The PlayStation 4 is the king of exclusives in its generation. But the PlayStation 5, out of the gates, will have its hands full, just based on what the Xbox Series X has showcased so far.

The PlayStation 5 showed off its games last June 12. Ratchet & Clank was the game that caught my attention the most, with its seemingly instant-loading game worlds.

The Xbox Series X had a more recent showcase, held Thursday, July 23, US time. There were 9 exclusives total, including a new Halo game. But from these 9, there were 3 that’s making me think of getting a Series X when it comes out.

The simple explanation is that they look and feel wondrous and new, and seem to be imbued with the kind of energy that once made me get an Xbox 360. Here’s to hoping that the Series X will not have a red-ringed experience.

While these 3 games will come out on Xbox Series X, the thing is that they will also be coming to the PC, so they can’t strictly be called an exclusive the same way that you could call God of War or The Last of Us Part II as exclusives.

Avowed

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With hints of Skyrim, Avowed is by developer Obsidian Entertainment, the people behind the excellent Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II. Avowed takes players back to the setting of those 2 games. But while those 2 games were computer-RPGs with the classic Baldur’s Gate-style isometric point-of-view, Avowed will be more up-close-and-personal with a first-person point-of-view. It’s going to be interesting to see Pillars of Eternity’s immersive, dark fantasy world from a new angle.

Aside from Avowed, Obsidian also showed off Grounded, a multiplayer title for the Xbox One and PC, with a Pixar-like art style, where you’re a shrunken kid, and you fight off ants, bugs, spiders, and other yard meanies. It’s basically a playable Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.

Fable

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A classic Xbox series makes it return. The first Fable (Xbox, PC 2004) was among the heavy-hitters for the then-upstart Microsoft console. The first two games were a hit but fizzled out in the Xbox 360 generation with 2010’s Fable III.

Now the series returns, with the trailer showing a glimpse of a visual direction that reminds one of a big-screen 3D flick. Curiously, it’s being helmed by the developers behind the arcadey racing series Forza Horizon.

Everwild

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Here’s another fantasy game, this time one that’s being developed by another studio that helped the Xbox 360 gain some footing, Rare. The art style is amazing in this one, harkening back to a once-popular cel-shaded style. It looks like a real cartoon, for lack of a better term.

The game has strong nature themes, showcasing a vibrant, colorful batch of strange creatures. Remember the last time Rare made a game with colorful, strange creatures? We had fun with Viva Piñata, didn’t we? – Rappler.com