Aug 15, 2011
For a lot of people, money is tight. Car payments, rent, and binge drinking are all a siphon on your wallet. Being a gamer is tough in this situation. Sixty dollars for a game is a steep price, and many people have responded by buying less games; saving up for those one or two big releases. But buying video games is all about timing. All but the highest selling titles see huge price drops within months of release; not because they’re bad, but because they are “old.” For the advantageous and patient gamer, there is a plethora of deals out there on some great games. Games that have already patched all the glitches out and have withstood the test of time. I have scoured Amazon.com’s new games (Amazon.com used games are a crap shoot at best) and Gamestop.com’s new and used games to find you the best games you might have missed since Xbox 360′s release, and they aren’t more than twenty dollars a piece.
Fallout 3: Gamestop.com $9.99 Used
Fallout: New Vegas: Amazon.com $15.95 New
The 2008 Game of the Year, Fallout 3 is an FPS/RPG that takes place in the post-apocalyptic wasteland around the remains of Washington DC. It is a fantastic game with an interesting story and spot on controls. The RPG elements force you to specialize in different areas if you want to succeed, making no two player’s characters alike. Fallout: New Vegas takes everything Fallout 3 got right and improves upon it, with more quests, weapons, enemy variety, and alternate endings.
Bioshock: Gamestop.com $9.99 Used
Bioshock 2: Gamestop.com $8.99 Used
With original but intuitive FPS gameplay, a completely immersing atmosphere, and a plot twist that people still talk about, Bioshock is a can’t miss. It’s signature is a duel wielding mechanic between guns and plasmid-fueled powers that alter the environment and damage your enemies. With moral choices constantly testing you, and multiple endings, the series became an instant hit. In Bioshock 2, you get to play as the series’s icon, a big daddy. Although the second game is a bit too much like the first, it is still worth a play through and getting to see Rapture through a new set of eyes.
Mass Effect: Gamestop.com $19.99 Used
Mass Effect 2: Gamestop.com $17.99 Used
The Mass Effect series takes place in the distant future where space travel is as easy as commuting to work. A third person shooter with strong RPG elements, Mass Effect has a phenomenal story arc with great character development, that draws players into the game’s universe. The choices your character makes will affect the future as crew members can permanently die and choices from this game affect both sequels. Mass Effect 2 was 2009 Game of the Year, and does nothing but improve upon the first with more squad members and more focused game play. Your choices from the first game influenced many encounters in the second, and Bioware has promised that the consequences/rewards will only get more drastic in the conclusion to the trilogy.
Halo 3: Gamestop.com $9.99 Used
Halo ODST: Gamestop.com $14.99 Used
The finale of the Halo franchise had enormous expectations to live up to, and easily did so in 2007. The first Halo of the new generation of consoles, it concluded the epic story of the series while playing with up to 3 friends. It’s multiplayer is loved by the fans of the series, becoming a tournament staple with CoD level of competition. Halo ODST is another great co-op experience and introduced a horde mode called firefight for Halo. While opinion differs among fans if it was just a game shoe-horned into the existing canon or another great halo game, it is still worth a play through with a friend regardless.
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion: Amazon.com $17.99 New
The 2006 Game of the Year is a first-person action/RPG. With a lengthy main quest line, and over a hundred random dungeons to explore, there is the potential for hundreds of hours of game play in a single play through. There are also 4 guilds to climb the ranks of, until ultimately you are their leader. Also, there is an arena to challenge increasingly difficult opponents until you are the only one remaining. From the get go you can choose from a variety of species to play as, and design your characters skills as you see fit. Oblivion was a great buy when it was full priced but now it’s practically a steal.
Borderlands: Amazon.com $15.60 New
A game that has become a cult classic, Borderlands charming, cell shaded graphics and unique classes bring a creative and memorable experience to the 360. You and up to three friends roam a Mad Max inspired planet in search of a legendary vault that holds more treasure than any person could ever need. Of course, your not the only one whose searching for it. To help give you an edge each character has a special ability which behavior changes, depending on how you spend talent points earned from leveling up your character. This game proves that FPS/RPG hybrids when done right, are a blast to play.
