Team Talk: What’s the most anticipated Xbox Series X|S exclusive?

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It’s finally here, the next generation of gaming beckons us all – whether you’ve decided to jump in already or not – with a world of new possibilities. Some of us haven’t been lucky enough to grab a new console (or two) just yet, so we’re looking ahead to the exclusive gaming experiences we can expect from this new hardware, starting with Xbox Series X|S.

While the launch day lineup might not be blockbuster, Microsoft has made no secret of the fact it’s bought up studios left and right; 14 world-class developers, including Bethesda, now comprise Xbox Game Studios.

There’s a few games in the works we already know about, so which are the ones to get most excited about? We’ve picked our favourites, but leave yours in the comments.

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by James Michael Parry

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@James_Parry

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by Team PTC

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@pass_controller

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James | Halo Infinite

While 12 Minutes is the game I’m the most intrigued by, and the “atmospheric” Scorn looks really interesting (but perhaps a bit too spooky), it’s the prospect of another adventure with Master Chief and Cortana which I’m most excited by.

Playing Halo 3 at a friend’s house (or, more accurately, university room) was my first brush with the Xbox 360, and even led to me picking up the console in the first place. It seems only fitting that the adventures of John 117 would pull me into the next generation, then.

Realistically, there’s certainly more third-party games which I’m excited for, but today we’re looking at what Xbox has on offer in particular, and the decision to push Infinite back from launching alongside the console can’t have been easy. Here’s hoping it was for the right reasons, and our patience will be rewarded.

It’s definitely a “safe” choice, but I’m happy with a bit of familiarity, providing there’s a few fresh ideas thrown in here and there. Like a warm space blanket, a linear, well thought-out story campaign with visually stunning and memorable set pieces will be very welcome.

Unlike a lot of shooters, there isn’t usually a huge learning curve with the Halo series either, so I expect to be able to get into it fairly easily and feel immersed, and who doesn’t want that? The fact it’ll be presented at a painfully high pixel count and frame rate is just a bonus.

A shield is basically a giant space blanket.

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Sam | Fable

The lack of a new Fable game during the Xbox One generation is a travesty. Well, in actuality, that isn’t strictly true. Fable Fortune was a respectable CCG from Mediatonic (Fall Guys) that saw the light of day, but it isn’t really what fans wanted.

Neither was Fable: Legends, which I had the opportunity to play before it was axed. It wasn’t great, though series custodians Lionhead didn’t deserve to go down with the ship. With the developers disbanded, for years it looked like we may never get the proper continuation that the franchise deserved.

Step in British developer Playground Games, best known for their work on the Forza Horizon series. Although crafting an RPG is a massive departure from building racing titles, the team’s consistent track record for delivering on quality helps to mitigate any concerns.

As I get older RPGs become less and less appealing. They tend to require a huge time and energy commitment, plus are more often than not overly long and po-faced. It’s one of the reasons I still haven’t played The Witcher 3 and that Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t get me hot under the collar. A new Fable on Xbox Series X|S could (and should) be the antidote to that.

Is that a river, or a racetrack? Who knows!

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Liam | Microsoft Flight Simulator

I do enjoy a good flying game, so I’m pretty excited for the console release of what could be considered the flying game: Microsoft Flight Simulator.

As much as love taking down capital ships in Star Wars Squadrons or battling drones in Ace Combat 7, it’s easy to forget that simply cruising around the skies can be just as rewarding as any thrilling dogfight. Flight Simulator looks like it could be the ultimate chill out game, letting you cruise around the world at your leisure in a variety of aircraft.

Even though there’s a plethora of exotic destinations on offer, in a weird way I’m most looking forward to simulating shorter, more familiar commutes, such as London Gatwick to Amsterdam, a journey I undertook many times over the years. It’ll certainly be interesting to see the journey from the pilot’s perspective, for once.

Although there’s no release date, or even a release window, for that matter, Microsoft Flight Simulator is supposedly coming to an Xbox near you at some point in the near future, and I for one am greatly looking forward to it.

Short-haul flights are a lot more fun when you're in the pilot's seat (we hope).

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What's your most anticipated Xbox Series X|S exclusive? Let us know below.