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Xbox 360: What did I miss in the last 5 years?
maximumzero
I...wait, what?New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
I...wait, what?New Orleans, LARegistered User regular
So here's the deal: I'm at my sister/brother-in-law's place today and he's playing the new Splinter Cell game. It's not usually my kind of game but it looks really good.
So the thought strikes me...what have I missed on the 360 since it's launch? Recommend away, folks.
Here's what I own thus far:
I thought there were all pretty fantastic. Sonic Unleashed is probably my favorite 360 title out of the bunch with Bionic Commando coming in at a close second.
I don't really do sports titles, and don't bother recommending any music titles because I don't have people to play them with nor do I have the place to store instruments.
Also do keep in mind that a stellar single-player campaign is a plus. Don't recommend a game based on it's multiplayer merits, simply because I'm generally terrible at everything versus others. (Not to mention my internet connection has been extremely unstable as of late.)
Retail titles only, please.
So the thought strikes me...what have I missed on the 360 since it's launch? Recommend away, folks.
Here's what I own thus far:
I thought there were all pretty fantastic. Sonic Unleashed is probably my favorite 360 title out of the bunch with Bionic Commando coming in at a close second.
I don't really do sports titles, and don't bother recommending any music titles because I don't have people to play them with nor do I have the place to store instruments.
Also do keep in mind that a stellar single-player campaign is a plus. Don't recommend a game based on it's multiplayer merits, simply because I'm generally terrible at everything versus others. (Not to mention my internet connection has been extremely unstable as of late.)
Retail titles only, please.
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Bioshock & Bioshock 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Dragon Age
Fallout 3
Bayonetta
Just Cause 2
That should keep you busy for awhile.
Secondly I would recommend Bethesda's games, Oblivion and Fallout 3. I enjoyed these less than BioWare's offerings, but still managed to sink 30+ hours in both (over 65 in Oblivion actually.)
[EDIT] I'll second the Bioshock games. Fantastic.
My Backloggery
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
I'm not discounting XBLA games in my gaming purchases, just in this recommendations thread. I have a fairly good handle on what's available and what's coming down the pipe as far as XBLA goes...not to mention I can download trials of any of 'em.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Edit: Also, if you like JRPGs at all, make sure to grab Resonance of Fate before it's completely impossible to find.
I generally wait until a game is $10 or less.
I don't even have a 360 yet, but I own 34 games for it because of this policy. Someday I'll get one and be busy for like, 2 years straight.
DeadSpace.
It all really depends.
If there's a game out there that I'm almost 100% certain I'll enjoy (See: Super Mario Galaxy, Sonic Unleashed) or if it has some sort of freebie (Classic Controller Pro, Pokewalker, Muramasa's giant sexy poster scroll) I'll pick it up at full price (but likely at Amazon where I can save tax.
If there's a game out there that I'm interested in but I don't have a frothing demand for (See: Bionic Commando, Halo Series) I'll grab it when it hits the $30 price point.
And then there's the bargain titles I'll see and just buy for fuck's sake. (Let's Tap, Madworld, Guitar Hero Aerosmith (With Guitar for $10)
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Oh god how did I forget this one.
This, along with Lost Planet are actually high up on my list of titles I want to purchase. I'm just waiting for some sort of deal to come along. (Like Buy 2 Get 1 Free Platinum Hits or what have you)
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Used games are always an option. You can get stuff pretty cheap if you use Ebay or Amazon Used, and while I've never used Goozex myself I hear great things about it.
Unfortunately co-op isn't gonna happen. I will grab the first Gears someday though.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
If you can, I would suggest renting Gears 1. I really didn't like it all that much, Gears 2 was awesome as all hell though.
Mass Effect 1 & 2 - The first game is a flawed, but fun, and the second game improves on the first in almost every way. Easily some of my favorite games of the last decade. BioWare has crafted a great galaxy to explore.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - It feels like a fresh, modern take on the Metroidvania genre. I normally loathe stealth games, but I'm always looking forward to the next stealth section in AA. You get a bunch of gadgets that progressively allow you to explore more of the island and take down enemies in more elaborate ways.
