Who would have thought the Xbox 360 had already been out for more than a decade? For many of us now in our twenties and thirties, it feels like "only yesterday" that Microsoft first announced it. Many quality games came and went, and the console sold more than 84 million units in total. With that in mind, we decided to select the 25 best games for Microsoft's second console.
25 – Mortal Kombat
Also popularly known as "Mortal Kombat 9," the title was developed by NetherRealm Studios and continues the story of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The developers have given several interviews explaining that they worked to create an exceptional experience that would be "one of the best fighting games of all time." Whether it is can be debated, but no one doubts that it is an excellent title.
24 – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Sharing its name with the third title in the series, released in 1998, Hot Pursuit returns to the franchise's origins and reinterprets the original games with exclusive cars and high-speed chases. A hit with the public and critics, it was named the best racing game of 2010 by the Game Critics Awards.
23 – The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
A conversion of the PC release, The Witcher 2 is one of the previous generation's most beloved games because of its excellence in every technical area: graphics, soundtrack, gameplay, longevity, and so on. Winner of more than 50 awards, including 2011 "Game of the Year," The Witcher 2 is a classic that everyone who owns an Xbox 360 deserves to play.
22 – L.A. Noire
Set in Los Angeles in the 1940s, this title developed by Rockstar Games blends action and adventure with a noir atmosphere. Curiously, it uses the same engine as GTA IV, so a polished experience in every respect is already expected. Because of its size, the Xbox 360 version had to be split across three discs.
21 – Left 4 Dead 2
Set during a zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on four survivors fighting a horde of infected creatures. A hybrid of survival horror and first-person shooter, the title won over the public and is essential for anyone who enjoys a good horror game.
20 – Fable II
Exclusive to Xbox 360, the game was produced by the now-defunct Lionhead Studios and takes place 500 years after the original title. Blending action and RPG elements in a medieval atmosphere, Fable II is varied, polished, and highly entertaining. Essential for action RPG fans.
19 – Rayman Legends
A direct sequel to Rayman Origins, the title was initially intended as a Wii U exclusive but was eventually converted for several platforms, including Xbox 360. Receiving highly positive reviews for its graphics and gameplay, Origins is essential for fans of the platform genre.
18 – Ultra Street Fighter IV
Released by Capcom in 2008, the title received two updates: Super Street Fighter IV and Ultra Street Fighter IV, both of which added new characters, new stages, and more. Using three-dimensional graphics with traditional 2D gameplay, the title was a hit with the public and critics and deserves to be played by every fighting-game fan.
17 – Forza Motorsport 4 or Horizon
Without question, one of the best racing games for Xbox 360. Although not as innovative as its predecessors, it maximizes every positive aspect of the series' third installment. With more than 500 cars available from the start—that is right, without DLC—impressive graphics, and plenty to do, Forza Motorsport 4 is an excellent alternative to Sony's Gran Turismo.
Now, if you prefer Need for Speed or Midnight Club, perhaps Horizon is more to your taste. Both are worth exploring further.
16 – Dark Souls
Going against the current trend of games that increasingly simplify the experience in the name of broad entertainment, the entire Dark Souls series is known for its considerable challenge. Intelligent enemies force players to devise strategies to overcome them, and the sense of accomplishment when progressing is enormous. Add excellent graphics, a soundtrack, and great gameplay, and you have one of the console's best action RPGs.
15 – Rock Band 3
Unlike the other games on this list, Rock Band 3 is more focused on a casual audience, with the goal of using a guitar—or pressing buttons when using a regular controller—to play songs by famous artists such as The Doors, Amy Winehouse, Paramore, Bob Marley, and others. The third title's innovation is a new mode called Pro, which performs the songs with greater realism.
14 – Bayonetta
Developed by PlatinumGames with investment from SEGA, Bayonetta is a Devil May Cry-style action game in which you control the title character in a fictional European city. Frantic, beautiful, and featuring excellent gameplay, Bayonetta is a classic.
