Where's Our Xbox One X Review?

The review embargo for Xbox One X is up, but Game Informer’s verdict is still undetermined, and won’t be posted until I spend more time with the console and its games. Microsoft sent us an Xbox One X last week, giving us a nice runway leading up to today’s embargo, but a number of games I’ve deemed essential for weighing in on the performance of Xbox One X are currently unavailable for review.

We’re still waiting for Forza Motorsport 7’s Xbox One X update. Microsoft has positioned Forza as the flagship first-party release for Xbox One X, using it to lead the charge for the company’s messaging at this year’s E3. I couldn’t in good faith review Xbox One X without playing this game extensively on the final hardware. We still don’t know when it will be available. Next to Super Lucky’s Tale, Forza is the newest (and biggest) release from Microsoft’s first-party publishing. I was able to put older Microsoft-published games like Gears of War 4, Zoo Tycoon, Disney Adventures, and Killer Instinct through their paces, but none of these titles stack up to the promise of Forza running at 60 frames per second in native 4K.

As I write this article, new games with Xbox One X support are being added to the marketplace. A slew of title updates were released today for Quantum Break, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Halo Wars 2, Slime Rancher, Dead Rising 4, and more. The amount of time it takes to test these games, and compare them to their counterparts on Xbox One, Xbox One S, and perhaps PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro takes time. Even the downloads, with several games weighing in at over 100 GB, slows down the process.

Tonight should bring Xbox One X updates for even more games, including Call of Duty: WWII, another game I feel people will want to know about in the review. I’ve tested a good number of games for Xbox One X, and have plenty to say about it at this point; I just need time (and access) to play the BIG releases. Delivering a comprehensive review for Xbox One X’s launch, or even a review that just highlights how some of the holiday’s biggest games perform on it, seems impossible at this point.

It’s disappointing Microsoft didn’t have the games ready for the embargo, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be there for the system’s launch next Tuesday. All of the Xbox One X updates are delivered digitally, and developers have plenty of time to get them to the marketplace.

I’m hoping my review is ready by then. As I downloaded games over the last week, I had the time to write up some of the review. I have the framework in place and I should be able to get it to you quickly after I do the necessary testing with the games of note.

Feel free to ask questions about Xbox One X in the comments section below, and I’ll answer as many as I can. Otherwise, back to the review…