Tales of Vesperia - Great battle system, which plays sort of like a SSB-esque fighting game. The characters are enjoyable too, both in fighting style and personality. The main character is a refreshing change from the usual JRPG protagonist. It's also rather pretty.
Halo Wars - Maybe it's too 'simple' for the RTS diehards, but I found it to be a lot of fun, especially as a Halo fan. Considering you have the rest of the Halo games, you might enjoy this too. Probably one of the games I played the most last year.
Oblivion - I didn't care for the combat, so I just set the difficulty slider to minimum and spent countless hours exploring and questing. It was quite fun.
I'd also second Hitman: Blood Money. That game was tons of fun.
There's a difference here.
Even if you didn't like Unleashed, at least it's a finished product as opposed to 2k6's horrible buggy, glitchy, load-infested mess.
2006 was simply not a good game. With or without the bugs.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Anyway, you've probably already made up your mind for JPRGs, but consider Final Fantasy XIII (if you don't own it on PS3) and Tales of Vesperia anyway. Tomb Raider: Underworld is an excellent 3D platformer/adventure game with some pretty fun DLC in my opinion. Forza is an excellent racing game. Dead Space is an excellent third-person survival shooter that is actually creepy at times, unlike RE4. Resident Evil 5 isn't scary at all, but it does have a lot of singleplayer replay value between the campaign and Mercenaries mode. Ninja Gaiden II is a tough hack-and-slash, and also very, very visceral, which is always fun.
Personally, I would give Red Faction: Guerrilla a rent. The environment destruction is neat and all, but it isn't very long and I got tired of wrecking the same 5-6 building types and doing the same handful of missions after a short while.
Arkham Asylum is ridiculously good; Blood Money is also pretty fantastic. And Dead Space.
If you plan on playing the Mass Effect games, make sure you do everything you want in ME1 before you even touch ME2; the second makes the first seem unplayably clunky even though it's still a decent game.
There are loads of great 360 games you should be able to get cheap now.
My eyes must be going.
Because I don't see Earth Defense Force 2017 on your bookshelf.
And nobody has suggested it so far.
Which is basically criminal.
I just saw this thread!
I was going to come say it!
The Darkness - Fantastic cinematic FPS from Starbreeze. The shooting is a little...stiff, I guess? But that probably won't matter much as I played 98% of the game without firing a round. You get powers and can summon little minions that play various roles. The campaign is rather long with an engaging story. To not spoil anything I'll just say one of the locales you visit in the game is awesome and quite the mindfuck. Eating hearts never gets old, either.
Assassin's Creed II - You run around Renaissance Italy in a GTAesque style game murdering people. You don't really need to play the first before playing this, though the first is so cheap these days that you might as well. The first is less structured, but the repetitiveness of the pre-assassination missions will bore.
Mass Effect 1 and 2 - 2 is the superior game in pretty much everyway, but the first is still a damn fine game. With the character importation feature it's really worth playing the first anyway as importing your character from 1 into 2 really adds a lot to the experience. I personally haven't played the 360 version of ME2 (just PC), but I haven't heard about any startling differences between the two.
Fallout 3 - Probably cliche at this point, but "Oblivion with guns" should give you an idea as to what the game's like. Oblivion's also a fine game if you're not familiar with it. Both games offer huge, open worlds to explore however you want. Unless you can find the vanilla version ridiculously cheap I suggest getting the GOTY edition, otherwise you'll be spending another $50 for all of the DLC if you decide to get it all.
EDIT: Dead Rising - You're in a mall. With weapons. And zombies. That should be enough.
Ninja Gaiden II - A fun, tough action game. Very bloody. The camera is actually worse in II than it is in the original/Black. The story is stupid. Despite these two issues, I still really enjoyed it. NG: Black is the better game, though not as pretty. Grab both.
Crackdown - Yet another GTA-like game. You play a super powered protector of the law that bounds buildings like the Tick and can shoot people in the face with a machine gun from 700 yards away. There's a lot to do, but the most fun you'll have will probably come from just messing around.
