GameRevolution's Top 25 Xbox 360 Games

Posted on Thursday, December 27 @ 11:16:21 Eastern by Alex_Osborn

5. Mass Effect 2

There aren't many games that sport a cast quite as massive as Mass Effect 2. BioWare's sci-fi sequel provided an incredible character-driven experience that refined its predecessor's gameplay mechanics, making it not only a joy to experience, but also an absolute blast to play. It was also the first time players got a chance to see how the decisions they made in the prior title carry over from their save file and influence the overall story. If you own an Xbox 360 and haven't experienced the Mass Effect series, you're missing on a saga that is truly great.

4. Gears of War 3

The trilogy-capper to Marcus Fenix's battle against the Locust ended with an intense and emotional conclusion that will forever be remembered as the high point of the franchise. But it wasn't just the campaign that saw major improvements, the multiplayer was bigger and more ambitious than ever. From the suite of beloved competitive gametypes to the more unique Horde and Beast modes, there's so much content packed into this glorious game. The fact that this is easily one of the most gorgeous Xbox 360 games doesn't hurt either.

3. Mass Effect

Sure, the gameplay mechanics may be a bit flawed, and yes, the Mako is a headache and a half to control, but man did the original Mass Effect tell one heck of an incredible story. Gamers who really appreciate a quality role-playing experience hold ME1 above its sequels because it offered the player an experience that didn't solely focus on action. Let's also not forget that it introduced the dialogue wheel, which made the game feel much more like an interactive drama; something that was unheard of at the time.

2. Red Dead Redemption

Who would have thought that a sandbox western could possibly be so amazing? When the makers of Grand Theft Auto took over the Red Dead franchise, many doubted whether or not they could pull it off—but to everyone's delight, they totally did. As with any Rockstar game, there are plenty of memorable characters to be found in Redemption. Plus, the world is great and there's just so much to do—from playing poker to taming horses. And then there's that ending. Oh man, that ending.

1. BioShock

Irrational Games' BioShock tells the story of a stranded individual trapped within a freakishly twisted underwater city. It's completely horrifying, yet eerily intriguing at the same time. The level of detail around every corner is downright astonishing and speaks volumes about the team's developing prowess. The various Big Daddies that stomp through the halls and the creepily adorable Little Sisters that hang by their side perfectly meld within the universe and add a nice wrinkle to the gameplay. If that weren't enough, the astounding plot twist that precedes the game's conclusion is one of the most memorable moments in gaming.

What do you think of our picks? Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tags: Xbox 360, Halo, Microsoft, Bethesda, Rockstar, Irrational Games, Bioware, best of GR, Top 25 Games

Comments

Chunibrow
Joined: Mar 2010

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Good list. As an Xbox player I've played so many of those it's hard to put them in a specific order. But oh the memories... Skyrim, Red Dead, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Arkham City, Gears of War... God I love video games.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I know! Just going through this list reminds me how great this generation has been.

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LawnGnome
Joined: Apr 2007

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I'd have Arkham City in the top 5, and Arkham Asylum actually on the list, but otherwise really great selections.

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MandaloreHunter
Joined: Aug 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Definitely! The Arkham series as a whole is in my top 10 video games of all time, absolutely amazing!

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kingg5
Joined: Aug 2006

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
what about Alan Wake?

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
I LOVED Alan Wake. Unfortunately, it looks like that one slipped through the cracks.

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kingg5
Joined: Aug 2006

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
That sucks Alan Wake was so well rounded and the story god was like playing the mind of Steven King

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Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
I haven't played it and don't know much about it :(

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MootCoffee
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
That's a whole lot of Halo. Deus Ex's low placement on the list makes me sad. And no Dragon Age: Origins but EVERY Mass Effect? C'mon meow.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Dragon Age: Origins on the PC is vastly better than its console counterparts. As such, it wasn't a favorite among the GR staff.

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Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Whoever downvoted you is a kitten.

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MootCoffee
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
That's a whole lot of Halo. Deus Ex's low placement on the list makes me sad. And no Dragon Age: Origins but EVERY Mass Effect? C'mon meow.

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damo_rox619
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
This is a good list, it's great to see you didn't omit the Call Of Duty's because of what others might say. Can't say I agree with putting Gears Of War so high up on the list, I kind of have a personal quarrel with that game, though that may be because every time I play it on co-op one particular friend of mine turns into a complete jerk, so much so that it almost ended the friendship once, but what it did do was put me off ever playing Gears again. No.2 was a good pick btw!

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Thanks! Red Dead Redemption is loved by nearly all of us here at GR.

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Comment hidden due to low quality. Show Comment.

