In honor of the launch of the new Xbox 360, last month Bitmob and Microsoft asked you to write about your favorite 360 games in a variety of genres, and you certainly did. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't all Halo! We've compiled highlights from those write-ups here (click on an author's name to see their full posts), in what can only be called — in a booming voice — the Bitmob Community's Best Xbox 360 Games!

Oh, and congrats to Ben Cook, who, by the grace of the random number generator, won the fabulous prize of a new Xbox 360 and seven of the games mentioned below!

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Best Action/Adventure Games

Red Dead Redemption

John Marston is single-handedly the greatest protagonist that Rockstar has ever created. The game's ability to capture his personality and simultaneously recreate the picturesque Wild West setting, makes for a compelling narrative rarely accomplished in games. Much of this has to do with the excellent voice acting and animation, making the scenes very cinematic. There are also the usual Rockstar tropes of dialog containing social commentary on American life, but Red Dead Redemption executes these seemlessy, without disrupting the narrative. It's one of the must own games of 2010, if not this generation. –Sean Hintz

Well kiss my grits! I’m so happy I tried RDR because it is easily one of developer Rockstar's greatest games. The folks over at Rockstar have such an amazing talent when it comes to storytelling. Every character, whether integral to the story or just a stranger you meet in the desert, is believable. While most game worlds seem to be alive solely because you are there, Red Dead feels like the world continues to live and breathe even after the Xbox 360 is turned off. –Mathew Orona

 

 

Alan Wake

Alan Wake is one of the most engaging games I’ve ever played. I was so enthralled with the story, setting, and atmosphere that I completed it in only two sittings (including one 13-hour marathon). Remedy, the developer, successfully made the small town of Bright Falls feel like a real-life location. The distinct personality of its denizens coupled with the farm-town architecture was a perfect match. Then, as the sun set and the moon rose, the dense fog made the forest seem endless. I tried on several occasions to wander off the dirt trail while hiking through the woods, but I found myself too chicken to travel far enough to lose sight of the path. –Matthew Orona

 

 

Batman: Arkham Asylum

This is the first time in a Batman title that I thought, "Holy crap, I’m really Batman." It seems to come from the way Batman is able to move around and through the levels — he's got a myriad of escape routes and hiding spots, rafters to drop from, and even floor panels where you can lie in wait. If things get really dicey, you can always grapple yourself out of trouble. Some of the most fun I had with the game involved testing my ability to freak out the enemies as I slowly picked them off one by one. I could play Batman: Arkham Asylum forever. –Ryan Finley

 

 

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Why did I choose Condemned: Criminal Origins, rather than Condemned 2: Bloodshot? Well, the sequel kind of pales in comparison to the original; number two throws a lot of what made number one so great right out the window. For instance, in Criminal Origins, the term ammo conservation actual has meaning, while Bloodshot features a whole level devoted to using nothing but a gun and totally going FPS on fools.

In Criminal Origins, if you do find a gun you receive about two bullets, and they will mean the world to you when you turn a corner just to see some insane maniac lunging toward you from halfway across the room. At this point it's time to promptly piss your pants and use those two bullets, which will hopefully connect with said maniac. Ultimately, you'll want to just lay down in the fetal position and hope that you won't have to deal with whatever it is that just made that noise in the other room. –Camaren Crook

 

Condemned 2: Bloodshot

I love this game for two reasons: 1) You play as an alcoholic prick, and 2) you get to pummel possessed hobos. With Condemned 2, you get to feel the satisfaction of being in a fight, but without having to worry about scratching the polycarbonate lenses in your plastic-rimmed glasses. –Nick Nordstrom

Best Shooters

BioShock

BioShock is fantastic. A spiritual successor to the System Shock series, it brought a far-above-average story to the table, and a twist that warranted an immediate second playthrough. The Big Daddy fights are the highlight of the game, harrowing and difficult while at the same time encouraging forethought and experimentation. And BioShock also did something very good for me — it introduced me to jazz music, which is one of the few interests that I share with my dad. –Jake Davis

With its addictive gameplay, tense atmosphere, and engaging story, BioShock cements its place as the best shooter — and, arguably, the best game, period — in the Xbox 360's library. A conservative injection of RPG elements really makes the gameplay special: Hacking too tough for you? Buy an engineering tonic. Shotgun not powerful enough? Upgrade it. The ability to augment weapons and purchase physical enhancements gives the player a sense of ownership seldom found in the genre. Not every first-person shooter can be (or should be) an online fragathon like Call of Duty. I applaud the folks at developer Irrational for recognizing their game's strengths and sticking to them. –Tim Broxson