Judging by the games on your list, Dead Rising is a must purchase for you. And while not a fresh recommendation, Buy Mass effect 1&2. Do it!
PSN:Hakira__
Retail Games
Assassin's Creed (play this one first)
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Bayonetta
The Beatles: Rock Band (educate yourself, son)
BioShock
Borderlands
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Crackdown
Darksiders
Dead Rising
Dead Space
Devil May Cry 4
Earth Defense Force 2017
Fallout 3
The Godfather
Grand Theft Auto IV
Just Cause 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Mass Effect 2
Mirror's Edge
Rock Band 2 (DO IT MAXIMUMZERO)
Skate
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Street Fighter IV
Tomb Raider Legend
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Top Spin 2
Virtua Fighter 5
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
In terms of bang for your buck, your best bets are Burnout Paradise, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Crackdown and Marvel Ultimate Alliance
If you are looking strictly for a single-player experience to justify any cost of entries, cross off Splinter Cell: Conviction, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and possibly Mirror's Edge (depends if you're a time-trial kind of guy or not)
Rock Band 2 is a high cost of entry, but I think it's just one of those games that everyone should have. The Beatles: Rock Band is obviously orgasmic for any fans of the band, and it may make a believer out of you yet if you're not converted; it definitely did so for a few in the RB thread
As for personal favorites that most people would not be likely to recommend, try out Tomb Raider Legend (by far my favorite action/adventure game this gen), Virtua Fighter 5 (the best entry in the best fighting series, period) and Top Spin 2 (you can seriously probably find this for like $10 new, I know you said no sports games but I don't even really like sports myself and this game is fantastic).
XBLA Games Just Because They Need to Be Mentioned Anyways:
Braid
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning (indie game, $1)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
EXIT
Ikaruga
The Impossible Game (indie game, $1)
Mr. Driller Online
N+
Pac-Man C.E.
Penny Arcade Adventures Episodes 1 and 2
Prince of Persia
Rez HD
Splosion Man
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Shadow Complex
Trials HD
Uno
ON A FINAL NOTE: maximumzero, where'd you get that format for the OP? The game shelf picture?
Edit: Oh, The Saboteur is a pretty darn good open-world game. Wal-mart has it on sale for $20, so if you price match at Best Buy you should easily be able to get it. Just turn off the nudity if you're going to play it around kids or family, as one of your main bases has lots of topless women walking around.
Fable 2 - Fun combat, some people have problems with the story, but that's because they're a word forbidden by the glorious edict. I am awaiting Fable 3 with bated breath. If you want, you can buy them off XBLA in episodes.
Darksiders - Fun and flashy combat, OoT-style game. I haven't finished it yet, as I missed it when it came out and only got it recently.
PS4:MrZoompants
Crackdown is still fun, especially if you like sandbox games.
Speaking of sandbox games, do you have GTA IV on a different system? That's about the only excuse for not having it on the 360.
Prototype is another sandbox. Waaay over the top and violent, and also waaay fun.
I have to echo Fallout 3 and Mass Effect 2.
And if you're going to play one Assassin's Creed, make it the second one.
Dead Space is indeed a good game. Not revolutionary, but it takes the RE4/5 experience and smooths it out quite a bit. It also has some really nice visuals and some novel gimmicks that aren't really gimmicky, like zero-grav movement and walking around in a vacuum. Very cool stuff.
Looks like the same formatting for whatever GOG uses.
Google-fu suggest it might be Vigster? I'd like to see something like this implemented in Backloggery, kinda >_>
Most of my 360 time has probably gone into the classier beat 'em ups, which I'd recommend pretty enthusiastically. Devil May Cry 4, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden: Black (Xbox Originals), Ninja Gaiden 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (XBLA) are all excellent.
Most of the other stuff I'd highly recommend (Dead Space, Condemned 1 and 2, Assassin's Creed 1 and 2, Bioshock) has already been brought up. I'll say Metro 2033 if you don't have the ability to play it on a PC. Oh, I haven't seen anybody list Riddick yet. That makes me sad.
I also have a well documented love affair with Dark Sector. Just putting that out there.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.