My brother purchased a bunch of cooperative XBox 360 games and when we turned his on it experienced its fourth red ring of death. So to keep our game night going I went out and finally purchased an XBox 360 of my own. I probably would have waited for one more price drop but game night must go on.
So now I’ve got this thing and I’m not really sure what games I should get. For those who haven’t noticed I’m not fond of about 90% of the popular titles released which makes the vast majority of recommendations I can find useless to me. So instead I’ll ask, “What are the unique, distinctive gaming experiences that I can get for my XBox 360?”
I already have Beautiful Katamari (which isn’t nearly as good as the PS2 versions) and Culdcept Saga. Portal was cool but I’ve played through it already. I’m not interested in XBox Live Arcade games since I feel that as a consumer I get screwed over by much of the principles of digital distribution.
So on a platform that seems to have a library that consists mainly of FPS with inferior controls and GTA clones what are the unique titles that stand apart?
Oh and the worst part of a new XBox 360? A reset gamerscore. I was over 5000 on the other system with just some very rare playing and here I am back at 0.
You wouldn’t even reconsider for XBLA titles like Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 or Braid? You get some old school Asteroids-type shooter with amazing colors in higher def or a fun platformer with time-bending.
Nope. Braid is tempting enough that I actually looked. Then I saw that the $10 game would actually cost me nearly $20 thanks to Microsoft points. That’s what happens when you give up the advantage of a free market.
(I like Geometry Wars on my DS and Wii but feel no urge to get it for the 360; the DS version gets the most play because I can pick it up and put it down.)
Left 4 Dead is fun. Call of Duty 4 or 5 (whichever setting you choose, modern days or World War 2) are good, Halo 3, Gears of War,…what kind of games do you guys usually dig? Co-op, obviously. Anything else?
It may just be that I’m a sucker for retro-charm, but I’m really enjoying Fallout 3 and Bioshock.
Fallout 3 is a first person rpg in the same vein as The Elder Scrolls series, which must just be a coincedence as Bethesda made them. The controls are pretty good, though outside of VATS (the turn based combat lite system) targeting can be a pain and the dog sidekick has a hard time not getting itself killed. It’s more than fun enough to make up for it’s shortcomings, has great atmosphere, and is just plain big. Even the occasional ammo shortage matches up well with the post apocalyptic scarcity and doesn’t feel like poor game design.
Bioshock has a similar vibe and soundtrack, but is a much creepier game. It’s a standard first person shooter as far as controls go, but the system of powers you get in addition to your arsenal of guns and melee separates it from the pack. Master Chief is cool and all, but he just doesn’t have the same edge as being able to shoot bees at your enemies. The atmosphere is amazing. From crazed killers scuttering, ranting, and laughing audibly in the distance as well as the constant trickle of water and the cries of whales as you tour the underwater Randian nightmare, it’s perfectly executed. The game makes the song “How much is that doggy in the window” creepy.
I don’t like FPS on consoles; the controls are so bad compared to a PC I find them unplayable. I also didn’t like the design of the Halo series or Gears of War (I haven’t been dragged into 2 yet).
I like novel games. I like games that do things that I haven’t done a million times before. I like something interesting and different. I’ve played pretty much every major gaming release since there’s been a gaming industry (usually a few years behind since I’m not willing to pay release prices for games) and a large portion of the rest. I need something distinctive, not more of the same stuff warmed over.
(I just replayed Bioshock on my PC, BTW, and Fallout 3 will probably wait until it’s cheap since Bethesda has yet to make a game I enjoy.)
FWIW, unless it’s technical issues (controls and the like) Fallout 3 might break your streak. My wife has zero interest in the elder scrolls games, but I have a heck of a time prying the game away from her.
Just wondering: did you ever play Psychonauts? It’s an Xbox game, but it runs on the 360. It was one of the most unique games out there when it was released. It’s an adventure game/platformer by the infamous Tim Schafer. (It’s also available as a Xbox Live Marketplace download at $15, but I don’t know what a real copy costs)
I’m have a really hard time trying to figure out why you bought an xbox 360, if you don’t like bethesda, first person shooters, or grand theft auto.
Fable 2 is a great improvement over Fable 1, if you’re into that type of thing. Civilization Revolution can be found in the cheap bin at Sears for like 20 bucks, and it’s one of my favorites, and quite distinct from any other civilization title. Halo Wars is NOT a first person shooter, and it’s getting good reviews although I haven’t played it yet.
I waited this long because there wasn’t anything in the library that sounded special. Then there was a sudden need for one and I figured, “There must be some interesting titles I missed out on since I haven’t been paying attention to the platform.”
FWIW, I don’t have any problem with FPS (on PC’s, though I’ve got hope we’ll see a few good ones on the Wii taking advantage of the fact that it uses a pointing device) or GTA style games; I could just swing a dead cat and hit four of them. I was hoping I was missing something unique.
A free market compared to what…? Games at retail are not priced competitively. See how much The Sims 3 costs tomorrow when it comes out. It’s exactly the same everywhere because the ‘free market’ does jack-all for videogames until at least 6 months into their lifespan.
Also hi: $15 is not “nearly $20” compared to $10. If you forego XBLA, you’re pretty much giving up on exactly the kinds of experiences you want.
Important Hints: Braid, Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Ikaruga, Castlevania: SoTN, Flock, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Castle Crashers, (Settlers of) Catan, Carcasonne, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Guilty Gear XX #Reload, Contra, Banjo-Kazooie, Psychonauts.
Sorry to sound like a dick, but your moral objection is both unfounded (since all console games are priced and certified by the platform holder anyway) and also hindering your own definition of fun. I’d reconsider.
And six months from now you’ll be able to get it for about two-thirds of that new (the Sims games always keep a high price for a while) or about half of that used. And then two years from now you’ll be able to get it for one-third of that new, at that price with a few add-ons bundled in, and used for pocket change.
Meanwhile downloadable content will be priced exactly the same as it is on the day of release.
I’m well aware that there’s some real stupidity in the industry regarding game pricing but the stupidity with everyone pricing everything exactly the same is nothing compared to locking yourself into the company store.
Hang on a second: kind of want but can live without, don’t want, own on Gamecube, own on PSX, don’t want, own the original and wouldn’t pay for the update, played and can live without it, own the board game, own the board game, own and would rather play it with the Dreamcast arcade sticks anyway, didn’t care for it, own, own, own on two platforms (PC and XBox).
And regarding Braid pricing it’s 1200 “points” and as I recall they only sell them in blocks of 500. Since I can’t buy anything 300 points I then wind up on Microsoft’s pricing treadmill. So yes, the game costs in actual dollars one-third more than it’s priced at because of their scheme.
Well that’s one complaint checked off at least. I was under the impression that the only way to buy points was through XBox Live.
Still not paying $15 for Braid since they crossed my thresh hold of disposable purchases, but that removed one major objection. I’ll just get it when I can find it for $10.
I thought you just said online content never went on sale?
And yeah - you can log into your gamer ID on any Xbox - you just need to remember your password (assuming your brother’s Xbox had been connected to Live at some point recently).