GodofUncharted
Joined: Dec 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
"The Xbox 360 is often referred to as the PlayStation 2 of this generation"

LOLOLOL HAHAHAH OMFG HAHAHAHHA ROOOOOOOOOOOFL LOOOOOOOOL

METH.
NOT EVEN ONCE.

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WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
v/ pls go

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WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
good thing the comment bar deleted the first slash, not like it was important.

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Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
"While Xbox-exclusive gamers missed out on FromSoftware's brutally punishing Demon's Souls, its spiritual successor brought the painfully difficult experience to the Xbox 360. "

^ Also, fun fact, in Japan, they didn't. XD Dark Souls was PS3-only in Japan. Even I find that kind of nuts.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
They still support the Xbox 360 with software in Japan? :P

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moretokes
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Every halo from this generation

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Longo_2_guns
Joined: Jun 2003

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
I'm surprised that Mass Effect 1 ranks higher than 2. Happy, since that's a good choice to make, but surprised nonetheless.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Story trumps gameplay for many of us. I'm also very pleased to see it ahead of ME2 :D

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Heath_Hindman
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
In addition to what Alex said, points are scored for originality.
On "Best games of all time" lists, you'll often see the first Super Mario Brothers near the top, even above Super Mario World, Galaxy, and Super Mario Brothers 3. Is it really "better" than those other games in its series? Like as in, you'd rather play that right now and for the next 4 hours instead of others in its franchise? Well, for most people, no, it probably isn't.

But it was GREAT -- even moreso for its time -- and it was the kickoff to something that became amazing. That's why, on a lot of these types of lists from us (and others), you'll see originals ahead of their sequels. It's not a constant, but it's something that happens fairly often, and that's one reason why. (Not the ONLY reason, but it can be a factor.)

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kingg5
Joined: Aug 2006

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Glad lost odyssy is pretty high on there. Was worried about my purchase online

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:00 am
Easily one of the best JRPGs of this generation.

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Zajix
Joined: Nov 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
BioShock at #1? It was an okay game that I played through and got a "meh" feeling from. Although the environment and Big Daddy's were awesome...there were so many games that were so much better! Rest of the list was on target and lost odyssey was an awesome game that I had forgot about when thinking of my favorite 360 games.

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Lok-Nar
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 10:38 pm
I would have put Earth Defense Force 2017 somewhere on the list but otherwise I agree with those picks.

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Klandathu
Joined: Apr 2008

Posted: Dec 27th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
I have a couple of friends who claim that Portal is a terrible, atrocious game with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (they levy similar claims against Half-Life 2). The kicker? Neither of them have ever actually played it (or HL2). They completely refuse to. One of them says he watched me play it for about five minutes once before he had to leave the room from being too bored (I don't recall this, and I suspect he he may be fabricating it).

The entire thing just blows my mind. How can you degrade one of the best, most innovative gaming experiences this generation has to offer WITHOUT EVER HAVING EVEN PLAYED THE GODDAMN GAME?!?!?!?!?

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:50 am
Portal is awesomesauce.

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drathbone
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 1:28 am
Lost Odyssey was really a gem of an RPG. If you miss JRPG's on par with the greats in the final fantasy series it's a helluva buy. Cheap as dirt now too.

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 8:41 am
Agreed. I have some great memories playing through that game at college with my bro.

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UghRochester
Joined: Jun 2006

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 4:48 am
Halo 4 should be switched with Halo 3: ODST.

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spartan317
Joined: Dec 2005

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:29 am
No ugh... Bad Ugh

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:48 am
ODST may be my favorite among the Halo campaigns.

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MattAY
Joined: Mar 2006

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 6:02 am
All 3 Mass Effects in the top 10? I really should get round to playing those!

I agree with your Number 1, Bioshock is incredible. Around every corner you look there's always something that puts you on edge or catches your eye - a really innovative and beautiful game.

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PeeDeeJay
Joined: Oct 2011

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 6:08 am
Dark Souls wouldve been in my top 5. You guys got it wrong :-P

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spartan317
Joined: Dec 2005

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:31 am
I wanted Dead Space on this list sooo bad... but there were no Final Fantasy's so I can let it go

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Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:49 am
Too many great games!

Which Dead Space did you prefer? 1 or 2?

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usaglory
Joined: Mar 2009

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
No love for Fable 2 and 3? I'm a sad panda.

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backfire99s
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Nobody over there a Forza fan either?

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AcidTk03
Joined: Mar 2011

Posted: Dec 28th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
where is left 4 dead 2 does nobody like it or was it u guys got crushed by me and my team lol

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hanuka
Joined: Jan 2013

Posted: Jan 3rd, 2013 at 2:33 am
I like this top, but I really don't understand how you can play shooter games on xbox, I am a complete douche when it comes to shooters and controllers.

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