TXB Readers Top 25 Games of All Time ( Part 2 )

 Our look at the top Xbox 360 games of all time continues today with not a look at games of a specific genre, but instead focuses on games of a specific delivery system – Xbox Live Arcade.

The Xbox Live Arcade is one of the greatest success stories of this generation, bringing indie games, ports, remakes, and genuine blockbusters to Xbox 360 players from the comfort of their homes. With over 500 games available, XBLA brought us games that were maybe too small or too risky for the usual retail publishing, but were often real gems in their own rights. So what did the community find the top 5 Xbox Live Arcade games to be?


Top 5 Xbox Live Arcade Games

#5 – Perfect Dark HD


When released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, Perfect Dark was extremely well received by both critics and players alike. Taking place in a futuristic setting where two groups of aliens had decided to wage war using covert methods on Earth, agent Joanna Dark is sent out on a corporate espionage mission that snowballs into a full out war between the two alien races.

Building on the success Rare had achieved with GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark refined the gameplay by improving many elements, enhancing the game's graphics and features, adding in a co-op mode, and expanding the game's customizable multiplayer portion.

Becoming one of the best regarded titles on the N64, Microsoft’s purchase of Rare meant that not only would the game receive a prequel in the form of Perfect Dark Zero, but the original N64 title would be ported over to the Xbox 360 with enhanced graphics, Xbox Live online multiplayer support, and support for up to 8 different human players in the game's Combat Simulator multiplayer mode, giving players another chance to experience Perfect Dark all over again.

What the community had to say about the game:
xChoad Masterx: Perfect Dark was way ahead of it's time way back in 2000 & in many ways, it still is.

Femaletuffy:: Perfect Dark is the BEST game on Xbox Live Arcade so far!

#4 – Toy Soldiers


 
Built by Signal Studios and released in 2010, Toy Soldiers takes tower defence, World War I and some good ol’ RTS fun to make the year’s best selling Xbox Live Arcade game. The premise works as most other tower defense games – you’re placed on a toy box map and tasked with preventing the World War I era toy soldiers from entering your toy box by placing various turrets to stop their advance. But the game is much more action focused than that, allowing you to take direct control of not only any tower you build, but gives you the command of various units of your own, ranging from armored tanks to bombers.

The game was so successful that it spawned an Xbox Live exclusive sequel this year. Titled Toy Soldiers: Cold War, it took the game from World War I to the 80s and improved the game in every way with more modes, units, towers, and bigger boss fights.

What the community had to say about the game:

Spraypaintnink: Rest assured, it's a really good game.

Rowdie: Absolutely amazing! Go check it out.

#3 – Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

 
 
Originally a minigame designed by Bizarre Creations and included within their Project Gotham Racing 2 game for the original Xbox, Geometry Wars proved so popular that Bizarre expanded it as a standalone title and launched it as one of the first titles for the Xbox Live Arcade service. The concept behind the game is relatively simple -- it is a dual stick shooter in which you have to survive as long as possible against an ever-increasing wave of enemies. However, addictive gameplay and beautifully simple and vibrant graphics helped make the game one of the best reasons to check out the Xbox Live Arcade.

When Geometry Wars creator Bizarre was purchased by Activision, they created additional versions of the game for various platforms, eventually releasing a sequel called Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 on Xbox Live Arcade in the summer of 2008. With the closure of the studio, it is unclear if the Geometry Wars franchise will have a future.

What the community had to say about the game:

Gonzmeister#1: This game is really, and i mean REALLY, addictive.
CyanideSandwich: Geometry Wars is a game that is simple to learn, but very challenging to master. Imagine Asteroids on steroids, and you have the basic idea of the game.

#2 – Castle Crashers



One of the bestselling games on the Xbox Live Arcade marketplace, Castle Crashers is a side scrolling beat-em-up/RPG title which sees four different knights tasked with retrieving the King's daughters, who had been kidnapped by a renegade wizard. Featuring bright, vibrant cartoony graphics, the game had you take control of one of the four different knights, each armed with their own unique weapon. Moving throughout the game's overworld, players could earn gold that allowed them to purchase additional items and weapons, and earn experience points through combat that allowed them to upgrade the stats of their characters and weapons


While Castle Crashers was an enjoyable single-player experience; the game’s real treasure was the cooperative mode. Available both online and locally via splitscreen, it could support up to four players each taking on a role as one of the knights, making Castle Crashers one of the best (and most chaotic) coop experiences on Xbox Live Arcade.

What the community had to say about the game:

Magus666: Worth every penny. Anybody who likes video games should pick this up... YES I AM TALKING TO YOU. BUY THIS NOW!!

Adny2: Thank goodness and god bless Castle Crashers! best freak'n game i've played all year.

