11. Fallout: New Vegas – Azza
The original Postman Pat simulator
Getting shot in the head is normally a death sentence; for the courier, it turns you into one of the Mojave’s best-known entities. Frankly, if I have to explain what makes the story great, this article will be 9000 words longer than what we planned, so maybe I’ll do a separate article on the greatness that is New Vegas.
However, as a summary, the story puts you in between the conflict of the Hoover Dam. Your actions and who you choose to align with impact who gets it and how it changes the Mojave. Throughout the main game and DLC, you will discover many different characters full of life or, depending on what you decide, a lack thereof. The world reacts to what you do, both positively and negatively.
The combat, while clunky and bizarre at times, is great. Limbs flying everywhere and blood alongside. The world has such a dynamic feel and gives off different emotions depending on where you are, which can range from creepy vaults to bright and happy casinos.
My favourite DLC is definitely “Old World Blues”, as the world is just bizarre, from guns that bark to gardening stations that talk about seeds in ways that make you think twice. The DLC has so much humour packed in, it’s fantastic.
JUST DO ME A FAVOUR AND PLAY IT!!!
12. Peter Jackson’s King Kong – Kane
Easy 1000G simulator, or King Kong for short
Originally a game from the previous generation, Peter Jackson’s King Kong had an enhanced port released as a launch title for the 360. Easily one of the better movie tie-in games of the generation, Kong was an impressive offering for the time, making a clear effort to maintain the cinematic feel of its parent property.
You mostly play as Jack, as a rather more violent version of himself, shooting and spearing your way through the inhabitants of the island out to kill you. In later levels, you switch over to controlling Kong in very fun set-pieces that see you punching and grappling an improbable number of dinosaurs.
Kong pioneered a lot of gameplay features that would become far more common in later years. The game overall uses a very minimal interface, choosing instead to deliver that information diegetically. Health (or lack thereof) is expressed in how distorted your view is, and the ammo readout is given by Jack verbally. The Kong gameplay, especially the climbing mechanics, reminds me of what would come along much later from games like Uncharted or Enslaved. Overall, it’s a fun, if a little short, experience and definitely worth a play through, especially considering you get the full 1000G worth of achievements just by completing the story.
13. Crackdown – Azza
If you ever want to be a crime-fighting superhero in training, start here!
Crackdown is an Xbox 360 must-play. It has aged a bit, but the gameplay is still great. If you’ve never played Crackdown, the basic premise is that there are gangs all around the city, and you need to kill all the leaders and lieutenants. It’s that basic premise that makes the game simple and easy to understand.
Your character needs to train various aspects, such as stamina and strength, to better kill the bad guys. Eventually, your character grows into an utter unit that is capable of mass destruction that would make even the most Red Faction diehard wince. Mechanically, it’s a little clunky by today’s standards, but it’s still fun. I did find the idea of using a car somewhat laughable, though, as the best way to improve your character’s stamina is to jump around collecting orbs… so you can jump 900ft in the air while throwing bombs.
The story isn’t anything write home about, but games like this don’t need a story, per se. They just need to be fun.
14. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise – Melty
I will warn you: the theme song for this game will get stuck in your head… for life.
There’s something sweet to be said about raising a garden of piñata. The cosiness of this game is not something people usually connect with the uber-cool gamer styling of the Xbox 360; however, this game is just that: cosy. If the hustle and bustle of previous entries is not for you, then this slow-paced garden simulator is ideal.
By making sure that you have the correct conditions to raise certain species of piñata, you can soon have a nature reserve full of colour, life, and dancing worms. Of course, with prey comes predators. You, as the gardener, must protect your babies from the chomping jaws of the invading ruffians and evil piñata… That is, if you don’t want to sacrifice them to entice bigger piñata to your land.
Trouble in Paradise is the second game in the franchise. However, it’s essentially the same as the first game. The only difference is that it includes more challenges, more species of piñata, tricks to teach your pets, minigames, and fashion shows. All that, and then the co-op mode. It’s ultimately the first game with a few added quality-of-life features and accessibility, introducing a “Free Play” mode.
15. Mirror’s Edge – James
I’m going to (virtually) jump across the rooftops and the authoritarian-controlled polizia can’t stop me.
The first thing you’ll notice about Mirror’s Edge is the strikingly clean aesthetics (as long as you’re not playing the aliased up the wazoo PS3 port.) This game is all about running, jumping, tucking your feet in, doing a little roll, evading the police and performing death-defying stunts that would break my ankles at the mere thought of them.
Clever signposting with the colour red guides you throughout the experience. If you’re doubly stuck you can press the B button for the main character Faith to turn on a dime and look directly at the objective. The objective being, do cool stuff. Faith, the main character, is a runner. Runners deliver messages and, if they have to, run away from authorities. As the story progresses, a major conspiracy begins to unfold. You’re the only one who can get to the bottom of it.
