Series S/X owners - what games have you started with and what are your impressions?

[Kyuuji]

Since there's less distinct launch titles I imagine us new Xbox owners have been playing quite a broad range of games to start with. Curious to know which people have gone for to kickstart the new generation, and what their impressions of them and their differences are! Perhaps be an easy way of getting some recommendations for myself and others.

I've been having a great time running with the below:

Destiny 2
—
Load times are really great with D2 and though it's not got its next-gen patch coming until the 8th December, it's still been nice to have that perk for initial load, travel times and menus. Will also say that Bungie have revamped the onboarding for new players and with the expansions including the new one being on Game Pass, might be worth hopping in!

Fortnite
—
Damn this game looks crisp now. Hard to put a finger on exactly what it is but everything is so sharp and the colours burst out. Know this game gets a lot of groans here but always found the vivid style appealing and it seems to have been bumped up a notch for the next-gen. New small effects and lighting differences are nice and have been just admiring taking it all in while running around

Tetris Connected
—
Having played Tetris Effect in VR I wasn't too sure what to expect coming at this but whew. As with Fortnite the colours are vibrant and its complemented well with the amount of particles and effects going off. Have to say, it really holds its own, especially in 4K. Original was always a great game in its own right but was just entranced the second it picked up the pace music/effects-wise. Highly recommend the download if you haven't got around to it yet.

Will update later after I've dumped some time into No Man's Sky as well.

So, what have been your starting games Era?

 

[Deleted member 39374]

I'll be running Series S at 1440p/freesync so very interested in how various games perform compared to the One S version.

 

[sk4vn]

One of the issues that makes me stop playing Destiny 2 is the long loading time so it is great to hear that it has been much faster. Would you mind specifying how long it take to load into the tower?

 

[N7_Kovalski]

Currently at work (work from home) so I couldn't fully dig in but I d/l some stuff and played around with Forza Horizon 4 for a bit. Man, that game is so amazing at 4k 60fps. System is great. Snappy and super quiet. Gonna dig in to AC and Watch Dogs tonight.

 

[Loud Wrong]

Tetris Effect. Blown away by the fact that it has frame rate issues. Also blown away by the fact that it Game Swaps in less than two seconds.

Also played Destiny. The difference in load times is immediately noticeable. Heard it was much longer on PS5, but I have no idea why that would be. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. Also fired up GTA Online and was pleased with how solid the frame rate was.

 

[MCWyatt]

I've only played AC Valhalla so far on X at 4k 60fps. The HDR in the game is a bit tough to calibrate/tends to be a little too dark but otherwise the set pieces are gorgeous. 60fps feels smooth to play but makes some of these Ubisoft animations look janky af lol

 

[hydruxo]

I also played Destiny 2 and Tetris Effect on my Series X. I spent most of this gen playing D2 on a base PS4, so playing it on Series X was such a huge quality of life improvement. Just being able to log-in and select my character within 20-30 seconds is such a drastic difference. That and actually having your inventory loaded immediately without having to wait for it to pop up. Then of course the loading times in general when fast travelling are super fast. Really looking forward to the next gen patch for 60 FPS.

Tetris Effect is also pretty great, and the colors really pop in that game. I've downloaded a handful of other games from Game Pass that I'm planning to get into (Sunset Overdrive, Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, etc.) so I'm excited for that. Overall I'm really enjoying the Series X though. I hadn't had a Xbox since the 360 so there are several games for me to catch up on.

One of the issues that makes me stop playing Destiny 2 is the long loading time so it is great to hear that it has been much faster. Would you mind specifying how long it take to load into the tower?

Click to shrink...

I timed it last night and it took about 17-20 seconds from orbit. It's so great.

 

[imapioneer]

It really sucks that we don't have an exclusive next-gen Xbox game at launch. However I'm very happy with the game pass offers. I just paid one dollar the first month and have a huge selection of games to dive into! Couple of them have the series x logo too. Currently trying out Gears 5

We need more updates though!

 

[teague]

Destiny 2--goddamn the menus load fast now, thank god

Assassin's Creed Valhalla--looks and runs great, but man there's some Ubisoft patented jank haha

DMCV SE: GLORIOUS

 

[Kyuuji]

One of the issues that makes me stop playing Destiny 2 is the long loading time so it is great to hear that it has been much faster. Would you mind specifying how long it take to load into the tower?

