Agree 100%
April is the best month of the year. Why? Because it’s my birth month of course! Did I get any special gifts from Xbox to celebrate? I think so…
April 2006
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI was a major shift for the series and a major risk. It was the first in the series to be fully online, an MMORPG with a monthly fee. This was (is?) a hardcore game, requiring a lot of grinding, scanning online wikis, and patience. And a hard drive, so if you just had the 360 arcade unit you were kind of hosed. Compared to modern MMORPGs, especially FFXIV, this game can feel archaic. It feels more in line with an Everquest than a WoW. Those who played and stuck with it were treated to an amazing world and experience, ripe with all the series trappings you’d come to love over the years. This was also the first FF game to appear on an Xbox console, and while not quite the industry “megaton” that FFXIII would be years later, it was an encouraging sign to see Xbox garner the support of Square Enix for its most famous franchise.
I remember my time with the game fondly, although I didn’t love the monthly fee of $15 because it cut into my “fast food burger and milkshake while driving around listening to music way too loudly with friends” and “beer” budget, and also ate up a ton of time. Would I play it again? Not a chance, when FFXIV is out and in my opinion does everything better. Hardcore FFXI fans would say otherwise but hey, opinions right?
Shoutouts for the month go to Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Tomb Raider Legend.
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Here we go, another mid-year slump! Probably for the best with so many gems releases this early in the 360’s (loooong) life. I actually have a lot of fondness for a few games released this month, but could understand why some might skip ‘em.
May 2006
Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis
Wow, that cover is clean! Lovely! I never realized this was the full title of the game, what a mouthful. I always called it Rockstar Table Tennis because I’m efficient (and lazy and ignorant until now), and I’ll continue to do so! Anyway, just like the box art, Rockstar Table Tennis is a very clean, basic game. It’s not overly stuffed with modes and such, it’s just an excellently made and simulated game of somewhat serious table tennis (ping pong!) that can also be surprisingly deep and challenging.
There’s something so appealing about the simplicity on display here. For all the bloat in other Rockstar games, this boils a game down to its pure gameplay essence. The “ping” and “pong” of the paddles and ball, putting spin on it, drop shots…it’s a great game to pick up and play for a bit here and there, even if you’re not into the sport. I don’t recall playing this in multiplayer at all, but I found the ramp up in difficulty provided by the A.I. to be well done. Not sure if this is readily available on modern machines, but try it out if you want a chill game.
Shoutouts go to Uno (played a ton with my wife when we were distance dating way back when) and Hitman Blood Money. Uno almost had it this month…
So June 2006 is going to be a skip month. I can’t say I’ve played the one game I found that launched this month. I’ll still post the game, but I don’t have anything to say about it or the series. Maybe someone else can weigh in?
June 2006
MotoGP ‘06
I don’t really like motorcycle games so any opinions here? Again, could find another game that either released or that I played for the month.
This has become annoying since the Wikipedia page is split across two now, there are so many games. I may have to export the data to excel 
I’ve been using metacritics page
Slim picking indeed.
April 2006: Tomb Raider Legend
I remember seeing this being shown on a big screen in the Virgin Megastore and I walked out with it. I recall it being rather good (the opening credits, I’m sure are the most 00’s thing ever and “slick”) but it looked good, and the platforming was an improvement and seemed quick to use and snappy. There was satisfying bullet time, and backflips from enemies. I enjoyed this game, and the voice acting was pretty good as I recall. Is it on BC, I rather fancy trying it again.
May: Hit Man Blood money
I don’t recall it being a massive revolution versus, (contracts was it?) it was more solid Assassination and fun to boot!
June: …ugh!
My response to the choices in June, can be summed up with this Black Books clip 
And to have my usual finish of pre-empting the next month.
July 2006: Prey
Puzzley, portally and a different kind of FPS, one with something other than a gruff while male protagonist and with a interestingly “different” antagonist and aesthetic. The “sphere” looked cool.
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I like July in general, warm weather, BBQ, and a chance to catch up on the backlog. July 2006 wasn’t home to any absolute must play games, but it was a good month for niche games.
July 2006
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Idk why I’ve been commenting about box art but yo, this is ugly. I get that this was an “in” IP at the time but this box doesn’t sell me on the game within. I’m glad I was familiar though, as BFME2 is an excellent game and sequel. I double dipped on this for pc and Xbox 360, and while the PC version is superior, I enjoyed playing with a controller on the console from time to time. It was an RTS that just worked, and a prelude to Halo Wars.
What you get here is a straight forward Warcraft-like RTS. Three races, lots of units and tech trees, base building, heroes, all in a LOTR wrapping. The heroes stand out here - there’s a lot of them - and can really change the battlefield. That said, you know you’re just gonna be Legolas or Gandalf, come on. Graphics worked well and I never felt like I couldn’t see what was going on on the map, and the controller setup made it easy enough to feel in control. Good game, better on PC, but still a ton of fun.
