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Here are all the Gamescom Xbox announcements Microsoft probably aren’t bringing to PC

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How should platform exclusivity should make you feel? Sad. Very sad. At least platform exclusivity that you don’t have access to. Here’s a roundup of all the games Microsoft talked about at Gamescom but probably aren’t bringing to PC, despite the Xbox One basically being a big PC and them owning Windows.

Scalebound

The latest work from action game superheroes Platinum Games and director Hideki Kamiya features the whitest man in the world and his big dragon friend. I was extremely excited for this until the above trailer debuted, which makes it look a lot more like a flashy MMO than I was expecting. Having a massive dragon in your game does make it impossible for me to hate it, but it doesn’t have that Platinum polish. Whether that’s just because it’s early days or the co-op format is taking away that cinematic flourish, only time will tell. But it’s a Platinum game, and that means I want to play it, so come on Microsoft.

Crackdown 3

Long-time-coming sequel to Realtime Worlds’ (RIP) successful pair of open world action games. I’ve always considered them to be slightly crap versions of the (excellent) Prototype games, but every time I express this opinion three people show up and punch me in the face. Either way, they’re explosion-packed gun-runners with a focus on co-op fun, collapsing buildings and rampant disregard for the sanctity of human life and city planning. Wouldn’t it be nice if, say, we could play it on PC?

Forza Motorsport 6

Hey, I like cars, yeah? I don’t like the idea of spending thousands of pounds on a racing setup (or an actual car) and learning to drive in its neigh-obscene simulation (or real life), I’m more of a Trackmania guy. But there is a happy arcadish middle ground where the Gran Turismos, Drive Clubs and Forzas sit, or so I’m told. I wouldn’t know, because this stuff never makes it to PC, despite the immense success of DiRT Rally and co in recent times.

Halo 5 (and the Master Chief Collection)

This is the biggie. A betrayal almost as old as time itself, remembered only by us few brave souls. Halo was, of course, originally going to be a PC game. I owned the copy of PC Gamer where it was revealed, with the eternally unbeatable tagline (that took me at least 2-3 years to get) “Halo, gorgeous.” We eventually got Combat Evolved of course, and it looked stunning (though ran like a dog) and played wonderfully. Even Halo 2 eventually made the jump, though nobody played it because it required Windows Vista.

With Microsoft’s renewed attention on our keyboard and mouse controlled home, surely it’s the perfect time to start giving us back Halo games? And not sequels to an RTS nobody played, the actual Halo games, the ones that built the franchise and so many loved. You’ve got HD remasters (that even sometimes work) swanning around your hard drives, what’s the excuse?

And that’s the lot, at least for Gamescom. Some or all of these may eventually make it to PC ala Rise of the Tomb Raider, and if they do I will be taking sole responsibility.