The Top 25 Xbox 360 Games

Why It Was Selected
When Street Fighter IV broke onto the scene it reinvigorated the entire fighting genre for me. Super Street Fighter IV was like playing Street Fighter IV on steroids. It included everything that I knew and loved from SFIV, but added in a wonderfully overhauled online mode and many of the characters that I wanted in the original, making for a massive cast of 35 combatants. If you were even slightly interested in Street Fighter IV, but thought the fighting genre couldn't possibly appeal to you after all these years, then you owe it to yourself to venture into the battles offered by Super Street Fighter IV. You will not be disappointed.

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
The end of the last decade was overrun with zombies. They were on our televisions, in our graphic novels, on our movie screens and, of course, in our games. They're still shambling along, but not at the same hurried pace. For me, the apex of zombie media was 2009's Left 4 Dead 2. No videogame experience captured the intensity, horror and utter interpersonal dependence of a group of zombocalyptic survivors like Valve's co-op shooter. The combat is lightning quick and punctuated by stretches of aching silence. Horror is deftly balanced by humor. And even more than its predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2 places a premium on actual co-operation. If you want to survive, you must trust and depend on your friends. Now that's a scary thought

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
Sam Fisher is pissed off, and you know what he feels like doing? He feels like marking people and executing them. This is a new kind of Splinter Cell. It's fast, intense and remarkably intuitive. Fisher is on a mission to find his daughter's killer, and he's left Third Echelon behind in the process. He doesn't have time to fuss around with slinking around in the shadows. In Conviction, stealth is all about speed. Sam sneaks up on people, sure. But he does it quickly, and he's not leaving them alive. This is a whole new brand of stealth game, and it changes the genre forever. And the fun doesn't end with Sam. In fact, once you make your way into the co-op mode, things get real. Great on its own; even better with a friend. This one belongs in your game library.

IGN Score - 9.3 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
After suffering through numerous crappy videogames, Batman finally got some well-deserved respect from developer Rocksteady. Just when it seemed impossible to imagine a great game starring the Dark Knight, these guys came out of nowhere to deliver not only the best comic-based game of all time, but one of the best 360 games ever. While the combat and stealth elements deserve a lot of credit, the real star is the atmosphere. This is the first Batman game that captured the mood of the Caped Crusader. For the five gamers who aren't Batman fans, Arkham Asylum offers a nice intro into the world of Gotham City. And to die-hard comic-book junkies, the insane asylum is packed with Easter Eggs referencing the rich history of Batman's Rogues Gallery.

IGN Score - 9.3 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
A game doesn't sell millions upon millions of copies simply because it's "alright." What is it about Modern Warfare 2 that has so many logging on to Xbox Live night after night for more? Maybe it's that Modern Warfare 2 has it all. The graphics are crisp and gorgeous. The controls are tight. The rewards system for multiplayer is incredibly addictive. And if you ever get bored of shooting other people in the face, there's always the co-op Spec Ops mode and the thrilling single player campaign to test your trigger finger. Modern Warfare 2 stands as one of the ultimate warfare experiences on Xbox 360.

IGN Score - 9.5 "Incredible"

Why It Was Selected
If there's one common theme on this list, it's violence. We love it. You love it. Epic Games' Gears of War sure as hell loved it, as is evidenced by its hallmark chainsaw execution move that forced players to split enemies in half with their handy-dandy bayonet attachment. While the amount of hemoglobin was impressive, it was the exquisitely well-tuned cover mechanic that brought the most fun to the table. Players could effortlessly move from one piece of environmental cover to the next, all while looking at some of the most beautiful (yet endlessly threatening) scenery ever put to disc thanks to Unreal Engine 3. Couple the fast-paced single-player with some great multiplayer skirmishes, and Gears of War was a package that was tough to beat for its day.

IGN Score - 9.4 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
Explaining why FIFA 10 is one of the most significant improvements in sports gaming to someone who doesn't play sports games is a challenge. "I don't get it--what's the big deal about 360-degree control of players?" Well, in the past, football (soccer to us Yanks) games controlled only in eight directions, kind of like if you were playing on some old arcade machine instead of on a modern console. FIFA 10 fixed that, giving unparalleled control. But it also offers a lot more, including dozens of controllable celebrations, near-perfect AI, and seamless integration between online and offline play. The world's game finally got some serious respect.

