Best Xbox 360 Games of 2011 (So Far)
Just like yesterday’s PC Gaming status report, today we have one for the Xbox 360. Because the Xbox 360 shares a few popular titles with the PC, we’ll be skipping over those that we’ve already discussed in yesterday’s post; however, the Xbox does provide a better gaming environment for a couple of those titles, which we will cover in a bit more detail.
1: L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is a very stylized game meant to feel a lot like a noir film (think L.A. Confidential), with rich character detail and an advanced facial expression engine. The game has been criticized as being little more than a string of cut scenes, leaving little actual control in the hands of the player, though the methodical storyline generally makes up for this shortcoming.
2: Portal 2
Portal 2, like many first-person shooters, is clearly intended for the PC platform, but for those without a proper gaming PC or who dislike playing on a mouse and keyboard, Portal 2’s plot and game play still manage to port over very well to the 360.
3: Dead Space 2
Dead Space 2, unlike Portal 2, is much better suited for the gaming console environment. Its third-person view and action oriented game play make it much more enjoyable on the Xbox than the PC.
4: BRINK
BRINK is a stylized first-person shooter with an added flare of acrobatic free-running. With RPG elements and an enjoyable multiplayer mode, BRINK offers a unique experience to which players have responded positively. Critical acclaim has not been so great, though. Many feel that BRINK is unfinished and will take several updates before reaching its full potential.
Consoles, with their analog controls and force feedback, generally fare much better than PCs when it comes to racing games. This is definitely the case with Shift 2: Unleashed, the latest installment in the Need for Speed franchise. It comes as a direct sequel to Need for Speed: Shift, offering similar gameplay but features new cars, more tracks, and a new night-time racing mode.
Other notable Xbox 360 titles so far this year include Crysis 2, DiRT 3, and Bulletstorm. You can find a full list of all of the most popular 360 titles in our Xbox 360 Games Category, sorted by alaScore.
