10 Xbox One games that were held back by the hardware

January 24, 2021

News Highlights: 10 Xbox One games that were held back by the hardware

With the Xbox Series X here, with a new generation of games that will blow the mind, now is a good time to go back and analyze the Xbox One’s library. Suffice it to say, unlike the previous generation of the Xbox 360, Microsoft struggled to keep it afloat.

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Fortunately, they discovered the power of free games through subscriptions that ultimately helped their sinking ship with Xbox Game Pass. So, what were some of the console’s problems with game graphics? There are many reasons why some of these titles failed to reach a wider audience and thus were, in a sense, held back on the Xbox One.

10 Control

Control was a runaway hit for Remedy Entertainment and even got some Game of the Year nominations when it launched. This is despite the fact that it works poorly on both Xbox One and the PS4. However, the developers have released a “next-gen” version with updated graphics. This did not come for free to people who already had the game.

The new addition should hopefully run better on the current generation of consoles. But overall, a lot of fans felt like this was a PC game when it launched. The frame rate alone, despite numerous patches, is unlikely to be completely resolved.

9 Cyberpunk 2077

The most infamous game at the moment is Cyberpunk 2077, which runs even worse than Control on the last generation consoles. Fortunately, the Xbox One and PS4 versions work better on the new hardware, but they are still well below what the PC version can do.

These versions should just have been delayed further as it is clear that even current generation consoles cannot and will not be able to use them anytime soon. Even with all the patches in the world, it is hard to imagine CD Projekt Red solving all of the latest generation performance issues.

Crackdown 3

When the Xbox One was unveiled in 2013, Microsoft had a clear goal. They wanted TV integration and online connectivity as an important feature. Since Sony trumps them at their E3 show, Microsoft had to reverse some things.

RELATED: 10 Hidden Gems That Came to Xbox Game Pass in 2020 (And Their Metacritic Scores)

When Crackdown 3 was created, they developed it with the Cloud in mind. This would have helped Crackdown 3 and watched the destruction of the world. Due to hardware limitations, the idea was dropped. What was launched was certainly held back by the empty promises of the Xbox One.

Quantum Break

Speaking of that TV integration with Remedy Entertainment, for this game the TV show was built next to the game. However, the TV division was pulled out of marketing soon after launch, and what’s left in the game is choppy.

Clearly, the team had other ideas in mind. The game is clearly quite an undertaking already, but without that extra component, it falls a bit flat. This feels like yet another instance where Microsoft shot itself in the foot and the bullet bounced off other developers.

6 D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die

The failure of this game could sort of target Microsoft and the Xbox One. In fact, this was planned as an episodic series exclusive for the console. However, it only got two episodes, and the series takes off on a massive cliffhanger.

Part of the reason development went on hold may be due to Microsoft cutting off the Kinect market. It’s a shame for Director Suehiro (known as SWERY) and his Access Games team. At least since then he’s gone on to do even more things, like the surprise sequel that no one saw coming last year: Deadly Premonition 2.

5 Halo Wars 2

Halo Wars 2 has been rated pretty well on the Xbox One despite its control scheme. Both titles in the series are RTS games that don’t require much management like others in the Halo franchise. This makes it easier to navigate for console players.

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While not as annoying as it could be, RTS games work much better with a mouse and keyboard. No matter how many times they’re pushed, the RTS genre just doesn’t belong on consoles. However, the events of Halo Wars 2 DO matter for the upcoming Halo Infinite story.

4 Sunset Overdrive

Since 1996 with the release of Disruptor on PS1, Insomniac Games has always been seen as a PlayStation developer. Fun fact: they were only officially acquired in 2019. The studio did try to work on third-party projects here and there. But it seems like every time they parted ways with a PlayStation exclusive, things went bad.

If Subset Overdrive had been released on the PS4 instead of the Xbox One, a sequel might have already been made. Microsoft fans (and maybe Microsoft marketing) just weren’t aware of this game.

3 Phantasy Star Online 2

This game originally launched in Japan in 2012 for the PS Vita. While it has been upgraded and remains a fantastic game, it is being held back on the Xbox One. In fact, the thing holding back this game is just time.

Yes, it’s great that Phantasy Star Online 2 has finally come to North America after eight years of Japanese exclusivity. Better yet – it’s free to play too. The problem is this game looks and feels extremely outdated as if it was released in 2012 and oh wait, it was. It’s still fun today, but releasing it on the Xbox One in 2020 hasn’t helped the game’s reception.

Shape up

Another game that suffered because Microsoft Kinect was cut off was Shape Up. Long before Nintendo got big with Ring Fit Adventure, Ubisoft debuted with the exclusive Shape Up for Xbox. It was another early attempt to play sports and sports.

RELATED: Ranked Every Exclusive Game That Came to Xbox Game Pass in 2020

Because it was exclusive to the system and because the Kinects were disbanded, hardly anyone played it. Had it not been exclusive, maybe this could have turned into a series or at least been better remembered.

1 Project Spark

Project Spark was the Microsoft version of LittleBigPlanet or Super Mario Maker. Having no affiliation with any major franchise, it was released with a wail in 2014 and quietly closed before it could even begin.

There was some kind of name associated with Conker de Eekhoorn, but it was hardly a band. From those who played it, the tools were fun and had a nice mix of simple and complex. The problem was, the public and Microsoft’s business support just wasn’t there on Xbox One.

NEXT: The 10 Best RPGs Added to Xbox Game Pass Games in 2020 (According to Metacritic)

Next Skyrim: 10 of the Best Utility Mods, Ranked

About the author

Tristan Jurkovich (650 articles published)

Tristan Jurkovich started his career as a journalist in 2011. His childhood love for video games and writing fuels his passion for archiving the annals of this great medium. He is involved in every genre, but he is especially fond of RPGs and portables. Secretly, he enjoys the Just Dance series a little too much. Aside from writing, Tristan also hosts a plethora of shows on his YouTube channel, ReActionExaminer.

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10 Xbox One games that were held back by the hardware

News Highlights: 10 Xbox One games that were held back by the hardware

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