Grand Theft Auto 4: Gamestop.com $17.99 Used
The infamous series returns after two wildly successful spinoffs. You play Niko Belic, an immigrant from eastern Europe looking to make his way in the world… of crime. The most expensive game ever made, to the tune of a $100 million budget, Rockstar improved upon it’s predecessors with better shooting controls, and recreated the island of Manhatten as your playground. A fun and original multiplayer combined with some of the best DLC out there has helped cement it’s replayability; aside from how many times you can run over a hooker.
Gears of War: Gamestop.com $4.99 Used
Gears of War 2: Gamestop.com $12.99 Used
Cliffy B’s Gears of War series is set to wrap up this fall with the first two games in the series more affordable than ever. Gears of War is a game series with an original look and style, characterized by brutal game play. They are some of the best co-op games out there. The second game only improved on the first, and introduced a horde mode that arguably kicked off the trend in modern gaming. A great variety of enemies and weapons that you can’t find anywhere else round out this great game series; with a multiplayer that diehard fans loves with a passion.
Bayonetta: Gamestop.com $17.99 Used
One of the craziest games you could ever play, this title from PlatinumGames is clearly Japanese in origin. An action game that you have see to believe, you play as a witch with a variety of different powers to assault your foes. What makes the game unique is that it seems to realize how truly insane it is. With this realization, it holds nothing back to create a clown-shit insane experience you won’t soon forget. To give you an example, the demo alone has you fighting on giant pieces of falling debris, capping off combos by summoning giant stiletto boots out of thin air to squash enemies.
Kameo: Elements of Power: Gamestop.com $4.99 Used
The last great game made by legendary (now defunct) developer Rare, Kameo: Elements of Power is an action-adventure game that was released in 2005 for the XBOX 360′s launch. The titular character has to save her people from an evil invading army. To do this she has the power to shape shift on the fly into ten upgradable creatures; each with their own inherent strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. There a huge set-piece battles with hundreds of enemies on screen at a time, and giant bosses that take old-school trial and error to defeat. This game was many peoples first experience with XBOX 360, and even now it doesn’t feel dated.
Project Gotham Racing 3: Gamestop.com $1.99 Used
Project Gotham Racing 4: Gamestop.com $3.99 Used
A great racing franchise, the Project Gotham series has been with XBOX for years. GameTrailers.com described the series best when it said “…it rides the line between racing-sim and arcade-racer perfectly.” One of the franchises most distinctive elements is it’s kudos system, which makes a first place finish count for nothing if it wasn’t done in style. Players gain kudos for flashy and precise driving. These points add up over the race and the overall kudos leader is the driver who places first; not the driver who just finishes first. With hundreds of cars and a variety of racing modes, these games were made for any racing enthusiast.
Alan Wake: Amazon.com $16.99 New
From the makers of Max Payne and 5 years in the making, Alan Wake is a third person shooter/horror game about a writer who has to find his kidnapped wife in an out of the way Alaskan town. From the onset, there is never any doubt that there is something supernatural at the root of the kidnapping. This game’s greatest strength is creating an atmosphere of sheer dread, where our natural fear of the darkness is used against us. Your enemies are all covered in a darkness and before your weapons can hurt them, you have to use light to bring down their defenses or destroy them entirely. With a great story and pacing that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this game was one of my favorites of 2010.
Forza Motorsport 2: Amazon.com $9.20 New
Forza Motorsport 3: Amazon.com $9.98 New
The Gran Turismo of XBOX, Forza Motorsport is the definitive driving experience of this generation. It is almost a crime to only type a paragraph about this franchise as there is just so much to talk about. There is all the standard racing modes you would expect, with each car fine tuned to handle exactly like it would it real life. There is an active online community with hundreds of cars to race with. Each car is completely customizable with player made paint jobs for purchase in game that border on art. In fact, there are players who view racing as the games second draw, and use their artistic talents to create an in-game business just selling custom paint jobs. All the staples of a great racing franchise are there, and with the fourth game in the series being released this fall, now is a good time to refine your skills.