#1 – Shadow Complex
 


By 2009, the Xbox Live Arcade had seen its fair share of games of various quality and acclaim. But the release of Shadow Complex was one of the biggest releases on the system, showing that the Arcade platform could handle a game with graphics and gameplay as impressive and deep as any retail game. Inspired by titles such as Castlevania and Metroid, Shadow Complex was a 2.5 side scrolling title that put an equal focus on shooting, exploration, and adventure.

Taking control of a hiker named Jason Fleming, you stumble upon a giant underground complex full of hostile soldiers and traps. As you unravel a conspiracy, you decide to do your best to stop them, taking up arms. Like Metroid, progressing further through the game would give you new weapons and abilities, and an experience system led to increased attributes. As your character grew in strength and function, you could backtrack through the complex to find new areas and objects, adding in quite a bit of depth and content to the game.

With its lengthy gameplay, emphasis on exploration, and impressive graphics thanks to the Unreal Engine 3, Shadow Complex was praised by many as being the type of game one would expect to see as a full retail disc, not as a downloadable offering. The game was so popular that developers Chair began to craft a sequel, but put it on hold in the planning stage so they could focus on releasing their popular iOS title Infinity Blade. As it stands, the concept for Shadow Complex 2 is there, but whether gamers will get to see it is unknown. What the community had to say about the game:

Been There: This game is so fun .....played for 3 hours so many hidden places to find , and things to collect great game worth the time , and MS points...

Vans74: definately one the best xbla titles yet.

TXB Readers Top 25 Games of All Time


Next we've got our top 5 Xbox 360 first-person shooters, as voted by you. The 360 has a wealth of top-tier FPS titles to choose from, so take a look at the list below to see if your favorite made it into the top five...

Top 5 First-Person Shooter Games

#5 - Rainbox Six Vegas 2

The fifth place award goes to a recent entry in a series that’s proved shooter gameplay can be about more than just mindless bullet-spraying. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 returns gamers to sin city to unravel yet more terrorist plots, with additional replayability being provided by the “terrorist hunt” mode.

The game earned particular praise for its innovative multiplayer component, which has many fans playing to this day, and even more hoping for the eventual appearance of a Rainbow Six Vegas 3...
Here's what the community said:
X-AleX said...

Multiplayer-wise it is a lot better than the last one, and the lighting, smoke and fire effects simply rock.
#4 - Bioshock


Here’s a game that needs no introduction. The original Bioshock, released in 2007, dropped players in the ruins of Rapture, a once Utopian society turned upside down by genetic manipulation and superpowers. In addition to stunning graphics and an incredibly cool setting and style, BioShock successfully manages to add depth to its FPS elements without compromising the overall game experience.

Put simply, you can shoot bees out of your arms and explosive rounds out of your shotgun. And the icing on BioShock’s proverbial cake is one of the coolest plot “reveals” in any modern title. Some words from the fans:

Carmen Sandiego said:

I loved BioShock. The visuals were definitely a strong point. I liked the creepiness of the intro -- it really set the mood.

#3 - Halo 3



The lead up to Halo 3’s 2007 release was accompanied by a whirlwind of hype that was - at the time - unprecedented for an Xbox 360 title. There were cinematic trailers promising a conclusion to the storyline, a multiplayer beta, and viral marketing campaigns to keep gamers guessing about what would be next. The first Halo title on the 360 had a lot to live up to, and in the end it didn’t disappoint, delivering a more cinematic single player experience than ever, with top-notch multiplayer to boot. With sales now exceeding 14 million, Halo 3 is currently the best-selling 360 title of all time.

Here's what you guys thought

troymantis said:

There's always something new in Halo 3 multiplayer. It aint perfect, but it's always fun one way or another.

#2 - Modern Warfare 2


Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may be selling by the bucketload, and making gazillions for Activision, but Modern Warfare 2 marked a key turning point for the franchise. The game featured an action movie-style plot, slick visuals and refined gunplay, drawing in millions of gamers and cementing Call of Duty’s position at (or at least very near) the top of the first-person shooter tree. Add in an addictive multiplayer experience with tons of depth, and it’s easy to see why hordes of gamers are still hooked on MW2 to this day.


Here's what the readers thought about Modern Warfare 2:
Dominic Tiz NZ said:
It's got a fun campaign with epic scenes and you get to pilot and use many different vehicles and guns.

#1 - Halo: Reach



What can we say? You guys like your Halo! Halo 3 may have been the best-selling Xbox 360 game, but your favorite shooter was none other than the series’ latest installment, Halo: Reach. The last Halo title to be developed by series creator Bungie, Reach tells the story of the final days of Noble Team, an elite team of Spartans tasked with defending the human outpost on Reach during during the Covenant War.

Building on the success of Halo 3 and ODST, Reach brought fans a compelling and polished single player campaign with a huge amount of content for them to sink their teeth into. 343 certainly will certainly have a tough act to follow when it releases Halo 4 next year...
Some words of wisdom from the forums:

shreder75 said:

The art direction is top notch... their vision of what Reach looked like is fantastic







 
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