16 Essential Video Games Worth Buying An Xbox One For

Remember how insanely dour and misguided the Xbox One's initial sales period was? 2013 may be blurring more and more into the past, but a simple whisper of the word 'Kinect' or 'seamless TV integration' brings it all flooding back.

Thankfully, after ditching the walking PR disaster that was Don "We've got an offline console, it's called the Xbox 360" Mattrick, new community head Phil Spencer has been doing everything right. Exclusives are pouring in, indie deals have been struck up to encourage partners to sign with Microsoft, and the console itself received a dashboard update to make it far more functional.

By contrast, Sony's considerable sales lead tends to reinforce the PS4's lack of progression, and although Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank are a solid trifecta of exclusives, what Microsoft have put together is mighty special indeed...

16. Rise Of The Tomb Raider

Uncharted might be flying the flag for archaeological adventures on PS4, but Lara's rebooted self is more considered, less balloon-chested and all-round, more relatable. That escapist, overblown ideology is dead and buried, as Crystal Dynamics are hungry to deliver something everyone will talk about.

To that end, Rise of the Tomb Raider actually does a ton of innovative things with the otherwise standard third-person action formula. Semi open-world segments pepper an otherwise linear progression with side missions and collectibles, stealth can be used to thin enemy ranks before a fight, you can craft items on the fly, The Last of Us-style, and a Metroidvania progression encourages you to revisit areas with new equipment, just to discover new pathways and secrets.

There's a ton going on to really sink your teeth into, and whilst Nate may have commanded the spotlight across the last decade or so, Lara proves that she's more than capable of keeping up - having way more to offer when it comes to replayability.