Obviously, we at Dualshockers are bigSonyfans. But when it comes to seventh-generation game consoles, the Xbox 360 was arguablythe leader of the pack. Having released nearly a full yearbeforethe PS3, the 360 dominated the market while Sony fans were still playing PS2 games. There was no arguing the console’s greatness. At least, there wouldn’t have been, were it not forthe notorious red ring of death, among other tech issues.
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But we’re not here to talk about howbrokenthe first 360 runs were. We’re here to celebrate the system’sincredible library of games. To this day, thelineupof 360 games isarguably one of the best of all time. Plug in yourhard drive, charge up yourbattery packs, and check out some of thesefamous 360 titles!
10Batman: Arkham Asylum
There have beentons of Arkham games, all of whichowe their existenceto the success of Arkham Asylum. When the game first dropped, it wasbreathtakingly unique. Most critics say the exact same thing about Arkham Aslyum:it makes you feel like Batman.
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The main draw of the game isslowly picking off enemies from the shadows. The Dark Knight glides around rooms, instilling fear as he swoops down on enemies from above. When things get more personal, thehand-to-hand combat is also great. It features excellent animations, weighty hits, and a countering system inspired by Assassin’s Creed. The later games are good too, but Arkham Asylum is aniconic classic.
9Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
The Force Unleashed is just astraight-up solid action adventure game, even for non-Star Wars fans. The lightsaber melee gameplay isfun and responsive, with tons of funcombos and quirks(such as the Lightsaber Throw). Zapping enemies withforce lightningis great, but turning them intoragdollswith the force and making themdance aroundtruly never gets old.
It did get a sequel, which is also on the 360, butthe first game is definitely better. Both have beautiful graphics and great music (it’s just Star Wars music), but the second game only has asmall handful of levelscompared to the first.
8Assassin’s Creed 2
For a while, the Assassin’s Creed series was taking theMaddenapproach:a new game every year, come hell or high water. But before that really kicked off, there was Assassin’s Creed 2. It was a more fleshed version of the first game, building out alarge new worldwith aunique Renaissance setting.
Not only was the gameplay more refined, but the characters and story were also better, too. Ezio is acharming, loveable rogue. And hey,Da Vinciis there too. AC2 is still worth playing today, and earns its spot on this list by being one of themost memorable games in the series.
7Mass Effect 2
Thesecond game in a trilogyis often thebest. Such is the case with Mass Effect, Bioware’s sci-fi RPG series. Mass Effects 1 & 3 both had issues, and while the second game is far from perfect, it feels the most refined. It got rid of certainmaligned mechanics(like the rover segments from Mass Effect 1). Meanwhile, its story outperforms that of ME3, the ending of which had to be rewritten after someextremely harsh fan feedback.
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And yeah, ME2 is great, but the whole Mass Effect trilogy is on the 360.Playing them all together is recommended; it’s what makes the series great. Choices the player makes in the first game will impact the story of the entire trilogy, creating aunique sense of freedom and cohesion.
6Saints Row 2
There arefourmainline Saints Row games on the 360, but for us, Saints Row 2 is where it’s at. It’s agreat compromise between story and gameplay— not as janky or ugly as Saints Row 1, but with a story that isn’ttoo over-the-topand ridiculous. The Saints Row games weremore than just GTA clones. At a time when GTA was going forrealism, Saints Row was happy to let playerslaunch pedestrians hundreds of feetin the air, causemillions of dollars of property damage,spray houses with sewer water, that sort of thing.
GTA IV is not a bad game by any means, it’s just a different experience. Realistic, gritty games with gray color schemes were the trend at the time, and Saints Rowboldy went against the trend.
5Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
It used to be that Call of Duty wasstrictlya World War 2 shooter. It was actuallycompletely laughableat the time. We hadso manyWW2 shooters, Modern Warfare was an absolutebreath of fresh air. Thegraphics and gameplayweresolid— the campaign is classic, withaction movie set piecesandlegitimately challengingscenes — and of course, the multiplayer washuge.
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It’s no exaggeration to say that Modern Warfaremade the series what it is today.COD 2 and 3 are great games, but they just don’t compare. Modern Warfare not only refined the gameplay and storytelling of the series, it gained countless new fans and made a boatload of money for Infinity Ward. It’s still regarded as one of the best games in the whole franchise.
For years, Tony Hawk was the undisputed king of skateboarding games. That changed when Skate hit store shelves, addingremarkable depthto what felt like aplayed-out genre. Skate 2 perfected the formula, and Skate 3 brought in new ideas. The games are so beloved that fans have been bombarding EA’s Twitter account for years, begging to know"when is Skate 4?".
This spot was atoss-upbetween Skate 2 and 3. Obviously, 3 was the final choice; itisa bitglitchy(in a charming way), but it has themost featuresand the mostmodern feelof any Skate game. Its only big issue is it lacks Skate 2’s iconic map, with areas like theCougar Mountain Dam, and the new map justnever felt quite the same.
3The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Just a few months after the 360 hit store shelves, we had Oblivion — it waspractically a launch title. And man, what a title it was. Suddenly the 360 was the new hotness, andevery Morrowind fanneeded to get their hands on it. Of course, years later,the 360 also got Skyrim. It’s debatable which title isactually better, but consider this: the 360 version of Oblivion isdefinitive, whereas the trulybestversionof Skyrim wouldn’t come untillong after the death of the console.
Even for those who do prefer Skyrim, there’s no denying that Oblivion isone of the best games on the 360. It has its problems, sure, but it’s still anexemplary RPGwith afun storyandsome of the best side quests in gaming history.
Halo 3 was amassive system seller, and to this day it’s synonymous with the console itself. The campaign ispolished and beautiful, but themultiplayerwas where it was really at. It had tons of awesome game modes, with memorable standouts likeGrifballandRocket Race. Its maps areabsolutely iconic, and withForge, players could make entirely new maps and game types.
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There was a massive debate at the time on which game was better, between Halo 3 and Modern Warfare. Maybe it’snostalgiatalking, but Halo 3 is what we played more of. Plus, Halo is theiconic poster childof the Xbox.
1Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV was and is a bold, refreshing, and beautiful game. It explores the story ofNiko Bellic, an Eastern European man, masterfully handling its themes ofwar and trauma. It challenges players by putting them in shoes of anoutsider, which was just as anger-inducing to come back then as the idea ofplaying as a womanis now. Niko is a loveable tragic character in a game that’schoc-full of charming and memorable characters. The story isn’t overly-complicated, but it may bethe best-told story in the series.
Similar to Oblivion, GTA IV had an extremely successful sequel that was also on the 360. However, GTA V continued to be refined and is more associated withmodern gaming. Plus, it’snot necessarily a better game.