 

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Although Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a better shooter from a technical aspect (in my opinion), it lacks Bad Company 2's variety. Battlefield is class-based and you level within each class, unlocking new abilities and unique weapons. Combine that with diverse maps, vehicles, and all the destructible environments, and I think the multiplayer is both more fun and less frustrating. For me, it is the best FPS on the console right now, but we will have to see what Halo Reach holds. –Sean Hintz

 

Left 4 Dead 2

Never has there been a better training program for the inevitable end of humanity as we know it. Left 4 Dead 2 is all about perfecting the hunting and gathering skills necessary for survival. And thank you, 2nd amendment, for making sure there are plenty of gun and ammo dispensaries across our great nation, as we search for some oasis of refuge where the last of humanity will seek asylum. –Andrew Seely

 

Dead Space

Sleep surely won’t come easy to Dead Space players unfamiliar with the survival-horror genre. The game's abuses tight, claustrophobic spaces and moody lighting to deliver the scares with great effect. You’re never truly safe, but there’s quite a bit of variety to keep you interested as you traverse the Necromorph-laden ship. –Larry T. Hinh

 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 has been scientifically proven as the best Xbox 360 shooter by our team of professionals using the most important multiplayer game metric: number of hours played. Tuesday night usually starts with the early crowd playing the flavor of the month, but Modern Warfare 2 almost always ends up being thrown in once the whole gang shows up. The routine rarely changes. Our first game will match us up against a clan, who are always screaming inside jokes back and forth amongst themselves. We happily join in, and after a few minutes of talking over each other, it becomes impossible to understand any thread of conversation. When the map starts loading and you can no longer tell who is speaking, we all start to meow. Once we are all finally in-game, the first thing everyone says is, "Man, what is the other team's PROBLEM?" It's tradition. Then, we play. –Ben Cook

Halo 3

There might be other shooters that cater more to your taste in terms of story, gameplay, presentation, single-player, or multiplayer. You might not even "get" the whole fuss around this game because you had a better experience with some other game. But Halo 3 does just about everything, and it does everything right — combat has indeed evolved, and evolved again (and it is still evolving judging by the Halo Reach beta). Right now, Halo 3 probably offers one of the most (if not the most) complete and satisfying experiences on the Xbox 360 — at least until the next iteration is out. –Guy Ulme

Best Downloadable Games

Battlefield: 1943

One could argue that in terms of design, Battlefield: 1943 isn’t nearly the same sort of technical marvel that other downloadable titles represent (considering many are produced for very small budgets by tiny development studios). But I'm hard pressed to name a title that has had the same durability of appeal, value of purchase, and solid game design as Battlefield:1943. The fact that such an experience is available for only $15 is amazing, and highlights the potential of both DLC and tiered pricing, which are going to be pivotal talking points in the future of video game production and distribution. 1943 and its million-plus downloads stand as an extremely important benchmark in terms of the development of downloadable content and its potential, both in terms of quality of titles and profitability of the model. –Dennis Scimeca

 

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

There's a point that comes in a truly great game when the world slips away, the feeling of the controller in your hands is gone, and you feel every moment in-game as a reaction — sudden, alive, and free. No game gives you this sense of adrenaline-fueled twitch reaction better than Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. –Kyle O'Reilly

 

Braid

While I haven’t returned to Braid with the regularity of a game like Castle Crashers, I count solving all of its puzzles as one of my favorite gaming accomplishments. It stands out as a great puzzler and a bold narrative experiment, and, as a forerunner to games like Shadow Complex and Limbo, proved to many gamers that the phrase ″downloadable″ doesn’t have to mean ″simple.″ Not bad for 15 bucks. –Robert M.F. Stoneback

 

Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers

I’ll never play paper Magic again, and the money-trap element keeps me away from Magic: The Gathering Online, but I spent several weeks tapping islands and swinging with drakes into early summer mornings nonetheless, thanks to Stainless Games' Duels of the Planeswalkers. At first, I was content helping my roommate understand the mechanics of the game as he played the demo, but by the time he was done, I was offering to pay for half. It wasn’t just because it was a cheap, legal way to play Magic again. Duels of the Planeswalkers' streamlined execution adds a subtle-but-unique element to the game that I loved to hate. –Chas Guidry
 

