Eight is a lot of years. Xbox 360's enormous lifespan is coming to a close, and while it's sure to see numerous releases through 2014, the advent of Xbox One brings a sense of finality to 2013.
That's why, for the first time, IGN's Top 25 Xbox 360 Games list includes retail and digital games. Xbox Live Arcade played a massive part in the platform, after all, and paved the way for the mighty, smaller game on consoles.
You may note the absence of impressive, unforgettable games this year -- Halo 3, Geometry Wars 2, Battlefield: Bad Company, Condemned, Gears of War: Judgment, Shadow Complex...the list goes on. But the hard truth is that, no matter how much we love those games and more, Xbox 360's eight years have been so good to gamers that there simply isn't room for everything on the Top 25.
These are the games that deserve to be in every Xbox 360 player's library, whether they jumped in at the 2005 launch or grabbed a machine for the first time today. These are the absolute. These are the best of the best. These should not be missed.
Sam Fisher’s last-minute appearance on Xbox 360 caught us by surprise: It borrowed what worked best for Conviction -- a terrific game but questionable Splinter Cell experience -- and melded it with the superb stealth that defined Chaos Theory. Plus, its story is a frightening and believable take on terrorism on American soil. It empowers players with dozens of gadgets, suits, and weapons, both lethal and non-lethal, and rewards pacifism while encouraging aggression. Blacklist is a flexible, intelligent, open-ended action game that thrives when thoughtful players explore alternative routes, ignore enemies, or unleash devastating lethality with the improved Mark and Execute system. Additionally, Blacklist’s Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer is a refreshing addition that forces teams to think tactically in radically different ways. It’s really the first truly excellent Splinter Cell game on Xbox 360, and it’s well worth it even in the late stage of the console’s life cycle. – Mitch Dyer
Developer Remedy’s Xbox 360 exclusive captivates for numerous reasons. The moody, brooding tone of Bright Falls really builds a strong setting, and the convincing weirdness of its inhabitants further sells the odd and unsettling atmosphere. The stressful sense of helplessness in playing as a simple writer wielding a flashlight (and what few firearms he could find) creates a survival horror experience like the good ol’ days. As the story unravels and the mystery becomes more head-scratching, Alan Wake draws you in even deeper, connects the necessary dots, and leaves plenty of room for interpretation. The story is as nutty as it is interesting, but it manages to balance those elements pretty well. Like Twin Peaks, the TV show that heavily influenced it, Alan Wake is an oddball game dripping with dark personality and eccentric humor. If you’re a sucker for serialized stories, good scares, and stylish combat against the literal forces of darkness, look no further than this fantastic adventure. – Mitch Dyer
If you could distill feelings into physical form, Rayman Legends would be bottled joy. Its imaginative level designs -- which challenge you to think about 2D spaces in a more serious way than ever -- play into new gameplay systems that improve on Rayman Origins’ perfected, traditional approach. The addition of Murfy, a secondary character any local co-op player can control with the tap of a button, turns precision platforming into a more complex, timing- and skill-based exercise. – Mitch Dyer
Mojang’s out-of-nowhere PC masterpiece found much more success on Xbox 360 than I think anyone anticipated. Its spacial limitations, in addition to a new developer in 4J Studios, meant it wasn’t even the same Mojang game. Yet Minecraft on consoles works because of those things. 4J has been vigilant about not only trying to achieve feature parity with its PC counterpart, but giving Minecraft on Xbox 360 unique content that console gamers can really relate to. Character skins and regular free updates fill the void left by the absence of mods, and not in a “good enough” way, either. Local co-op allows for instant creativity as you and yours build a unique world from scratch, using harvested materials and collaborative teamwork. Minecraft’s greatest success is its commitment to not living as a half-baked imposter. This is the real deal, and it continues to impress its ever expanding Xbox 360 audience with killer content updates. – Mitch Dyer
For many, State of Decay is the zombie game they’ve always wanted. Rather than be a fast-action, monster-closet shooter like the fantastic Left 4 Dead, State of Decay is, essentially, an open-world zombie-survival role-playing game. You’re dropped into a fictional county that’s been overrun with the undead, and your goal is to simply survive. You do that by managing resources, relationships with fellow survivors (you need them!), and your stats. It’s simultaneously riveting, harrowing, and overwhelming. And it’s one of the best zombie games you’ll ever play. – Ryan McCaffrey
Source : ign[dot]com
No comments:
Post a Comment