5 Best Xbox 360 Exclusives

Highlights

• The Xbox 360 had a golden age of captivating exclusive titles that pushed the boundaries of storytelling and graphics.
• Alan Wake provided an atmospheric and well-written gaming experience with a haunting narrative reminiscent of a classic mystery series.
• Shadow Complex offered an intense platform adventure with exploration, action, and engaging puzzle-solving in a refined Metroidvania style.

The Xbox 360 enjoyed an era of instant-classic exclusive titles. The result was a golden age for Xbox as a whole, with the 360 quickly establishing a legacy as one of the most captivating consoles in gaming history.

The Xbox 360’s finest managed to provide classics in a variety of genres and styles, often pushing the boundaries of both storytelling and graphic capabilities in the process. From sprawling RPG epics to innovative action thrill-rides, the console provided players every experience they could possibly be looking for, including more introspective, complex narratives all the way over to addictive multiplayer fun. Not only did these great games showcase the Xbox 360’s technical prowess, but they also forged enormous, dedicated fanbases and significantly impacted the evolution of gaming.

5 Alan Wake Is An Atmospheric Mystery

Metascore: 83

2010’s Alan Wake immediately turned heads with its innovative episodic narrative structure. Quickly establishing itself as a cult favorite, Alan Wake proved to be one of the most well-written games in the Xbox 360 library.

Sporting a unique blend of psychological horror and adventure, the game provides a haunting narrative reminiscent of classic mystery series such as Twin Peaks. The titular protagonist is a troubled writer looking for his missing wife. Along the way, he must contend with a litany of dark entities. Wake is a charismatic, flawed figure, serving as a sympathetic lead who is easy for players to get invested in. Overall, Alan Wake provided players with an unforgettable adventure into the darker corners of the mind.

4 Shadow Complex Takes Players Into An Intense Platform Adventure

Metascore: 88

This thrilling throwback from 2009 takes players back to one of the 90’s most beloved gaming genres: Metroidvanias. Sporting a 2.5D take on the side-scrolling style of the genre, the game managed to provide both nostalgia and an update on Metroidvanias in one go.

Shadow Complex provides an exciting blend of exploration, action, and engaging puzzle-solving. The eclectic gameplay all takes place within a sprawling, dangerous military complex that players must carefully move through. Boasting impressively intuitive controls and slick, fluid animation, Shadow Complex ensures that traversing a mysterious underground complex remains thrilling throughout. Sporting a slick arsenal of weaponry and an engaging plot revolving around dangerous conspiracies and military secrecy, Shadow Complex was an impressively intense, old-school piece of gaming for the Xbox 360.

3 Fable 2 Was A Masterclass In Fantasy Gaming

Metascore: 89

Set a whopping 500 years after the original, 2008’s Fable 2 sees the player take control of a noble hero who must stop a plot to destroy the world courtesy of a former world leader who has now progressed into all-out villainy. Lionhead Studios’ classic effort garnered almost universal praise for its rich open world and engaging quests.

Offering players plenty of freedom of choice in a variety of areas, the land of Albion quickly becomes an immersive setting filled with wonder, magic, and consequences. Throughout the game, players shape their character’s destiny through thought-provoking decisions that shape the world around them. In turn, the game’s morality system provides depth to both the stories and character interactions on offer. One of the more addictive fantasy games of the Xbox 360 era, it was further bolstered by sharp dialogue and on-point voice acting. With a well-formed fantasy story, dynamic combat system, and a lovable canine companion, Fable 2 has firmly established itself as an all-time great fantasy RPG.

2 Halo 3 Marked A New Peak For The Franchise

Metascore: 94

The highly-anticipated third chapter in Xbox’s most famous exclusive series finally hit the stands in 2007. Refusing to disappoint, Halo 3 won praise for essentially perfecting the formula of the prior two games rather than attempting to reinvent it.

Players once again take control of the Master Chief, blitzing through refined, first-person shooter mechanics as they go to war with The Covenant and the parasitic Flood. An engrossing multiplayer experience was largely singled out for praise by both fans and pundits alike. Following the jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending of Halo 2, the game had a lot to live up to. Sporting a noticeably richer, more complex plot, the stakes are higher than ever. Overall, the game’s neatly crafted campaign provides a fittingly epic closing chapter to the original trilogy’s wild, interstellar war narrative.

1 Gears of War Was A Groundbreaking, Suspenseful Action Epic

Metascore: 94

This gritty 2006 third-person shooter was an immediate hit with players and critics alike. Spawning a major franchise, the original Gears of War introduced players to the war-torn world of Sera.

Ravaged by an underground alien menace known simply as The Locust, the game throws players into an innovative, cover-based combat system that emphasizes tactical planning and depth over reckless shooting. The grim, moody narrative zeroes in on a squadron charged with heading underground in a dangerous ploy to map out the enemy’s base and destroy it. Main character Marcus Fenix’s plight, from being thrown in prison for going AWOL to being instrumental in the fight against The Locust, lends further depth to the apocalyptic atmosphere. The dramatic narrative and world-building bolster the potency of the action, enhancing the immersive appeal of humanity’s war against a scarily powerful, mysterious enemy. Overall, with its addictive multiplayer modes and a satisfying main campaign, Gears of War was a masterclass in seventh-generation action gaming.