The 50 Best Xbox One Games Right Now

Best Xbox One Games List – #9 The Wolf Among Us

Developer: Telltale Games

Publisher: Telltale Games

Xbox One Release Date (Retail): November 4, 2014

Prior to The Wolf Among Us releasing Episode 1 back in late 2013, there was a lot of pressure on the company to deliver. 2012 was a down year for gaming, but the excellence of the narrative, characterization and introduction of choice-based graphic adventure that The Walking Dead exemplified meant they really had to bring it with The Wolf Among Us. Based on the Fables graphic novel series, the Big Bad Wolf is the sheriff of a hidden society of storybook fable creatures. After a series of grizzly murders, he is tasked with keeping the peace while investigating the responsible party and bringing them to justice.

What separated itself from The Walking Dead was that Bigby Wolf oozed of charm. Depending on your style, he still embodies the kind of sleazy stoicism that comes from a badass who’s ready to throw down fisticuffs on a moment’s notice. Excellent voice acting made interacting with Snow White, the Woodsman, Bloody Mary, the Jersey Devil a believable modernization in a decidedly cynical world. The game’s aesthetic made each scene feel ripped out of an 80’s-era comic book, with a decidedly neon-noir feel carrying the authenticity of the environment at hand.

More importantly, it gave license to go places you previously couldn’t go with The Walking Dead. Yes, their characters brought moments of sarcasm, levity, and good spirits, but not in a way that lampshades its comic tones while addressing centuries-old storytelling tropes. Telltale used levity to provide humor about how they created games, including manipulating how people “won’t forget that,” or have characters shame destructive tendencies while hosting their own. The Wolf Among Us brought personality into the adventure and brought a fresh new perspective to a host of legendary characters.

Next: #8 Shovel Knight