In this feature, we’ll be taking a look at fifteen such disappointing Xbox One exclusives- note that some of these games have been improved significantly since launch thanks to updates, and that we’re primarily talking about disappointing launches. Also note that for the purposes of these list, we’ll only be looking at Xbox One console exclusives.

With all that out of the way, let’s get into it.

RYSE: SON OF ROME

Ryse: Son of Rome took our breath away when it was first revealed, showcasing stunning visuals and looking like the kind of cinematic action adventure killer app that the Xbox family had always been desperately searching for. What we got was a disappointing mess that didn’t even come close to achieving what we had all hoped it would. Sure, it still looked good- but that’s about as far as it went with positives.

Microsoft is running an offer on Xbox Live for the Xbox One, offering a three month Gold subscription for free if you purchase three games.

There’s a catch or two. The qualifying games include Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct (both paid packs), Lococycle, Powerstar Golf and Max: the Curse of Brotherhood. So it’s not a case of just picking up Dead Rising 3 or Forza 5 or even Peggle 2 and taking advantage of the offer. No, you unfortunately have to go for the lesser games. You’ll also need either one or two of the qualifying games listed to be eligible.

As of now, the offer applies for the UK, United States and Canada. It’s valid from December 26th to January 1st. Simply head to the third title under “Featured” on your home screen to check it out. Does it sound like a decent deal or just a way to offload some games? Let us know what you think below.

(Source)

Game Overview:

Crimson Dragon is a spiritual successor to the Panzer Dragoon series and mostly follows the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessors. The player need to control dragons, upgrade them, score as much as points as they can and  beat some intense boss battles.

Crimson Dragon is developed by Grounding Inc. It is published by Microsoft Studios. The game is now available exclusively for the Xbox One.

Check out the video walkthrough of Crimson Dragon Worlds below and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

For video game guides, tips and wikis, check out our gaming portal here.

The art style in Crimson Dragon is fitting and matches well with the colorful dragons. However, the game has a couple of technical issues due to bad optimization. First of all the game struggles to run at a steady frame rate and dips a lot and it does not get any better due to the several pop-in issues hampering the overall experience. The sound effects and voice acting in this game are dull and just feel really empty. The soundtrack is also completely forgettable.

"Given the setting, the game had the potential to look and feel great, but horrible optimization really hurts the representation of Crimson Dragon and the overall package just feels rushed."

Given the setting, the game had the potential to look and feel great, but horrible optimization really hurts the representation of Crimson Dragon and the overall package just feels rushed. The story in the game is there, but it’s so boring that you won’t even care to follow it. As previously stated, the voice acting in this game is cheesy, sounds tacky and it doesn’t help to move the story anywhere whatsoever. To put it simply, Crimson Dragon’s visual and audio presentation is a disappointment for a next-generation digital title.

Gameplay wise Crimson Dragon controls a bit different from its predecessors. The dragon still follows a linear pre-determined path throughout the level, but you have the ability to shift your it left or right to avoid oncoming obstacles. You can lock on to monsters; unleash a variety of attacks depending on the dragon you’re riding and so on. Players may also freely shoot anywhere they’d like instead of just locking on to enemies.

The biggest change in terms of gameplay in Crimson Dragon is the RPG system.You can level up, grind for items, unlock new dragons and upgrade everything by replaying levels in the game and scoring higher for more experience. Other than that everything else in the game is similar to the previous ones in the series.

"If you’re trying to achieve the best score possible in the first few levels then you will be disappointed as you will need to spend sometime leveling up your dragon’s abilities. This can easily put off a lot of players and make them feel that investing their time in Crimson Dragon is unworthy."

The overall gameplay concept is good on paper, but it’s poorly executed. The game feels bland the moment you start playing it. It takes a long time to get everything and that can be a good thing if you’re into these types of grind fests. The problem is that your dragon is so weak at the start of the game that the attacks don’t feel powerful at all until you have progressed way further down. In Crimson Dragon you can also hire a wingman that will fight by your side. However, the AI is dumb and  the wingman does not really add anything unique to gameplay. Avoid the wingman at all costs; you’re better off upgrading your actual dragon instead.

If you’re trying to achieve the best score possible in the first few levels then you will be disappointed as you will need to spend a lot of time leveling up your dragon’s abilities. This can easily put off a lot of players and make them feel that investing their time in Crimson Dragon is unworthy.

Overall, Crimson Dragon had some great gameplay ideas that would’ve actually benefited the game in the long run if they were properly implemented and designed in the first place. Also, the game’s lackluster presentation and technical issues don’t help the matter either. The game can be fun at times if you don’t mind the grind and enjoy the arcade-like gameplay of previous titles. The controls in the game are good and there is a lot of stuff to unlock if you’re cool with replaying levels over and over again to upgrade your dragon and ace everything. It’s really hard to recommend this game even at its low-price point of $20.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

“I’ve heard the feedback on Crimson Dragon and plan to adjust the balance of the game before we launch on Xbox One this week. Crimson Dragon is designed to be challenging. This has always been my vision for the game. I want you to feel like you’ve accomplished something each time you master a mission.

