It’s been nearly 18 months since the release of the Xbox One; just think about that for a second. It’s quite a long time, when you get down to it. The Xbox 360 had a lifespan of around 9 years, so by that reckoning we’re, what, 16% (or just under 1/6^th for the fractionally-minded) of the way through this generation, if that longevity continues to this one.

That’s actually quite a way down the console’s lifespan, whichever way you look at it…

But what does we have to show for all that time, really? Not a whole lot, on the face of it.

All consoles start their lives with growing pains; a period of time where the games released are tech-demos first and game experiences second and Xbox One has been no exception. The release day line may as well have been advertised by marketing purpose:

• Call of Duty: Ghosts & Battlefield 4 –  or the ‘we still have online shooters in the next gen’ section
• FIFA 14, NBA 14 & Madden NFL 25 – or the ‘Lads’night in with the beers section
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – or the ‘look there’s always an Assassin’s Creed game ok?’ section
• Dead Rising 3 – or the ‘look at all the stuff we can put on screen at one time tech demo’
• Forza Motorsport 5 & Need for Speed: Rivals – or the ‘oooo that’s shiny and fast’ section
• Ryse: Son of Rome – or the ‘holy shit that’s pretty’ showcase
• Skylanders Swap Force – or the ‘pretend it’s for your kids’ excuse
• Killer Instinct & Fighter Within – or the ‘remember when beat-em-ups were good?’ section
• Just Dance & Xbox Fitness – or the ‘Wii brigade’ section.

All in all, pretty underwhelming. The only really unknown quantity, Watchdogs, was delayed, leaving a load of technical showpieces and ported 360 titles to… wow… the fans.

Things didn’t really get much better in the proceeding weeks and months, with various ports and upgrades, such as Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, appearing periodically.

Sure, you had Thief appear in Feb 2014, but that failed to make a particular splash.

The first truly next-gen headliner to appear on the One was Titanfall, which could be argued to be the first sign of the Xbox One actually standing on its own, but in truth there was little to sell the console along with it. The sheer volume of custom peripherals, booklets, consoles etc… for what was a limited, if interesting, title belies a paucity of other options as a console flagship title at the time.

The release of Watchdogs caused something of a stir, but felt a little bit too much like a Grand Theft Auto clone to help give the console its own identity.

The end of 2014 played host to the first stirrings of real progress with the release of a number of big name titles on the new generation of consoles

Destiny was, obviously, the big release on the next-gen systems in September, meaning the Xbox One had something to hang its hat on. This was followed by the much anticipated titles Alien Isolation in October and Dragon Age: Inquisition & Far Cry 4 in December. Achieving varying levels of success, these titles combined to begin to lend some credibility to a console that, prior to this, had been hard to justify as a purchase.

This was the landscape of the game industry as we rolled into 2015, but really, up to now, there’s been something of a stall in momentum. Sure, we’ve seen Evolve come along and give us a taste of some tailor-made multiplayer on the new system, something that will be further re-enforced by Battlefield: Hardline, one would expect, but other than that releases have been somewhat underwhelming.

The Xbox One finds itself quote a way into its expected life-cycle now and 2015 looks like it will be a defining one in how the landscape of the console market will play out over the next decade or so. The One needs to bolster its roster with games and well-crafted, big-name ones at that. Like it or not, AAA defines the system, to deny it is to ignore the bare sales facts, and so far the One has been suffering in the face of its PS4 rival.

There’s potential on the horizon for the big box, however, with a number of titles due this year that could prove to be the heavy-hitters needed to shift units. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt should help plug any gaps in the RPG market in the wake of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Batman: Arkham Knight will look to capitalise on its predecessor’s solid combat mechanics and exploit the popular superhero marker out there today. Mad Max is perhaps the wildcard for the year; though Star Wars: Battlefront may also fulfil that role. Both are long-time announced titles that have been very quiet but foster hope for quality in many. Rise of the Tomb raider will, no doubt, be excellent and is an Xbox One exclusive, at least for a while, which can only help as it goes up against long-time rival Uncharted in the action adventure stakes. Tom Clancy’s The Division has gone a little quiet, which is a worry, but could still pull it out of the bag.

All in all, though, 2015 is looking all but a certainty, but hold much potential.

Up to now, the console has been going through something of a troubled adolescence; its difficult teenage years, if you will.

2015 really does need to be the year that it comes of age and strikes out on its own, forging an identity separate from its older sibling, the 360, and justifying all the hype we’ve been hearing for the last two years or so.

It could do it, everything is in place for it to do it, but it just seems to be floundering a little bit. It’s not unlike the original Xbox, which initially floundered without any sort of identity; a newcomer in an established market. Until, that is, it happened upon the Halo franchise.

Perhaps the Xbox One needs to happen upon its own ‘Halo moment’ where it finds a new franchise to foster its identity, or perhaps that personality can be fostered from a number of top titles. Whatever way it happens, it certainly needs to happen and 2015 is the year it needs to happen in.

Here’s hoping for an interesting year!

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