with the Forza series being the starting point for both consoles. This first part will be giving my experiences from the 360, with the second giving those of the One.

When I first got my hands on the Xbox 360, I did make a first impressions post where I covered in brief about playing Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures, as well as Forza Motorsport 4. Aside from that post, the only other time I’d be mentioning Xbox would be during E3. Only recently have I started really covering some of the experiences I’ve had on Xbox. So just like I covered a year of Switch, this post is covering my experiences of gaming on Xbox. But more personal.

Sometime between E3 2012 and the Xbox 360 First Impressions post, I had indeed got an Xbox 360. The Kinect Celebration pack – a celebration of Britain – had been the console of choice for me. I’d played the two Kinect games and found them good, but the reason for buying the console in the first place had been because of that Forza Horizon trailer. But that wasn’t releasing until later that year, so Forza Motorsport 4 would have to do instead.

Now, I have to admit, I have a habit of wanting consoles for the exclusive racing games that come with them. I was already a fan of Mario Kart, and so new Nintendo consoles were purchased as a given they’d be getting a new Kart at some point – with the Wii also having the rather fun Exite Truck released near launch. The PS3 was purchased when Gran Turismo 5 released for it back in 2010, and I’d certainly had fun with it. Then came the Xbox 360 and Forza Motorsport 4, which is when I have to say was the point when Playstation started to fizzle out for me in importance. I still got the PS Vita when that launched as I wasn’t passing up on ModNation Racers [and also came to play Need For Speed Most Wanted on it], but I found myself playing on the Playstation machines less.

With that bit of history out of the way, 2012 for the Xbox 360 saw me continue to play Forza Motorsport 4 for quite some time, and when Forza Horizon released I was hooked on it. Getting lost in the Horizon Festival on the streets of Colorado and journeying through the varying races to become Festival Champion was a lot of fun. It felt like a world to get invested in, and it certainly did that. As for the other games, Kinect Sports: Season 2 was fun to play for a while, lasting just over a year of occasional play. Skyrim was bought, but didn’t get played. I’d completed the first main quest and that was it. It never got touched again. I have no idea why I didn’t latch onto it, but I did at least experience it on Switch five years later [and unfortunately now associate the game with The Brittas Empire which I always seemed to be watching while playing it].

In celebration of the Olympics coming to Britain, the London 2012 Olympics was bought. I played it more than Skyrim, but wasn’t really liking the realistic approach – especially when still enjoying the original Mario and Sonic Olympics on the Wii. The first few months of owning an Xbox 360 was spent juggling the games I had with numerous demos. I’d demoed LEGO Batman 2, Need For Speed Carbon, F1 2012, Harry Potter for Kinect, WRC 3, Damage Inc., Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes, and Sonic Adventure 1.

I had trialled Sonic Adventure 2 as well, but that was bought the next day, along with Hydro Thunder Hurricane. Any sort of racing game I can get to grips with, and this is a game I had the original of on PC. Hurricane added three new modes to the original racing formula, and while I enjoyed gauntlet and ring master, racing was still where I had the most fun – and championships meant a mix of everything would be played. As for Adventure 2, need I saying anything? One of the original games I’d had for the Gamecube, I wanted the ability to play it without the ‘cube as it was one of my favourite Sonic the Hedgehog games.

GripShift, Need For Speed Most Wanted and Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed were demoed after Forza Horizon’s release. I’d got F1 Race Stars for Christmas, and was happy with it. It combined mascot racer with the more simulation-based racers – and while there was no manual gear shifting, neither was there drifting around corners. The variety of modes was great, and for a while it was my primary-tier game for the 360.

2013 was a continuation of buying for the new console. The Sonic Adventure 2 Battle DLC was bought in the first month, along with Things on Wheels in the fourth. If you’ve seen my review of that game, you’ll know that it’s possibly one of the only games I’ve regretted buying. Perhaps wanting to take the sting off things, I upgraded that trial of GripShift to the full game. January was also the month I downloaded the Sonic Generations demo, even though I’d already got the full game on PS3. April was a pretty packed month, with not only the two previously mentioned games, but also Joy Ride Turbo, Worms: Ultimate Mayhem, Minecraft, and Sonic Unleashed, as well as the 1000 Club expansion for Forza Horizon [though admittedly that was free].

Joy Ride Turbo was a breath of air from the more realistic racing of Forza, and while I wasn’t going to be calling it a competitor to Mario Kart, it was good fun racing across the stages along with the Stunt Park mode allowing for some free-roam driving. Worms: Ultimate Mayhem was bought after a craving for some 3D Worms action, and it was quite a fun game. As ever with Worms games, it was played mostly in local multiplayer role-playing as varying created teams. Minecraft is Minecraft. I’d bought it after wanting something more than the buggy free mode the old Minecraft launcher allowed to be played. As for Sonic Unleashed, I’ll be talking about that further down.

Fable 3 was the first Games With Gold game I’d claimed, followed a month later by Defence Grid. I also finally caved and bought Sonic Generations on the 360. Crackdown was the next game claimed on Games With Gold, but I never actually played it much until recently where I ran through the entire game and had a blast with it. I seriously can’t see why it was shelved after just one play back when it first became a part of my collection, but it has certainly got me excited for the third when that finally releases. Dead Rising 2 was also claimed on Games With Gold and I bought myself Nights into Dreams to see why the game was praised as much as it was. October was quite a fun month for me, as I finally dived into F1 2013. More than that, though – Sonic 06.

I’d joined the Sonic Stadium Messageboards in 2013 to join in with the hype around Sonic Lost World, and it was on those boards that I experienced the wider Sonic franchise. It was through joining SSMB that I felt I should try out some of the Sonic the Hedgehog games I’d missed out on, as well as some of the other SEGA franchises. But while on there, I was getting an understanding of this game and the near universal dislike of it. In October of 2013, I found out a cheap copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and bought it to experience it for myself. I could understand where the dislike came from, but found myself pretty indifferent to it, and while a few of the stages were replayed every once in a while, it was quickly forgot about.

As for Sonic Unleashed, I found it slightly off-putting after Generations. Oh, I loved the larger-scaled universe the game had, exploring the varying places it had to offer. But it was the gameplay where I felt it wasn’t as great. Funnily enough, I preferred the werehog levels to the normal hedgehog dash. With those normal levels, I was always slipping up in some small way as it felt too fast for me to get to grips with. The quick-time events didn’t help things either. I definitely preferred Generations of the two, though I had at least done the duty of completing the main story of Unleashed – despite the harder difficulty in later levels.

As a birthday gift to myself to end the year off, I finally bought Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. I had played the third game while younger, and had enjoyed it. I was a big fan of Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 on the Gamecube, so some more extreme sports was always a good thing to have. Experiencing stages from the first two games was great fun, though it had obviously been quite a long time since I'd last had any time of the series. As such, it took a while to get back into it.

Now, for Christmas of 2013, I’d got a WiiU, and since I didn’t want my university room being cluttered with consoles, the choice was simple. I went with the newest one. So for 2014 and most of 2015 the only contact I had with my Xbox 360 was when back home. Instead of buying new games for it when I knew I’d be getting a few for the console I had at uni, I instead made the most of those I already had.

And that is all the experiences I had on the Xbox 360. Though of course part two will be looking at those experiences I had on the Xbox One, and there’s a lot more to tell with that, so in ten days’ time the second part will be added.