Best xbox 360 online games 09

Co-developed by Diesel's own game studio, Tigon, and Midway Games ' Newcastle subsidiary, Wheelman puts you in the driver's seat as Milo Burik, an undercover agent who heads into the criminal underworld of Barcelona.

That means lots of high-speed driving, spectacular crashes, on-the-street shootouts and a host of different cars, weapons and gangster gadgets. There's a main story mode to make your way through that includes 35 missions, and you can branch off with over side quests if you're feeling confident in your driving skills. You'll need them as you track down bad guys and attempt to ram them into little bits. Get good enough at this, and you'll charge up special moves like the Cyclone, which spins your car in a degree turn and kicks you into slo-mo.

Then, when the time is right, pop a few rounds into his gas tank for an explosion that would make even Triple X crack a smile. What to Expect: Ah, the bygone days of old-school WWE wrestling, when men were men and people named Hulk were household names.

If you've been longing to revisit those halcyon days, THQ has you covered with WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, a rock-em-sock-em retro rampage that will have you jumping from the top rope. The signature feature here is the Rewrite, Relive, and Redefine gameplay that lets you play classic matches as they actually happened, play as the historical loser to try to turn the tables, or take things into the modern realm for a truly crazy outcome.

If you've been a Wrestlemaniac for years and years, or if you've only recently become a fan and want to get some historical perspective, THQ will likely have plenty for you to wrap your thumbs around with Legends.

With official videos from the past and a killer roster of legendary wrestlers, this one will have you against the ropes in no time. What to Expect: Like many comic book stars, Wolverine has yet to receive videogame treatment that truly does his bad-assery justice. Developer Raven is looking to change all that this spring with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a fast-paced action game set to release alongside the blockbuster film. The focus here is on Wolfie's anger, strength and razor-sharp deadliness, all drenched in a glorious spray of enemy blood.

The movie may be PG, but don't expect this mutant to play by those rules in the game. The action in Wolverine is based on third-person fighting, with combos playing a big role. You can grab and throw enemies, use the environment to your advantage, and leap across the screen to impale poor saps on your adamantium claws. That's definitely going to leave a mark. But Wolverine isn't exactly impervious to damage.

As he takes hits, you'll see bullet holes in his skin, knife wounds in his flesh and gashes in his torso. It's a brutal game, just as it should be. Look for Wolverine's signature dark, snarky humor here, too. We like a mutant with a sense of humor. Xbox Live Arcade. Now this Dream-Build-Play winner is coming to XBLA, and we're eager to see how this indie beat-em-up makes the transition to the big time.

Side-scrolling is the name of the game here, and you'll need to bust through multiple blood-soaked levels of combo-heavy action to progress through the urban environments. Dishwasher has a 2D graphic look, and the focus is on stylized scenes of mayhem and death, all delivered at the end of The Dishwasher's weapons.

These you'll be able to buy and upgrade throughout the game. This stylish action title is all wrapped up in a comic book-like wrapper that uses colorful panels to make transitions between levels. The Dishwasher has a slick look, a cool visual presentation and a promising combat style. Hopefully it will shake things up on XBLA this spring. What to Expect: The exclamation point is the English language's power-up.

A title like Flock seems, well, descriptive, sure, but when you add our stick-point friend, suddenly the idea of using a UFO to herd animals just seems somehow cooler. Luckily, exclamation point or no, the game seems awfully unique, and has lured more than a few of the IGN staff toward its humble concept. The siren's song having done its job, Flock! Even better, all the stuff done in the normal pre-supplied levels will serve as lessons for when you end up dabbling with the game's level editor, which can then be shared with other players.

Plus, who can resist using a UFO to scoot animals around pretty little levels? Oh, wait, sorry. Who can resist using a UFO to scoot animals around pretty little levels?!! Eh, we'll leave it to the guys making the titles. Exclamation points are too powerful for us.

To celebrate the action puzzler's 25th anniversary, publisher Tozai and developer Southend have given the game an HD makeover while keeping the traditional Lode Runner mechanics intact. You play as a miner whose goal is to collect hunks of gold scattered throughout each level. Snagging said treasure will open up an exit door, allowing you to move on to the next level.

Sounds easy, right? Not so fast, punchy. To get the shiny stuff, you'll need to climb up and down ladders, shimmy across ropes, and strategically knock out blocks with your, er, mining gun. Firing said gun is as simple as hitting the A button to fire left and the B button to fire right.

