This is the time of year where things slow down until you get smashed with a title every week, the calm before the storm if you will. On the other hand due to other commitments you may not be able to fork out £40-£50 every week and that makes you want to kick the dog!Please don’t kick your dog, if you’re angry then go push a push pop)
Well fear not because this article is here to offer you some solace and hopefully make you realise just what you have been missing out on. In light of the financial year start/end and times being hard, I thought I would pass on my opinion of some great games that have been out in the last 18 months of which I have owned a 360.
Ultimately they could have been over looked due to busy release days or the simple fact you have been glued to certain titles and lost contact with reality whilst screaming “Arrrrggghhhh I was 1 off my F##king Chopper Gunner”
So to reiterate this is not my list of the greatest games on 360 (that will follow soon) but more of a ‘you have to play’ this list! To qualify the games have to be a Stevie Score of 8/10 or over, been released in the last 18 months and played by less than 40% of my friends list. Oh and the best part a Total Bargin!!!!
The List is in no Specific order and contains retail titles and XBLA games plus a bonus gem that was picked up for less than a Big Mac meal (no I don’t equate cash value to Big Macs regularly, imagine the transfer window if I did lol, Torres is worth a lot of Big Macs)
It won’t be in the format of formal reviews either just a little footnote justifying its choice and best price I have been able to find. It will also contain additional advice like if the game includes DLC or Online codes as there is no point buying a game second hand to save a couple of quid when you will just have to pay more than that in MS points! To be honest I recommend buying all these games brand new. Also it contains no spoilers!
Enjoy :D
The Saboteur 8.5/10
Released 04/12/09
Best Price £8-£15
This game sees you control Sean Devlin, an Irish racing mechanic who makes for a great main character as he has what a lot of others in this genre don’t have, Character! He is quick witted and very likable making this a great game. Set in Nazi-occupied Europe it’s an open world game containing a mixture of GTA and AC style game play, Driving, Free-running, fighting, shooting and having your way with the lady’s : D Good use of real soundtrack in this game. 40+ hours worth of game play here without becoming boring and repetitive like others in the genre can.
VANQUISH 9/10
Released 22/10/10
Best price £14-19.99
Directed by Shinji Mikami, VANQUISH is a sci-fi shooter of epic proportions with a fast, fluid and frenetic combat system, and an engaging and immersive storyline. I honestly love this game and so many people passed this over due to other releases. If you like 3rd person shooters with a great storyline then this is for you! I’m getting excited just remembering this game lol.
Medal of Honor 8/10
Released 15/10/10
Best Price £17-£25
Medal of Honor takes you into the conflict being fought out by the Tier 1 Operators from the US Special Operations Community in Afghanistan. Basically these guys are the best on the ground Military units USA has to offer. The development team actually worked with the Tier 1 guys whilst making this game and it’s loosely based on true events from 2001 onwards, it shows!
I’m happy to go on record as saying this is the best FPS single player story I have played! It’s gritty and believable and makes you feel involved. This game got horrifically bashed on release! Granted it was by people who didn’t like the fact it shows US operatives involved in conflict or that it shows them in a bad light, and Of course fanboys from other titles in this Genre. Make your own decision and realize how wrong they were.
The multiplayer community was plagued bad apples on launch (90% of people decided to be camping snipers) but now you will find a good game with a mix of styles of combat from other players. Think Battlefield but with smaller maps and you may get a idea of what this game is like.
NFSHP 9.5/10
Released 09/11/10
Best Price £20-£30
Experience the gripping and heart-racing action of both cops and racers. Hot Pursuit seamlessly links a tremendously deep and fully-defined single player career with a BAFTA winning multiplayer experience. Weapons and Equipment enhance the intensity of the pursuit using multiple weapons during a pursuit. Whether taking down suspects with a variety of cop weapons or using evasion equipment as a racer to outsmart the cops, you will always have a method for gaining an edge over your opponent. Auto Log increases the longevity of this game and is adds to the addictiveness.
Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition 9/10
Released 2010
Best Price £10-£20
The Gold Edition of the game includes the original game plus additional content: two new episodes as well as all new playable characters for the Mercenaries and new costumes. It also contains new Multiplayer modes. Be prepared to jump out of your skin! I nearly S##t my pants on many occasions. A great 3rd person shooter with a gripping story line and lots of action with puzzles thrown in. This is a total bargin as not only are you getting the original game your getting all the DLC. Must play and I kicked myself for not trying it sooner.
