For Microsoft, 2017 Was Mostly a Year to Forget

2017 is surely in the conversation for one of the best years we’ve ever seen in the gaming industry. Slick new hardware and literally dozens of exceptionally good video games mean that it’ll likely be remembered as a golden era for the current generation. Nintendo’s return to ascendancy has been astonishing to behold, with stunning new games and a hybrid console that everyone wants to get their hands on. Sony, too, continued to accelerate away from its competition as a result of its knock-out blow of well-received exclusive titles. The PS4’s recently confirmed 70 million lifetime haul shows no signs of slowing down, and Tokyo will indeed look back on 2017 with fond memories.

Microsoft, however, hasn’t been nearly as involved. The company spent most of the year talking up 4k resolution, HDR, and the teraflops of its latest Xbox One X console, which didn’t launch until November. Where other publishers enjoyed their time celebrating game releases and shining under the industry spotlight, Microsoft found itself in sweat trying to avoid being roasted.

[sammarshall102]

2017 was a very bad year for MS, mainly because of all of their AAA games being delayed till next year

2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 were good years though

[yumi76]

@sammarshall102

2016 was just like 2017 they went basically a full year with out any games then released a couple games at the end of the year.

[sammarshall102]

2016 had better games than this year for Xbox

Forza Horizon 3
Quantum Break
Gears of War 4
Recore

[yumi76]

Add Quantum Break and Recore to the list of things I'm sure Microsoft would like to forget.

[zypher]

While 2016 was better, it wasn't exactly a stellar year. Quantum Break didn't set the world afire, the Gears series is pretty rote by now, and ReCore is best forgotten.

[thekhurg]

I like Quantum Break. Maybe it was because I only paid $19.99 for it on Steam? Either way, it was enjoyable to play IMO.

[sammarshall102]

@Yumi76 and Zypher Quantum Break is a good game and Gears 4 is good

I actually played the games unlike you guys so I would know

[UCForce]

@sammarshall102 It’s your opinion. But those games didn’t boost Xbox One sales units after MS announced Play Every Where. Even MS don’t want to mention about Quantum Break and Recore.

[WickedLester]

@samarshall

Recore was trash. Quantam Break was mediocre. Gears 4 was pretty good. And FH3 Happens to be the best game on the console. Not a stellar year by any standard.

[CoinOrc]

@sammarshall
I also played quantum break, and while it had potential, it was still average at best. Remedy soon parted ways with MS and is going multi platform. MS isn’t going to make a sequel any time soon.

[bluefox755]

I can only assume you're being sarcastic, lol.

[dekke]

well i didnt like QB even it was free ..and made by my country so dont judge me cuz of that :P

[Cyborgg]

😁😂😂

[NXFather]

Oh okay, so Sony's same years were out of this world.

[trooper_]

Uh, no they weren't.

[sammarshall102]

You never played them

[butchertroll]

2016 was a crap year for MS too :

This is the list of PS4 exclusives in 2016 ( and i only mentioned retail games )

January : Nitro+ Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel

February : Street Fighter V, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Megadimension Neptunia VII, Gravity Rush: Remastered

March : The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition, Senran Kagura: Estival Versus, MLB 16 : The Show, Nights of Azure

April : Ratchet & Clank Reboot ( Xbone - Quantum Break , first exclusive game for Xbone in 2016! IN APRIL )

May : Uncharted 4, Valkyria Chronicles: Remastered, Shadow Of The Beast

June : Resident Evil Umbrella Corps, Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, Grand Kingdom, Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness

July : I Am Setsuna, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force,

August : No Man's Sky, God Eater 2, The King Of Fighters XIV, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X

September : Persona 5 in Japan ( after long pause finally - Forza Horizon 3 and Recore on Xbone)

October : World Of Final Fantasy, Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky, Dragon Quest Builders ( Xbone - Gears Of War 4 )

November : BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Steins;Gate 0

December : The Last Guardian ( Dead Rising 4 is a timed exclusive on Xbone for 1 year and because of that statement, game is basically a multiplatform title )

2015 was little better for Xbone compared to 2016. But Bloodborne alone destroyed them all. PS4 had exclusives in 2015 throughout whole year ( till October ) whereas MS released 3 games during Holidays - FM6, Halo 5 and Tomb Raider - best lineup in Xbox history but PS4 crushed them during holidays in sales.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I'm pretty sure 2016 was the year I bought the ps4, games I wanted started coming out and I couldn't wait any longer. Still wish that I had waited for the ps4 Pro though.

[kreate]

Wow.. That's a great list. I forgotten some of those games becuz ps4 has too many games. Thanks for the list.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Microsoft's best games were mainly in it's early years. When you take into account the backlash from it's initial announcement and launch and the drought of games in its mid to late life span, xbox never really got far off the ground this gen (the WiiU was worse but the Switch seems to make up for it). At this point, everyone should be questioning wtf are Microsoft doing with Xbox?

