Best Xbox One Exclusives of 2018
It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best Xbox One exclusive titles of 2018. Voted on by our editors, these were the best games to release on the Xbox One that our team felt offered the very finest exclusive experiences on Microsoft’s system in 2018.
Let’s start with our runners-up, and finally, of course, our overall winner!
Second Runner-Up: State of Decay 2
Guides Editor Chris Jecks: State of Decay 2 isn’t some AAA exclusive for the Xbox One on the same level that the likes of a new Gears of War or Halo title is, but there’s still a substantial audience of zombie survival fans that were clamoring to get their hands on Undead Labs’ latest title. Building upon the success of its predecessor, State of Decay 2 largely kept things the same, with a gameplay loop that revolved heavily around gathering supplies, making upgrades, and exploring more and more of the map.
That’s not to discredit State of Decay 2, though, as there’s a real sense of accomplishment in watching your community of survivors start out from a small base with no water and power to gradually becoming a dominant force capable of quelling any threat the undead might be able to throw at you. Spending time with each of your survivors improves their stats, and each one has their own unique skills that can be handy in combat, or might unlock a new building option at your base.
It provides ample reason for you to experiment with different survivors and expand your community, while also having to worry about food, water, beds, and other amenities that they’ll be using up.
Your main task in State of Decay 2, however, is to take out the various Plague Hearts scattered around the town. These pulsating fleshy blobs, heavily guarded by the undead provide the greatest challenge to your survival and preparation skills, and you’ll need to ensure you’re well-equipped to take them on.
Sadly, State of Decay 2 was by no means a perfect sequel. There were only a smattering of unique ‘special’ zombies to keep the endless mobs of undead feel less repetitive, and its ‘epilogue-esque’ Legacy missions were somewhat underwhelming. Not to mention the rather disappointing performance issues and frequent bugs that hindered the experience at launch.
It might have been a little rough around the edges, but State of Decay 2 offered more of that tense zombie survival experience that made the first title such a beloved cult classic, and many hours of fun as a result. We can’t wait to see more Xbox One exclusives from Undead Labs in the future.
Best Xbox One Exclusives of 2018
First Runner-Up: Sea of Thieves
News Editor Giuseppe Nelva: Sea of Thieves launched with massive promise thanks to its beautiful art style and absolutely charming sailing mechanics, but received a rough welcome from many mostly due to lack of content and variety.
Yet, the good folks at Rare rolled up their sleeves and got to work on improving their new darling pirate franchise, successfully managing not only to add plenty of much-needed content, but to polish the experience to the point where it’s now one of the best pirate games of all times.
Sailing on the stormy waves of Sea of Thieves can be an amazingly relaxing experience, but things become really exciting really fast when cannonballs start being exchanged.
Sea of Thieves is one of those rare stories in which a team manages to recover really well from a rough launch, and certainly deserves praise basically in every aspect of its gameplay and presentation, from graphics to music, and art style. It’s simply a joy to play, as long as you can do it with friends.
Best Xbox One Exclusives of 2018
Winner: Forza Horizon 4
Assistant Editor Tom Hopkins: In years when Halo and Gears of War are absent, the Forza family of titles leads the line when it comes to Xbox One exclusives. The Motorsport games set the pace when it comes to simulation racers, but 2018 was Horizon’s year and it stood out as the best that Microsoft’s console had to offer this year.
Horizon 4 took the series to Great Britain, with you being able to tear across an approximation of northern England and the Edinburgh area, and seasons were introduced. No longer an exclusively summer festival, Horizon is now spread over an entire year, with snow, falling leaves, and mud impacting the layout of a race and the handling of your car. It adds an impressive amount of variety to the racing and visuals in what is an already beautiful game. Horizon 4’s version of Spring is easily one of the most beautiful settings on the Xbox One.
Elsewhere, though, Forza Horizon 4 is the open world racing masterclass you’d expect it to be. The cars feel wonderful as you fling them around tight corners and over hills, and there’s a lot of variety in event types.
It’s the showcase events that stand out, though. When everything comes together —the speed, the pulsating music, the beautiful scenery, and the cinematic presentation— it feels like Forza Horizon 4 is almost showing off. It does everything better than any other open world racer, and it knows it. It’s an incredible experience at times and easily Xbox One’s best exclusive of 2018.
