What was the last truly great single player game Microsoft published?

When I think of great single player games, Sony and Nintendo have it in the bag. I just recently played the wonderful Returnal, and on the Nintendo side, Bowser's Fury. Really fun and great experiences and I'm looking forward to the next games coming from these two. As for Microsoft, I remember MS went through a string of games like ReCore and Quantum Break, and they were largely duds. I'm thinking I may have to go back to Sunset Overdrive on this one. I'll think about it some more. How about you, SW? What was the last truly great single player game Microsoft published?

Scalebound

I really enjoyed the campaign in Gears 5 myself.

MSFS

Ori 2

They haven't published anything worthwhile for over a decade. In 2023, the year Xbox will mostly likely begin to have games, we might see something good from them.

Halo Reach and Gears 3 were the last good non-racing games from Microsoft.

I'd say the Age of Empires series is a great single player game Microsoft has published. Before that, maybe Fable 2 back in 2008.. I wouldn't call Fable 2 "truely great" though. More like above average.

Flight Simulator?

Does ori 1+2 count? Those were great games and SP only... otherwise gears 5 I guess, was pretty well received.

And of course they just released the medium, got a 9 here on GS which is just as good as any of the Sony exclusive...

Ori and The Blind Forest was fantastic. Haven’t played the second one yet but definitely would like to someday.

Yea, the Ori games are great. Forgot about those.

Cuphead was another great game too.

Xbox continues to be on Sony fannies mind. 😂

Fable

Well, this is a response thread to “When was the last good Sony MP”. Difference is Sony have never made good mp games, while ms has plenty of good sp games including Ori, Cuphead, a few Halo and Gears games as well as Age of Empires.

Heck, even Quantum Break and Recore were better sp games than anything Sony have offered on the mp front.

The two Ori games were fantastic and bought them both after playing them on Game Pass.

The Forza Horizon games are also wonderful and I know I'm alone here, ReCore was the only game that Comcept made that I'd consider good.

Microsoft is the multiplayer first party. It's what they do.

I reckon Starfield will be a pretty big one.

Also, Elder Scrolls. Also Avowed, Fable, Perfect Dark, InXile's RPG, Psychonaughts 2, Double Fine's next game, HellBlade 2, Project Mara, Compulsion's game, ID Software's next game, Machine Games next game (Indiana Jones), Arkane Austin's next game, Arkane Lyon's next game. Also, State of Decay 3.

Then theres all the rumored stuff. If that IO Interactive rumor is true, that means that rumored Dragon game AND Project 007 will be Xbox games.

It sure is a good thing Microsoft has absolutely loaded up on single player content. One thing is for sure though.....

We can finally dead the Cow narrative that "every game on Gamepass is a GAAS early access live service multiplayer game" because got damn do they have alot.

Flight Simulator 2020 if you ignore the sorta MP that's in it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

That's because playstation is marketed towards lonely introverts who don't have any friends to play with.

They peaked at Halo 3 and Gears 3 for me. After that they went downhill. Shame Fable 2 and 3 were literal garbage 🗑....

Probably this. That's not that long ago.

Dead Rising 3. I love that zombie stuff.

The same 4 Sony fanboys constantly creating Microsoft threads. 🙄

Well this is kind of awkward because Ori 2 ranks above both Returnal and Bowser's Fury.

@sealionact: Twisted Metal was pretty fun... but that was a while ago.

Flight Simmulator looks amazing. It would be a day one for me if i had a platform to run it.

@PAL360: It looks just as boring as it does beautiful.

Poo bovine brigade is melting down right before our eyes.

Good stuff, keep it comin.

Say it with me... Xbox Rocks!! lol :P

@Pedro: No different than Lems posting shit about Playstation here. In reality, Playstation is continuing that 2 to 1 margin. That's resulting in more software sold, which will result in more 3rd party incentives. Keep being delusional though, this place is good for a laugh.

@SecretPolice: What reason would Cows have to have a "meltdown".? Honestly curious.

Ori 1&2 are easy choices.

Forza Horizon 3 was great and I never used the online features once

Gears 5 campaign was good

Dead Rising 3 if we're going back to the start of last gen

@Sagemode87:

Simple, breaks have been sold out for years now.

Maybe, perhaps, could be, you and your bovine brigade brethren may be able to buy a break in a decade or two but I wouldn't bet on it. lol :P

Edit: By the way, you know me, I'm just playin system wars for the lol's.

Does using Google Maps count as Flight Simulator? 🤭

*Bing maps ;)

Ori

Ori and FH4

I'd argue Alan Wake.

Yeah. It's been that long.

Definitely Ori. Better than all SP games published by Sony, bar Bloodborne.

Ori was great. I wonder what the team is up to now that they are done with Ori?🤔

You're right!

Another Returnal post? What the f**k is wrong with you, dude?

As for your question - Microsoft usually makes games with multiplayer, they always have. That's a big difference between Xbox and Nintendo - the vast majority of Xbox games are designed with multiplayer components, because multiplayer (via XBoxLive) has always been a focal point of the platform; where as Nintendo has always focused on the single player experience.

So, your round-a-bout way to attack MS falls pretty flat here.

Quantum Break minus the shitty FMV, gameplay wise it was fun I found the combat much more satisfy then Control also really like the time travel aspect they could do some really cool stuff with it if they would ever make a sequel which is unlikely though.

Ori 2 of course, and it was not that long ago either.

I cant believe I agree with warmblur. Quantum break was underrated game that was much better than control trash. Remedies worst game.

although Im glad Alan wake 2 is coming.

Alan Wake for me.

@davillain-: Well it is true that you have taste when it comes to games...bad taste.😛

@Pedro: Let me guest, you don't like Stephen King's books? And you thought I was going to say Ori? I came close but Alan Wake is my fav MS published game to this day.