007 Blood Stone 8/10
Released 05/11/10
Best Price £18-£25
Normally steer clear of movie to game cross over’s but thanks to Golden eye on the N64 and 007: Everything or Nothing on the Original Xbox I don’t mind risking it for Bond! Like with oo7EoN this is an original story created for games. Great Single player that’s a mix of stealthy sneak and creep to guns blazing 007 action. Vehicle aspects of this game are good but a little short. Also includes a MP for all you Agents out there.
Mass Effect 2 10/10
Released 29/01/10
Best Price £10-£15
For those of you that are reading this list and have played this game you will probably laugh that not as many people have played this that should have! The words RPG can conjure up visions of a big fat guy player killing on WoW (South Park) or geeky teens gathered round a table in Game Workshop rolling dice.
Although die hard RPG players would order your death for calling this an RPG it is! And it has changed the way of thinking with this genre. One of the reasons I wasn’t so into RPG games before was because of my experiences of RPGS with FP views with no character dialogue or true interaction with yourself building up a relationship with your Character, this changes that!
I could go on for the next 3 hours about what makes this the greatest game ever made and be condescending towards people that haven’t played this but I won’t! It’s not what this list is about and it’s not my style. Don’t worry if you don’t like Sc-Fi or RPG just do yourself a favour and buy this game! Now! Like right now! Why are you still reading this go buy it lol. Also don’t sweat it about needing to play the 1st instalment too much, after playing this you can decide on playing that.
Batman Arkham Asylum 9.5/10
Released 29/09/09
Best Price £8-£15
This Game won countless awards yet there are still people on my list who haven’t played this :S Be prepared for a unique, gritty, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes you to the depths of Gotham's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. This has a MGS feel to it with gadgets and abilities. Like with 007 earlier stated its an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner, Paul Dini, plus the Joker is voiced by none other than Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) who makes the character his own! So much so I’m scared for his well being.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS (trying to keep this on one page)
Splinter Cell Convictions 8.5/10
Released 16/04/10
Best Price £8-£15
Assassins Creed 2 9/10
Released 20/11/09
Best Price £9-£15
Best game in the trilogy)
Border Lands GOTYE 8.5/10
Released 2010
Best Price £18-£25
XBLA TITLES
Shadow Complex 9/10
Toy Soldiers 8.5/10
Doritos Crash Course 8/10
And as Promised
Amped3 8/10
Released 2005
Best price £3
If you put a load of Snowboarders in a room with a ton of weed and only Robot chicken, American Dad and some Manga to watch then asked them to make a game, then this is what they would come up with. It's very rarely that you use the words "So much fun" and "video games" in the same sentence these days but this defiantly is one of the funniest titles I have ever played.
The sound track to this game is epic and the story is bonkers! It's more of an arcade feel then a serious sim game but I prefer that! I got this game second hand for £3, best £3 ever spent! Keep this game in mind when your next browsing EBay or the bargain bins at your local game shop.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you find a game on here to try! Would love to hear from you if you do try one so leave a comment bellow
Good games listed there mate! I can personally vouch for the awesomness of Mass Effect 2 having only recently picked it up myself, money very well spent.
ReplyDeleteMedal Of Honour had a fantastic campaign, it was knocked for being short, but who cares, it is very well structured and atmospheric and even stirred up some memories in people I know. Well worth playing.
Great article.
ReplyDeleteAs a retro gamer, it pains to say two of my fave games of all time are cutter gen! 8-0
One is Batman:AA - agreed, this is a FANTASTIC game! Go play, go play! (not sure if you were aware of this mate, by the context if the writing, but Mark Hammill played the Joker in almost all if the Batman Annimated series for many years. He's considered by comic book geeks like myself to be the best version of the Joker character ever put on screen-Heath Ledger is a close second!) :-)
Other one is multi-platform- Fallout3. An epic game that you can play for hours... And hours... And hours! Also an example of how the DLC concept SHOULD be done! :-)
That's "current gen", not cutter gen... #DamnYouiPhone!! ;-)
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