Top 10 Xbox 360 Games for 2011
The Xbox 360's lineup is a curious case. There's no slouch or dip in overall quality, as there are some great multiplatform games hitting it and the PS3. It's just that there aren't quite as many first-party or exclusive games announced for 2011. Besides Gears of War 3 and some intriguing Kinect titles, Microsoft has been a bit quiet. Maybe E3 will change our minds -- but despite the smaller list of pure exclusives, there are more than enough quality third-party titles that give the Xbox 360 a strong 2011.
An even better version of the best Batman game to date, but now taking place across a large chunk of Gotham City rather than just Arkham Asylum? Of course we're into that -- even if the new trailer that premiered at the Spike VGAs showed no gameplay. For fans not familiar with that trailer's villain Dr. Hugo Strange, here's a quick primer: Strange is a psychologist who becomes obsessed with Batman, deduces his true identity, and takes to dressing as the caped crusader. This follow-up seems huge if both Strange and Two-Face have major roles, in addition to other classic villains like Joker and Mr. Freeze.
First, the crazy fellows over at People Can Fly (a subsidiary of Epic Games) told us about skillshots, and then exploding trashcans, and then, "Fire in the [ass]hole," and then the quadruple-barreled shotgun, and then, well, you get the point. Not only does the list of creative and rewarding skillshots you can pull off with your crazy weapons and your special leash in Bulletstorm keep growing, but so does our demand for it. The tropical setting and intentionally cheesy dialogue of Grayson Hunt should prove to be quite the violent (and distinct, compared to most other shooters which focus on straightforward mechanics in drab arenas) adventure when it releases next year.
Ask developer Q Entertainment, and they'll tell you this isn't a follow-up to the PS2 and Dreamcast music/shooter fusion Rez. But ask anyone else, and they'll tell you Q is just being cute and doesn't want to put that label on it. This is Rez 2, just without the name, and it's one of the prettiest, most unusual-looking games slated for next year. The Kinect controls were rough at a recent preview event, but with a controller this seems like far and away the safest bet around for hardcore rail-shooter fans.
It's odd to think that a team composed mostly of members of theRainbow Six Vegas development team will be making the next Deus Ex installment, but from what we've seen so far, they actually have a damn good handle on it. Wise decisions such as, "be inspired by the first game while largely ignoring the disappointing second game," and, "maintain the multiple play-style design approach," help a lot in that regard. Plus, it just plain looks great, and seeing every mission so far finished in a variety of ways gives us confidence. This is easily an action-RPG that we can't wait to sneak/shoot/talk through.
It's hard to get excited about a game when all we really have to go on is a title and a brief trailer that shows cavern wall. But when the game has Elder Scrolls in its title, goose bumps start to form. While it's not clear if Skyrim will be powered by a new graphics engine or not, this is still one of the best fantasy franchises of all time -- every entry has been remarkable dating all the way back to Arena. With so many lessons learned from Fallout 3, Bethesda has a lot to live up to and we expect Skyrim to be one of our game-of-the-year contenders this time next year.
Someone must have walked into Epic Games and shouted, "make it better!" (we're assuming design director Cliff Bleszinski). Oh, and they listened! There are a lot of welcome improvements to Gears of War 3 so far -- such as four-player campaign co-op, and dedicated servers for multiplayer. We haven't even seen the real campaign itself yet; we're hoping that we'll get a chance to finally meeting Adam Fenix (protagonist Marcus Fenix's father) and fighting the new Lambent (along with the familiar Locust). More is better, and Gears of War 3 knows this. Besides, curbstomping (whether online or on an unlucky A.I. Locust) never gets old.
What's most refreshing about Rockstar's next game is how decidedly "un-Rockstar" it is (likely a by-product of being developed by Team Bondi instead of internally). Rather than another sprawling open-world criminal action game in a satirical fake city, we're getting a more focused graphic adventure game where you play a cop in real-world Los Angeles. The MotionScan technology which makes digital actors look eerily like actual actors is pretty slick, but we're more intrigued by the blend of shooting, driving, puzzle-solving, and just plain talking. Plus, it's neat how every case is based on a real-life mystery, and we're looking forward to being better detectives than the original fellows who investigated the real version.
If you've played Mass Effect 2, then there's probably no need to explain why we think Mass Effect 3 is one of our most sought-after games of 2011. The universe that BioWare has created is just as detailed as any established science fiction property, and it's amazing they've been able to craft a story as compelling as it already is. We're looking forward to more hybrid shooter/RPG action (hopefully, with a bit more RPG added back in now that the shooting is damn good), and more importantly, another jaunt through the galaxy (and Earth!) with Commander Shepard and crew as they fight to save pretty much everyone from the invading Reapers.
Valve's buddy cop platform puzzler, starring two speechless robo-protagonists, seems as though it could have come from the minds of Pixar -- masters of making lifeless things full of emotion. With Portal 2's new co-op dynamic, the challenging platforming puzzles you loved in the first game will now require two portal guns to solve. And while you may feel the urge to murder your partner from time to time, each level will need both participants to successfully complete. And all this is on top of a longer single-player puzzle campaign featuring more GLaDOS. Finally, of course, one can only imagine what next big Internet meme will explode out of Portal 2.
A spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon, from one of the main people behind Panzer Dragoon, featuring a weird Panzer Dragoon-like art style...there might be a theme here. We don't know a lot about Draco yet, but according to Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg, the game has more to do with what it feels like to ride on a dragon than a typical rail shooter would. So maybe it won't even be a rail shooter. But it's pretty and has a great track record behind it.
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