Microsoft and Sony\u2019s approach to console exclusives have been a little different this generation. While Sony has focused hard on bringing in the major players to entice people to buy a PS5, Microsoft has banked more on Xbox Game Pass and other ancillary services to bring people into the Xbox family. With that said, both consoles still have their fair share of great exclusives, so let\u2019s take a look at them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PS5: the big hitters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHistorically, Sony\u2019s strategy has been all about securing huge triple-A titles for gamers to justify their purchase of a PlayStation console. This generation, their approach is no different; you\u2019ll find several huge games on PS5 that you can\u2019t get anywhere else, although some of them are now cropping up on PC as well. Here are some of our PS5 exclusive highlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/demons-souls-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBluepoint proved itself as a remake creator par excellence with its PS5 reimagining of Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em>. While it hews pretty closely to the original, the visual and mechanical upgrade means it\u2019s well worth picking this one up if you like From Software\u2019s brand of brutal action RPGs. Sony\u2019s choice to include Demon\u2019s Souls <\/em>as a launch game shows a daring that Microsoft hasn\u2019t quite managed to summon up yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHorizon Forbidden West<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/horizon-forbidden-west-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNow this is more like what we\u2019re used to from Sony. Horizon Forbidden West <\/em>is a huge, prestige open world title that plays it completely safe, but puts all the money on screen nonetheless. It\u2019s a breathtakingly beautiful, entirely familiar open world experience that continues Aloy\u2019s adventures from Horizon Zero Dawn<\/em>, so if you enjoyed that game, you\u2019re going to love this one too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReturnal<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/returnal-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnother very strange exclusive<\/a> for Sony, Returnal <\/em>is a brutally difficult roguelite shooter from Housemarque. Its bizarre, nigh-incomprehensible story meets fluid, fast-paced gameplay for an experience as unforgiving as it is rewarding. The PS5 is cementing its place as the platform for hardcore gamers with games like Returnal <\/em>and Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em>, as opposed to Microsoft\u2019s more inclusive approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGran Turismo 7<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/gran-turismo-7-1024x576.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nQualms about microtransactions aside (although very valid qualms they are), Gran Turismo 7 <\/em>represents a real return to form for the racing series. After the somewhat unusual Gran Turismo Sport<\/em>, 7 <\/em>shows us that Sony and Polyphony still know how to make quality racing sims. This game throws back to the originals, too, thanks to the return of features like Championships and the Driving School.<\/p>\n\n\n\nXbox Series X: something for everyone<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nUnlike Sony, Microsoft\u2019s approach to exclusives has been to bring them to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service on day one. On the one hand, this is an excellent way to expose more people to first-party titles, but on the other, it can feel a little like Microsoft is playing it too safe with its exclusives. Still, there are some brilliant offerings on this little black powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Halo Infinite<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/halo-infinite-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt wouldn\u2019t be an exclusives list without a Halo <\/em>game, now would it? Microsoft\u2019s long-awaited first-person shooter was delayed numerous times leading up to its release, but when it finally launched, it brought a new open world dimension to the Halo <\/em>series. Master Chief\u2019s traditional adventures against the Covenant got a little spice thanks to the addition of free-roaming areas and a grappling hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\nForza Horizon 5<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/forza-horizon-5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Forza Horizon <\/em>series has been flying the flag for accessible racing in a landscape largely dominated by dry simulation experiences. Horizon 5 <\/em>has lots of tweaking and tuning options if you want them, but it also lets you simply pick an event or a point on the map and just drive for a while. The game might play it a little safe<\/a>, but it\u2019s a satisfying racer nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPsychonauts 2<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/psychonauts-2-1024x576.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDouble Fine\u2019s long-awaited sequel to one of the best platformers of all time is just as weird and wonderful as you want it to be, although its story does, again, play it just a little too safe. Raz and his friends return in an offbeat adventure-platformer that pays homage to the original Psychonauts <\/em>while still managing to find a voice of its own. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s an excellent, whimsical game that you should check out.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGears Tactics<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/gears-tactics-1024x575.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWho\u2019d have thought that marrying Gears of War <\/em>with XCOM <\/em>would pay off? It does, though, and Gears Tactics <\/em>is a satisfying strategy experience with plenty of depth and complexity. It won\u2019t match XCOM <\/em>for narrative quality or enemy variety, but you\u2019ll find a surprisingly complete strategy game here, and if you love the Gears of War <\/em>universe (somehow) then you\u2019ll like this too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBoth the PS5 and the Xbox Series X have plenty of games in their future, too. The PS5 will see the likes of Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>, the profoundly weird-looking Pragmata<\/em>, and Marvel\u2019s Spider-Man 2<\/em>, while Xbox is getting all of those lovely Bethesda RPGs like The Elder Scrolls VI <\/em>and Starfield<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo, which console has the better exclusives? For our money, the award goes to Sony on this one. