50 Xbox 360 Games You Should Play Before You Die

30. Vanquish

Vanquish is all about pure fun. Because almost all other components fail to live up. The story is generic. The characters are derivative and strictly close to the norm- guttural voices and cocky attitude. All that matters in Vanquish is the game/gunplay. The frantic running, shooting at colossal robots, bringing down huge bosses, sliding on our knees, slowing down time to shoot all the bullets. Vanquish is full of style and fun, more so than almost all other shooters on the market, and the short ten hour long campaign that is there in the game will stay with you for a long, long time.

29. Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 is a worthy addition to any gamers collection, whether you own the previous game or not. If you didn’t like the fundamentals behind the last game, then L4D2 is unlikely to change your mind, but the new additions make this an even more complete and feature-rich package than before. Just plain awesome, fast=paced fun and frantic and brutal gunplay make L4D2 a truly memorable outing. Whether you are a L4D loyal fan or novice, you owe it to yourself to pick up this excellent shooter.

28. Halo 3

Ah, Halo 3. I know a lot of you people hate this game with all your heart, but there are others who love it as much. Agreed, the game’s single player campaign was disappointing, but really, it was the multiplayer that was the meat of the game. How many countless hours have been clocked into Halo 3′s multiplayer modes is hard to imagine. Even today, Halo 3 always is one of the games that tops the XBL charts, and for good reason. Only the recently released Halo: Reach, could trounce Halo 3′s multiplayer, and very marginally at that.

27. Super Street Fighter IV

Super Street Fighter IV isn’t a groundbreaking achievement, to be honest—it’s an updated version of an old game. Still, that doesn’t stop it from being one of the best 2D fighting games available in terms of gameplay and available content. It’s also cheaper than the original despite an abundance of new features. If you were interested in Street Fighter IV but ultimately passed, then you should look into Super. If you loved SF4 and want more, then you should look into Super. If you have any interest in the fighting game genre at all, then you should look into Super.

26. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

The Need for Speed franchise has always peaked whenever a game under the title Hot Pursuit came out. The original Hot Pursuit was simply awesome, and took the series to all new heights. And when BlackBox took over and debuted with the very Burnout-esque Hot Pursuit 2, the thrill and the excitement of the game helped it become the best racing game of its time. And now that Criterion have taken over the franchise, with an attempt to bring it back to its former glory, they have given us Hot Pursuit, and its every bit as good as we could have expected. It has all the good things in a Burnout game, and has also retained core mechanics from past NFS games. Each race is a thrilling one, and provides with huge amounts of fun. Every racing game fan owes it to himself to buy this game.

25. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

How good is Enslaved? It’s pretty good. If you can get pass through a somewhat buggy camera during combat and not-so-great sound, there is a lot of fun to be had here. It’s pretty short, it’ll take an average gamer around 8-10 hours to complete. But that’s the point, it’s concise and fast-paced. It doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you like a good story, an interesting caste of characters that will move you emotionally as the game progresses and some really great platforming sections, Enslaved is the game you’re looking for.

24. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

If you are a big fan of games like God of War, Dante’s Inferno, then Castlevania: Lords of the Shadow is a game you should play, and if you do play it, trust me, you’ll fall in love with it immediately. You should pick up this game even if you’re not a big fan of action adventures, since Lords of Shadow boasts of an incredible storyline told through brilliant presentation and some of the most cinematic cutscenes ever. Yes, there are issues with the game- the controls get a bit unresponsive sometimes, and the game might be far too derivative for some of you to like it, but if you can get past these minor flaws, you’ll sure be in for a treat- the most stunning twenty five hours of your life.

23. FIFA 11

Whether you’re a hardcore FIFA fan or like a kick about on a more casual basis, the latest instalment is well worth the outlay. This year’s effort has not had a major overhaul but instead tweaks a winning formula. Immense amounts of fun, incredible variety in game modes, highly credible realism, believable character models, animations, physics and stadiums all come together to deliver an excellent package.  It’s clearly the best in the long-running series so far and comes highly recommended to all those who know squat about Football.

22. Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3 has to be the best racing simulator any gamer can ever come across. Being the game that finally dethroned Gran Turismo as the big daddy of racing sims, Forza Motorsport 3 has been acclaimed by one and all- it is the most addictive, most fun, most realistic driving game we have ever played. We can only imagine how good Forza 4 will be, with Kinect support, especially. Let’s hope it’s at least as good as Forza 3.

21. Assassin’s Creed

Assassin’s Creed is known to be one of the most flawed games this generation, but it’s also known to be one of the most ambitious games this generation. In a generation of gaming where all games are sticking to the norm and trying nothing new, Assassin’s Creed innovated. The developers thought out of the box. The platforming in Assassin’s Creed is simply phenomenal, while the combat system needs a serious oerhaul. The story of the game was nothing special, and it had a very repetitive mission structure. However, none of that matter really. The world that Assassin’s Creed created was incredibly atmospheric, believable and sucked you right in from the very beginning. Successors of this game have far outdone it, but we will never forget the game that started it all.