Story Highlights
- Xbox changed its strategy for first-party titles in recent times, releasing some of them on PlayStation.
- The industry giant has a swath of other game franchises that could benefit from a PlayStation release.
- These include the iconic Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Horizon series, among others.
Xbox going multi-platform for the first time in years has truly sent shockwaves across the world for reasons both good and bad, but outside of other concerns, it seems like a great move gauging the situation from a gamer’s perspective purely. Those who’ve stuck with Sony over the course of the last decade or so will find a novel experience in these novel franchises, that’s for sure.
But as of today, it’s only Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, and Grounded that have managed to crawl their way to Xbox’s rival platform, so naturally, this leaves players like me longing for more. Fortuitously, Xbox has pushed out a number of noteworthy IPs over the years, with some of them sporting a ton of potential for working wonders on PlayStation.
PlayStation’s Fanbase Would Greatly Benefit From These Ports
Here’s a hand-picked list of some of the best Xbox games that I would personally love seeing on PlayStation, and I’m sure the sentiment is shared by a thousand others.
1. Gears Of War
If I were to create a list of things that covered my childhood with fond memories, I’d probably put the Gears of War series right there up at the top somewhere. The IP is an array of third-person shooter games that put a strong emphasis on narrative while making sure other elements such as gunplay, cinematics, and, of course, the visuals look on point as well.
The first Gears of War traces its release back to 2006, setting off the beginning of the dynamic duo, Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago. What would benefit players in the form of a best-case scenario is a remaster of the first three Gears of War games, released for multiple platforms, but this does come across as wishful thinking.
However, Xbox did announce a new iteration in the franchise after 5 long years — Gears of War: E-Day — at the last Xbox Game Showcase, winding things down back to the series’ origins. It’s an interesting prospect for sure, one that I hope will make its way to the PlayStation 5 as well.
2. Fable
Fable is the RPG video game series that has compelled many PlayStation fans to buy an Xbox console, considering how it boasts a fantastical atmosphere that’s riddled to the brim with attention to detail, and unique elements making the whole thing an exceptionally stand-out franchise. My personal favorite from the bunch is Fable 2, and if that game were to make its way to PlayStation consoles, a lot of people would lose their marbles.
On a side note, the Xbox Games Showcase saw yet another masterful reveal in the name of a Fabled reboot, signaling that a new Fable title is real and coming. That potentially means that Xbox could look forward to porting the RPG to PlayStation further down the line, but hey, don’t hold your breath just yet.
3. Halo
While it’s another story that Halo Infinite — the latest in the franchise — could not live up to the hype of its predecessors, there’s not a speck of doubt out there that could taint the Halo series’ legendary name in any shape or form. To talk about Halo: Master Chief Collection, otherwise known as Halo: MCC, that bundle encompasses some of the best Halo titles in the business, including Reach, Combat Evolved, and others.
Everything from the protagonist and the storylines to the various supporting characters and the overall premise, Halo is one of the greatest video game franchises and is probably going straight into the history books for its iconic stature. Firing up any of the first-person shooters involved, and going through it with your pals on a PlayStation 5 would be a dream come true for fans of the platform, I’m sure of that.
4. Forza
With different developers taking the helm over the years, Xbox has managed to turn the Forza franchise into one of its most prized IPs. The first iteration in the extended Forza franchise made landfall in 2005, titled Forza Motorsport, and coincidentally, last year saw the release of the series’ reboot with the same titular, only much much better than its olden counterpart.
Now, the Forza label is associated with two brands: Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, with each of these boasting its own branches of video game iterations in its signature style. Motorsport focuses on track racing, while Horizon is more of a cross-country venture spanning different regions of the world with each new game. In short, both of these exhibit an absolute masterclass in modern-day racing game genre, and are absolutely second to none when it comes down to it.
eXputer rated Forza Horizon 5, which is the latest down that line, a solid 4.5/5.0 in its review, with author Huzaifah Durrani remarking,
From the diversity of it’s events, to the number of cars you can collect, this game is massive in ever sense of the word. It is absolutely teeming with races, stunts and collectibles, and none of them ever feel like filler content.”
5. Sunset Overdrive
Insomniac Games’ Sunset Overdrive is honestly in a weird position, stuck between two mediums with no future in sight. While Sony owns the IP because it owns Insomniac — the developer — Microsoft holds the publishing rights to the game, with neither one of them wanting to further the IP in any manner. I sincerely hope that this changes down the road though—I’ve yet to come across an action-adventure as fun-focused and distinct as this one.
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