18 Essential Xbox One Games Every Owner Must Play

17. Rise Of The Tomb Raider

Tentatively penciled in for a December 30th release at the end of the year (otherwise known as the date given to games when publishers have no real idea when it's going to show up), Lara's latest might as well remain a bonafide Xbox exclusive.

For all the talk of Quantum Break going up against Uncharted 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider already beat it to the punch in 2015, delivering one of the finest archaeological adventures this side of its second instalment. Adopting an open-world structure replete with central hub and various siphoned off areas, Ms. Croft moves with a fidelity becoming of her more learned years, and we guide her through some genuinely jaw-dropping locales, ranging from snow-covered mountain villages to underground graveyards of broken ships and collapsed ruins.

Actual 'tomb raiding' is back and balanced nicely against the overwhelming action and shooter focus that came to identify 2013's release, too. It helps give the rebooted series an identity of its own, mixing the tropes of the original Tomb Raider with just the right amount of influence borrowed from Naughty Dog's Uncharted titles.

You can tell Crystal Dynamics needed to make an impact with this to truly capitalise on the momentum of the original, making Rise a resounding success. The only negative comes from it releasing alongside Fallout 4, meaning it was completely buried by that game's total media domination.