If you’re anything like me, your holiday shopping is not quite finished yet. And by not quite finished, I mean barely even started. Hopefully my stocking stuffers and gifts for the Halo-obsessed guides have already come in handy but if you still find yourself searching for an extra present for your favorite gamer, perhaps one of these Xbox 360 games will strike your fancy. Included are a nice variety of staples every gamer should own, a handful of newer releases, and your must have classic party games. Only four more shopping days are left so print off your list and forget about checking it twice. Just get to it already!
Grand Theft Auto IV
Price: $29.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Action, Adventure, Racing
Grand Theft Auto IV is the ninth action/adventure title in the controversial series developed by Rockstar North. It’s a must have for hardcore gamers who enjoy sandbox-style video games. Receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews, it has sold over ten million copies on multiple platforms. Offering a 25+ hour campaign along with multiplayer, this is a lot of game for not a lot of money.
Portal
Price: $15 (XBLA)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Portal, a single-player first-person action/puzzle video game developed by Valve Corporation, was initially packaged in the The Orange Box bundle but was later released as a stand-alone game on the Xbox Live Arcade. Featuring innovative gameplay and brain-bending puzzles, this short game offers a highly praised rich story filled with dark humor along with a memorable end credits song.
BioShock
Price: $29.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-Person Shooter
BioShock is a deeply immersive morality-based game disguised as a shooter. With both role-playing and survival horror elements, it’s a title that will appeal to a wide range of gamers. Receiving numerous awards and positive reviews both from game critics and the mainstream press alike, this is a game that deserves to be a part of every gamer’s library.
Rock Band 2
Price: $56.99 (game only), $189.99 (game + instruments)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Music, Rhythm Action
Rock Band 2 is everything the first version should have been. Featuring drastically improved instruments and brand new gameplay elements, it’s the perfect introduction to the world of playing of rock music on plastic peripherals. With hundreds of additional downloadable songs currently available, you are sure to get your money’s worth out of this incredible multiplayer game.
Dead Space
Price: $49.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-Person Action, Survival Horror
Dead Space is a third-person action game that offers a horrifying adventure to those craving survival horror-esque amusement. Before this game, the Xbox 360 was sorely lacking in truly scary titles. After this game, gamers now have a viable option for those times when they desire a spine-chilling single player experience.
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Price: $19.99
Rating: E10+
Genre: Action, Adventure
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, a video game based on the Star Wars-themed Lego toy line, is a title both children and adults alike will enjoy. Featuring a setting, objects, and characters made out of the always adorable Lego bricks, the experience can be simple and fun or more complicated and in depth. This game is definitely a must have for any Star Wars fanatic.
Braid
Price: $15 (XBLA)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Puzzle, Platform
Braid is a 2D platform/puzzle video game where the player has the unique power to affect the way time behaves. Solving puzzles in an attempt to rescue an abducted princess, this innovative game does not allow you to die or lose. Travel through a series of worlds drawn in a painterly style and enjoy the sights along with the unique time bending puzzles.
Halo 3
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-Person Shooter, Action
Halo 3, the third release in the series developed by Bungie, is a science fiction video game that continues to break ground with each successive title. Offering campaign, multiplayer, and an object layout editor, this game continues to find the number one spot on the Xbox 360 Top Live Titles over a year after its release. It’s longevity is a testament to the overall value of this amazing game.
Scene It? Box Office Smash
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Trivia, Party
Scene It? Box Office Smash is a video game adaptation of the popular DVD-based party game that puts your movie knowledge to the ultimate trivia test. Featuring HD movie clips, all new questions, and several new puzzle types, this game allows up to four parties to battle it out to the end. Appropriate for both family and friends, it is sure to bring a good time to any communal gathering.
Fable II
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Action, Role-Playing Game
Fable II, an action role-playing game developed by Lionhead, takes place in the fictional world of Albion 500 years after the events of the original Fable. Featuring an epic story and innovative real-time gameplay, Fable II introduces a new combat system in a massive and limitless kingdom. Winning X-play’s Game of the Year award, RPG fans will consider time on this game as being well spent.
Posted by Ken Raves on December 21, 2008 at 3:11 am
Still Alive is good, but if you already have the Orange bOx, it just isn’t worth it, and the content would ahve been better for an update or DLC. Halo 3 also recently got a price cut, in most places it’s about Forty to fifty according to X-play.
Posted by stupidpower on December 21, 2008 at 5:39 am
I agree, but really, but why is halo 3 still on the list? Its one year old and the only reason its still up there is because every non-halo fanboy is playing different games.
Better games would be newer ones, like fallout, mirror edge, and left 4 dead.
Posted by stupidpowerisstupid on December 21, 2008 at 7:23 am
because it’s one year old and still going hot
Posted by rowboat 000 on December 21, 2008 at 8:31 am
Are you questioning Halo? Do you know where you are?
Posted by COL0NEL SANDERS on December 21, 2008 at 8:53 am
Where’s Fallout 3, Hawtty?
??
=)
And by the way, when you say “barely even started,” do you mean not even started?
lol
Because that’s where I’m at now.
Posted by Qix on December 21, 2008 at 8:54 am
Stupidpower: Seriously? If all these 360’s are being sold, do you really think that they have had halo 3 for a year?
Believe it or not, there are other people in the world who don’t like their life the same way you so.
Posted by PikminGod on December 21, 2008 at 9:30 am
wf no fallout 3? FAIL
Posted by bs angel on December 21, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Halo 3 is on the list for the same reason BioShock and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (two older titles as well) are. This list isn’t necessarily for you guys, the regular hardcore gamers. It is for the more casual crowd as well, or those just making their way into the world of video games, or for those shopping for nieces and nephews.
And I debated for a while between Fable II and Fallout 3!
Posted by Socket on December 21, 2008 at 12:29 pm
You really, really don’t like the Call of Duty games, do you?
Posted by AT-AT on December 21, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Wait a Second. GTA IV is already $30? I was under the assumption that it was one of the top titles (which don’t see price cuts soon, and the cuts aren’t big when they do come, like Halo).
The Orange Box is $20, so unless you really, really, really want those new testchambers in Portal: Still Alive, TOB is a far better deal.
Posted by 2Three on December 21, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Still haven’t tried GTA 4 and probably never will; not my thing.
And Halo 3’s price needs to be lowered at this point, I think.
Posted by bs angel on December 21, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Newegg.com has it for that price. Not sure if it is a sale or a regular thing.
And 2Three, I absolutely agree about Halo 3. I’ve been wanting to buy a second copy for a while now but will keep waiting until it sees a significant price drop.
Posted by Ken Raves on December 21, 2008 at 10:49 pm
It has been lowerd, sadly after i bought my 60 dolalr replacement..
Posted by alakai on December 23, 2008 at 7:48 am
In regards to Lego Star Wars, for the same price you can pick up the Complete Saga which covers both Lego Star Wars 1 & 2 (prequel and original trilogies). Much better deal in my opinion.
Posted by Marissa's Dad on December 23, 2008 at 9:11 am
At the moment, blockbuster video is doing a buy one game for $15 or less, get another free.
GTA4 was recently reduced to $14.99.
Posted by COL0NEL SANDERS on December 23, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Debating between Fable II and Fallout 3??
What’s the debate?
Fallout 3 roxers my boxers.
=)