Top 5 Xbox 360 Games to Own this Holiday Season

This article contains the views of Jared Rose and may not necessarily reflect those of Pixelated Gamer.

The holidays are shortly arriving, and it’s time to tell your parents (or spouses) and other family what you want. And I’m sure that on that list will be a few video games! So speak out! Let Grandma know you don’t want a Wii-ware game, you want a triple-a title. Well, maybe not, but more than likely so. Anyway, here’s my top 5 list of Xbox 360 games you should get this holiday season.

5. Halo 3: ODST

Formally known as Halo 3: Recon, ODST will be shipping late September. Instead of a direct sequel, it’s more of an expansion, seeing it’s still called ‘Halo 3’. You follow a squad of elite Marine Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, during the Covenant invasion of Earth. It seems to fill in the details between Halo 2 and Halo 3. Bungie has released new weapons in the game, as well as brought back an old friend. They now have silenced SMGs, along with the Halo: Combat Evolved pistol (scope included), so killing stuff will be as satisfying as it has always been in Halo. Along with a new story, the game will also include ‘Firefight’, similar to Gears of War 2’s Horde mode, where you fight off waves and waves of covenant with your buddies. The game will also feature a second disc which holds all the Halo 3 maps, current and unreleased, with the Halo 3 multiplayer stored on it. You can pick Halo 3: ODST off store shelves September 22nd, 2009.

4. Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3 is Microsoft’s grand jewel of racing games. There was a ton of features and functionality in its predecessor, and this time around, it’s looking like a ton of more fun, more realism, and much, much prettier. The game includes 2 discs, the first, being the game, and the second, more than likely, extra content, that has to have a download to a hard-drive for some features, although not required to play the game. This game can also play like an arcade game, meaning you can set it up like an actual car, having 2-3 monitors set up to truly put you in the driver’s seat. The game will have a demo before it’s release, so keep your eyes on that, and the release dates are October 23 for Europe, October 27 for North America, and October 29 for Japan.

3. The Beatles: Rock Band

Ah, the most legendary band of all time. Now, I know what you’re thinking, oh great, another music game cash in. Unlike Red Octane, Harmonix built this game differently, meaning it’s a truly different experience than any other Rock Band. The game is made specifically for The Beatles, meaning no backwards compatible DLC, and unlike Aerosmith and Metallica, it will be purely Beatles on the disc, as well as all DLC. So, with that in mind, thank god! 45 songs are included on the disc. But don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long, as ‘All You Need Is Love’ [also an Xbox 360 exclusive download with proceeds going to Doctors without Borders] is going to be released shortly after release, as well as 3 other albums. The albums that you’ll be able to jam out to before December include: Abbey Road, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Let’s talk about gameplay.. In the game, you’ll follow the life of the Beatles, from the start, to the rooftop. Although the second half of The Beatles’ career was in the studio, Harmonix has made LSD inspired backgrounds to go with some great songs, with some of the ‘trippiest’ gameplay you’ll ever see. As you’re reading this, The Beatles: Rock Band is probably already out, seeing it launches world wide September 9th, 2009.

2. Left 4 Dead 2

Normally, I would never include a game with two different numbers in the name, but I’ll make an exception. Many will agree, that Valve is pushing out this game far too early, although it’s not a cheap sequel that they simply polished, they’ve built the random aspect even further, with more intense and smarter A.I. They’ve also added 5 new campaigns being set in the South, with 4 new characters, along with weapons, zombies, and items. There’s not much to say, but the first one was fun, and this one’s looking like a vast improvement (whether it’s early or not). Pick it up November 17th in North America and Australia, otherwise November 19th for Europe.

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Is anyone really surprised? There’s a reason over 7 huge triple-A titles were pushed back on the 360 alone because there release coincided with CoD: MW2’s release. There’s truly nothing I can say about this, besides it’s an obvious buy for almost anyone who enjoys a shooter. With a really good looking single player [they don’t disappoint], a new mode called Special Forces in which players get to cooperatively make their way through special missions. And this isn’t regular Co-op. These missions are not tied in with the single player, and their cranked up in difficulty. They are comparing it to the bonus mission in CoD4: Mile High Club. Along with that awesome-sounding mode, single player, you get the best online experience, and I can personally guarantee that. I’ve spent 500+ hours in ranked online matches on CoD4, and from the videos, this is going to be one hell of a game. So, if you’re like everyone else, this is already on your list. It launches November 10th, 2009.

Honorable Mentions:

Brutal Legend
Borderlands
Assassin’s Creed II
The Saboteur

Do you agree with this top 5? Why not let us know what yours is?