Castle Crashers

So many Live Arcade games try to emulate old arcade titles or, in some cases, give them a total overhaul (Golden Axe, TMNT, R-Type Dimensions, and Final Fight: Double Impact, to name a few). But what separates Castle Crashers from the rest of the bunch is how the developers added their own unique touch and made something that gives you this magical retro vibe, while at the same time feels fresh and new. Castle Crashers is simply arcade evolved. –Guy Ulme

 

Splosion Man

The multiplayer campaign is one of the greatest components of Splosion Man — play through it with different people and you'll get a different experience every time. This is my favorite XBLA game and one of my favorite Xbox 360 titles; I love you, (developer) Twisted Pixel, and can’t wait for Comic Jumper! –Drake Gens

 

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

When LucasArts announced a remake of this most-memorable PC classic I was more excited than a five-year-old at a Chuck E. Cheese's birthday party. Insult sword fighting, chicken pulleys, used boat salesmen…and who can forget the funny commentary and that epic grand finale? Marvelous voice acting and the new and fresh art style (in all of its remastered HD glory) made this second and third playthrough of Monkey Island very special to me. –Andreas Rothbauer

Best RPGS

Fallout 3

As expansive as the game might be, there is a limit, a point where that quest list is bare and everything has been discovered, rescued, or killed, and your only remaining options are to quit or start over. This is where downloadable content comes in. If there was ever a company that did it better than Bethesda, I haven’t seen them. –Jake Davis

Fallout 3 has its issues and is oftentimes buggy or otherwise unwieldy, but it always gives you the ultimate power to play the game as you see fit. It offers a flexible and believable world, one that is overly harsh but ultimately fair. And it tasks you with saving it. It will continually challenge you, and oftentimes overwhelm you, but it will never disappoint you. –Gary Lucero

I bought Fallout 3, and what I experienced for the next six months was mind-blowing. All of the wasted hours I had previously spent studying were properly shifted over to more important things, like exploding the heads off of feral ghouls. I literally spent hours walking from location to location just to see what building I could enter next, and to find helpless wastelanders so I could attach exploding collars to their necks. The radiation was obviously getting to me, and I was wishing that I could somehow work my way behind the glass screen on my TV and enter post-apocalyptia myself. –Michael Johnson

 

Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 takes what I like to call the "Watchmen approach": The main plot still drives the story along, but most of the juicy bits involve the characters, their back stories, and making a bleak world come to life. And it works. Players want to explore every dialogue option with their crewmates. The game's NPCs are so good that you're usually too busy delving into their pasts and psyches to miss the first game's roster, and that's quite a feat. –Siri Karri

Sniping dudes with an old friend, landing on space ships in trouble, descending onto a Twilight Zone-esque brainwashed planet, guns a-blazing. The game encourages it and the player obliges; it’s like high-fiving blindfolded and being met with a perfect slap! –Rob Martinez

On the second try, Bioware has outdone itself by taking what the community said into consideration when refining the sequel. In doing so, Bioware created, in my opinion, the most accessible RPG of our generation. –Sean Hintz

 

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

Oblivion is the best Xbox 360 RPG because it truly lets you choose what role you will play. Hundreds of paths exist, and it is up to you to find your way through a world filled with countless adventures. Everyone who plays Oblivion is able to craft a story that is uniquely their own. In the end we only have one shared experience: the starting point. We all walk out of the dim, dark sewers, greeted on the other side by an open, expansive, vibrant world. Where the game goes from there…that is your decision. Me? I just started to walk. To the east. –Ben Cook

Everywhere you turn there is something new to find, whether it’s a dungeon, a quest, or even just a plant you haven’t seen before. I remember bringing Oblivion along for a weekend trip to a friend’s house, a guy who had never once shown an interest in RPGs. As soon as he got the chance to explore the countryside, the controller never left his hand for the rest of my stay. The fact that game developers could now pack this much content into a game amazed both of us. –Robert M.F. Stoneback

Oblivion felt like something new; something fresh. It's not perfect, but the massive scale and level of polish it brought to the genre completely excuses its minor quirks and idiosyncrasies. Not only does this game still look and play great (it came out over four years ago), but will it also probably be remembered as the first true RPG this generation of consoles had to offer. –Guy Ulme

