#5: Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt at least heard of the Assassin’s Creed series. You’ve also probably heard of the franchise fatigue that Assassin’s Creed suffers from. Assassin’s Creed is without a doubt a series that is tired. Too many entries within a short span of time and inconsistent quality have caused the series to lose a fair bit of its luster.
But before you knock the Assassin’s Creed series as something no longer worth prioritizing, let us introduce you to The Ezio Collection. Introduced in Assassin’s Creed 2, Ezio Auditore da Firenze is easily the greatest protagonist in the franchise. Players were able to enjoy playing as Ezio for several games before his story came to an end.
The Ezio Collection contains Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Playing all three will let you see Ezio’s story from start to finish. Ezio’s story is arguably the best of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and the Assassin’s Creed games most deserving of your time.
#4: Red Dead Redemption 2
Coming in at fourth place on our list of best Xbox One games Red Dead Redemption 2. This game had the second biggest launch in entertainment history.
Red Dead Redemption 2 brought in $725 million in its opening weekend and sold more than 24 million copies. So yes, you could say this game is popular. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption. After eight long years, we can say with certainty that Red Dead Redemption 2 is well worth the wait.
Set in 1899 in a fictional version of the declining Wild West, players take on the primary role of Arthur Morgan, a member of the same game as Red Dead Redemption’s John Marston. Marston himself returns as a secondary protagonist.
The massive open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 lets players do pretty much whatever they want. You can go off gambling, hunting, fishing, start bar fights, shootouts, and more. And of course, a Wild West Outlaw can go on heists.
The game also places more emphasis on survival mechanics with things like hunger, cold, and heat coming into play. This makes the game even more enjoyable as you immerse yourself in this time period.
Red Dead Redemption 2 also has an online mode, but it’s not in the best state at the moment. The online mode recently came out of beta, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
We’d honestly recommend just sticking with the single-player experience with this one. The strong narrative of the original game continues here, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily the greatest Western video game of all-time.
#3: Ori and the Blind Forest
Released in 2015 for PC and Xbox One, Ori and the Blind Forest is a Metroidvania action-platformer game. Something you will notice right away is the beautiful art style in this game. Ori and the Blind Forest shows that hand-painted artwork in video games can turn out extremely well.
The musical score in Ori and the Blind Forest is also phenomenal. The soundtrack features an excellent blend of fast-paced tracks during moments packed with action, and serene orchestral music that seamlessly blends in with the set pieces.
Taking control of the titular hero Ori, you’ll platform, solve puzzles, and take down enemies as you progress through the story in a hearty tale that feels akin to a Studio Ghibli movie.
The platformer sub-genre is nearly nonexistent in mainstream gaming in 2019, so when an excellent one comes around, we have to play it. Especially when it's, dare we say, one of the greatest entries in the sub-genre.
