Launch games can make or break a consoles entire life cycle, since making a strong first impression is a big deal. When it comes to rocky launches, it's hard to not immediately think of the Xbox One. Between the wholly rejected online-only format that was pitched, the high cost and forced inclusion of the Kinect.
In addition to that, the launch line-up for the Xbox One was also not particularly strong, not having any must-have exclusives to really move units at launch. Some of the best games to be included in the line-up are third party games available on all platforms.
10 Killer Instinct (73)
One of three Xbox exclusives on the list, Killer Instinct is known to be a quality fighting game currently, but that's only after years of updates and additions. Its free-to-play model similar to some MOBAs didn't sit well with fighting purists and the game was pretty barebones with features.
In a similar vein to most "games-as-service" that release, it continued to gain moment and quality over time but that doesn't move consoles on launch day.
9 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (74)
LEGO games are fairly consistent in their quality, always being good but not great. That rings true for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes the first time the LEGO team got to use the Marvel license and they nailed it. Combining every aspect of the full Marvel universe, X-Men and Spider-man included, to tell a semi-original story.
The LEGO games based on expansive universes usually do a good job of including as many possible characters, popular or not. The games aren't particularly difficult nor are the puzzles very interesting but the writing and characters are enough to be interesting.
8 Need for Speed: Rivals (75)
The twentieth game in the series Need for Speed: Rivals was the first for the new console generation and one of the most recent games to actually have a positive reception. The main appeal of the series in recent years is the use of police presence in the game.
Players can experience races as both racers, trying not only to win but to also avoid being caught by the police, but also play as the police, trying to stop racers with a variety of methods and traps. Both modes have full career progression, unlocking better cars and harder races.
7 Call of Duty: Ghosts (78)
Fans of the series will tell you that Call of Duty: Ghosts was an off-year for the series, but even an off-year for Call of Duty is usually pretty solid. The game had a very lackluster campaign, rehashing most of its themes and ideas from its predecessors.
However, the next-gen multiplayer and brand new extinction mode brought some freshness to the series that kept this title from being all bad. The extinction mode took the zombies formula and changed it to be linear levels with aliens.
6 Dead Rising 3 (78)
Dead Rising 3 deserves far more respect than it gets. Dead Rising 3 strikes an excellent balance between the fun nonsense of killing zombies from the first two games while also still having the option for the hardcore time-based mode.
The game got some knocks for being fairly casual, making the timed mode optional instead of forced like the previous games but there shouldn't be any issues with there being more options. The story is enjoyable, in the aggressively serious style that Dead Rising usually has.
5 Forza Motorsport 5 (79)
The first of many Forza games to appear on the Xbox One, Forza 5 was the first next-gen racer for the platform. The game was an extremely polished and detailed racing simulator, which was fantastic for a few and a bit tedious for most.
The game features many tracks and cars in a long career mode spanning a wide variety of car categories. The issue is that the game wasn't very enjoyable for people who prefer a more casual racing experience, like the one offered in the Forza Horizon series. The game was a good launch title but not much else.
4 Battlefield 4 (81)
Battlefield 4 had the tough job of following up the beloved Battlefield 3 and the added pressure of being next-gen. Battlefield 4 did an excellent job of improving upon the majority of multiplayer features of the previous game and delivered an enjoyable, if not great, campaign. However, the game's online modes were plagued with issues at launch and for a long time after.
The issues were os aggressive and the response by EA was so lackluster that it actually led to a class-action lawsuit against the company, although it never led to anything. The game was riddled with bugs across all modes and platforms.
3 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (86)
One of the more popular entries in the series, Black Flag did a complete 180 on the depressing and angry tale told in Assassin's Creed III with a swashbuckling adventure. The game took the ship mechanics from the previous game and transition that into the main focus, letting players sail across the high seas taking down templars. Edward Kenway was a far more fun character (not having a tragic backstory probably helped) and the game really embraced the pirate theme, with shanties and crew members galore.
The game also toned down the modern-day aspect, restricting to only a handful of first-person instances. The game was also the last to feature a competitive multiplayer mode.
2 NBA 2K14 (86)
Most years the difference between the new NBA 2K game and last years is the roster and story mode, with not much upgrade in graphics and gameplay.
That isn't true for the first game on new consoles though, utilizing the power jump to give the graphics and gameplay a big overhaul, even with the game still releasing on the previous generation as well. The game also featured a deep career mode, full of cutscenes and story that made your player feel more like a rookie than some avatar being used to play basketball.
1 FIFA 14 (88)
Another sports game taking advantage of the power of the new consoles, FIFA 14 was the highest-rated launch title for the Xbox One. The game utilized the new power to bring the players to life and give stadiums more atmosphere.
While FIFA is never shy about putting their games on any console that exists, that doesn't mean it's popularity is unearned. The game is unrivaled in the soccer simulation genre.