Game Suggestions for new XBOX One owners

For those of you that were lucky enough to get an XBOX One for Christmas you're probably wondering what games you should pick up. I've put a list together of some of the games I've enjoyed, and categorized them by their kid friendliness. All of these games look great, and work without any real issues.

Also, in addition to the games below, I'd recommend picking up an XBOX Gold membership, which allows you to play multiplayer online, with free bonus games each month (Games with Gold).



Family Friendly:

Rayman Legends

 Rayman Legends is a 2D platforming game (think Sonic the Hedgehog or Mario) by UbiSoft. It supports 1-4 players. You can play cooperatively or play the vs mode which is based on Soccer.

Going through the levels in this game really has a flow to it. If you play well, you'll run, jump, and bounce through the level it a sort of rhythm. One of my favorite thing about this game are the music levels. There are series of levels that have you hitting buttons along to the beat of popular music. Another thing I really liked about the game is that it includes levels from Rayman Origins (the previous game in the series), so it's kind of like getting two games in one.

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Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2 by Playground Games is an open world arcade type racing game, that allows you to drive around the map choosing different races, or just playing around. The game is set in a fictional European map, where the locations are based on southern France and northern Italy. You'll race along the coastline, through an old town/cities, and open country, all of which look beautiful.

One thing I like about the game is that your car, and your friends' cars are always online racing. MS uses its servers to drive your car around, while simulating your driving style, so others, including your friends, can challenge you at anytime, even when you're not playing. If your car wins any races while you're away, you'll earn credits that you can use to purchase additional cars.

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Plants VS Zombies Garden Warfare

Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare by Pop Cap games is a an online shooting game (in a third person perspective). This multiplayer game allows you to play on a team of humorous plants vs zombies, or vice versa. Even though the game seems cartoony it does provide a good deal of depth, and with all of the unlockable character accessories (clothes, hats, etc.) and gestures it's something that you or your kids will play for a long time.

The game features a cooperative mode (Xbox One only) & competitive multiplayer modes:

• Welcome Mat: A playlist consisting of Team Vanquish featuring one map and no customization. It is aimed towards new players, but it is available to all players regardless of rank.
• Garden Ops: A cooperative mode where up to four players take control of each of the plants defending a garden through ten zombie waves, with the fifth and tenth waves being boss waves represented by a slot machine either spawning 1-3 bosses, a jackpot, tombstones or a Super Boss.
• Team Vanquish: A team deathmatch variant, where two teams representing plants and zombies fight against each other to take down opponents.
• Vanquish Confirmed: A game mode where players must collect orbs from fallen opponents to receive credit.
• Gardens and Graveyards: A game mode where players either capture (as zombies) or defend (as plants) various objectives. 
• Gnome Bomb: A game mode where players attempt to secure a bomb (strapped to the back of a hapless gnome) and detonate at various bases.
• Classic Team Vanquish: Team Vanquish with no customization.
• Classic Gardens and Graveyards: Gardens and Graveyards with no customization.
• Mixed Mode: A playlist where each game mode is used interchangeably. It will be one mode with either zombies or plants. Then the next mode played right after will be the same mode along with the same map only the player will be using the opposite character team from before. 
• Suburbination: A domination variant, where the objective is to capture three areas, A, B, and C in the map.
• Taco Bandits: A capture the flag variant, where the zombies must steal a taco from Crazy Dave's taco stand and bring it to a UFO (The plants have improved defenses).

One bit of warning regarding this game, this is an online game so if you don't want others chatting with your children, you'll have to set their account settings to prevent voice or text chat, otherwise you can mute all of those in the lobby.

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Not for kids so much:

Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct by Double Helix (season one) and Iron Galaxy (season two) for Xbox One is a reboot of the series. This is a arcade fighting game, think Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, which has a focus on combination (combo) based gameplay. One of the things I enjoy about this game is that players can  hit opponents with large numbers of moves creating one hundred plus hit combos which can look like a flurry of action. There are combo-breakers if you're on the receiving end so you don't have to wait for your opponent to finish pummeling you before you can respond. Another key feature of the game is an Ultra-combo which is only available when your opponent is close to losing, allowing you to win a match with style.

The game currently features twelve characters, eight from season one, and four from season two (four more are scheduled to be released for season two) with one additional character exclusive for Gold subscribers. The character designs is something else I really like about the current Killer Instinct. The characters range from a werewolf, to cyborg, to alien ice creature, to a genetically modified dinosaur, and more.

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Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive by Insomniac Games is a third person action game exclusive for Xbox One. Set in 2027, in the fictional open world metropolis called Sunset City, players control a fully customizable FizzCo employee who fights the OD, humans transformed into mutants after consuming an energy drink. Players wall-run, use zip-lines, and grind rails to swiftly navigate through Sunset City, and have a large weapon arsenal to use in action.