In your first run through of the game, you might find the controls a little clunky. Jumping and turning 180 degrees are mapped to the shoulder buttons. Once you’re used to it, it becomes butter smooth. Creators like Yahtzee Croshaw complained at the time about the difficulty of gauging where you are relative to what you can see without seeing your feet. It’s a valid concern, but I never personally had any issues with it. You get a feel for when to jump to avoid plummeting to the ground at Mach speed, leaving nothing but a stump behind.
It’s not an especially long game, but well worth playing.
16. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean – Melty
“What’s with the pig?” – Me, probably
My first LEGO game and the first game I ever 100%-ed; LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean ignited my love for LEGO games. Following the story of the first four movies of the franchise, you play as multiple characters in minifig form. With each character having their own special abilities, this game rarely gets old. It grips your attention, and collecting every playable character is only half the fun. The game has you searching for hidden secrets in every level and even in the character selector hub.
It’s ultimately your average LEGO game, smashing your way through levels and working out puzzles, but the collecting aspect in this entry is top-tier. Not only that, but the game isn’t voice-acted besides some grunts and shocked noises. This stops the annoyance of repeated lines getting stale quickly, a la LEGO Marvel Superheroes.
17. Halo Reach – Riley
“Our victory — your victory — was so close, I wish you could have lived to see it. But you belong to Reach.”
Being a prequel to one of the most well-received games of all time is a tall order, but I feel Reach hit this in stride. The story tackles the fall of Reach, whilst controlling a customisable Spartan and follows the futile last stand for the planet. It follows the Human-Covenant war to its conclusion, allowing the events of Combat Evolved to take place, so it is well worth playing before the remake next year.
But you can’t talk about Halo Reach without talking about Forge mode. This might be the best it’s ever been, allowing almost full control of Forge World and allowing you to place and build mega structures in the world for some of the most creative and insane maps you’ve ever seen. I spent dozens of hours creating these maps, only to never actual play on them as I lacked Xbox Live. I feel this only speaks highly of how it can allow your creative juices to flow with some impressive builds coming out of the mode.
18. Lost Odyssey – Kane
The real FFXIII, the other is an imposter
Often joked to be the “True FFXIII”, Lost Odyssey is a much more traditional JRPG than nearly everything else that came out on 360. Developed by Mistwalker, a studio started by the original creator of Final Fantasy, it served as a stellar example of the genre and proved that traditional JRPG gameplay still worked.
The story follows a man named Kaim, an amnesiac soldier who, in spectacular fashion during his introduction, is revealed to be immortal. After taking on an army and tanking a meteor to the face, Lost Odyssey sets its tone firmly by having you slowly walk Kaim past the devastation wrought by the impact. This doesn’t pretend to be a cheery game.
Lost Odyssey presents you with interesting twists on the JRPG gameplay you expect. Battles are turn-based, but with some added elements of strategy, with melee attacks relying on a well-timed button press to have maximum effect and magic often taking more than one turn to cast. Character progression also has an added layer to it, with some characters being unable to learn skills naturally and needing to learn from other party members.
If you’re looking for a turn-based JRPG with a deep, thought-provoking story that feels like a lost child of Square-Enix, this is the game to play.
19. A World of Keflings – Kane
Why doesn’t your avatar, the largest character, not simply eat the others?
You know those Japanese superhero shows where halfway through a fight, the baddie will grow to skyscraper size, and the heroes either grow or pilot a giant robot to fight it? Well, this is like that, except not at all.
In A World of Keflings, you play as a giant Xbox Avatar who’s been thawed out of a glacier and finds themselves besieged by tiny people requesting you build them things. Yep, this is one of those city-building games, where, for reasons not quite clear to you, it becomes solely your job to build everything in the land that anyone might ask for. And they will ask. Frequently.
Honestly, it’s far more entertaining than I’m giving it credit for. The basic gameplay loop will see you assigning keflings to various jobs across the land, having them create resources for you. Then, using those resources to create the building blocks you need to make your buildings. The Keflings themselves are silly and quirky, feeling at times ripped straight out of a Pratchett novel in how self-aware they are. If you’re a fan of cosy-feeling city builders that don’t take themselves too seriously, give it a go.
20. Monster High: New Ghoul in School – Melty
You give me the chills
A bit out of left field, Monster High: New Ghoul In School is an adventure game in which you create your own ghoul to run around as. As the titular New Ghoul in School, navigating your way through high school is always scary, but especially as a new student in an already-established status quo. That being said, your character will fit right in with your creativity at the starting character creator. Yes! You’re welcome, guys! A game where you can make your own Monster High character! A feat that we’ve all been looking for.
This game is fairly casual in its gameplay. It’s basically a high-school-simulator where you can join clubs, make friends, and do continuous fetch-quests for your classmates. You can also purchase new fashion for your ghoul, allowing you to dress up in your favourite styles. New Ghoul in School is a lot more casual than other games on this list; however, if you enjoy the franchise, you’ll enjoy it either way.
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