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22nd Nov 2013

Review: JOE reviews the Xbox One

JOE has had our filthy mitts on the Xbox One for 24 hours now, so here's what we think of the latest in next gen consoles

JOE

JOE has had our filthy mitts on the Xbox One for 24 hours now, so here’s a brief look at what we think of the latest in next gen consoles

We’ve been lucky enough here at JOE towers to have been given the latest in console technology from our good mates at Microsoft, and over the last 24 hours we’ve done little else except play games, eat, and sleep with all the fancy titles that we got with it.

Not only that, but we met Robbie Keane for a quick word too, which you’ll be able to hear in this week’s football podcast.

So far, the graphics have hugely impressed, which was to be expected we suppose, but it’s hard to describe exactly how different they are to the previous generation. NBA Live is a game where it’s really noticeable, not only in how clear everything is, but in the physics and the movement, the way in which the crowd reacts differently to situations, and how the players themselves move. Everything flows better, it’s much more realistic and the game itself is all nice and shiny too. The graphics are so good your mammy will probably think you’re just watching a basketball game on TV.

Ryse: Son of Rome has some absolutely breathtaking visuals straight from the off, and Forza was also a real pleasure to behold.

Not only are the cars in the game incredibly life-like, just like NBA Live, the physics behind the game are even better. Once you take all the player assists off you really get a fell for how the cars really drive. So for some, this is as close as you’ll get to driving a McLaren MP4-12C in the flesh. The Top Gear lads also make an appearance in the latest Forza, like they did in the last, which is a nice touch for the avid Top Gear fans and the in-game opponents drive like real people, so expect some crashes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYTx9DFWMSI

Perhaps though, as we’ve already mentioned, the biggest change is in the physics and the detailing, even in the distance. Everything reacts and moves much more fluidly and naturally, making the sports games not only much more realistic, but much more difficult too. It will take some time to get used to those movements, and how things have changed, but not much, and we’re more than happy to make the tradeoff for something which looks this astonishingly good.

We haven’t spent much time playing around with all the various entertainment aspects of Xbox One main screen, but you can expect to read more about that in JOE’s full Xbox One review which we’ll roll out on the site in the coming days.

JOE has been given FIFA 14, Ryse – Son of Rome, Madden 25, Dead Rising 3, Zoo Tycoon, Battlefield 4, NBA Live 14, Need for Speed Rivals, Powerstar Golf, Xbox Fitness and Crimson Dragon (just to name a few) so keep an eye out for those reviews.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an Xbox One to play…

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