When you hit a destructible block, it will disappear, and if you're on top of it, you'll fall through to the platform below.

Part puzzle game, part action game and part platformer, Lode Runner is a welcome addition to Xbox Live Arcade. What to Expect: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is a gem matching, puzzle solving, role playing adventure that serves as a sequel of sorts to the first game in the series, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.

But this time around, the action is set in a sci-fi space atmosphere rather than a medieval fantasy world. You play as a new recruit who's sent out into the galaxy to maintain order, but that's easier said than done.

You soon find out that there's something sinister going on among the stars. As you make your way through the story, you'll encounter enemy ships, and you'll need to solve puzzles to defeat them. Galactrix features a hex-based matching system that gives you bonuses to your abilities and defenses when you match like-colored gems. Outfit and upgrade you ship, collect party members, build your character's strengths and make your way thorough the RPG storyline.

There's a lot of depth to Puzzle Quest, and Galactrix, like its predecessor, is sure to keep you glued to the TV this spring. Outside is overrated anyway, right? What to Expect: Uno continues to be one of the most-played games on Xbox Live Arcade, and a sequel to the classic card game was inevitable. The basic Uno rules still apply, but the pace has been increased, and Avatar support has been added to make it more party friendly.

The basic rules of Uno haven't changed. To play a card, you must have one in your hand that is either the same color or same number as the topmost card in the discard pile.

If you can't play anything, you have to draw one from the deck to add to your hand. The goal is to get rid of all of your cards, naturally, but with Uno Rush that process can happen in a heartbeat. Each can be played locally or online with up to four players and you're free to edit a range of house rules to customize the game however you want.

Make sure to scream "Uno! People love that. Two Twin Stick control options replicate the original arcade version's dual lever control system, marking the first time a Virtual On title will be able to use that setup on a console. We had the opportunity to take an early look at Virtual On in Japan recently, and it appears to be a faithful recreation of the arcade title. There's a lot we still don't know about the upcoming XBLA version of Virtual On, but we're definitely looking forward to seeing more.

With a game like this, it's all about the controls, so we're hoping SEGA nails it. Giant robots for the win. Now Telltale is tackling Nick Park's beloved Wallace and Gromit franchise, one of Britain's cultural treasure and winner of numerous Academy Awards for animation. You might wonder if Telltale is up to the task, but the company worked in collaboration with Wallace and Gromit-animation studio Aardman on the story, characters, and setting.

Peter Sallis won't voice the cheese-loving, invention-mad Wallace, but Aardman did provide the official back-up voice for the role. Frankly, if we had to pick someone to make a Wallace and Gromit game, it would easily be Telltale.

Downloadable Content. What to Expect: If you downloaded Fallout 3's first expansion pack, Operation: Anchorage, then you've probably had your fill of extended combat. What you really want next is more of the epic RPG's storyline, which developer Bethesda promises to deliver in the form of The Pitt and Broken Steel, two new add-ons that are on the way this spring.

In The Pitt, you'll be heading to what's left of Pittsburg, Penn. This power-hungry oppressor has enslaved the local population and forced them into the steel mills. Sounds like a Billy Joel song.

In Broken Steel, you'll be returning to the Capital Wasteland to continue the main storyline of Fallout 3. The level cap will be lifted as well, so you can once more grind away to your heart's content.

So far, Bethesda has been quiet about what will happen in Broken Steel, but the title leads us to believe that the plot once again revolves around the Brotherhood. To that end, they're releasing a second round of downloadable content for the third-person shooter this spring: the Snowblind Map Pack. This collection of multiplayer maps brings three brand-new battle arenas to the game and introduces a re-made version of a classic Gears map.

Grind Yard is a sniper's playground, with low bunkers and high redoubts for those who like to pop heads. Under Hill features snowy tunnels, and Courtyard is a wide-open space that appears as if it will encourage face-to-face battles rather than a more tactical approach. Fuel Depot, a popular multiplayer map from the first Gears of War, will also make a return in the Snowblind Map Pack, but this time it will be snowed over. So bundle up and prime those active reloads.

Along with Snowblind, Epic plans to release Title Update 3, a patch that will fix a number of outstanding issues online. Lock and load.

What to Expect: Oh Capcom, sometimes you know just the right thing to say to ease our survival horror-deprived minds.

No, it's not announcing some kind of new special edition of the game that puts all the spookiness back in, rather they're going in the opposite direction. The tone of Limbo is eerie, and the fact that the small child you control can, and often does, die in horrible ways in this black-and-white side-scrolling game is something few who played the game will ever forget.