Click to shrink...

I timed it last night and it took about 17-20 seconds from orbit. It's so great.

Click to shrink...

Just went and timed it twice and got 17 seconds and 21 seconds so that aligns. Almost half of that is just the animation of the ship flying out of orbit lol. The travel screen barely lasts any time at all. It's wonderful.

 

[Price Drop]

Really impressed with both the XSX and XSS. Playing Yakuza on both and it looks amazing upscaled to 4K and really good on the XSS at 900p. Seems like the XSS is including all the depth-of-field and bloom effects at 60FPS which is awesome. Also Tetris Effect: Connected is a must download.

 

[MCWyatt]

It really sucks that we don't have an exclusive next-gen Xbox game at launch. However I'm very happy with the game pass offers. I just paid one dollar the first month and have a huge selection of games to dive into! Couple of them have the series x logo too. Currently trying out Gears 5

Click to shrink...

Preach, gonna be an extra #feelsbad when Daemon souls wipes the floor with anything on series X just bc it's made exclusively for ps5. That said loving my series X so far.

 

[Bessy67]

Got mine from FedEx pretty late yesterday so my initial impressions were waiting for the series x patches to install lol. I did play some Fallen Order while I was waiting and I can't really compare since I didn't play on xbox one but the load times and performance seem really good. Tried a bit of Maneater too and definitely noticed much faster load times and crisper visuals/better draw distance

 

[LNBL]

Gears 5 and AC: Valhalla. Loving it so far

 

[LanceX2]

Gears Tactics. Fucking Beautiful!!

Dragon Age Inquisition 2014

Good god this looks like a new game....ish. All lf the spells look brand new because lf Auto HDR. The game just looks very vibrant now. I love this feature.

I feel likw my load times are like 25% what they use to be as well. So good.

 

[bert muscle]

XSS here. Sea of Thieves and Grounded run like butter.

 

[MCWyatt]

Is there a way to filter gamepass by X/S enhanced games?

 

[CloudsFromSpace]

I know people have criticized Valhalla for its dated art assets, but damn if that game isn't exceptionally sharp and smooth on XSX. It just feels more fun than Odyssey because of how smooth it is. It's something I haven't seen at this level on a console before (obviously you can get this performance on PC).

 

[Dunlop]

Destiny 2 - Looks great...when I turn HDR off before launching, otherwise so bright it is almost unplayable
Tetris - Surprise hit for me, looks and plays phenomenally
AC Valhalla - Looks and plays amazing, only about an hour in.

 

[melodiousmowl]

XSX (On LG C9)

Destiny 2 - super fast loads, sometimes I think causing issues with the transitions bungie has
Sea of Thieves - super fast to load, VRR and 60fps === <3

Black Desert Online - very fast loads, smooth frame-rate, but the resolution seemed low.

Tetris Effect - really fun if you like tetris, trippy like rez kinda

 

[digitalrelic]

It's freaking terrific so far.

Not a ton of surprises, since I've been following the lead up to release so closely, but man, what a polished launch day for me.

I've been playing AC: Valhalla, Forza Horizon 4, and Ori & the Will of the Wisps.

Honestly? Forza Horizon 4 probably takes the cake so far for me as far as graphical impact goes. Just an incredibly, jaw-droppingly beautiful game at 4K/60fps. Ori looks amazing too, and that 120fps mode is buttery smooth.

AC Valhalla is clearly a cross-gen game but it has it's moments as well. 60fps is so terrific on this game and the VRR on my LG C9 eliminates any screen tearing or judder.

Quick Resume is an immediate game changer and honestly it makes me not want to play the few games that don't support it lol. It's just incredible to open any game in your rotation and have it load exactly where you left off in less than 10 seconds. I already can't imagine how slow the Xbox One would feel going back to it.

So far? 8.5/10 experience. Can't wait for some proper next-gen games to start dropping over the next year.

Bring on the PS5 tomorrow!

 

[Dannepannepuff]

I know what I haven't played: Panzer Dragoon Orta because it doesn't work.

 

[Gowans]

Really enjoying it I've had a few of those magic quick resume moments too.

For me its been

Tetris Effect PvP
Love the classic mode.

Fortnite & Warzone
Looks so sharp and clear

Assassins Creed Valhala
Just early days but its pretty

Been playing Planet Coast & Fuser with the kids too, been a tonne of fun.

