In their short-lived console history, Microsoft have already managed to etch out a chunk of some future history book under "Worst Industry Mistake Ever", thanks to the monumental gaff that was the original Xbox One's reveal. I'll not go on about it (you can read more over here), except to say it put them on the back foot so suddenly and meaningfully, Sony were able to come in and immediately wipe the floor with sales figures across the board. The PS4 has now sold upwards of 38 million units as of the close of 2015, and with Microsoft community legend Phil Spencer being realistic and stating they simply may never catch up, you could be mistaken for thinking the Xbox One was out of the running for good. But oh, how wrong you'd be. Powered entirely by the memories of how they were once at the top of the pile when the 360 was dominating the last generation, 2015 saw the Xbox actually release a far better first-party lineup than Sony. Some of the best games of the year were Xbox One exclusives, and outside of the third-party domination that made up the charts overall, going into 2016 it's clear Microsoft are not only playing to win, but in terms of first-party titles you can pick up right now, they've got Sony beat hands-down.
10. Massive Chalice
One of the things you'll immediately notice about Microsoft's lineup is the sheer variety on display. They've certainly got shooters and action-heavy titles sewn up as always, but then there are awesome little gems like Massive Chalice; Double Fine's first foray into top-down isometric strategy. If you've played anything like XCOM, Fire Emblem or Invisible Inc. you'll know the order of the day is moving your troops around the battlefield, trading alternating blows with - in this case - the evil Cadence. However, the hook here is that the conflict takes place across 300 years, meaning your best warriors will inevitably perish. This forces you to think farther ahead than any other game in the genre as you nurture bloodlines, retire warriors to foster kin and pass on their best attributes, the war against the Cadence paling in comparison to the fight against time itself. Massive Chalice dares to shake up the foundations of the genre by taking away your most formidable fighters no matter what, and despite some slight graphical shortcomings, is one hell of a time-sink once you get drawn in.
