TOMB RAIDER [X1/PS4 Review]: Exploring the ‘Definitive’ Realm of Next-Gen.

Getting some play-time in with the Xbox One, issues and praises for the hardware, and why a second trip to Yamatai is warranted on Microsoft’s new console.

We’ve recently passed the two-month mark on the Xbox One’s retail launch, and needless to say, I’m impressed. The console is packing some serious power within its sexy exterior, with both a great launch lineup and a promising forecast of fresh games on the horizon. My console has seen mostly leafblower-dildo implants on the zombie masses, a la Dead Rising 3, but the entertainment options Microsoft have giddily proffered have seen their fair share of use as well.

I know I’m not the only one enjoying those Just Dance 2014 videos on Upload, and the vastly improved Kinect sensor allows for easier movie browsing, and less buttery popcorn-fingers on my Day One controller.

Sorry, Seth, but this is quite the Snooze.

ON THE MENU TODAY…

But what about the home screen interface? Well, at the moment, that leaves a lot to be desired. Accessing your Friends List is easy enough, but try initiating a party chat where everyone knows to hit that little ‘enable party chat’ button. You know Mike isn’t going to, and he’s going to miss out on a totally rad joke. Fucking Mike. The same goes for finding your previous downloads on another console. I have what many Call of Duty: Ghosts gamers like to call the “gay zebra camo,” and I’ll be damned if my gay zebra couldn’t be found on every Xbox One that I physically touch. Thing is, the camo is something special I received that isn’t purchasable yet on the Xbox One; you actually have to go into your games library, find the game that you have your DLC for on another console, and hit the menu button, which brings up a prompt for your previous downloads. Whatever happened to hitting the Guide button and pulling up your recent downloads at the drop of a semtex? I’d like to see a little bit more cohesion in the coming updates for the system, and I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way.

Editing your best moments in your favorite games has become a lot easier with the Xbox One, too. Just by saying (or shouting if you’re hyped up), “Xbox, record that!,” you can have a glory-grabbing video to post for all your Xbox Live friends to see, or even upload it to SkyDrive for later posting to YouTube, Facebook, whatever-the-hell you feel like. Speaking of which– please check out my quad-kill in Ghosts using akimbo .44s with useless ACOG scopes. I’m really proud of it and, quite frankly, you should be too.