Xbox History: The Best Games by Month

[anon98342452]

This was one of the best summer months of gaming on Xbox. Look at the list below, there’s something for everyone this month.

July 2008

Civilization Revolution

Ah, Civ Rev, what a game! I’m not good at Civ games, or strategy in general. I just don’t have the patience for it, but I understand and respect the love for the genre. I wish it was my thing, I wish they made more simplified versions of the games for people like me. Oh…they did? Yup, Civ Rev is the Civ game for people who aren’t into Civ games. It’s the core essence of the franchise and genre, boiled down, simplified, refined. It’s Civ for Dummies, dummies like me. I love just about everything about this game, from the look to the writing to the way the game actually works well on a controller. It’s great. It’s fun. It’s addicting, a one more game type of game. A late night stay up game. A game that even non-gamers can enjoy. Play this, I’d be surprised if you regret the time.

Shoutouts go to Soul Calibur (I & IV), Unreal Tournament III, NCAA 09 (RIP), and Geometry Wars 2. Lots of great games. What was your favorite?

[Zip]

@anon98342452

…and respect the love for the genre. I wish it was my thing, I wish they made more simplified versions of the games for people like me. Oh…they did? Yup, Civ Rev is the Civ game for people who aren’t into Civ games. It’s the core essence of the franchise and genre, boiled down, simplified, refined. It’s Civ for Dummies, dummies like me. I love just about everything about this game, from the look to the writing to the way the game actually works well on a controller. It’s great. It’s fun. It’s addicting, a one more game type of game. A late night stay up game. A game that even non-gamers can enjoy. Play this, I’d be surprised if you regret the time. Shoutouts go to Soul Calibur (I & IV), Unreal Tournament III, NCAA 09 (RIP), and Geometry Wars 2. Lots of great games. What was your favorite?

Absolutely love Civ Rev. I THINK I got all 1000 points from it, definitely put a lot of time in. I keep wishing they’d do another one of these…

Unreal Tournament III - Not sure how I didn’t pick that up - I played a ton of Unreal Tournament '99, 2003, then 2004 with friends.

[anon98342452]

August 08 was the month a game near and dear to me heart released. It’s also home to the release of an all-time XBLA classic, and one of the most infamous games associated with Xbox. Big month. Sadly, this will likely be buried in the e3 hype at the moment but this month really is special to me.

August 2008

Castle Crashers

As I stated above, Castle Crashers is a very special game to me. When I met my then-girlfriend now-wife, we lived around three hours apart. So a “long distance” relationship. On the weekends, we’d drive the distance to see each other in Portland, Seattle, or in between, but during the week this wasn’t an option due to work and well, life. We would text and whatnot, but we found ourselves spending time together gaming. We tried lots of stuff, not a ton stuck but when it did, it did. 1 vs. 100 was a big one, but Castle Crashers was THE game for us.

Castle Crashers was simple enough for a non-gamer to play, fun, colorful, bright, and silly. It had enough depth and replayability for a core gamer. The Behemoth knew what it was doing here and to be frank, always has. This game felt great to play, like something out of the arcades I frequented as a youth like The Simpsons, TMNT, or X-Men. I loved the competitive/cooperative feel, the RPG-lite mechanics, and the cutest little animal characters. I loved that I could connect with this beautiful, smart, funny, engaging lady I was smitten with doing something I loved, and that we could connect together. It felt like being together. I love this game for that and always will. Oh, and I love my wife and always will

Shoutouts go to Braid, Bionic Commando Remastered, Too Human, Tales of Vesperia, and Mercenaries 2. What was your favorite game?

[anon98342452]

This month was another solid one for Xbox, I don’t have much to say other than I’d be happy with just 1-2 of these games this month, but only one can be the pick.

September 2008

Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

Shame on me for not picking the first VP, but here’s my chance to make up for it. Trouble in Paradise is VP perfected. It’s the same core game and at-a-glance, you might not be able to see a difference. It looks and plays similarly, but has a few tweaks and updates that hardcore VP fans would be interested in.

For me, the biggest add is the emphasis on story a bit more than the prior game. It’s nothing fancy, but it adds a little incentive if collecting and breeding cute piñatas wasn’t enough. There’s also more piñatas to collect and some of the mechanics have been smoothed out to make the moment-to-moment gardening better. It’s a beautiful game, a peaceful game, a feel-good game. It’s one you can dump hours into, relax, and just do your thing. It’s part of Rare Replay so no excuses, play this!

Shoutouts go to Rock Band 2, Lego Batman, Star Wars Force Unleashed, Pure, Brother in Arms Hell’s Highway, and Infinite Undiscovery (solely for this absolutely stupid name…go Square Enix!).