 

Lost Odyssey

Lost Odyssey is a glorious revival of what used to make a JRPG a JRPG: turned-based battles, random encounters, towns, a world map, tons of NPCs to talk to, a story that truly feels epic, and so forth. Most are now under-appreciated qualities that tend to earn scorn from U.S. gamers…which kind of makes Lost Odyssey an ironic revolution. It not only captures the feel of a classic JRPG, but also expands on the genre by taking advantage of today’s processing power with lush graphics and a sprawling, pacifist parable of a story. Then again, one would expect no less from Hironobu Sakaguchi, who created the best Final Fantasy installments, and Nobuo Uematsu, whose memorable scores have always been favorites of mine. In Lost Odyssey, developer Mistwalker has achieved the first true JRPG of this generation. –Oliver Hansen

Best Racing Games

Forza Motorsport 3

At first glance, Forza 3 may appear heavily tailored to the hardcore car simulator enthusiast, and it surely is, but this is only half true. Forza 3 caters to both the hardcore and the casual alike, thanks to its easily managed difficulty settings. With its high degree of accessibility, impressive physics and graphics engines, deep car customization, and an active community that generates amazing content, it’s no wonder that Forza 3 is easily the Xbox 360’s best racing game. –Larry T. Hinh

 

Burnout Paradise

Burnout Paradise is only “realistic” in the loosest sense. The cars resemble actual brand-name automobiles, Paradise City is clearly set on the planet Earth, and if you crash head-on into a wall at 100MPH, you car is totaled. Beautifully, gloriously totaled in slow-motion so you can watch the crumple zones collapse and the wheels fly off. If you ram another car into the wall, you get the same effect with the added satisfaction of a job well done.

Burnout Paradise is Grand Theft Auto 3 minus the Theft. Whatever flaws it may have, Burnout Paradise made me reverse a lifelong negative opinion of an entire class of video games. If that’s not enough to qualify for Best Xbox Racing Game, I don’t know what is. –Daniel Feit

 

Ridge Racer 6

Yes, you read correctly – friggin' Ridge Racer 6. I’m sure most would say Burnout, Forza, or Project Gotham Racing, but this out-of-print, out-of-stock racer is the cat’s pajamas. It’s my go-to game whenever I’m bored, had a few drinks, or just want to get a dose of nostalgia. This arcade racing game is so easy to play yet incredibly difficult to master; a characteristic of any true great game. Hurtling down an airport runway or coastal highway at breakneck speeds gets my heart pumping and blood flowing like nothing else, but don’t even think about touching that brake when a corner comes up. Just give the gas a few taps and you’ll powerslide around so naturally people would swear you came out of your mother’s womb the exact same way. –Matthew Orona
 

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Best Fighting Games

Street Fighter/Super Street Fighter 4

Playing this game on Live is a treat. Out of the four modes, the best is Endless Battle — this is where I have consistently had the most fun. In fact, late last week my brother called me and mentioned that he finally got his own 360 and that he was going to beat me (he didn't). When we got to play, despite the 3000 miles between us, there was no lag, no spikes, no slowdown, no missed anything. It shot me back to when I used to beat him up and down the room as a kid. When more people came into the lobby and the conversation got rowdy, the matches and the viewing stayed smooth. With moments like this, Endless Battle has remained and will probably be my favorite online mode of any game. –Tyrell Stewart

When first playing this game you might ask, where's the depth? These characters only have like three special moves and no obvious combos! Well, sir, this game is filled with depth, in fact — so much depth I don't even like to think about it because it gives me vertigo. –Camaren Crook

I was browsing through a local GameStop and the Xbox 360 kiosk showcased Street Fighter 4. I'd only seen pictures online — in motion it looked slick. I stepped up to select my character. Moments later, another person stepped up. "Can I join you?" he asked. I chose an old favorite, Blanka; he picked Balrog. The screen said "Fight!" and I was instantly transported back 20 years, to the first time I saw Street Fighter 2, and stared once again in awe at the action onscreen. –Jon Irwin

With no real weak points except a large gap between the casual and the elite (which is normal in fighting games), Super Street Fighter 4 takes the cake without anyone else even tasting the frosting. –Siri Karri