Playing the game really brings back the fun I had with Jet Grind Radio (Jet Set Radio in non-US territories). Travelling from one point of the map to another is half the fun of the game. By making normal everyday objects either grindable, bounceable, or wall-runable? you can look around your environment and quickly decide how you circle enemies or move on to the next mission.

The crazy weapons they developers have put into the game is half the fun of this game as well. You have guns like TnTeddy which is a stuffed teddy bear taped to some dynamite that has a very high rate of damage, and direct hits against most enemies will cause huge explosions, taking out anyone caught in the blast. The Roman Candle not shoots a rapid amount of ammo in a short amount of time but every bullet is a firework, which fills the screen with colorful explosions as it ignites enemies.

The light-hearted tone of the game, and its ability to laugh at itself is also half the fun of this game. That's 1 1/2 as much fun as any other action game you may have played! This game may be played by younger ones if you enable the language filter, & turn off the gore.

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For more mature games, well adults at least:

RYSE: Son of Rome

Ryse: Son of Rome by Crytek allows you to fulfill any desire you've ever had to know what it feels like to be a gladiator. This third person action game is two things, beautiful, and violent. This game came out at Xbox One's launch, and it's still considered one of the best looking games. This game also allows you to hack apart several other gladiators in a colosseum or barbarians in a dark forest.

The gameplay consist of sword & shield melee combat. You'll use standard sword attacks, and shield bashes to setup enemies for graphic finishing moves. These finishing moves can be your viewing pleasure only, if you do not enter any of the quick time event style button prompts, but if you do you can gain additional health, experience or other bonuses to help you in the game.

There are two modes to the game. There is a single player story mode, and there is a 1 to 2 player multiplayer (MP) mode where you fight to kill waves of foes, and complete objectives, before reaching the end of a match. In MP you start as a new gladiator but if you fight well in the arena you can earn money to unlock additional armor, weapons, and other accessories, that will aid you as you complete the other MP maps.

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Wolfenstein: The New Order

Wolfenstein The New Order by MachineGames in many ways tries to take the first person shooter back to its running and gunning roots, but it does give you the option of sneaking around as well. The gameplay allows you to use your knife, firearms (you can dual wield every gun), explosives, and even an mech of sorts to get past enemies. There are unlockable modes which add replay value, but for me, the ability to fight enemies head on, or stealthily kill them really made it fun to go back through the game.

Another thing I really liked is that this is one of those games where the developer didn't have to worry about story, but they did, and I have to say that I enjoyed that element of the game. Set in alternative history 1960s Europe in a world where the Nazis won the Second World War, the single-player story follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz and his efforts to stop the Nazis rule over the world. Usually making Nazis your enemy is reason enough to want to wipe them out, but they really do a good job of making you hate them, and the main antagonist Deathshead. When the game is over you'll be glad you took him out, and that you played the game.

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Dead Rising 3

Dead Rising 3 by Capcom Vancouver is a third person perspective action game, set in open world packed full of the undead. The gameplay consist of using melee weapons, and vehicles to kill large numbers of enemies while you complete story based objectives, in order to resolve the mystery of the outbreak, and escape the city with whoever you can save.

DR3 is similar to Sunset Overdrive, in that you're able to explore a large city filled with enemies, and you can use crazy weapons to kill the infected, but there are some differences, like a more serious take on the apocalypse, which is why I felt it should be included. The protagonist of this story is Nick Santos, a mechanic in the city of Los Perdidos. 

As a mechanic, Nick is able to make combo-weapons, using items you find around the city. These are the kind of weapons that you'd never see in AMC's hit show, for example you can build a robot bear using a big stuffed teddy bear, and a machine gun, jazz-hands using a combination of MMA gloves and a hand gun, or a laser sword using a flashlight and gems.

Another difference is in how you move around the city. Unlike SO you don't grind, bounce, or wall run across the city, instead you drive around in standard motorcycles, cars, and trucks, or custom zombie killing machines that Nick can put together. There is a variety of combo-vehicles, for example one of my favorites, the RollerHawg, which Nick creates by combining a motorcycle and a steamroller.

Another important feature of the game is that you can save random civilians you come across, and then have them come along with you, providing support via any weapons you equip them with. You can have several AI team mates in a posse, and they'll even get into a vehicle with you, provided there is enough room. 

One of the reasons why I believe this game isn't for children is because the bosses of this game are themed after the 7 deadly sins, and there is one boss themed after Lust, so there is a sexual element to his insanity, and there are some sex themed weapons in the game.

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