[anon98342452]

Too many games! This month had too many good games which is of interest as it’s how I’m starting to feel about the Xbox platform nowadays (especially with Game Pass!).

October 2008

Dead Space

Dead Space is one of my favorite “scary” games. It might even be my favorite. Off-topic, but there’s an interesting bit about Visceral (the dev) in Jason Schreier’s new book that’s worth reading if you were ever into Dead Space as a series. Anyway, Dead Space is great in all the ways a survival-horror game should be. The monsters are hideous and relentless. The music is subtle and ramps up at the perfect moments. The sound effects are disgusting. The build-up to action segments is top of class. The action itself is brutal, tough, and leaves you sweating. And to top it off, the game looked stunning. The intro sequence is one of the best in gaming, I love the crazy world, story, and setup here. The dismemberment mechanic was actually well done and useful in combat, and the smart rethinking of UI placement (life bar on suit, ammo count on guns), was inspired. I know I’m probably sounding crazy with my praise, but this is legitimately one of the best games on the Xbox 360. It’s on EA Play, so play it.

Shououts (deep breath)….Mega Man 9, Saints Row 2, Age of Booty, Midnight Club LA, Far Cry 2, Fable 3, Portal Still Alive, Scene It! Box Office Smash, Guitar Hero World Tour, and Fallout 3. Can’t believe I didn’t pick Fallout 3…yeah Dead Space is that good.

[Zip]

@anon98342452

…action segments is top of class. The action itself is brutal, tough, and leaves you sweating. And to top it off, the game looked stunning. The intro sequence is one of the best in gaming, I love the crazy world, story, and setup here. The dismemberment mechanic was actually well done and useful in combat, and the smart rethinking of UI placement (life bar on suit, ammo count on guns), was inspired. I know I’m probably sounding crazy with my praise, but this is legitimately one of the best games on the Xbox 360. It’s on EA Play, so play it. Shououts (deep breath)….Mega Man 9, Saints Row 2, Age of Booty, Midnight Club LA, Far Cry 2, Fable 3, Portal Still Alive, Scene It! Box Office Smash, Guitar Hero World Tour, and Fallout 3. Can’t believe I didn’t pick Fallout 3…yeah Dead Space is that good.

Not really my genre, but I get why people liked it.

I think my pick is probably Portal Still Alive, though actually since I played Fable 3 before the other 2 games and like it more than others do, I might have to pick that one instead. Hmm. Decisions.

[Cerysnetics (Cerys)]

Catch up Cerys again

I have decided I shan’t bother hunting too hard for lean months to find something, If nothing leaps out at me I am not too proud to just write the month off as bad

May 2008 : Rock Band

We played so much RockBand, much more collaborative than Guitar Hero, and with a better selection of songs, the rockband games were a staple of family gaming night for years and years.

June 2008 : Civilisation Revolution

I could have sworn this was earlier, but then I think I was just ranting about how wonderful this game is in the discord, certainly I recall only the other day taking a picture of my original game (the only game from this time I still own). A perfectly made port, slimline yes, but no less compelling and addicting. I think I am 50 GS off 100% my last victory after hours ended in a stalemate which I could never quite win. I kinda do want to go back and get it though.

July 2008 : El Zilcho

August 2008 : Captain Nothing!

September 2008 : Viva Piñata Trouble in Paradise

For ages I was heard to argue that the original was the superior game, sure the wildcard and rare systems were bugged, but at least you could keep pester out and just enjoy the peace late game. 2 really is the better though, so many more systems, the quests, the sub areas, the wildcards working for everything and not just Whirlms, twins! The Camera, trading. It is just the perfect game, and like so many MS games I recall ahead of its time and not allowed the time to grow and get stronger. THis is how good Rare made VP2, 3 would have been jaw dropping. In an ideal world we would have had VP 5 by the start of lockdown last year giving AC New Horizons a run for its money.

THE best game Rare has made, and THE best game of the 360 Generation, and Xbox One Gen (with BC), and Series (so far)

October 2008 : Fallout 3

OK so I loved the OG Fallouts, this was not them, and I did not like it for it. We lost so much and got a frankly stupid story with a stupid ending. “Just go in there for me would you Fawkes, be a dear… What do you mean no!!!” The world was so good though and so open and there was plenty hidden away in the corners to excite and track. The first time I wandered into the city after following some tunnels, low on everything, a handful of rounds left and desperately trying to make the calculation to try and sneak past, sneakily kill, or try and return through the tunnels to find somewhere to gear up and come back. Of course exploration won and paid off. Nowhere near as good as New Vegas for story, but a wonderful world.

November 2008 : Mirrors Edge

I got this for my Birthday and I mostly loved it. Well I didnt love it, but the aesthetic and music and novelty of a Parkour game was enough to make it the best for me that month. I loved Faiths Tattoo as well, and wanted it.

