With a rock-steady online following and a much more impressive game library than they had in the last console generation, Microsoft has been doing quite well for itself the last few years. Though the Wii still reigns in sales, and the PS3 is steadily catching up, the Xbox 360 has held its ground like a Spartan II facing an army of suicide grunts. What many people see as a superior selection of exclusive franchises has helped it maintain a steady spot in the hearts of hardcore and casual gamers alike. Though some haven’t remained as consistent as we’d like, it wasn’t hard to come up with this list of our ten favorites:
10. The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai – Ska Studios
The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai is important for a couple reasons. For one thing, it’s one of the only downloadable titles exclusive to the Xbox 360 that’s really noteworthy. The best digital games are usually released on multiple services, like Steam, PSN and Wii Ware, but Dead Samurai easily stacks up against any of the top multi-platform downloadables. Its gorgeous and gritty visuals are accented by classic beat-em-up gameplay with some unique twists, and the overall presentation and quality is surprisingly consistent for an indie game developed by a single guy (James Silva—look him up). Plus, the sequel, Vampire Smile, is set to be released, well, some time, and it will surely blow our minds when it is.
9. Crackdown – Realtime Worlds
The popularity of the first Crackdown was a strange case—for many gamers, it was more of a pack-in with the Halo 3 beta than a standalone game worth purchasing on its own merits. No doubt Microsoft wasn’t anticipating great sales for Crackdown and decided to lump Halo 3’s early multiplayer trial onto the same disc in an attempt to sell more copies. It worked, though the biggest surprise of all was that Crackdown was actually an incredibly fun game. Its combination of an overpowered protagonist and an enormous, vertically-oriented city to explore had never been seen before. When the Halo 3 beta ended, Crackdown stayed in my Xbox 360 for weeks. The sequel may have been a bit of a let-down, but there’s still hope that a third entry in the series will offer up more improvements than we’ve previously seen.
8. Forza Motorsport – Turn 10
Gran Turismo may be the original gangsta of racing simulators, but Forza Motorsport’s latest entry (Forza Motorsport 3) certainly bridged the gap between the two franchises and even surpassed Gran Turismo in many ways. And FM 3 is the first driving sim in recent memory to actually make an attempt to appeal to an audience outside of the usual car porn enthusiasts by including the rewind feature. Allowing players to backtrack in the middle of a race was a controversial move, but it certainly helped alleviate the white-knuckled tension many players have found off-putting in the genre in the past. And best of all? Forza Motorsport is exclusive to the Xbox 360. Maybe the fourth entry in the series will even make the Kinect worthwhile (see number nine on this list).
7. Project Gotham Racing – Bizarre Creations
While not strictly as hardcore as Forza, Project Gotham’s consistently stunning graphics and slightly more “arcade-y” feel were mighty pleasing to plenty of racing game fans. The original was a launch title on the first Xbox system, and it did a better job than even Halo of showing off the big black box’s potential. Graphics like that had rarely been seen before, after all. Even through four iterations, the franchise’s quality remained the same. It’s a damn shame that Bizarre Creations has almost certainly shut its doors for good, but even if they really are closed, they’ve left behind quite a legacy for the Xbox brand.
6. Alan Wake – Remedy Entertainment
Since Resident Evil went the way of the action game and Silent Hill’s offerings have been a mixed bag of late, the only franchise really holding the survival horror torch this console generation was Dead Space—that is, until Alan Wake hit the Xbox 360 last year. It combined elements of survival horror that fans of the genre have been craving, while utilizing light and darkness in ways no game has before. Don’t discount the story, either. It’s like a classic Stephen King novel, but in a good way (if that’s even possible). Hopefully the game sold well enough to warrant a sequel, because gaming needs more titles like Alan Wake.
