5 Most Underrated Xbox One Games in 2019

2019 has seen a wealth of great games released for the Xbox One, from stellar action titles like Devil May Cry 5 to engrossing new looter-shooters like The Division 2. With the flood of games we’ve been getting in recent years, though, some titles get overlooked, and 2019 is no different. Here are five underrated Xbox One games in 2019 that you might want to check out.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition was an easy game to overlook in January, due to the colossal RPG that released just two weeks later, Kingdom Hearts 3. You shouldn’t let Vesperia pass you by, however, as it’s easily one of the best JRPGs of the last decade.

Vesperia’s cast of characters break from the typical JRPG mold, starting with its main character Yuri Lowell. Instead of the usual bright-eyed youth, Yuri is a bit of a vigilante who’s willing to do whatever he needs to in order to see justice served, even if that means murder.

Combat is fast-paced and frantic, letting you control any of the game’s party members directly, each of which play completely different. The Definitive Edition of the game brings a ton of extra content over the original Xbox 360 release, including a brand new main characters, new story beats and cutscenes, new dungeons, new artes, and much more.

JRPGs are a bit slim pickings on Xbox One these days, but you can’t go wrong with Tales of Vesperia, especially since the game already has a history on Microsoft consoles.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Another game that got passed over a bit at the beginning of this year is Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, a great entry in the flight/dogfighting sim series. The flight mechanics of Ace Combat 7 are what really makes the game shine, as everything just feels so good to control.

The game tells a harrowing story of two countries at war, blurring the lines between good and evil. So much of Ace Combat 7 harkens back to past Ace Combat games, bringing back the look and feel that fans fell in love with.

Of course, graphically the franchise has made huge strides, and the level of detail in each aircraft is almost absurd. In our own review of the game we gave it high marks with a 4.5/5 score, finding both the campaign’s variety and the intensity of multiplayer to be exciting.

Ace Combat 7’s aerial dogfights are a far cry from anything else that’s released this year, and it might just be a refreshing change for you to play.

Wargroove

Wargroove is a brilliant little strategy game that you might have missed earlier this year,  but you really shouldn’t. If you’re familiar with the Nintendo strategy series Advance Wars, then you’ll immediately be familiar with the style of Wargroove.

Whether you’re playing campaign or multiplayer, each battle has you playing from a top-down grid-based view. Each army has a hero unit, but you’ll need to capture buildings and produce units to battle the enemy. The tactical gameplay is smartly designed, and the cartoony style works wonders for everything, with slick sprites and animations.

The campaign of Wargroove is surprisingly fun, telling the story of Mercia, a young princess of Cherrystone who becomes queen after her father is killed by the Felheim Legion. There’s plenty of content to dig into between the story, challenge maps, multiplayer, and more.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Another genre that’s not exactly flooding the Xbox One is visual novels, but a trio of the finest visual novels out there recently landed on the system.

The legendary Phoenix Wright franchise follows a defense attorney by the same name, as he defends practically hopeless suspects in court, proving through often ridiculous means that they aren’t the perpetrators of their crimes.

Each Phoenix Wright game is split into a number of cases, four cases in each of the original trilogy games. During the first half of each case you’ll to travel around the scene of the crime and other areas, gathering clues and talking to witnesses in order to build your case.

Then the real fun starts with the courtroom proceedings. As things play out you’ll need to present evidence, find contradictions in testimonies, and of course, object. The cases and stories in Phoenix Wright are consistently funny and entertaining, due to some snappy writing and the absurd off-the-wall anime characters.

Phoenix Wright games are much more involved than your typical visual novel, and the courtroom drama is unlike anything else you can find in video games. Even better, the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy gives you three stellar games in one.

My Time At Portia

Stardew Valley took the world by storm when it released a few years ago, and fans have been desperate for similar experiences ever since. While it may not hit the same heights, My Time at Portia is a great farming/sim experience if you’re hungry for that.

The game has you traveling to the small town of Portia, in order to take over and restore your father’s derelict workshop. You’ll need to collect resources to rebuild the workshop as you establish and run your own farm, get to know the locals, explore dangerous cave networks and more.

My Time at Portia is heavily inspired by anime like the Studio Ghibli films, and the stylized graphics really work for it. Of course, the residents of Portia are all incredibly quirky too, and there are some fun stories to uncover as you get to know everyone better.

There’s a definite lack of polish that holds My Time at Portia back in a lot of regards, but its charm and engrossing gameplay loop is enough to get you invested for hours on end.

Are there any other underrated Xbox One games you think haven’t gotten their due in 2019? Leave a comment below and let us know.