13 – Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Selling an impressive nine million copies, Assassin's Creed II was universally acclaimed and is one of the best-received titles in the entire series. Praised for its visuals, gameplay, soundtrack, and direction, it was even included in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. Even amid such acclaim, the fourth game, commonly known as the pirate Assassin's Creed, is also considered by many to be the best Assassin's Creed to date.
12 – The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series
Going against the trend of most film and television adaptations, The Walking Dead: The Game was very well received by the public and media. A point-and-click title divided into episodes, it manages to move players through its drama.
11 – Fallout 3 or New Vegas
The long-awaited sequel to Fallout 2 was one of 2008's best-received games and is regarded as one of the console's finest. It lets you play in either first or third person, customize your character, gain experience by defeating enemies, and provides everything a good game in the genre needs. Add impressive technical quality, and we have a universally praised game.
Fallout: New Vegas brings the same essence as the third game, but in an Old West style within a fictional Las Vegas featuring casinos, small abandoned towns, and many factions or possible endings. It is up to you to choose which better suits your taste.
10 – Halo 3
Exclusive to Xbox 360—before later receiving an Xbox One conversion—the first-person title concludes the story begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2. Known for being addictive, the title also has one of its greatest strengths in its multiplayer mode, with an impressive wealth of possibilities. Curiously, when it was released, Xbox 360 sales nearly doubled compared with the previous week.
9 – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
This multiplatform game set in the Middle East won over the public and media. According to GamePro, its "intense single-player campaign offers a unique action experience that features a tremendously compelling narrative; there are moments in the game that will send chills down your spine!" The title was nevertheless criticized for its short length.
8 – Gears of War
Released in 2006, early in the Xbox 360's life, this third-person shooter was extremely well received by console owners. Inspired by the gameplay of Resident Evil 4, the title won several awards and received numerous perfect scores from different outlets.
7 – Batman: Arkham City
The open-world Batman game's script was written by veterans Paul Dini, Paul Brocker, and Sefton Hill, all three of whom wrote for the Dark Knight's comic-book series. The result is a game that impresses not only through its technical quality but also its narrative, and many regard it as one of the best games ever made.
6 – Portal 2
Developed by Valve Corporation and distributed by Electronic Arts, the game was very well received for its pacing, dark humor, and continuation of the original title's gameplay. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer said: "Portal is perfect. Portal 2 is not. It is better than that." Excellent in every respect, with logical puzzles, an incredible story, and an extraordinarily engaging atmosphere, the title is unquestionably one of the Xbox 360's strongest.
5 – Mass Effect 2
Selling two million copies in just one week, it is considered by many to be one of the previous generation's best games. Following the events of the first game, Commander Shepard is killed in an ambush by a mysterious alien species called the Collectors. Shepard is revived two years after the attack by a human extremist organization called Cerberus and is tasked with learning more about the Collectors and why they are abducting entire human colonies. Shepard must recruit and earn the loyalty of a group of heroes to undertake what appears to be a suicide mission. Many elements from the first game return, while several others renew the series.
4 – Red Dead Redemption
Set in the American Old West in 1911, this action-adventure title tells the story of John Marston, a former criminal who begins hunting the surviving members of his old gang. The government kidnaps his wife and son to secure his services as a bounty hunter, promising to release his family once his work is complete. It is worth remembering that the title has an emotional ending that brought countless players to tears.
3 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series was the first Western title to receive a perfect 40/40 score from the Japanese magazine Famitsu. It is an open-world RPG in which players are free to travel across Skyrim on horseback, on foot, or in other ways. The game has an extraordinarily vast number of things to do, requiring a great deal of time merely to complete the main mode and many months for anyone who wants to finish every side quest.
2 – BioShock Infinite
This first-person shooter set in the 1910s was universally well received for its story, visual aesthetic, and engagement with subjects such as political and religious beliefs, which generated controversy. Excellent in absolutely every respect, BioShock Infinite deserves its place on this list.
1 – Grand Theft Auto V
Considered by many to be one of the best games of all time, the title was universally well received. Common points of praise include its authentic recreation of Los Angeles, impressive graphics, varied gameplay, lighting system, the development of protagonist Trevor, and its perfectionism in every area.