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
Survival-horror games, at least those that are actually scary, are hard to come by these days. Much less one that isn't totally derivative of the Silent Hills and Resident Evils of the world. Dead Space presented players with a terrifying environment aboard the spaceship the USG Ishimura. The game delivered awesome moments of gore and brutality as players were forced to battle the ever-encroaching necromorphs that took control over the rest of the crew on board. Puzzles that took advantage of the changing gravity that a rogue spaceship presents were the only reprieves from the never-ending onslaught of disgusting baddies just waiting to be dismembered. At the end of the day, Dead Space was a great and wholly original idea that was equal parts scary, cool and fun.

IGN Score - 8.7 "Great"

Why It Was Selected
Who says you can't do a real-time strategy game on the console? Well whoever they are, they're wrong. Halo Wars is proof that with a little tender loving care and a hit license, even the RTS can work on Xbox 360. Now defunct developer Ensemble, makers of Age of Empires, crafted a simplified control scheme that works and works well without any keyboard or mouse required.
The campaign for Halo Wars is solid, mostly thanks to seriously awesome cutscenes that help to tell the story of how the Covenant and Human factions first met. It's when you take the game online, especially in 3v3 battles, that Halo Wars shines.

IGN Score - 8.4 "Impressive"

Why It Was Selected
The first Assassin's Creed showed immense promise but fell short of greatness. The sequel, however, absolutely delivers. Ubisoft Montreal has painstakingly recreated the world of Renaissance Italy and turned it into your playground. As Desmond/Ezio Auditore da Firenze, you have the freedom to stab, slice, steal and soar through Forence, Venice, Rome and beyond, uncovering a vast global conspiracy along the way. ACII is all about exploration and discovery, and climbing to the tops of shimmering spires to survey the vast Italian landscapes just never gets old. What's more, the combat is actually quite satisfying, too. If you're looking for a game that will keep your attention for countless hours, look no further than Assassin's Creed II.

IGN Score - 9.2 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
Here's something no one's ever thought to do: Make a racing game as fun and challenging for a first-time gamer as it is for a seasoned, hardcore car nut. Well, Forza 3 managed to do just that, with a genius adjustable difficulty system that actually worked. A kid used to playing Mario Kart could hop in and race with ease. And former Formula-One racer Ryan Geddes could pull on his gloves, grip the wheel, and experience the most challenging simulation racing around (sorry, Gran Turismo). And there was reason to continue playing, as Forza continually rewarded you with new cars--sort of a thank you for racing. Uh, well, you're welcome, Forza.

IGN Score - 9.4 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
As my co-workers are fond of constantly reminding me, I used to live in the Pacific Northwest. From their comments, I think they imagine I wrote in a secluded cabin while wearing a hoodie under a blazer. They're wrong, but I know guys like that. The world Remedy built for Alan Wake is uncannily similar to the real Northwest, creepy woods and all. It's the perfect setting for a horror thriller, and the chilling storyline and gameplay back it up. You play as Alan, a troubled writer on what he hopes will be a relaxing holiday. Instead you find yourself spiraling into insanity, with only a flashlight and some firearms to protect you. Alan Wake proves that there's more to survival horror than zombies and rickety mansions.

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
It started as a simple concept for an expansion to Halo 3. Then it started to grow and turned into a dark and moody campaign. And then Bungie added Firefight mode and every Halo 3 map ever made and we were all sold. Call it fan service if you must (that's what this two-disc compilation is after all). We call it an outstanding package and a great little experiment by Bungie. The campaign for ODST is a departure for the developer -- moving away from purely linear level design and shedding the idea of a solitary hero. It's not your classic Halo experience, and that's part of the allure here. Also, Firefight rocks. Seriously, it's great.

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
With so many music games coming out over the past few years, it's easy to feel a little burnt out and forget just how big the Rock Band series has been. Rock Band brought the band together, giving us a perfect mix of guitar, drums and vocals playing at the same time, with a career mode that made you feel a bit like a rock star. Rock Band 2 takes all of this and makes it even better. How? Well, for one thing, you can import 55 of the tracks from Rock Band 1 and use any of your downloaded songs. From the start, you could have a few hundred songs to choose from, making for an incredibly robust experience. And then there's the addition of Battle of the Band online challenges, giving plastic-band musicians a reason to keep playing Rock Band for the entire year.

IGN Score - 9.0 "Outstanding"

Why It Was Selected
This is a game that took the entire industry by surprise. In a day and age when developers and publishers are so concerned about maximum marketability and accessibility, Borderlands threw all of that thinking out the window and delivered a gritty world that was built with hardcore gamers in mind. To succeed you had to level up, you had to grind and you had to loot many, many bodies and ammo drops. Borderlands was a breath of fresh air in a world where games are too worried about being easy and pushing gamers through the experience. Be warned, though, only the most battle tested gamers will make it in the rough and tumble world of Borderlands.

IGN Score - 8.8 "Great"