Shoutouts go to Chromehounds, Prey, and Cloning Clyde. I think Chromehounds in particular gets overlooked as one of From’s better games and one of the best Mech games I’ve played.
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The Summer is in full swing and heating up for Xbox. This particular summer would see the launch of two future long running franchises, although I’d argue one started out better for forward.
August 2006
Dead Rising
I don’t remember much of the lead up to Dead Rising outside of a few magazine articles and pictures here and there. I’ve never been big on zombie stuff, and wasn’t expecting much from a zombie game made by Capcom at the game. When the game released, the reviews seemed generally favorable and praised the loads of on-screen zombies, zany methods of disposing of them, and a time limit to completing your mission. Two out of three sounded pretty cool, though I admit I despite timed mechanics.
Dead Rising turned out to be pretty awesome. Sure, it’s a bit clunky and not the prettiest of games. The time limit stinks and the save system is archaic. The main character is a doofus and the story even doofier. I hated the bosses. That said, this game is FUN. Running around with a hunk of meat and a Tron Bonne robot helmet on while whacking hundreds of zombies? Count me in! The game was also tonally perfect, knowing how dumb it was and never taking itself too seriously. And the tech really is impressive. They stuffed that mall full of zombies, items, stores…it’s a dense game and there’s just a ton of creative ways to go about doing things. The three sequels and spin-offs were all good in their own ways, but none capture the magic of playing the first for the first time. This is one of the gems of the 360’s early life.
Shoutouts go to Enchanted Arms and Saints Row. Enchanted Arms is in every way an average JRPG but it was nice to see Xbox putting in work to have the genre represented on the platform. The first Saints Row is a GTA clone, before they figured out that being ridiculous would be a better way to tackle the giant. Did I hit the mark with Dead Rising or was another title more deserving?
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September was a bit of a boring month if you were looking for a hype new AAA game to play, but if you were willing to dip into the AA space you’d find a gem or two.
September 2006
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Since the original Lego Star Wars, I’ve tried to play through just about every Lego game that’s come out. I think the only one I didn’t complete was Movie 2 because it just didn’t feel all that fun. That fun and irrelevant piece of info aside, Lego Star Wars II is unsurprisingly a lot like the first Lego Star Wars, except on a “current gen” series of consoles. Lego has always done a phenomenal job capturing the magic of the source material and applying the Lego aesthetic, formula, and humor. Star Wars II is exceptional here as always, and if you’re a fan of old school Star Wars (me!), you’ll get a lot of joy out of this game even 15 years later. The sound effects and music, the environments, and reliving the goofy story are all delightful, and if you’re a completionist there’s a ton of this and that to do outside of running the main story. Co-op is great, I think it’s the best thing about the series. Anyone can play and I love inclusive games. Play it while you wait for the newest one coming hopefully this year?
Shoutouts go to Godfather, Just Cause, NBA 2K7, and Test Drive Unlimited. Out of these, I like Just Cause best but it’s just like Assassin’s Creed where the first sets the stage but the sequels are where the magic happens.
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Definitely agree with your pick. I got it for Windows and played on my laptop with a 360 controller. Got it again for Xbox in the last couple of years. I absolutely love most of the Lego games, and am definitely looking forward to the next one. Started a run through with my nephews earlier this year and it has been a lot of fun.
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October 2006, once again nearing the holiday gaming extravaganza. Was it a slow month for the nearly one year old 360? Nah. I had to go with a scary game though, Halloween and all that.
October 2006
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. is an annoying acronym to type on a phone, so I’m going to just call it Fear from here on. This one came out on PC around a year before the 360 port, but if you were an Xbox gamer this was probably new to you. You might have heard the praise surrounding it - a creepy, horror-themes FPS with cool powers done well - but getting to play Fear is quite a treat. It definitely lived up to the reputation it’d developed amongst PC gamers and the 360 port is well-done.
Fear works well on a controller, so for those who are M/KB snobs, well, you’ll have to find another game to state your case. Try PUBG. The controls are tight and the shooting feels weighty, punchy. The game itself is dark, moody, atmospheric…it’s creepy as heck. The story being told here is solid for an FPS, I won’t spoil anything but know that you quickly figure out there’s some weird and messed up stuff going on surrounding a little girl. You get superpowers of a sort which are fun to use, there’s some puzzle type stuff to tackle, and you really need your wits to survive the A.I. which is smart and tough. This is one of my favorite Monolith developed games, and really continues the quality they established earlier with Condemned. Turn off the lights, put on the headphones, and play this game,
Shoutouts go to Lumines Live, Splinter Cell Double Agent (on sale now! And check out the story behind the Xbox and 360 versions), and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Any of these games could have taken it, but Fear set a standard in FPS games in terms of scares and A.I. that really hasn’t been matched many times since.
