1. Gears of War 2
When Gears of War came out in 2006 it had a number of things going for it. It had an innovative cover system, it was one of the first viable third-person shooters, and it had the best looking graphics ever seen on the 360. Two years later every game has some form of cover system, third-person shooters are more commonplace, and the graphics of Gears of War had been surpassed. But Gears of War 2 managed to exceed expectations and overcome all those challenges.
The Gears cover system is still the best out there. The controls were tweaked slightly; Gears 2 boasts the best console shooter controls ever (Call of Duty 4 is the only other game even in the debate). The graphics are stunning, once again raising the bar for the 360. But what was probably the best part of the game design is the variety. The whole game is not running and gunning down endless corridors. The sequel mixes it up with vehicle, turret, and even platformer-like missions. Because of this, Gears 2 never gives you shooter fatigue. And unlike many other shooters those missions are not incredibly frustrating and out-of-place. This is absolutely a must play for every 360 owner out there.
Wow. This has to be the worst list ever.
Really? Pure? Devil May Cry 4? Bully?
Geez, you must not play a lot of games, because these aren’t even worth mentioning when placed next to champs like Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Fable 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Prince of Persia, just to name a few.
Seriously, do your homework a bit more before making a “Best of” list like this.
Actually Anon,
I beat Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Fable 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV. When I made this list and when I write videogame reviews for this site, the number one thing I consider is how much I enjoy a game. And I honestly enjoyed all the games on my list far more than Grand Theft Auto, Fallout, Fable, or Left 4 Dead. Those games all had things that yes were impressive about them, but they also had huge flaws that diminished how fun they were to play. At the end of the day, I got tired of those games because they were so repetitive, and beat them only because they were supposedly great.
If you want a list that gives you exactly what you expect go read IGN or Gamestop. I’m not here for that. I’m trying to give an honest opinion that isn’t tainted by what I should or shouldn’t like. Because in the end no one cares what rating I gave or IGN gave a game, what they care about is their experience.
Perhaps you should do your homework because I explain my reasoning and mention Fable, Grand Theft Auto, and Fallout in the intro here:http://theentertainmentcenter.us/site/2009/02/17/great-in-08-the-best-360-games-of-the-year-intro/, talk about the games I missed here:http://theentertainmentcenter.us/site/2009/02/17/great-in-08-360-games-of-the-year-honorable-mentions/, and reviewed Grand Theft Auto IV here:http://theentertainmentcenter.us/site/2008/07/20/xbox-360-review-grand-theft-auto-iv/
I would say my opinion’s pretty informed.
I enjoy your reviews Mark because you do give informed opinions in detail. Not just what people expect to hear. Anon should just stay anon.