# Just bought an XBox - what games should I get? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 6, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893 "2012-10-06T12:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/1 "2012-10-06T12:13:58Z")
OK, I didn’t buy it to play - looks like there is a good chance I’ll be writing software for the XBox and so I figured I had better have one. But since I have one anyway, tell me about your favorite games. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/2 "2012-10-06T12:27:09Z")
Forgot to mention: Got a Kinect too. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/3 "2012-10-06T13:06:29Z")
For the 360? Shooters: Gears of War Halo series Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Red Dead Redemption Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1-3 Rainbow Six: Vegas 1 & 2 Crackdown RPGs: Last Odyssey Fable 2 & 3 Mass Effect 2 & 3 Dragon’s Dogma Dark Souls Fallout 3 The Witcher 2 Action RPGs: Bioshock Darksiders 1&2 Assassin’s Creed 2 series Grand Theft Auto IV (with expansion packs) Batman: Arkham Asylym & Arkham City ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/4 "2012-10-06T13:50:38Z")
Borderlands 2! And what’s with missing Mass Effect 1? It’s a trilogy! ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/5 "2012-10-06T22:12:39Z")
I’d suggest looking for Game of the Year editions of some older, popular titles, such as Arkham Asylum, Bordlerlands, and Fallout 3. Metacritic is helpful. Here’s their top all time best reviewed Xbox 360 titles: [Best Xbox 360 Video Games of All Time - Metacritic](http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/xbox360?sort=desc) ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/6 "2012-10-06T22:43:56Z")
Portal portal portal portal and portal 2 Second Black Ops. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/7 "2012-10-07T12:30:17Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Borderlands 2! > > And what’s with missing Mass Effect 1? It’s a trilogy! My bad, brain fart, I got the PS3 and 360 exclusivity reversed. ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/8 "2012-10-07T22:07:49Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I’d suggest looking for Game of the Year editions of some older, popular titles, such as Arkham Asylum, Bordlerlands, and Fallout 3. > > Metacritic is helpful. Here’s their top all time best reviewed Xbox 360 titles: [Best Games of All Time - Metacritic](http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/xbox360?sort=desc) I’d second this, the xbox has had a long generation, you can pick up some great older games incredibly cheap. As for a recommendation, i’d go for Bioshock. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/9 "2012-10-08T06:48:59Z")
+1 for Fallout 3, it blew my mind how great it was and I don’t usually have enough time for RPG’s. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/10 "2012-10-08T11:39:14Z")
Should I have played the earlier Fallouts, or will it be OK just to get Fallout 3? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/11 "2012-10-08T15:56:00Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Should I have played the earlier Fallouts, or will it be OK just to get Fallout 3? No, theres no need. You can even pick it up dirt cheap with all the expansions in the blue light special bin at just about any Walmart or Best Buy. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/12 "2012-10-08T15:57:55Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > My bad, brain fart, I got the PS3 and 360 exclusivity reversed. Mass Effect is releasing all three on one disc for both the 360 and PS3, should be out by Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/13 "2012-10-08T20:54:56Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Should I have played the earlier Fallouts, or will it be OK just to get Fallout 3? You don’t need to play the first two to enjoy the third one. However, you should play the first two to enjoy the first two. They’re really excellent games. PC only, though, and long out of print, but you can pick them up for six bucks each at [Good Old Games](http://www.gog.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/14 "2012-10-08T23:25:22Z")
_Portal_ (+ P2) and _Red Dead Redemption_ are the Xbox games I’ve had the most fun with. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/15 "2012-10-09T00:48:52Z")
If you’re a sports fan, _Fight Night: Champion_ is an excellent boxing game – I spend a lot of time just fighting one-off exhibitions against the AI, because the mechanics are great enough to draw me back even after I’ve worn out the various campaigns. And the NHL games are generally great – hockey is just a sport that makes for good games, IMO. Even if you barely watch any hockey at all (I don’t), it’s worth it to spend $13 on a version that’s a couple years old. +1 for _Fallout 3_, and _Dragon Age: Origins_ is a comparable game in terms of both style and quality. Halo 3 and both Bioshocks are essential (to the extent that shoot-'em-up video games can be). Portal and Portal 2 are probably the biggest no-brainers. I don’t know, it depends: what do you like? ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-bought-an-xbox-what-games-should-i-get/636893/16 "2012-10-09T17:31:09Z")
I always like to talk up Xbox Live Arcade games, myself. A list of worth items (all with free demos, mind): Geometry Wars 2 Castle Crashers Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown Jet Set Radio From Dust Skullgirls Hard Corps: Uprising Pacman Championship Edition: DX Bastion Guardian Heroes Ikaruga Radiant Silvergun Clash of Heroes (aka "Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes) Outland ilomilo Snoopy: Flying Ace Shadow Complex And also some Xbox Live Indie Games: Escape Goat Protect Me Knight (aka まもって騎士) Miner Dig Deep I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 But as you can tell, that’s something of a scatter-shot, since it’s hard to recommend games without knowing what games a person might like. (It’s kinda like saying “I just got a Blu Ray player, what movies should I get?”)