Got more to play and want to jump into Gears Tactics but so much to play i don't want to get lost.

 

[EvilBoris]

Is there a way to filter gamepass by X/S enhanced games?

Click to shrink...

Yes.
My games and apps
Game pass
Filter by console : optimised for Series X|S

 

[ZeroNoir_]

Yakuza Like a Dragon, it's amazing. Really smooth and zero loading.

Played a bit of Fallen Order and silky smooth

 

[ravnelis]

I've started next gen (current gen??) with Tetris and I had a blast.


Once I updated my TV I also played some 120fps Ori and the Will of the Wisps and it was glorious. I may have to replay it...
Then I had a longer session with AC: Valhalla, which came bundled with my console and while it was a bit choppy in the beginning, it seems to be a good game.

I wish there was this one big exclusive we could all rave about but tbh I have so many great games to play that this is almost a non issue. I can't stress enough how cool it is to have your entire library with you and most of the games are straight up improved, sometimes really significantly.

 

[Liquidsnake]

Forza H4 absolutely stunning. A revalatuon!!!
Ass Creed. 10 hours in, it's my first creed game and I am digging it!

 

[Myself]

After having tried Gears 1 all those years ago and hating it I went and tried a couple more on my SX.

Gears Ultimate Edition - awful framerate, unplayable so I stopped after 10 minutes or so. I then jumped to Gears 5 and it's sweet. Smooth, looks great, and I'm actually enjoying the game which I never thought I would. I think I may actually look to complete it.

I played about 1/2 an hour of Grounded and so far I'm really enjoying it. The sense of scale is great.

Played Minecraft Dungeons with my son and daughter for about an hour or more last night - had a real blast but I don't think there's anything special in it for the SX/S

 

[MCWyatt]

Keep hearing amazing things for Ori 2 is the first game optimized as well? Bonus question, if not can i play Ori2 and not be lost/spoiled by Ori1's story?

 

[Mortal Mario]

Gears 5 - looks and feels great, the DLI is very discernable and makes the game play so much better, and the HDR implementation is as good as I'd heard.

Tetris Effect - cool game to chillout with, shame I was disconnected from my only online match so far, right before we were gonna win.

Planet Coaster - played through the tutorial. I have this on PC but never played it due to lacking controller support, seems like a decent port, even if it is capped at 30fps.

Doom Eternal - Very fast, very smooth and sharp. I'm still getting to grips with the gameplay. I wasn't expecting it to be this different from Doom 2016, I'm dying a lot more already.

Modern Warfare - A massive improvement over the performance on the One S. Looks and feels almost like a new game. Shame it still has the same game design flaws but I can run it from my external SSD at least.

Overwatch/Rogue Company - Had a quick go on these. Both look much better on XSX, particularly Rogue and the auto HDR is great on Overwatch.

 

[DoradoWinston]

downloading Destiny 2, Tetris and apperantly the DQ11 demo is 10hrs and carries over the save for when the game comes out (which also launches on Gamepass) so those 3 for now

 

[The Argus]

Really loving my Series X so far. Console is dead silent, super snappy (compared to my One X), and ws a very easy setup with the Xbox app.

I've only played NBA 2K21 which is absolutely mind blowing. Gonna try Forza Horizon 4 tonight from my old save.

 

[rrc1594]

I started with Yakuza and I can't read the tips!

 

[SRTtoZ]

I haven't even played a game yet lol. Most of my time has been installing tons of games and seeing how they look/run on the Series X. So far Ori and Gears 5 are the most impressive ones. Ori looks so damn clean at 6k downsampled to 4k/60.

 

[Kyuuji]

Nice to see all the posts, will be running through them and adding things to the download queue! 💚

Really loving my Series X so far. Console is dead silent, super snappy (compared to my One X), and ws a very easy setup with the Xbox app.

Click to shrink...

1:1 with my impressions. It's a lovely bit of kit.

 

[Deleted member 22750]

Ori
Forza Horizon 4

Both feel like new games. I had a SSD in my PS4 but this is ridiculous.

I remember slogging through just to find a car to use on x1x and now the game loads so fast. It's almost instant. Bummed forza horizon 5 doesn't have quick resume

 

[origummy]

I've only played AC Valhalla so far on X at 4k 60fps. The HDR in the game is a bit tough to calibrate/tends to be a little too dark but otherwise the set pieces are gorgeous. 60fps feels smooth to play but makes some of these Ubisoft animations look janky af lol

Click to shrink...