The game's ending led to many different interpretations of what actually happened and what it all means, and that mystery is part of what made the game so memorable. Read our Limbo review. Yet another of the standout releases of was BioWare's original Mass Effect. After years of developing fantasy games, BioWare took its talents to space and into the realm of sci-fi with an engrossing and rewarding role-playing game that spawned a franchise.

It also introduced the world to Commander Shepard, who is now one of gaming's most recognizable characters. Mass Effect was praised for its powerful storyline, its many and varied characters and choice-based dialogue, and its setting. Lesser-loved elements like vehicle navigation and combat would be improved upon in subsequent installments, as well as the retooled trilogy released in Read our Mass Effect review. Valve's puzzle game sees players controlling Chell in the halls of Aperture Science as she uses her portal gun to solve puzzles and figure out what was going on.

The sequel not only added new equipment, but also a bigger celebrity cast, with J. Simmons and Stephen Merchant voicing characters. The sequel also had a co-op mode for solving puzzles with friends and featured music by The National. Portal 2 still stands tall as one of the best modern puzzle games. Read our Portal 2 review. Also released in during what was obviously an incredible year for games , Rock Band was Harmonix's successor to Guitar Hero and it turned things up to Not only could you play guitar with a plastic peripheral, but you and friends could get together and live out the fantasy of being a rock band from the comfort of your living room.

The game had a drum kit and microphone as well as a bass guitar mode to complete transition from solo act to full-on band. It was so much fun , and many have great memories of jamming out with friends late into the night.

Read our Rock Band review. Super Meat Boy is one of the Xbox's most memorable games. Released in on Xbox Live Arcade when that was a thing! Developed by just two people, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, the game was also featured prominently in the documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which chronicled the game's development and offered many fascinating insights in the process. Super Meat Boy is one of the games that helped garner widespread interest to smaller indie games.

It feels just as good to play today as it did over a decade ago. Read our Super Meat Boy review. Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news gamespot. Batman: Arkham Asylum Batman: Arkham Asylum 's Batman: Arkham Asylum was a watershed moment for Batman games and is regarded today as one of the best comic book games ever.

Fable III is the third installment of the franchise and is oftentimes remembered as the greatest. Players truly witnessed a compelling narrative develop before their eyes. The protagonist is tasked with overthrowing an evil King. Once the successful uprising is complete, the player then assumes control of the throne. It is an all-encompassing story that begins as a revolution and continues as you command an entire kingdom.

As you could imagine with a game that delivers such an extensive narrative, it does take some time to build up. However, this slow buildup is certainly worth the wait. The environments are imbued with such vibrant personalities. From a small village to castles every detail looks fantastic. Fable III is all about building relationships and alliances.

Therefore, interacting with characters is a vital aspect of the game. What makes Fable so special is that you are always in control. Although combat is not the main attraction, it does occur often. Players can attack with short-range, long-range, or magic options.

Different weapons will be available to you throughout the game. Unfortunately, the combat mechanics were criticized for being overly simple. In truth, the game would have benefited from a more complex system.

Thus, the voice acting is a major selling point of the series. It seems as though the Batman: Arkham series appeared out of thin air. It is safe to say at the time nobody was truly asking for a Batman video game series. Its sequel Arkham City quickly became a highly anticipated instalment. As a stealth game, the camera angle was always going to be a legitimate concern.

It is no surprise that a third-person perspective is utilized. This way, players control Batman as the camera freely rotates around him. The camera motion is smooth and rarely hinders stealth gameplay. Even in the shadowy locations, enemies remain visible. Combat is immensely satisfying this time around. It is up to the player to counter blows and attack in real time. Striking down enemies is tons of fun. It hits the perfect balance between button mashing and strategy.

Certain enemies can only be taken down in specific circumstances. Therefore, combat variety is also taken into account. For a campaign centric game, Arkham City has surprising replay value. In addition to its 40 hours of core gameplay, a new game plus mode is unlocked after completing the game.

This mode sees an increase in difficulty, as enemies are stronger. Luckily you can keep the equipment used in the first play through.

As expected for a game based on comic book material, most of the voice acting borders on corny and ridiculous. Often times the dialogue will have you cringing. This leads into the following issue of too many characters. The number of characters distracts from the storytelling. It feels as though most are thrown in for fan service purposes. Fallout 3 is credited with reviving the franchise after being dormant for ten years. Most people are unaware that the Fallout franchise debuted back in The franchise never broke through the mainstream.