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean these games are better than their Xbox counterparts, just that the PS5 arguably has a superior lineup of games you can only play on Sony\u2019s machine. If you\u2019re in this for quality gaming experiences only, then pick up a PS5, but Xbox Game Pass makes the Xbox Series X an enticing prospect if you want to experience a little bit of everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you\u2019re thinking about buying a new console, one of the most important things to take into consideration is what exclusives you can pick up. Exclusives are games that are only available on that console; you either can\u2019t buy them for any other platform or can only find them on PC, meaning if you want … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7401,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videogames","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7402,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392\/revisions\/7402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBluepoint proved itself as a remake creator par excellence with its PS5 reimagining of Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em>. While it hews pretty closely to the original, the visual and mechanical upgrade means it\u2019s well worth picking this one up if you like From Software\u2019s brand of brutal action RPGs. Sony\u2019s choice to include Demon\u2019s Souls <\/em>as a launch game shows a daring that Microsoft hasn\u2019t quite managed to summon up yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now this is more like what we\u2019re used to from Sony. Horizon Forbidden West <\/em>is a huge, prestige open world title that plays it completely safe, but puts all the money on screen nonetheless. It\u2019s a breathtakingly beautiful, entirely familiar open world experience that continues Aloy\u2019s adventures from Horizon Zero Dawn<\/em>, so if you enjoyed that game, you\u2019re going to love this one too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another very strange exclusive<\/a> for Sony, Returnal <\/em>is a brutally difficult roguelite shooter from Housemarque. Its bizarre, nigh-incomprehensible story meets fluid, fast-paced gameplay for an experience as unforgiving as it is rewarding. The PS5 is cementing its place as the platform for hardcore gamers with games like Returnal <\/em>and Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em>, as opposed to Microsoft\u2019s more inclusive approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qualms about microtransactions aside (although very valid qualms they are), Gran Turismo 7 <\/em>represents a real return to form for the racing series. After the somewhat unusual Gran Turismo Sport<\/em>, 7 <\/em>shows us that Sony and Polyphony still know how to make quality racing sims. This game throws back to the originals, too, thanks to the return of features like Championships and the Driving School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike Sony, Microsoft\u2019s approach to exclusives has been to bring them to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service on day one. On the one hand, this is an excellent way to expose more people to first-party titles, but on the other, it can feel a little like Microsoft is playing it too safe with its exclusives. Still, there are some brilliant offerings on this little black powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wouldn\u2019t be an exclusives list without a Halo <\/em>game, now would it? Microsoft\u2019s long-awaited first-person shooter was delayed numerous times leading up to its release, but when it finally launched, it brought a new open world dimension to the Halo <\/em>series. Master Chief\u2019s traditional adventures against the Covenant got a little spice thanks to the addition of free-roaming areas and a grappling hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Forza Horizon <\/em>series has been flying the flag for accessible racing in a landscape largely dominated by dry simulation experiences. Horizon 5 <\/em>has lots of tweaking and tuning options if you want them, but it also lets you simply pick an event or a point on the map and just drive for a while. The game might play it a little safe<\/a>, but it\u2019s a satisfying racer nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double Fine\u2019s long-awaited sequel to one of the best platformers of all time is just as weird and wonderful as you want it to be, although its story does, again, play it just a little too safe. Raz and his friends return in an offbeat adventure-platformer that pays homage to the original Psychonauts <\/em>while still managing to find a voice of its own. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s an excellent, whimsical game that you should check out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who\u2019d have thought that marrying Gears of War <\/em>with XCOM <\/em>would pay off? It does, though, and Gears Tactics <\/em>is a satisfying strategy experience with plenty of depth and complexity. It won\u2019t match XCOM <\/em>for narrative quality or enemy variety, but you\u2019ll find a surprisingly complete strategy game here, and if you love the Gears of War <\/em>universe (somehow) then you\u2019ll like this too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X have plenty of games in their future, too. The PS5 will see the likes of Final Fantasy XVI<\/em>, the profoundly weird-looking Pragmata<\/em>, and Marvel\u2019s Spider-Man 2<\/em>, while Xbox is getting all of those lovely Bethesda RPGs like The Elder Scrolls VI <\/em>and Starfield<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, which console has the better exclusives? For our money, the award goes to Sony on this one. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean these games are better than their Xbox counterparts, just that the PS5 arguably has a superior lineup of games you can only play on Sony\u2019s machine. If you\u2019re in this for quality gaming experiences only, then pick up a PS5, but Xbox Game Pass makes the Xbox Series X an enticing prospect if you want to experience a little bit of everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you\u2019re thinking about buying a new console, one of the most important things to take into consideration is what exclusives you can pick up. Exclusives are games that are only available on that console; you either can\u2019t buy them for any other platform or can only find them on PC, meaning if you want … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7401,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videogames","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7402,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7392\/revisions\/7402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Horizon Forbidden West<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nReturnal<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGran Turismo 7<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nXbox Series X: something for everyone<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Halo Infinite<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nForza Horizon 5<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPsychonauts 2<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGears Tactics<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n