This has been my experience as well. It's a gorgeous game but it's a little too dark and I haven't found the best way of fixing that yet.

 

[MCWyatt]

This has been my experience as well. It's a gorgeous game but it's a little too dark and I haven't found the best way of fixing that yet.

Click to shrink...

I'm playing on solid 4k LCD I've had for a few years but I do wonder if it's my set? Also, I HATE HDR calibrators in games that aren't simply "adjust until you can't see x element" and Valhalla's is just a scene that sucks for HDR clibration so I blame that as well.

 

[Ninhead]

Tetris Connect is going to be my GOTY and I'm perfectly good with that. My God- that game is ART.

 

[HonestAbe]

SX..Sea of Thieves was so smooth compared to the One. Almost as smooth as my PC.

 

[Liquidsnake]

Forza feels like a new game to me!!

 

[Persagen]

I've only played AC Valhalla - game is good so far, but the screen tearing can be really bad sometimes. During cutscenes, it's horrendous. My TV doesn't support VRR, so I guess I'm stuck with it.

 

[Ushay]

Phenomenal loading speeds, I'm just floored by it. Playing on a LG C9 65 inch.

Played State of Decay 2, ultra smooth 60 fps now and near instant load times
Borderlands 3 - No more stutter, super smooth and crisp visuals
Gears 5 - Simply breathtaking, even more so than before
Gears Tactics - Love it, cut scenes really show the incredible texture work on this game.
Touryst - Looks like real life lego, beautiful game
Resident Evil 3 - Still beautiful, for some reason the game looks sharper and the details is finer, I cant quite explain it.

 

[FLUXCapacitor]

Forza Horizon is fantastic now with 4k @ 60fps and Ultra graphics

 

[Black Mantis]

Yakuza's my main game at the moment, but I've been testing a lot of BC titles today, my highlights so far:

State of Decay 2's 60 fps boost is a game-changer.
Wasteland 3 runs and looks better from the little I played.
FM7 is much more enjoyable with the shorter loading times.
Auto HDR has been great in the majority of the games I've tested.

 

[MouldyK]

Really impressed with both the XSX and XSS. Playing Yakuza on both and it looks amazing upscaled to 4K and really good on the XSS at 900p. Seems like the XSS is including all the depth-of-field and bloom effects at 60FPS which is awesome. Also Tetris Effect: Connected is a must download.

Click to shrink...

Since I played Kiwami 2 on XCloud running at 30, looking at 900/60 Yakuza 7 was a bit weird on my Monitor haha. I stuck to High Res Mode.

You don't mind the 900p? Maybe I should check it out more as you say it still looks nice.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The system surprised me with how heavy it is lol.

So far, it is very quiet and it does seem pretty snappy. I've only tried Grounded, the Touryst, and booted up my save of Sekir. Nothing to really wow me

I've paid for Game pass and Yet haven't really bothered with any of the games lol. Wish there was something that really stood out. I'll try FH4 later tonight and see if I notice the difference from my One X.

 

[Addleburg]

I played Crackdown 3 for a couple hours this morning, haha. Really feeling the power of the system /s !

However, I did play a little Forza Horizon last night, and that game is super impressive. I don't even like racing games, but knew I needed to give that a shot based off what I'd been hearing. I spent most of yesterday downloading GP games and a couple of EA titles. I plan to mostly focus on Crackdown 3, The Touryst, Bloodstained, and a little Forza for now.

 

[jokkir]

Nier Automata - Only played through the beginning section and damn it's pretty cool so far. I suck at the game though.

Ace Combat - This game is niceee. I always loved fighter jet games and never really played any in years but this is really fun so far.

Doom Eternal - So far it's ok compared to Doom 2016. I hate how the XSX doesnt have gyro and really makes aiming a huge chore. A lot cleaner than my Switch though obviously

 

[FunMouse]

First game I downloaded and played was Assassins Creed Valhalla. Looks gorgeous and love the 60fps goodness. Then I tried Ori 2 so I can test out the 120fps and I honestly could not tell a difference. Thinking of doing the 6K option instead. I downloaded Gears 5 so I can try the multiplayer since it's 120fps, I expect to feel a difference with gears 5 than Ori when it comes to 120fps. After that I downloaded a couple of game pass games I need to finish like Tell Me Why.