The 10 Best Xbox 360 Games

By Isaac Rouse

Dead Rising

Ah, the Xbox 360, the granddaddy of this console generation. Microsoft’s second home video console has a slew of excellent titles in its library, both disc-based and digital, that have thrilled gamers since 2005. This X-List highlights the ten best games in the Xbox 360′s catalog, spanning traditional titles and motion-enabled Kinect offerings. If you haven’t delved into Xbox 360 gaming, consider the games presented here your collection’s building blocks.

Dead Rising

Dead Rising lets you live out the classic George A Romero zed film Dawn of the Dead in video game form. Gamers play as photojournalist Frank West who snoops around a quarantined shopping mall, but unbeknownst to him, there’s a zombie outbreak. With the helicopter he rode in on being the only way out, West investigates the reason behind the horror and tries to survive for 72 hours until his ride comes back to get him. You defend West from the undead and the psychotic in this open-world survival horror action title using every piece of environment available. Factor in the RPG-like leveling system (in which you increase your speed and strength, and learn hands-free techniques) and Dead Rising becomes an absolute Xbox 360 must-buy for zombie game fans.

Lost Odyssey

The story follows a 1,000-year old immortal amnesic solider named Kaim who meets a cast of characters who set forth on an odyssey to find out about themselves and their destinies. This gem is highly underrated despite it being a RPG from Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the legendary Final Fantasy series. Turn-based battles feature a timed button queue for melee attacks to increase the amount of damage dealt. With up to five characters participating in battles at once, there’s a full opportunity to experiment with teams of mostly Black Magic users (elemental attacks and negative status effects), Spirit Magic (stat changes status, ailments and non-elemental attacks), or heavy physical hitters with some White Magic (offering health and protection to the party) users. Lost Odyssey, featuring an awesome leveling up system, customization and dynamic story, has the greatness of any Final Fantasy installment.

Gears of War 3

Gears of War 3 is one of the most satisfying games I’ve ever played. Besides closing the chapter on Delta Squad and the Locust/Lambent threat, there are numerous modes on that single disc to keep you entertained long after the main campaign’s completed. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself a bit. The story begins with the military COG’s dismantled and the remaining soldiers scattered as there’s no home to go to after the human stronghold’s destroyed. Each of the spiritually broken Delta crew members attempt to find their own peace as the story progresses. The ending is satisfying (save a few unanswered questions), the four player co-op in campaign mode delivers on all points, and Versus Mode is quite polished. There’s even a Beast Mode where you get to become the enemy sort of like Left 4 Dead, where you become a Locust or Lambent. This Gears of War installment is easily the best of the three, and even rivals the god-like Halo franchise in terms of shooting action.

Halo: Reach

I’m not much of a Halo fan outside of the series’ multiplayer modes. That isn’t because I thought they were bad; I, frankly, didn’t dig the story. Halo: Reach, on the other hand, is a story without Master Chief and set before Halo: Combat Evolved. You’re a member of “Noble Team,” a Spartans special ops unit on a mission to gather information about the Covenant. The multiplayer is top-notch as always, but this time around, you aren’t as super powered as you are in previous installments. You don’t fully heal as time progresses, which makes brazen gunslinging a foolish endeavor. The standout mode here is SWAT, a multiplayer setup that sees your warrior equipped with just a battle rifle and pistol (no shields or motion trackers).

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

This is the game that forever changed the face of war games. Developers went out of their way to produce shooter upon shooter to get a piece of that sweet, sweet genre pie after Modern Warfare‘s release. None of them, however, can live up to the Call of Duty franchise. I chose this one out of the many CoD games released in its wake because it was the first, and to me, the one with the best story. You play as John “Soap” Mactavish who’s tasked with cleaning up a mess of a civil war raging in Russian…see what I did there? The missions and dialog are immersive, especially the “All Ghillied Up” mission (Captain MacMillan, FTW!), which I won’t spoil here. Other than introducing the revolutionary multiplayer aspect of most shooters today, developer Infinity Ward also managed to squeeze in one of the most difficult and self rewarding achievements in Xbox 360 history: Beating the Mile High Club mission on Veteran difficulty. Virtual high-five if you did it.

The Orange Box

Half-Life 2, Half- Life 2 Episode One and Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 all ported and bundled together for your gaming pleasure? Yes! Gordon Freeman’s thrilling FPS adventure continues in Half Life 2, and also in Episode One and Two. Portal is a story-driven puzzle game set within Half-Life‘s universe. Combine those titles with Team Fortress 2, one of the gods of PC multiplayer gaming, and you have a near-perfect package. All of these games, from developer Valve, are top-tier and must-plays if you call yourself a gamer.

Fable 2

 

Fable 2 takes place in the fictional land of Albion, five hundred years after the original Fable. This time around, however, you can select a male or female gender, get married, or pick which sex you want to make naughty time with! This console exclusive title features interactive cutscenes that you use to mold your character as good or evil, and a doggie as a companion that assists in missons. It’s also one of the most gorgeous games on the platform.

Dance Central 2

Dance Central 2 is the only game I know where you could shake your ass to both a Lady Gaga and Mary J. Blige song. As it’s a Harmonix game, you basically play it like Rock Band, but you use your body instead of plastic guitars and drums. Basically the players perform on-screen dance moves, which the Kinect tracks and scores. The more accurately the player executes the move, the more points s/he racks up. Multiplayer, a drop in/drop out system, and voice control means that you can party hard with your friends and look foolish while doing it.

Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest games ever made. Everything you love about the original is greatly improved upon, while everything you hate is repaired or scrapped completely. The story drives the game, your choices drive the story, and the earth-shattering obstacles and amazingly fleshed out characters drive your choices. You play as Commander Shepard, a military solider from Earth out to stop an alien race called the Reapers from re-emerging and destroying galactic civilization. If you played the first Mass Effect, the actions you took will follow you in part two; even the most minuscule bit from the original may play a big role this time around. A game has never made me feel as connected to fictional characters quite like this one. Don’t let the Mass Effect 3 controversy keep you from experiencing this amazing title and series. Action RPG’s don’t come better than this, folks.

Bioshock

An underwater utopia set in the ’60s that’s beaten down by politics, drugs, and alcohol. Citizens turned psychopaths by a revolutionary product made for society’s betterment. A leader whose vision of a better place than America becomes as corrupt as the people he sought to escape. Bioshock is easily one of the most memorable games to appear this console generation. The quick rundown: Your character survives a plane crash and finds shelter in an underwater city called Rapture. There, you meet a man named Atlas who’s looking to escape the hell this paradise has become. Bioshock, between the frightful environmental designs and the timeless ’50s and ’60s music that’s more creepy than joyous in the game’s context, is an audio-visual beast. Morality comes into play, and I absolutely refuse to spoil any of it here. All you need to know is this: Play this game now.

Source: 2R-X