[kreate]

It seems like they don't care about console wars. They Seem to be content w what they got. Xbox gamers seems like they are content w what they got. It seems like everyone is happy w the current situation.

[Felsager]

sammarshall1021d:

"2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 were good years though"

The Xbotism is strong with this one.

[sammarshall102]

Thats mighty hypocritical of you fanboy :)

I play on both consoles. I love my PS4 it's my favorite current gen console but I notice some delusions of grandeur like your comment

Let me ask you one question and that will let me know all I need to know

Which console PS4 or Xbox One had the better launch lineup?

[RosweeSon]

Yeah on Playstation ;)

[frostypants]

Powah of the cloud anytime now!!!!

[ninsigma]

Imagine if the X hadn't released. It would have been so much worse! Worst Xbox year in ages and as of yet nothing to say next year will be any better.

[ILostMyMind]

But what benefit did the XBX launch bring to anyone who bought XBO? Unlike Pro, the feeling we have is that XBX killed the XBO. Maybe it would be better for XB fans if Microsoft did not launch a new console now.

[RpgSama]

Now they don't even talk about the Xbox One, is as if it doesn't exist, 20 to 30 million users left in the dust, now all we see is how much better does X game looks on the 1X (but we see comparisons to rival consoles and they go from very comparable to mostly the same)

[FallenAngel1984]

It’s sad that the biggest thing to look forward to for the Xbox brand this year was iterative hardware

[Death]

Hardware that makes games better is bad now? I’m very happy with the free enhancements to the games I already own and have bought games I haven’t played that have been enhanced as well. I looked forward to playing the best version of console games on X and have been happy with the results.

What must have games on PlayStation that came out in 2017 are supposed to make me feel bad about buying an Xbox One X? It’s an honest question PlayStation gamers don’t seem to be able to answer.

[TFJWM]

How is buying a new $500 console "free enhancements to games i already own"...

[Aenea]

Ehhh, better graphics doesn't mean better games tho...

[yomfweeee]

He just called a $500 console upgrade a free enhancement. The mind of an Xbot.

[ILostMyMind]

Because you care about the other console having better games than your's. Otherwise, you would not be so happy "playing the best version of console games". You don't care about the game's quality, they were already good at XBO, you care if they're better than on PlayStation.

This was an honest answer.

[UCForce]

The thing is that Sony treat PS4 Pro like PS4. Microsoft treating Xbox One X like their next gen console. Even MS just ignored Xbox One power. And you better stop calling yourself a true gamer because your loyalty to MS are showing. Me ? I don’t need say it twice about myself.

[trooper_]

Well, I'm not spending $500+ for games to be enhanced. I want actual exclusives.

It's a waste of money.

[CP_Company]

"What must have games on PlayStation that came out in 2017 are supposed to make me feel bad about buying an Xbox One X? It’s an honest question PlayStation gamers don’t seem to be able to answer."

Can your xbox x play Nier Automata? Persona 5? Horizon? Nioh? Gravity Rush? GT Sport? MLB? Hellblade? and tens more? noooooooo, so yeah, you have to feel bad about it.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

FallenAngel didn't say hardware that makes games better is a bad thing. The Xbox One X would be remarkable, if it had software to back it up. I can play everything released for it on my PC and even my laptop. What the statement was is it's sad that the biggest thing to look forward to was iterative hardware. What you and every other apologist doesn't understand is that not every exclusive has to be a "must have" game. They don't each have to sell 20 million copies. They don't have to grab every game of the year award handed out. But the fact that you turn your nose up at MORE games, the fact that you find some way to down play having an embarrassment of riches when it comes to choice, is very telling of what you're really saying.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Honestly, there's no point listing must have ps4 games, you'd ignore or gloss over them anyway. I've been playing the best version of multi plats on my high end gaming pc. Considering the options available and being so far into this gen, you should have buyer's remorse by this point.

I'm getting the feeling that the phrase, "casting pearls before swine" would be appropriate.

[jrshankill]

I see no one was able to answer Death's question

[FallenAngel1984]

Not when it’s marketed to be the biggest thing about the system.

New 3DS wasn’t the biggest thing about the 3DS when it released in 2014 and 2015 across different regions.

PS4 Pro wasn’t the biggest thing about the PS4 when it released in 2016.

Xbox One’s 2017 exclusive library lacks so much that certainl people are making it out that this iterative hardware is overshadowed that.

Those enhancements aren’t free. You still have to spend $500 to experience them. Saying those things are free is like saying place you live at is free after you paid rent.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying XOX, but it shouldn’t be the main narrative for the Xbox brand this year.

[Death]

And the main narrative for PS4 shouldn’t be the games no one is buying yet that is what many here stress as being most important. I’m glad you understand consoles cost money, now let’s see if we can get people to understand games cost money too. The list of great exclusives for the year no one can make aren’t free either.