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Another big catch up for me 
August : Dead Rising
Despite the terrible save system and the time limit being a touch annoying I really liked this game. It had so much extra depth to it and it just made sense, sports gear in sports shops etc so you knew where to go to find a hockeystick or golf club as a weapon. At the time I found the time limits a little too restricting but after all the games that have come since, the limits really did contextualise the choices you could make and the risk/reward about taking a direct route through a horde or a safer longer route. A great game which seems to evolved in the wrong direction in recent entries.
September: Just Cause
I really loved Just Cause, my rose tinted glasses tell me its so much better without the extra “fluff” 3 and 4 added. Without going back I would probably list them 2 > 1 > 3 > 4. I got 4 at launch and it was just “meh”. The original may look rough now, though. I should see if I own it and give it a whirl.
One thing the original did which was objectively better was have the serene Skydiving music, which just did wonders to cleanse the palate before chaos resumed. Mixed with the gradually increasing sound of wind, was just wonderful sound design.
October : Marvel Ultimate Alliance
I didn’t buy this but one of my friends did and we had a ton of fun messing about in it. I wasn’t (and still aren’t) a Marvel girl, but it had Spidey and Wolverine which I knew and was just good solid hacking slashing fun.
I remember very little about it though
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This month was a tough one to choose! I love Ultimate Alliance, I love Lumines, and Double Agent was a good SC game and we need more of those. Thanks for sharing your picks, gives me something to read and think about instead of being a big opinionated blabbermouth. 
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I did play part of F.E.A.R. on PC and it sure was creepy (I’m usually not a big fan of scary stuff but it definitely was unique). On a side note, does anyone remember Rooster Teeth’s limited series called
P.A.N.I.C.S. (people acting normal in crazy-*** situations)? They did a… 5 or 6 part show using FEAR. While not really long enough to go anywhere, and mostly just for a few quick laughs, it was kinda amusing at the time. I believe that it was a paid engagement for them to help market the game.
Never heard of it, but I’ve never engaged with anything rooster teeth related so that would be why.
Ah, I was a bit of a fan back then mostly for the red vs blue stuff. Though eventually kinda stopped being as interesting.
Indeed, I’ve just never made much time to devote to that sort of thing due to a million other conflicting interests. Like this Xbox thread lol.
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November 2006 was a stellar month for the 360, with two of my favorite Xbox franchises launching, in addition to a number of other great games. Despite my love for both Xbox IPs on display, one simply cannot be denied.
November 2006
Gears of War
Yup, we all knew this was going to be the one for the month. Gears of War was an absolute mammoth for the 360 from an image to market standpoint. It was beautiful, loud, violent, intense. It had amazing co-op, great multiplayer, a true pinnacle of the excellent XBL service. It was one of the first games I can remember that made my friends go buy a 360. I mean, they had no choice right? This game was THE game of holiday 2016, and that marketing campaign with commercial featuring “Mad World” might be the best ever, even to this day.
I don’t need to say much about Gears’ gameplay, almost anyone reading this knows what a Gears game is. I think it’s just fascinating that Xbox was able to pull this deal off and just how impactful the game was to Microsoft’s status in the game industry, and the ripples it left in gameplay design moving forward. Some say the franchise has grown stale and needs a revamp. Idk, I think the core gameplay is still nearly unmatched and works just fine. Gears was an industry changing game, I hope it continues to delight folks for many years to come.
Shoutouts go to Viva Piñata (would have won most other months, I LOVE this game), CoD 3, Tony Hawk Project 8, and Rainbow 6 Vegas (another gem in my eyes). Would you have went with anything other than Gears? Let me know!
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December saw hardly any releases on the Xbox 360. Actually, on any console I’d imagine. I actually did enjoy one game a bit this month, so I’ll point it out for the heck of it.
December 2006
Assault Heroes
I wonder how many people played Assault Heroes. For what it’s worth, I actually think it’s decent for a budget XBLA game. It’s a twin-stick shooter where you take a tank type vehicle and drive about through a variety of environments, blasting at all the little baddies. I don’t remember a ton about the game, but I do remember it had a silly sound when you’d shoot a soldier bug thing, as they’d cry out. The graphics work, sure they’re simple, but clean and the game runs nicely. I don’t recall if there was co-op here, my friends wouldn’t have played with me anyway since they were playing Gears or R6V. I just remember picking it up at around $5-10, having a fun brainless few hours with it, and moving on. It’s not spectacular, but worth a mention.
No shoutouts. Idk if any other game even released.
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