Lost Odyssey: Gamestop.com $16.99 Used
Perhaps the only great JRPG for Xbox 360, this game spans several discs and a minimum of 40 hours of game play. A perfect example of the tried and true turn based RPG formula, this game follows nine memorable party members, who must fight across the world to stop an immortal tyrant’s magical weapon of mass destruction. Even though this game is a formulaic RPG, it does do a couple of things different. You can have 5 party members in battle at a time, and you can put each of them in either the front row or back. The party members in the front set up a line of defense to protect ones in the back almost like the tier system in the original Final Fantasy. Their are also some party members who have no inate skills of their own, but instead learn from the rest of the party, creating completely customizable characters. If you loved the Final Fantasy series or other classic JRPGs growing up, then you will love this game.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West: Amazon.com $16.25 New
A great game that slipped under the radar, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a classic action/adventure game reminiscent of the N64/PSOne era. You play Monkey, an able bodied man who is enslaved by a girl named Trip. You have to use your agility and strength to overcome a variety of foes while navigating the world in front of you, all in the name of helping Trip get home. The game has a charming look to it, as the natural foliage around Monkey is in sharp contrast to his robotic enemies. Last fall, Enslaved earned great reviews while selling a (surprisingly) low number of copies, and it’s quickly reduced price is a bargain for any gamer.
Mirror’s Edge: Gamestop.com $12.99 Used
There are a lot of games which feature some sort of parkour element in your character’s move set, but this is the only game built completely around parkour. Set in a dystopian future, you play the courier Faith, who runs contraband for a job. Faith has a dangerous job with police constantly nipping at her heels; luckily for her, she can run circles around pursuers. This game has you constantly on the move, while navigating your environment in unorthadox ways; forcing you to think outside the box while a complete lack of a HUD further pulls you into her world.
Dragon Age: Origins: Amazon.com $11.96 New
An old-style RPG for a new audience, Dragon Age: Origins is a game which rewards strategy and preparation rather than impulsiveness and bravado. Charging headlong into battle will do you little good as a well organized and diverse team will always come out on top. Your team of heroes is charged with stopping an ancient evil who has been reawakened, and is destroying everything that stand before them. You can only be in control of any one hero on your team, and must prepare the rest for any situation. You do this by setting a list of parameters for each character to follow. You make sure your healer knows when to heal, your damage dealers know when to use what skill, and so on. The process can be monotonous as you fine tune your team, but there are few games out there that reward such attention to detail. With a 60 hour minimum completion time and great story, this is an unique experience unlike any other on the 360.
Darksiders: Gamestop.com $17.99 Used
You are War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. After one fateful afternoon of “accidentally” bringing an end to all humanity, you are stripped of all your power and cast back to the world you doomed. A third person action game, Darksiders has you fighting back the apocalypse you began for a chance at redemption. The game isn’t revolutionary or even terribly original, but it is fun as hell; bringing solid hack-n-slash gaming to Xbox 360.
Left 4 Dead: Amazon.com $16.00 New
Valve’s Left 4 Dead is a game with a very simple 30 seconds of fun; you see some zombies, funnel them into a choke point, widdle their numbers down, a unique zombie puts pressure on you in their own special way, and your team mops up the stragglers. With 4 player co-op, this game requires a great degree of teamwork and communication to beat on the harder difficulties. There is a good amount of depth and strategy required for a game whose only objective is getting from point A to point B.
Army of Two: Gamestop.com $4.99 Used
Army of Two: The 40th Day: Amazon.com $10.00 New
These games were designed from the ground up to be a third person shooter/co-op game. You and a friend play two of the most hardened mercenaries out there. As the inconsequential stories pan out in each game, what really draws you in is the banter each character shares with the other, and the ridiculous amount of customization you are allowed to have over your load out. These games also feature an aggro bar that shows how much attention one player is getting over the other. It is critical for a team to master this bar, as it allows for the players to divide and conquer.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Gamestop.com $14.99 Used
Call of Duty: World at War: Amazon.com $18.00 New
A game series that has become many gamers favorite way to spend a lazy afternoon, Call of Duty 4 will go down as one of the great games of our time. With an active online community that still numbers in the thousands, it is never too late to see where it all started. World at War came a year later, took everything that made the series a hit, and set it in WWII. With the addition of 4 player co-op in campaign and Nazi Zombies, this is another Call of Duty worth revisiting.
