Halo Wars 2 is certainly coming out, and they have a launch trailer to prove it. What struck me most about it wasn't its intriguing plot, stinging villain and climactic military speeches. No, my eyes honed in on just the second frame of the trailer, and that's pretty much the only part I remember: the Xbox logo and the word "exclusive" underneath it.
See, January and February 2017 have been the PS4's months, with Gravity Rush 2, Yakuza 0 and Nioh, with Horizon Zero Dawn soon to follow. As for Xbox One, even using the generous definition of "exclusive," it has Rise & Shine, which sits at a 67 on Metacritic.
Actually, it goes even further than Xbox One vs PS4. Consider that, as of March 3 (unless Microsoft has some last-minute surprises), the Nintendo Switch will have more 2017 exclusive titles than the Xbox One.
That being said, Halo Wars 2 could be a huge step in the right direction for a console many of us have forgotten about. It's also fair to point out that Microsoft is taking strides toward building up its Windows 10 gaming platform, which includes efforts to boost cross-play functionality, like they did with Gears of War 4. This means the traditional definition of "exclusive" is less valid when talking about Microsoft games, as upcoming titles such as Crackdown 3 will be available on Xbox One and Windows 10, but not Steam or any other console.
Plus, there is always Microsoft's Project Scorpio to consider, and it could shake down to be a major game changer on the console landscape. For now, though, it's nice to have an excuse to dust off Big Bertha (or whatever you call your Xbox One), and Halo Wars 2 is about to give us just that.
