Top Xbox 360 Games This Christmas
December 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Though the Wii is currently winning the console war, there are now more Xbox 350’s in people’s homes than ever before. As the prices of X360’s decrease, there has never been a better time to go out and get one. Chances are, you already have. And if you have, you may be wondering what the best titles to look out for this Christmas are.
The first one that comes to mind is Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Perhaps you don’t remember the bear and rooster’s first outing on the N64. Either way, Nuts & Bolts should be a refreshing and unique experience.
While the original B-K had you running around and collecting treasures, well, Banjo and Kazooie are getting a bit old for that now. So instead, they gather what are called Jiggies, but only in order to build vehicles in which to quickly navigate the game’s large world. The pieces that Banjo would usually be spending all his time searching for are scattered all over the world, but the collection of these pieces is merely optional, and takes a back-seat to vehicle-based missions.
The vehicle creation is easy and in-depth. You can build all kinds of land and air contraptions. Anything from a tank to an airplane goes, with all kinds of weaponry and accessories available. It’s even been showcased that you can make a legged robot with springs for feet. The possibilities are endless and all up to you.
The next game top game I’d definitely say has to be Fable II. The Fable franchise could be described as a more easily accessible version of Elder Scrolls. It features a surprisingly story-oriented main quest, even though there is so much freedom and areas that you are supposed to discover and explore all on your own.
It’s true that Fable is an RPG, but, rather surprisingly, one thing that was shown off over and over again during the game’s long development time was the pet system. Unlike in most games, your dog will not do whatever you tell it to, and especially not right away or all the time. You can prompt it to attack, or distract, or point out where something is, but often the dog just hangs out and follows you around. Sometimes, if it feels the urge, it will just to decide to run off for awhile, and meet back up with you again later. How long it’s gone will depend on just where it is going and when it feels like coming back.
But perhaps the coolest thing about the pet system is how it incorporates into your morality system. In Fable II, if you make good decisions you become holy, and after a time your appearance could even begin to resemble that of an angel. If you make evil decisions, after a time your character will start to turn dark and demon-like, sometimes developing horn growth. These changes not only effect you, now, but also your pet. If you are evil, your dog is evil, and if you are good, your dog is good, and your appearances evolve together.
What it comes down to is that Fable II is a fantasy sandbox-style game with plenty of areas to explore and things to do as you interact with the people and monsters of the game’s world.
And then, finally, there is Gears of War 2. The GoW franchise is something of a competitor with the PS3’s Resistance series by Insomniac. While the first Resistance was hailed for it’s solid first-person shooting action, Gears of War considered a near classic due to it’s over-the-top battles and cover system. GoW 2 not only perfects the cover system and allows you to cling more closely and accurately to cover than before, but improves on all aspects of the action in almost every conceivable way.
The weapons are more balanced this time around, and have seen some new additions: the flamethrower, the mulcher (a high-power chaingun) and the mortar. Grenades can also now be used as proximity mines and gas grenades.
In Gears of War 2, close-combat is the most intense of all. When you knock an enemy over, you can beat him in the face, curb-stomp him, snap his neck, or lift him up and use him as a human shield. When two enemies collide with a chainsaw, both must repeatedly press the B button until the other is defeated. Chainsaws can also be used for dismemberment, etc.
It may sound like a very gruesome game, and it is. But luckily, GoW 2, unlike the first game, features an optional content filter that will cut out swearing and blood and gore, making the franchise more accessible than ever before.
Tags: xbox 360 games, xbox 360, banjo kazooie, fable ii, gears of war 2
3 Popular Xbox 360 Games Coming Early Next Year
December 11th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Looking back, this year of 2008 has seen many great Xbox 360 games, from Gears of War 2 to Banjo-Kazooie to Braid. The trickle of good games continues, but this next February three extremely popular games are being released.
#3: X-Blades
Game developer Gaijin has been working on an anime-style action title for some time now. The game is called X-Blades and stars tenacious treasure hunter Ayumi, an extremely powerful fighter with swords, guns, and magic all at her immediate disposal.
The story follows Ayumi as she both attempts to find the ultimate artifact and deal with the fact that she is under a curse that must be broken.
The sections that the gameplay is split up into are called dungeons. In a way, it’s much like a role-playing game. As you kill enemies, you collect experience points and must decide which items, spells and/or gun and swords upgrades to spend them on. Guns, swords, and magic are all mapped to their own button, providing much potential for successful attack patterns and combinations, as each enemy has it’s own weakness.
Providing both fast, addictive action and an intriguing story, X-Blades will be hitting store shelves this next February, the tenth.
#2: Halo Wars
Originally the most popular shooter, now fairly close to the most popular real-time strategy game. Who knew?
Halo Wars has been in development for a few years now, and even the current result of Bungie’s labor is breath-taking. It is real-time strategy game based on races, federations and locations from the original Halo games, yet taking place 20 years before the events in Halo: Combat Evolved occur.
The game appears to be much more story-based than you might think for an RTS. A gorgeous cutscene at the beginning of the game introduces key characters from the series and sets up the story.
The gameplay makes use of the Xbox 360 controller very well. It’s simple and convenient to select and order various troops, and the combat is exciting. Each unit has it’s own secondary attack that must recharge after being used. This adds a whole new strategical depth to the genre.
Halo Wars is currently extremely popular. Not only is it looking to be a great game, but, well, it’s Halo, the Xbox’s biggest franchise. Would it make sense to have an Xbox and not own this game?
#1: Splinter Cell: Conviction
After four absolutely excellent Splinter Cell games, Conviction will take things to an entirely new level of realism and immersive stealth-action gameplay.
Protagonist Sam Fisher, after the events that took place in Double Agent, is now on the run from the government. This scenario opens up an entirely new style of gameplay. As the police force searches for you, you must learn to properly blend into crowds and respond in ways proper to each situation that presents itself. And due to advanced physics and AI, you can manipulate your environment in ways never before dreamed of.
An example of this is the “grabbing” system. Anything that you would think you should be able to manipulate, you can do. At a demo showing of the game, Sam Fisher snuck past a couple cops in a populated area by causing a ruckus to distract them. How did he do that? He snatched up a laptop at a nearby table while a man was using it. It has also been shown that if you are being chased, you can dash inside a room and knock a large object(like a shelf) in front of the door. You can also gather various heavy objects around the room and stack them on top, successfully creating a make-shift barricade.
Splinter Cell: Conviction, too, will be released this next February. Now do you believe me when I say it’s going be an exciting month?
Tags: xbox 360 games, popular xbox 360 games, x blades, halo wars, splinter cell conviction, xbox
