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.

Powerstar Golf, the stylized golf sim on Xbox One, is now a free to play game. The free to play version is basically a skeleton however, and it needs users to buy courses separately to actually have any content; the original game’s content has been split into four packs, each of which cost £4.79/$5.99: City Park, Emperor’s Garden, Burning Sands and Rocky Ridge.

This means that you will actually spend more buying courses now than you did buying the game straight up originally ($20), although you can choose to buy all courses at once for $20 if you want to.

Powerstar Golf was an Xbox One launch title; its conversion to a free to play game is representative of a larger push towards F2P gaming on the console by Microsoft. Xbox consoles have lagged behind their PlayStation and even Nintendo counterparts when it comes to free to play titles, with Microsoft making it difficult for both consumers and developers traditionally. Powerstar Golf should hopefully represent just one of many F2P games that hit the Xbox One.