[Cerysnetics (Cerys)]

Nice to see you rate Civ Rev and VP 2 @anon98342452

A person of great taste

[anon98342452]

@Cerysnetics

Nice to see you rate Civ Rev and VP 2

A person of great taste

Idk about great taste, but those games are excellent. Thanks for the late update post, fun and Interesting.

[anon98342452]

November was a busy month and I’m a busy guy so let’s get into it!

November 2008

Left 4 Dead

Back to back “zombie” games, you’re boring Delroy amirite!!! Yeah, well…I’m actually not much of a zombie guy, but Left 4 Dead was pretty awesome. A co-op focused game that did it right, it just happened to feature zombies. I keep hoping for a third in the series, but we all know Valve hates the number 3…

I was skeptical when it came out, another shooter in a crowded genre in a crowded season. COD World at War (best COD that’s not fish btw) was out the same month, so would L4D garner a community and more importantly, would my friends want to play? It wasn’t much of a looker, was fairly light on content, and was not designed to be played solo. My skepticism was wrongfully placed in the end, as L4D was a blast to play with friends. Highly replayable, challenging, requiring teamwork, lots of silly moments, a perfect hang out game.

Shoutouts to COD World at War, Gears of War 2 (best Gears), Tom Clancy’s Endwar (the mic game!), Naruto: The Broken Bond, Mirror’s Edge, Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, Kingdom of Keflings, and Tomb Raider Underworld.

[anon98342452]

A slow month in comparison to October and November. December gave our wallets a break but still had a little gem for unsatisfied gamers.

December 2008

Prince of Persia

PoP 2008 is a reboot for the long running Jordan Mechner series. I enjoyed the Sands in Time trilogy, but haven’t been a super fan of PoP by any means. 2008 isn’t the best PoP, but it’s still an enjoyable one to play through if you’re into platforming. This game feels on-rails at times, with easy platforming puzzle solving that lays itself out for you. There’s really no way to die in the traditional sense as your partner can revive you by rewinding time. I actually like this about the game, as it creates a chill experience. It’s a pretty game, uses a neat cel shaded style with colors that really vibe with me. I don’t recall much of the story, but I think it was serviceable. It can be had for cheap and it’s a solid title, not much more to say!

Shoutouts this month to Banjo-Kazooie and Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. What was your game to end the year?

[Cerysnetics (Cerys)]

I have nothing for December Delroy. Though TBH with Fallout 3 and Mirrors edge I wouldn’t have been looking for anything anyway.

I haven’t even tried PoP 2008, I liked Sands of time, and this had a nice aesthetic, but given I was deep in other games and read more impressions of PoP it was sent to be in my pile of “Nahhhh”.

[anon98342452]

Another year so only another 100+ posts before I catch up to the current day…ok let’s start it out with a daily unique concept and a game that was quite endearing.

January 2009

The Maw

The Maw was developed by Twisted Pixel, formerly a Microsoft 1st party developer. I think The Maw was my favorite or their games. It was cute, funny, and had a genuinely interesting concept where you controlled an alien that had a little dog-like blob creature that was gobble up little buggers and grow in size, evolve. This would allow you to solve various obstacles in each level over a daily decent length story. The sound effects were just what you’d want from a little blob monster, with the chowing down sound effect being my favorite. I loved the bright colors and lighthearted tone. It just made a great little break game to start the new year, and I always look back on it fondly.

Shoutout to Skate 2. I’m terrible at these games and more a Tony Hawk guy, but I do think that Skate has a different take on the sport that provides the realism missing from TH.

[Zip]

@anon98342452

…arty developer. I think The Maw was my favorite or their games. It was cute, funny, and had a genuinely interesting concept where you controlled an alien that had a little dog-like blob creature that was gobble up little buggers and grow in size, evolve. This would allow you to solve various obstacles in each level over a daily decent length story. The sound effects were just what you’d want from a little blob monster, with the chowing down sound effect being my favorite. I loved the bright colors and lighthearted tone. It just made a great little break game to start the new year, and I always look back on it fondly. Shoutout to Skate 2. I’m terrible at these games and more a Tony Hawk guy, but I do think that Skate has a different take on the sport that provides the realism missing from TH.

I think I got a code for that one but I don’t remember ever playing it. Hm. Is it back compatible?

Also Twisted Pixel did have a lot of unique ideas. Pity they’re not still 1st party. Small unique stuff would be a great add for Game Pass.

[anon98342452]

@Zip

I think I got a code for that one but I don’t remember ever playing it. Hm. Is it back compatible?

