Continuing my top 5’s of the year, here is my listing of my favourite Xbox 360 games that I played this year.
5 – BioShock
A 1950’s art deco aesthetic, a compelling story, creepy ambience, great gameplay (although it’s lower than it might be because I still find the controls cumbersome). A fantastic story that takes about 20 hours to get through. No multiplayer, no co-op, just plain run and gun fun.
4 – Crackdown
Superhero cops in a GTA style world where you have unlimited freedom, and can build your character up from nothing. Ummm, yeah, I’m in. This game was sold on the fact that it had a beta of Halo 3, but the game itself ended up being so much fun. I finished it just in time for downloadable content to be made available which made the game fun to play through again! Multiplayer co-op makes this game fun for you and a friend.
Any other year this would have been my favourite game of the year hands down.
3 – Halo 3
Halo 3 was a nice little coda to the trilogy, and has a typical multi-player experience (which is a good thing, you expect certain things from a Halo game), a good story that was a little quick to finish, and some fun gameplay modes make for a solid #3 effort. If someone would have told me that Halo 3 would be the #3 game of the year, I’d have said they were crazy. But it is.
2 – The Orange Box
Half Life 3, Half Life 3 Episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress Classic 2, and a little game called Portal. Is there a better deal on any system right now? Portal may be the most fun 4 hours I’ve had all year. Half Life 3 I’ve played 2 other times, but this time I’m actually finishing it. Team Fortress Classic 2 is probably the best multiplayer experience ever (even though it’s got such a limited map set). This is a terrific package, but even with that much content, it’s still not the best value of the year!
1 – Rock Band
Drums, guitar, microphone, a USB hub, and the game, all for $170.00, it’s such a great deal that it boggles the mind (especially when Guitar Hero III is selling for $99.00). The fact that the track listing is so spectacular, and that playing in a band is one of the most fun things you can do is just the icing on the cake. This is one of the few games where playing with friends is actually way MORE fun than playing by yourself.