[ApocalypseShadow]

The games no one is buying
https://www.google.com/amp/...

**GfK Chart-Track shows that PS4 represented 50.2% of all physical software sales over the course of the year. The nearest competitor was Xbox One, which accounted for 31.6% of all games sold.**

**2017 is the first year on record when a single platform has accounted for more than half of the total games market in terms of units. The previous best was the original PlayStation, which accounted for 47.9% of all boxed game sales in 1998.**

**Also notable is that Sony formats will have the most exclusive titles at No.1 in the UK charts this year.**

**That's 15 weeks with a PlayStation title at No.1 in the UK - a feat not seen since 2009 when Nintendo racked up 16 weeks at the top of the charts, mostly with the original Wii Fit.**

Your above comment should be embarrassing. And I'm not even taking into account of playstation worldwide game sales or even hardware. Microsoft has been so lazy this whole Gen. And this year barley made any games worth remembering like halo wars 2. Just embarrassing. Forza already forgotten. Embarrassing. Gears forgotten. Just hilarious the defense of that lazy company with all that money they have but spend little making anything.

[FallenAngel1984]

Are you seriously trying to say PS4 has poor software sales? 😑

[badz149]

@FallenAngel1984

Well..they did consider the 360 as a "success" but the PS3, which sold more despite released a year later was a "failure". You just can't win with xbox fanboys' logic

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@Apocolypse Shadow,

Lazy is the perfect description for Microsoft this gen, even with facts and figures presented, Microsoft and fan boys just bury their heads in the sand.

[yumi76]

I'm sure Microsoft wishes people would forget 2017 where they canceled games and closed studios even though there line-up was was a barren wasteland. And I'm sure Microsoft would be happy if people forgot their E3 where they showed all they showed was a bunch of timed exclusive indies.

And I'm sure Phil wishes people would forget all the dumb stuff he said like "single player games aren't relevant" right after the success of Horizon and Zelda. And I'm sure he's like people to forget when he said "games as a service was the way forward for Microsoft in the same year people started to rebel against Microsoft transactions in single player games.

I'm also certain Microsoft would be happy to forget November when they got beat in sales to Sony in the launch month and in the strongest region of their new console after nearly two years of hyping the thing up.

[SlayerUnknown]

You waste your life

[badz149]

Worst comeback ever!

[Elda]

The truth hurts.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Yep pretty sure it was a bad yr for Xbox, but the next one will be better ;)

[ILostMyMind]

Wait for E3 2018 😂😂

[UCForce]

I’m not so sure. Previous years, MS only show a little.

[Cyro]

Yeah I've waiting since 2013. Every year has been pretty awful.

[jrshankill]

What was so good about PS4 this year?

If anything.. the Switch made the most noise.

[Chevalier]

Switch did great and so did PS4. Both had the most sales, exclusives and must have games. Both had record breaking years too. Notice how Xbox isn't part of that conversation or comparable in any way? That''s exactly why Xbox has had such a terrible year. We can talk about the great portable experience and fantastic year for the Switch and likewise PS4 had an amazing amount of games and VR and heads into an even arguably better 2018. The Switch also heads into a strong looking lineup for 2018. Can you say the same about Xbox? Nope.

[CJLogix]

Yeah Microsoft’s 2017 was almost as bad as Sony’s 2016

[yumi76]

PS4 delivered 2x as many retail exclusives in 2016 as well as releasing the years highest rated and most award winning game of the generation Uncharted 4.

[Redemption-64]

Whatever makes you sleep at night. Am sure Sony only released two retail games throughout 2016, am also sure Sony didn’t released more exclusive games than MS in 2016. How about we make a list comparing games released by both Sony and MS, just to show you need to lie in order to deal with reality.

[NotanotherReboot]

Sony had Uncharted 4 in 2016 so back off pal

[Sunny_D]

Yeah! That one game that pretty much makes the entire Xbox library irrelevant? Yeah, back off pal!

[SlayerUnknown]

It’s a tired franchise now meh

[Knushwood Butt]

Well, looks like Forza could be a dead franchise.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

If Uncharted is tired, what are Gears and Forza then?

[trooper_]

On what universe was Sony's 2016 bad?

Reality: You should try it sometime.

[NotanotherReboot]

why did you dislike my comment when i was defending Sony? wtf

[Chevalier]

" It’s a tired franchise now meh"

MS called they want you to cease and desist when referring to their game library. Forza, Halo, Gears here to remind you the true meaning of tired franchise.

[SirBradders]

Microsoft suck end of. They don't care about games only easy money.

[Redemption-64]

MS didn’t spent most of the year talking up 4k resolution, HDR, and the teraflops of its latest Xbox One X console, they spent about 17 months doing that.

[Sunny_D]

Oh that’s even better!

😅