Also Twisted Pixel did have a lot of unique ideas. Pity they’re not still 1st party. Small unique stuff would be a great add for Game Pass.

I actually don’t know if it is. Worth a few minutes to check out if you have time. And does TP even exist as a studio or were they shut down?

[Zip]

@anon98342452

I actually don’t know if it is. Worth a few minutes to check out if you have time. And does TP even exist as a studio or were they shut down?

So it looks like The Maw does show up on the list of compatible games.

Looks like they split off, have done Oculus games and a Switch port since 2015

Twisted Pixel Games

[anon98342452]

Good releases poured out through tpu February and while nothing is major, I could have went with most of these as my pick for the month.

February 2009

Street Fighter IV

I’m not good at fighting games and have largely fallen off the genre completely as I’ve grown older. I’m just not that into the idea of dumping hours into a video game in order to “get good” enough to be competitive with others. I’ve always been more of a single player fighter guy, Street Fighter being a series I’ve always in that regard. Street Fighter IV was a big deal for Xbox at the time to me, and further showed the market shift in Microsoft’s favor.

The game is beautiful to this day and the different take on each character is jarring at times but understandable. The move sets are largely the same as far as I know so picking this up and playing is natural if you’re remotely familiar with the series. The game is fast and fluid, sounds good, and has a awesome intro song…this and Dragon’s Dogma are top notch here, absolutely ridiculous but in a great way. I don’t know what more to say here. It’s Street Fighter but new and better with a few new characters. Great game.

Shoutouts to GTA IV: Lost & the Damned, FEAR 2: Project Origin, Star Ocean IV, Eat Lead: The Return of Max Hazard, and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (actually a ton of stupid fun).

[anon98342452]

I think I’ll be slightly tweaking the format moving forward, as the little intros to each month are feeling a bit samey, so I’ll just get into the meat of things unless something special should be said.

March 2009

Peggle

Peggle is an incredible game, one of my absolute favorites. It can be boiled down to an arcade game, pachinko like, pinball like. You shoot balls at pegs and try to clear each board which are each uniquely arranged. There are multiple characters to use which adds slight variance to the game over its fairly lengthy “campaign”. There’s not a story per se, but gosh darn this is gaming boiled down to its essence. Amazing stuff.

I don’t know that there’s an element to it I don’t enjoy. The graphics are perfectly timeless. The music is spot on and only prominent when absolutely necessary. The controls are spot on, even with a controller you can manipulate your shots to place the ball where you want. The sound effects…if you like the Crackdown orbs, you’re in for a great. It’s such a simple, addicting game that begs to be played just one more time.

Shoutouts to Halo Wars and Resident Evil 5. Halo Wars was close to being the pick as it’s likely the best or nearly the best RTS on console in my opinion.

[anon98342452]

April 2009

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

The Dishwasher is a stylistic, challenging, 2D action game and the first game I’d seen from Ska Studios of Salt & Sanctuary fame. Dishwasher is a tough one to describe its appeal. It’s sort of ugly in terms of aesthetic, using a limited color palette and chunky low definition characters. The sound is jarring at times, often sounding like it came from a Genesis game. It’s a difficult game, at times feeling borderline unfair. I don’t care at all about the story. So why this game

Well, there’s something here that I enjoy and makes it worth a play. The controls are tight and responsive. The action is fast, nonstop, and feels impactful. There’s a level of heart to the work put into this title, it feels like a labor of love and all the old school trappings make it feel like a game from a bygone era. You get a sense of accomplishment when you’re able to clear a tough section as progress actually means something. I hate to say it, but “get good” is the best advice for moving this game along to its fairly lengthy conclusion.

Shoutouts to Banjo-Tooie HD, Virtual On, and Puzzle Quest Galactrix. What were your favorites from the time? What were you playing?

[anon98342452]

May 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

A movie tie-in game? Must’ve been a slow month! Actually, Wolverine was darn fun. Looking back over reviews, it doesn’t seem to have done particularly well, but I remember this one being a good time over around 10 hours or so for a run through the storyline. It looked and sounded fine, I don’t recall any major bugs…sure, it was fairly simple ultra-violent gameplay, but it was fun. There’s some decent variety here between fights, traversal, and puzzles. This has some lite character progression as well, as you unlock new skills and abilities for the clawed hero. Collectibles? Yeah sure, if you’re into that go for it! Raven made a great game here given the limitations often associated with license IP, especially that’s tied to a movie. Beware, it’s ultra violent for a game of the era (also lots of choice language), so probably not a good one to play around the little ones depending on your parenting style. I doubt it’s BC, but it’s on PC so play it if you can. I think it’ll hold up.

Shoutouts to Space Invaders Extreme, Raiden Fighters Aces, and Bionic Commando. What was your pick? Are you reading this?