Top 10 - Xbox 360 Games

By Daniel Needham

Daniel has a look at the 360 and why gaming on it will put you in a spin all

Well it has been over eight months now, so the Xbox 360 has hit little old New Zealand, and while getting off to a semi-sluggish start, it is really starting to gain some momentum now with some top releases leading in to the hectic Christmas season.

So if you’ve missed some of the titles below, or are still playing Oblivion, then get out those shiny new coins and spend them on something useful - games of course! Otherwise if you’re a bit strapped for cash, or just too tight to part with some hard earned dosh, ask the family or the significant other in your life to bring you a very merry 360 Christmas.

Honourable Mentions:

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
Kameo: Elements of Power
Need For Speed: Most Wanted
Fight Night Round 3

10. Dead Rising

Straight off the bat you know you’ve got some quality games out when you can rank a game so fun/gory this low. Though it may seem initially like a mindless game, it eventually reveals itself as a deeper experience. Tons of extras are packed into Willamette's shops, there are magazine power-ups and special drink mixes to be brewed, lots of clothing combinations, countless pictures to be taken and plenty of NPC’s to be saved, all of this combining for a very enjoyable game.

9. Saints Row

Volition's Saints Row is a very impressive game - the core missions, side missions, the controls and flow of the game, the graphics and sound, they're all solid and smartly designed. This game feels and plays better than most, if not all, of the other GTA clones. However, when it came to fitting the small pieces in to the large puzzle, Saints Row just had that little something missing, holding it back from the greatness well within its reach.

8. Project Gotham Racing 3

Microsoft and Bizarre Creations have fashioned a beautiful, fast-moving racer in a style Xbox gamers are all too familiar with. The game is gorgeous, deep in modes and challenges, and well balanced even though it's only a minor leap in gameplay over its predecessor. 360 gamers are spoilt for choice in the racing genre, and the tough, newer competition is starting to put the pinch on PGR 3.

7. Dead Or Alive 4

DOA4 is a move in the right direction for the series in the long run, even if the changes to the counter system, blocks, throws and the ground game are a little annoying when first picking up and playing the title. The fighting is now deeper and more sophisticated, and while it may not seem so at first, there is a solution to every attack, making this one of the most intelligent and sophisticated fighters around.

6. Burnout: Revenge

Burnout Revenge is a game ahead of its time and, as such, belongs here in the next generation. EA proves you can successfully take a current-gen game and port it into a great next-generation experience, without altering the gameplay all that much. If you needed a game at launch to make your mates drool about next-gen graphics, this was it.

5. Test Drive Unlimited

Test Drive Unlimited brings so many things to the table that the gaming public have been waiting forever to be included in a racing game. From the fact that the entire game world is essentially a lobby for multiplayer gaming to real-world open ended racing, Test Drive Unlimited gives you the option to let your imagination set the course, and successfully brings the feel of the MMO world to the racing genre, making for a totally unique experience, and making this the reason why it is now the number one racer on the 360.

4. Call Of Duty 2

It’s insane to see this still selling like hotcakes, with the next iteration in the series not very far away at all! But everything came together in Call of Duty 2 to create a fantastic, engaging, and nerve-rattling World War II experience. It succeeds graphically, over-achieves in the audio department, and plays with such deft design and implementation that the linear paths and lack of freedom doesn’t really affect your gaming experience at all.

3. Perfect Dark Zero

There's so much to do in Perfect Dark's single player campaign that it will keep you hooked for hours. Over Xbox Live however, this is a totally different and much better game which forces players to use combinations of the new roll and cover moves to get by. If you're looking for one of the best Xbox 360 multiplayer experiences, look no further than this title.

2. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is a next-generation game in the fullest sense, whether it's the loaded package of impressive graphics and special effects, the top-notch sound, or the tactically enhanced gameplay. Red Storm's four-plus months of extra time they had served the game incredibly well and the workmanship shines through as you’re greeted with a totally awesome title - however, nothing could save this from being Oblivion(ated).

1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

While Oblivion certainly has its quirks, it's still very compelling and engrossing. It's also more stable than previous Elder Scrolls games. Character creation is a little complex for the ES uninitiated, but you’re instantly hooked after going through the first big mission in the main storyline. As a gamer that isn’t really all that fond of RPG’s, I originally approached this game with caution; however, after playing it now for the better part of seven months, I can easily say this is one of the greatest games I have ever played.

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