“To be proud of each dragon you’ve worked so hard to evolve to its ultimate form. My challenge as the game director is to find the sweet spot of adhering to my vision for the game while keeping the game from becoming too frustrating. Using the power of Xbox One’s cloud system, we can adjust this balance even after release. Based on the feedback so far, we’ve decided to make some changes even before the game is released.”

Thus far Crimson Dragon has been receiving mixed reviews. Will you be picking it up tomorrow when the Xbox One launches across 13 territories worldwide? Let us know in the comments below.

“We unveiled Xbox back in May and it has been an interesting journey for us, I don’t think that will be a surprise for me to say. Where we are now, a few days from launch, we are in a good spot.

“There’s great demand for the console out there and we are wholly focused on launch. There have been challenges along the way, and I think we have done our best to respond in what we think has been in the right way for our fans. And we think we have a great launch line-up for games.”

As for why Microsoft changed gears and started promoting the Xbox One as more of a gaming console than an all-in-on entertainment device (even the slogan “All in One, Input One” was ditched in favour of the more gaming-related “Jump In”). “When the judges at E3 give us 110-odd awards for our launch line-up, which is far in excess of what the competition has got, then it is clear there is an appreciation that we have a set of great games for launch. When you are selling a console, and people are thinking about buying a console, at some point they’ll ask themselves: ‘What are the games I want to play?’ So that is critically important.

“We have the right line-up and a good balance between some great third-party titles and first party titles. But what is also really important is that we have a great pipeline of games coming after launch, which is something that perhaps the industry hasn’t done tremendously well over previous years. We tend to get very focused on the Christmas period. But I think it’s important to have a good line-up throughout the year. And with Xbox One, not only do we have that great launch line-up – which is imperative – but also some great games coming over the next six months.”

The Xbox One will launch on November 22nd across 13 territories in the world. It will include titles such as Crimson Dragon, Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome as launch titles.

Crimson Dragon takes place on a planet native to a dragon species. Humankind has begun to migrate to and colonize the planet, turning the dragons into their steeds as they go. Humans can now ride and control the dragons, using them as a mount for battle and transportation.

The game will feature 6 different types of dragons, each of which can be leveled up by feeding the food the player earns during missions, over 100 unique skills and abilities, and up to three-player online multiplayer.

The game, first announced as Project Draco at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, was initially schedule to release on Jun 13, 2013. Microsoft delayed the production, offering an apology, but not providing any reasoning behind the delay.

From the looks of the trailer, however, it seems that whatever they did with the time they took worked, and well. We’re certainly excited for Crimson Dragon, how about you?

The list includes Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Crimson Dragon, Dead Rising 3, FIFA 14, Fighter Within, Forza Motorsport 5, Just Dance 2014, Killer Instinct, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lococycle, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, Need for Speed: Rivals, Peggle 2, Powerstar Golf, Ryse: Son of Rome, Skylanders: Swap Force, Watch Dogs, Zoo Tycoon and Zumba Fitness: World Party. Titles like Peggle 2 will be launching on the Xbox One first before anywhere else.

Will the United States launch line-up be something similar? If so, that’s a fairly strong selection of both multiplatform and exclusive titles when the Xbox One launches in November worldwide.

However, interestingly enough, that’s not all. Futatsugi spoke to Joystiq recently and revealed that Grounding is working on a new project for Nintendo. Whether it’s for the 3DS or Wii U, he wouldn’t say, and there are no further details except for confirmation that it exists.

Grounding has worked for a Nintendo system before, developing Sakura Samurai which retailed on the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS in 2012 for North America. We doubt it’d be something in this line, since it was indicated to be a new project, but for now, the dragons will be nesting exclusively on the Xbox it seems.

Crimson Dragon, the spiritual successor to Sega’s Panzer Dragoon line of on rails shooting games, was first announced as Project Draco on the Xbox 360 back in 2010 as a Kinect only venture. In response to all the fan backlash, the game’s head developer had responded that adding a gamepad control scheme would be impossible, as the game had been designed around the Kinect from the ground up.

However, now, with the move to Xbox One, the game supports both Kinect and controller. That’s not all- there’s a whole spate of other improvements to the game.

Speaking to Polygon, director Yukio Futatsugi said Microsoft approached him around the time of last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo to suggest switching to Xbox One. When shifting to the next generation hardware, Futatsugi revealed that initial fan reaction prompted him to take this opportunity to include am option for controller enabled play as well.

“Balancing the game is the most difficult part of development at the moment because playing it with Kinect and playing with the gamepad are two totally different ways to enjoy the game,” he said. “That’s what I’m suffering through right now.”

The game will be the exact same game, with no differences in level design, regardless of how the player chooses to play; moreover, you will be able to switch controller schemes on the fly. Rather than selecting an interface up front, players will be able to hold the controller or put their hands up and the game will automatically identify how they want to play. However, the game will subtly increase the size and speed of the aiming reticule to compensate when players use Kinect controls, though this will be invisible to players.

Other changes include better AI (since the game is intended as a multiplayer experience, but can be played solo), and the inclusion of Kinect voice commands. The game will also have role playing elements to add replay value.

Crimson Dragon will release exclusively on Xbox One. We will have more for you on the game as it develops.