5. Lost Odyssey – Mistwalker
Lost Odyssey was a throwback in the most positive sense of the term. Its old-school RPG tropes in no way hampered its modern storytelling and presentation. In fact, old and new meshed perfectly in the expansive yet somehow trim RPG. Relatively simple mechanics allowed immersive, surreal storytelling techniques and gorgeous environments to really shine. Lost Odyssey was a blessing for many Xbox 360 fans in 2008, well before the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII’s multi-platform release knocked RPG fans on their asses. Besides, Mistwalker was founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy. There hasn’t been much news about a sequel in a while, but we’ve still got our fingers crossed. Lost Odyssey’s is a world we’d love to return to.
4. Gears of War – Epic Games
In a deep depression between Halo releases, when shooter fans were holding their breath in anticipation of the third entry in that trilogy, Microsoft decided to throw us a bone in the form of Gears of War. The gameplay was nothing we were used to. Gears practically invented a new sub-genre: The pop-and-stop cover system and over-the-shoulder perspective had never been done in quite the same way, or quite so well. The game’s gritty, hard sci-fi aesthetic and meaty charm helped differentiate it from everything else on the market. The sequel was “bigger, better, and more badass,” as the infamous Cliffy B put it, and the third entry will no doubt raise the bar even higher when it comes out later this year.
3. Fable – Lionhead Studios
Oh, Fable. Each game in the series seems to disappoint while simultaneously delighting thousands of fans of the series. Lead designer Peter Molyneux likes to run his mouth, and he almost always sets his sights too high. Nevertheless, Fable is a huge draw to the Xbox brand, reeling in casual and hardcore action RPG fans in equal numbers. There are plenty of good things to say about each entry in the series. Their worlds are vibrant and rewarding to explore, rife with secrets and side quests, and each game is nothing if not a fun ride. Likewise, Molyneux is nothing if not full of grand ideas, and we have hope that he’ll one day produce the exact game he wants to. When that day comes, we may just have a masterpiece on our hands.
2. Kinect – Microsoft
I know what you’re thinking, and believe me, I completely agree. There really, honestly is nothing out for the Kinect right now that can even come close to justifying the purchase of the $150 peripheral. Not a single one of Kinect’s many launch titles (Joy Ride, Kinectimals, Adventures, etc.) is worth playing more than the one time you’ll play them piss-drunk at a gullible friend’s house. But—heavy emphasis on the but—that doesn’t mean there will never be something worth playing on it. While Kinect may be struggling to find purchase in the tough-to-please hardcore gaming market, the not-so-tough-to-please casual market is eating it up. Real developers are going to start taking notice of the already enormous install base, and those crazy ideas floating around in their collective heads are going to start seeming a lot more viable. We’ve already got Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Child of Eden, Forza Motorsport 4, and Project Draco to look forward to, and who knows what else they’ll cook up before the end of this console generation. The bottom line is, you never know what will happen with new technology. Just have a little faith.
1. Halo – Bungie
The importance of Halo to Microsoft (and gaming as a whole, for that matter) simply can’t be overstated. If not for the original Halo, the Xbox would be a very different system today, if it were even around at all. And keep in mind that Bungie was a practically unknown developer, outside of the relatively small Mac gaming community, when Microsoft signed them on for the exclusive Xbox debut title. Over the last decade, Halo has single-handedly moved millions of Xboxes and Xbox 360s into people’s homes. Halo 2 gave online console gaming the kick in the ass it needed to get going. Halo 3 broke every record known to gaming, and Halo: Reach did the series proud, as well. Even Halo: Wars was a great game, and one of the most successful takes on the RTS genre ever to grace a home console. Despite Bungie’s recent disassociation with the franchise, Halo remains exclusive to Microsoft, and there’s no doubt that it’s still their most essential franchise. Even without Bungie at the helm, we can’t wait to see what’s next for the series.
Honorable mentions—including Banjo-Kazooie, Shadow Complex and Left 4 Dead—simply couldn’t fit onto the list. We’re sure you understand, but is there anything else we missed?
