We’ve spent plenty of time with a handful of Xbox Series X launch titles and here’s what we thought of them.
After years of anticipation, the Xbox Series X finally releases globally on November 10. So, if you’ve already got your Xbox Series X pre-order in, the first thing you’re probably going to do before your shiny new system arrives is to check out some of the Xbox Series X launch titles on offer. At first glance, the Xbox Series X launch games lineup isn’t hugely compelling. Mostly made up of optimized Xbox One games and third-party titles available on other platforms, we’re a bit disappointed by the launch lineup – and no doubt will be utilizing our Xbox Game Pass subscriptions to cushion the blow. However, we’ve had plenty of time to test out a handful of Xbox Series X launch titles that you’ll be able to play on November 10, all of which are optimized for the new Xbox. Unfortunately, some of the confirmed Xbox launch titles were not available to us at the time of testing or hadn’t undergone their final optimizations. So read on for our Xbox Series X launch lineup impressions. We’ll be updating this piece ahead of launch with more impressions as we get our hands on more games. Smart Delivery The Falconeer is a game you’ll either love or hate. The air combat game sees you taking on the role of a Falconeer, who soars the skies on a powerful Warbird, as they explore the secrets, and take part in brutal dogfights, throughout the pirate-fantasy open-world of The Great Ursee. The Falconeer looks absolutely stunning on Xbox Series X and is capable of hitting a wonderfully smooth 120fps at 1080p or 4K at 60fps.120fps is flawless and sees you cutting through the skies like a hot knife through butter – which is key in a fast-paced title such as that. In addition, the drop in resolution for 120fps capability isn’t particularly that noticeable – and simply downgrades the really sharp detail in the visuals. However, if you haven’t got a display with 120fps capabilities, you’ll be more than happy with 4K at 60fps. While The Falconeer looks and performs brilliantly, we did find ourselves bored with the gameplay – it’s like a never-ending Spyro flying level. We also found that there was little in the way of clarity of how the likes of Factions and classes work. This may be down to personal preference, but we felt it certainly didn’t feel like it should be a launch title for a next-gen console. Smart Delivery and Xbox Game Pass Gears 5 is yet another Xbox One title that’s been optimized for the Xbox Series X – in fact, all the games on this list have. You can check out our Gears 5 review for our thoughts on the game’s campaign and multiplayer but here we’re just going to focus on its performance on Xbox Series X.
