Xbox One – First Week Impressions

So it has now been just over a week since my Xbox One was delivered (at 6pm…boy oh boy was that a loooonnggg day!), and I’ve had enough time on each game and the system itself to be able to give my first thoughts on them all. Full reviews on each of the games will be coming in the following weeks once we’ve been able to play them more/get acceptably decent at them.

The Console:

Big is beautiful

It had been well-documented far before launch about the size of the Xbox One compared to both the 360 and its rival the PS4, so it was no surprise to see the size of the box that was delivered by my friendly courier. Despite its larger size, the console is actually fairly pretty to look it, in a kind of “I know I’m big but I work it” kind of way. The only odd bit is that there are no USB ports on the front of the console, only 2 on the back and one strangely on the side, which makes plugging in a plug-and-play USB slightly frustrating.

Da

The controller, again, is slightly larger but fits really comfortably into your hands. The Xbox 360 controller was fantastic, so it’s no surprise Microsoft has opted for evolution over revolution here. So far I have absolutely nothing to complain about the controller – a good controller should make you forget that it’s even there while you play, and this does.

Kinect:

#bananaforscale

It’s no secret that Kinect 1.0 was a bit of (read: massive) let-down. It was laggy, inconsistent and assumed everybody lived in a massive warehouse where space wasn’t an issue. The Kinect 2.0 is, firstly, a slightly bigger camera – so much so I can’t put it on top of my TV like before, but have to put it in front, which had me slightly worried to begin with. This worry was unfounded however, as everything I’ve done with Kinect so far, which admittedly is mainly limited to a few Jet Ski races, has been fast, responsive, consistent and all within the confines of my very non-warehouse-esque lounge. I’m really looking forward to seeing what can be made of this device now that developers know every owner has one. As it stands, signing-in automatically when you sit on the sofa because the Kinect recognises you both with and without your glasses is a small but fantastic feature.

Another feature that comes along with the Kinect is voice commands. I honestly wasn’t expecting to use this a lot, I’m a sucker for just using the controller for everything like I always have. However, I’ve found myself using the voice commands more and more, especially to use the increasingly useful Snap feature, which is very handy for recording game clips or to (try to) manage your party. It also feels like the Xbox is beginning to “learn” my voice and respond more consistently – although how much this is me learning how to actually say things remains to be seen, but the experience is definitely becoming more consistent over time.

UI:

The familiar panel interface is used for the Xbox One UI, which works as expected and is fairly straight-forward. What hasn’t worked quite so well, however, is the Friends/Party system. This system was near-perfect on 360 – you were alerted when your friends came online, could easily invite them to a Party, invite them to your game session or join theirs, or happily play other games whilst chatting away about everything and nothing (mainly nothing). This appears to have been done away with completely on Xbox One – and Parties now appear to be game-centric, leading to issues when you want to play other games, and you are no longer alerted when your friends come online (which makes you questions the use of being able to “favourite” certain friends?), and trying to invite friends to a session in progress is nigh on impossible. It seems the Party-system has been built around a specific scenario (bunch of friends who all want to play the same game which has a lobby-section which blends well with the party system), and falls apart hopelessly when anything else is asked of it. This is a massive disappointment, as it was one of the things that made the 360 so perfect for what I, and most other people, wanted to use it for: Playing the games we wanted while chatting to friends playing the games they wanted to play.

I have seen online that Microsoft are looking into this – so hopefully there will be a fix in the not too distant future.

The Games:

I’ll now give a quick run-down of each game I got at launch and have been able to put some decent time into (sorry Kinect Sports Rivals and Killer Instinct – this means you’re out for now!), along with some videos I recorded in-game using the exceedingly easy to use Game DVR feature. This is a feature I am quickly coming to love, and I can’t wait until Twitch streaming is enabled. Brings a new dimension to your gaming.

Forza 5 (to be reviewed by Dave):

What an absolutely beautiful game. It’s actually fairly difficult to drive sometimes because you find yourself just looking around at the other cars and the scenery, dangerous. Also, only needing to get in the top 3 to earn a gold medal is an excellent tweak – it encourages you to ramp up the difficulty as get involved in some really close-fought races as opposed to dialling it down to ensure the victory.

The introduction to each league/car by one of the three Top Gear presenters is a stroke of genius, and adds not only some comedy to the game but also their sheer enthusiasm and clear love of cars, it really makes you excited to drive the cars yourself. Below is a video of Richard Hammond introducing a Classic Hatchback league, and my choice of car:

 

The gameplay is as tight as ever, and with damage on really makes you think about your braking zones etc, and check your perhaps overly-aggressive driving. Or, as this video shows of my first race in the Classic Hatchback league at Laguna Seca, it may not…and then your car will constantly want to turn to the right for the rest of the race:

 

And then there are the Drivatars. These are fantastic! Not only does it give you a more varied opposition as opposed to the racing-line-only AI of the past, there’s something exhilarating about racing someone you know personally to the line. Here is the end to the Laguna Seca race above, where I am pipped to the line by Ryan McCaffrey from IGN (ScorchedPhoenix):

 

I can’t wait to spend more time with this game.

FIFA 14 (to be reviewed by Mike):

Playing as Dagenham & Redbridge in this game is a bit of a chore. Which is actually a compliment to FIFA – as it forces me to play like a League 2 side might where you can’t play the short-passing, one-touch football of Barcelona, but instead whack a big man up front and launch the ball at him.

When you play as a better team (so, basically, any other team), FIFA is a joy to play, feeling a lot more dynamic and fluid than previous titles. The fully animated crowd makes a huge difference also.

Below are a couple of videos of goals I scored with the Daggers, about the only moments of class I’ve managed to get out of them so far!

 

Call of Duty: Ghosts (to be reviewed as a Squad):

Over the years Call of Duty games have lost their appeal to me somewhat, as getting repeatedly shot in the head by a 12 year old kind of grows old after a while. However, I must say I’m quite enjoying this instalment. It feels very smooth, and I think I’ll be spending most of my time on Squads mode, where I can keep the insanely-quick-reflexes of youngsters to a minimum, and get to blame AI bots for my ineptitude instead.

Extinction mode, a Hoard-esque game, also seems fairly interesting, but I’ve yet to play enough to even understand all of the mechanics, let alone make a judgement on it.

Below is a video of the Squad game mode Safeguard – where you have to survive waves of ever-increasing enemies. You can see why 12 year olds don’t have much problem killing me…

 

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag (to be reviewed by Rob):

This is the game I’ve spent least time with so far, but what I’ve played so far has really impressed me, and I’ve heard good things from Rob who has played it more extensively (and will be writing the review). I’m really looking forward to getting on a ship and exploring the map, which seems to be huge! Just exploring the town of Havana has kept me occupied for the few hours I’ve played, so I think this is a game I can safely sink a hefty number of hours into in the long-run.

Below is a video of my very limited Assassin ability (I really need to learn which walls I can jump up…), and securing a pirate for my crew by saving him from Spanish soldiers. You’re welcome matey.

 

All-in-all, I’m loving the Xbox One at the moment, and can’t wait to delve into the games some more. Now Microsoft just need to fix the Party/Friends issues and get Twitch streaming live and they’re on to a winner!