In Nov. 2005 Microsoft hit a home run. The original Xbox had built up a solid reputation as a graphical powerhouse, boasted critically acclaimed titles like Halo: Combat Evolved and provided slick console online functionality with Xbox Live.
Its follow-up, the Xbox 360, built on that foundation, delivering a console with powerful and versatile hardware that was easy to develop for and introduced now-standard console features like achievements, downloadable indie games, and media streaming apps. Admittedly those positives were somewhat tarnished by the whole “red ring of death” debacle, but you can’t argue with around 84 million units sold.
So, let’s look back at a great console and its finest games.
10. Dance Central 2 (2011)
After the whole Xbox One disaster the word “Kinect” still sends shivers up the spines of Xbox fans. But, for a brief shining moment in the early 2010s it genuinely was the hot new piece of technology. Most implementations of it were hamfisted, though Guitar Hero and Rock Band developer Harmonix nailed it with their two Dance Central titles.
Dance Central 2 is not exactly a deep game, but having some friends around for a few drinks and shaking my butt to “Get Ur Freak On” and “Toxic” was a whole bunch of fun. Even so, I’m glad the video evidence of this has been erased.
9. Fable II (2008)
The Xbox’s Fable was already a fun ride, but Fable II did everything bigger and better. The concept of the game is creating a hero whose story you decide. You decide whether to be good or evil, get married, have kids, own property, or even contract an STD. It’s still an impressive design achievement and genuinely makes you feel like you’re creating your own story rather than following the path left for you by the developer.
Plus you get a faithful and adorable dog that follows you everywhere that you can teach tricks!
8. Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Bethesda Softworks’ open-world RPGs were released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but we can only pity those stuck with the bug-riddled and glitchy PlayStation ports. All of these games, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout 3 ran much better on Xbox 360, though it’s Obsidian’s Fallout spinoff New Vegas that stands as the best of the bunch. You are a courier sent on a mission through the Mojave Desert, interacting with a series of distinct factions each with their own agenda. It’s well-written, reactive, and devilishly funny. A high point for both Fallout and Xbox.
7. Viva Piñata (2006)
Microsoft’s purchase of Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie developer Rare is generally seen as the end of the golden age for the company, but Viva Piñata proved there was a little more gas in the tank. You are placed in charge of an abandoned garden on Piñata Island and you must tend to encourage fantastical creatures (piñatas) to make their home. There’s a whole bunch of piñata types, complex relationships between them, and a great soundtrack from Grant Kirkhope and Steve Burke.
6. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
I’ll stop you there. Yes, I know Grand Theft Auto V was released on Xbox 360 and is the better game. However, the 360 version has long been superseded by later ports and is one of the worst ways to play V. So, for a truly great game that fits the 360 like a glove we turn to the previous entry. This runs much better on 360 than on PlayStation 3 and even now can be something of a looker. I enjoyed playing through Niko Bellic’s story and Liberty City remains a great interactive playground.
5. Bayonetta (2009)
Bayonetta remains one of the greatest action games of all time, though if you’d picked up the PlayStation 3 version at launch you were stuck with a dud. Even the most ardent Sony defender had to admit that Bayonetta was best on Xbox 360, which had superior visuals and — crucially for a high-octane action game — runs at a silky smooth frame rate. Platinum Games went on to dub the PS3 version its “biggest failure,” making this the version to track down.
4. BioShock (2007)
I still remember seeing the introduction of BioShock for the first time. That plane crash, the flaming wreckage floating in the sea, the lighthouse, and then the descent into Rapture. BioShock, which came out relatively early in the 360’s life, was a mission statement on what the system was capable of. To this day it’s a fun ride through a nightmare objectivist world, but also remains a damn fun game in general. Its sequel, BioShock 2, was no slouch either, but maybe avoid BioShock Infinite…
3. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
Another multiplatform game and, once again, another title that’s superior on Xbox 360 (are you detecting a theme here?). This elegiac Western is another fine showcase of what the 360 can achieve, delivering a slice of the southern U.S. and Mexico, all available to be explored on horseback. Though the graphics are dated, especially in comparison to its sequel, this remains a landmark game of its generation and one that, until fairly recently, was only available on its launch systems.
2. Gears of War 3 (2011)
The Gears of War trilogy on Xbox 360 defined not just the console, but arguably the generation. They were a technical showcase for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3, acting as an extended tech demo that encouraged many other developers to snap it up for their own projects. But it’s the third entry where the developers’ experience really shines through.
Level design was varied and exciting, and both co-operative and PvP multiplayer are tuned within an inch of their life. The 360 series later got a 60FPS patch for the Series X|S and the discs are available for dollars second-hand. If you somehow haven’t played them, you’re in for a great time.
1. Halo 3 (2007)
Halo is one of the all-time great video game franchises and its third entry is the high point of the entire series. Yes, you can make arguments for Halo 2, but Bungie leveraged the power of the 360 to expand Master Chief’s options on combat, providing a truly blockbuster adventure that all subsequent entries are compared to. The single-player/co-op campaign stands alongside one of the most fun multiplayer modes in gaming history, with maps that stand up to scrutiny to this day. If you somehow don’t like what the game offers, simply make your own in the Forge map editor.
We just wish 343 could recapture this magic, but at least we have the Master Chief Collection to enjoy a few rounds of this classic.
