When it comes to boosting console sales, no amount of promises or trickery will ultimately raise figures like the release of some good quality exclusives. Down throughout the history of gaming, each successful console (take the PS2 for instance) has often employed this strategy to further enhance its appeal. Of course, these days, exclusives seem to be largely falling by the wayside in favor of titles which are ported over to anything and everything. Yes, this ultimately helps the average gamer, thus allowing them to play more top-tier games but from a business standpoint there is little to gain. In the spirit of offering up some spirited encouragement to Microsoft and the Xbox One crowd, we have put together a list of 8 Xbox One exclusives headed our way (including those that have already landed) that might actually end up providing a “mega-boost” to their console sales…

Sunset Overdrive

A title that’s just released and already proving to help XBOX One console sales – If you were craving some awesome open world third person action with a zany slant, there’s Sunset Overdrive to whet your palette. While it sort of offhandedly might remind you of something like Infamous on Sony consoles, it actually integrates some new as well as familiar gameplay concepts into a potent new fizzy brew. Basically, those who are already familiar with skateboarding or snowboarding games will absolutely love the way you can grind around the map, although that’s not the only way to get around, obviously. …Similarly, anyone that likes adventure and shooter / shoot ‘em up mechanics will go bonkers over the general setup and pacing of this strange but lovable title.

Halo 5

Certainly it comes as no surprise that the Halo series has helped to pretty much make the Xbox brand into what it is today. Had it never dropped into our collective laps certainly it’s within the realm of possibility that we might have never even seen an Xbox 360 roll off the production lines (and that’s an incredibly bad thing). Needless to say, the anticipation of Halo 5 is incredible at this point and certainly MS will have a lot of desires to live up to but they’ve definitely come through in the past (time and time again) so there’s no reason to expect disappointment.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Oh yeah, speaking of Halo…there’s the Master Chief Collection, which is nothing short of a dream come true for fans of the franchise. It includes the remastered HD edition of Halo 1 as well as Halo 2, 3 and 4. Furthermore, this also includes all the accompanying multiplayer madness (from each offering) in addition to extra content. Assuming that you like first-person shooters with a sci-fi slant and very well thought out gameplay, this collection is nothing short of brilliant.

Quantum Break

Further attempting to blur the line between video game and live action drama, we have Quantum Break, which is being developed by Remedy Entertainment. The idea of being able to essentially tune into what amounts to an interactive television program, replete with time-based powers and a game world which responds to your decisions is……well, delectable. Assuming that they get this right it could be a truly landmark game.

Fable Legends

Let’s get this straight – the Fable series could be labeled as an attempt to loosely recreate a sort of Zelda-ish franchise, also adding lots of RPG features to the mix and introducing a whole new gaming universe. Once you start playing, you really get into the way stories are told and the action because automatic. It’s a really solid and dynamic IP that really doesn’t get enough credit these days. Well, with the impending release of Fable Legends, all that might be about to change. Instead of forcing you to go it alone you’ll be able to join up with other sin a cooperative fashion. Aside from this wonderful breakthrough, expect awesome graphics and lots of polish as well.

D4

Fans of episodic entries will dig D4 (dark dreams don’t die). It is going to integrate kinect functionality with a mystery-driven story that features a compelling character on a quest for revenge. Of course, the most intriguing prospect is its “fourth dimension” capabilities and all the talk of time travel…

Below

Aside from its unique top-down view and focus on adventure, one of the main draws of “Below” is the fact that it will utilize a permanent death system. Those that are looking for a challenge will certainly get a lot of mileage out of this game, not to mention hours of potential enjoyment…again though, just try to stay alive.

Project Spark

Lastly, we have “Project Spark” which might very well transform how we create and think about games if it catches on. It is basically a game that allows you to make games – a proposition that seems simple enough in its Minecraft-like aesthetic, but take a minute to ponder just how impressive this might actually end up being. In short, we might end up opening up another world of content that we never knew existed.