That is until the release of Fallout 3. The game released in would propel the franchise into much deserved critical and commercial success. As a survivor of a nuclear apocalypse the protagonist lives underground as most survivors do. Forced to flee his safe haven, the protagonist must venture to the world above to find his father who mysteriously disappears. This plotline sets up the perfect premise for an open world game.

The first-person camera and open-world environment work extremely well in tandem. However, Fallout 3 provides the unique option to let the player decide between first person or third person camera. Very few games allow for this optional preference. The desolate wasteland is truly a shocking sight to see whether in first- or third-person.

Due to the repetitive nature of combat and enemies, combat quickly feels stale after a few hours of gameplay. Thankfully, the desire to level up your character pushes you through the majority of combat and eases the pain of repetitive battle.

This has more to do with the sound effects than it does the in game music. The creepy noises that can be heard throughout the game add to the loneliness of your surroundings.

With the human population nearly extinct, the world is a hollow ground and the soundtrack perfectly captures this feeling. Although Fallout 3 won Game of the Year in , a disappointing ending keeps it from being one of the greatest games of all-time. One thing is true; there is no shortage of stellar games to choose from. The dilemma arose from the countless options.

Having too many options is definitely a modern problem. However, it is a problem nonetheless. These categories might be able to help shape your decision. Oftentimes, presentation is the first aspect that gamers notice, making it an extremely important component. It is essential to nail that first impression. This includes several aspects such as graphic style, menu layout, and aesthetic.

Presentation has a lot to do with how a game makes you feel. For example Fallout 3 is a game that flourishes due to its presentation's quality. Its vast open world may not have all the detail of a more modern title, but it nevertheless presents an apocalyptic version of Washington D. Graphical style is an important piece of the world-building puzzle. The game is given a personality through the presentation of its visual style. Repetitive gameplay can turn a hour campaign into a snooze fest.

Many developers choose to implement variety to freshen things up, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the perfect example. Three core game modes help deliver an experience that will keep most gamers satisfied for a full year. Not only must they make conceptual sense but the modes should be fully fleshed-out experiences. As video game standards increase, more and more gamers expect a cinematic experience from their beloved series. The right score can imbue scenes with a sense of larger-than-life grandeur.

Take the Halo franchise, for instance. This iconic franchise is renowned for wonderfully composed music that appears throughout the campaign. That is definitely the case with Halo Reach. The cutscenes play like an actual Hollywood movie in large part due to the high-quality soundtrack.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is one of the games on this list that features intricate sounds effects. All in all, there are many facets that go into a classic Xbox game, and the ones here are easily the best of the best. Unfortunately, the console was subject to various technical issues. For example, an AV cable error would light up all four quadrants of the circle in red lights.

However the most infamous without a doubt was the occurrence of three out of four flashing red lights. This indicated a general hardware failure.

Unfortunately for gamers, this meant that the console would need to be replaced. Just like that, it became unusable. This would occur seemingly at random. Thankfully, a warranty would protect users from losing out on an entire console. The user would need to send the console to Microsoft who would either provide a replacement or fix the issue. The list of best-selling Xbox games will surely surprise many gamers. For starters, there are very few Xbox exclusives on the list. The notable exclusives can be found at number one with Kinect Adventures selling 24 million copies.

Next, the Halo franchise takes up the 9, 12, and 13 spots with Halo 3, Reach, and 4 respectively. This is surprisingly low for a franchise that is synonymous with the best Xbox games around. The final notable exclusive would be the Gears of War franchise which occupies the 14 and 15 spots with 5 million units sold. The majority of the top ten is made up of non-exclusive franchises such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Interestingly enough, the Xbox finds itself in the top ten gaming console sales of all time.

It sits comfortably in ninth place with over 84 million units sold. In comparison, the predecessor to the Xbox sold only 24 million units. In addition, the Xbox One failed to reach the heights of the Xbox As a successor to the Xbox , it sold around 51 million units. The seventh generation of consoles is the one time that Microsoft succeeded in challenging Sony for the top spot.

The Xbox kept up with the PS3 that sold a reported In addition to the original version available at launch, the Xbox earned two redesigns. The Xbox S.

The S is meant to signify slim. As you may have guessed the model sports a thin redesign. This slim model was not only physically lighter but it also reduced the chances of internal overheating which plagued the past version of the console. Next, we have the Xbox E.