Topic Rehash: Recommend me some Xbox 360 games!

[Schadenfreude]

Alright, this dead horse has come back from the dead, thanks to lil' ol' me.
I've recently received a RRoD Xbox360 from a buddy of mine that I managed to get fixed - are there any console exclusives - I already have a game-capable PC and Wii, not to mention dozens of PS2 games I should play - for the Xbox 360 I should look for?

Challenge
- I don't play FPS' on gamepads - I'd rather play on PCs or even on the Wii - so thanks (but no) to the Halo series, Modern Warfare 2, etc.
- I've got plenty of RPGs to play through, so no Mass Effect 2 (and I could've gotten that on the PC anyways)
- Preferably, I'd want a game that my wife - a light gamer - and I can enjoy together
- I love action games that let you level up - somewhat like Odin Sphere for the PS2, the Musou/Dynasty Warriors games (but I have them for the PS2), and to a lesser extent, the Armored Core series

Here's some games I'm considering getting;
- Lost Planet
- Dead Rising
- Beautiful Katamari
- Armored Core: For Answer
- Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Xbox Live)
- Bayonetta
- Gears of War 2
- Virtual On: Ontario Tangram (Xbox Live)
(waiting for) Super Street Fighter IV
(waiting for) Hokuto No Ken Musou/Fist of the North Star

We are on a budget, so I can't go all willy-nilly and buy all of them at once; which one should I get first? And are there any other recommendations I missed?

 

[oznerol]

Crackdown. Definitely.

 

[JoPh]

just goto metacritic.com and look at all the tops games.

 

[R Nilla]

How about some XBLA titles?

- Castle Crashers
- Shadow Complex
- 'Splosion Man

All XBLA games have a Trial Version so you can see if you like it before you buy (or don't).

 

[Schadenfreude]

just goto metacritic.com and look at all the tops games.

Not to be a jerk, but why would I spot and ask for your opinions if I were to just do that?
Anyhow, 6 out of the 10 listed - even the orange box - is an FPS, which I'd vastly prefer to play on the PC or at least the Wii.

The only games I'd consider on the list is the Original Gears of War, which I'd rather get the sequel.

 

[Lotheron]

Not to be a jerk, but why would I spot and ask for your opinions if I were to just do that?
Anyhow, 6 out of the 10 listed - even the orange box - is an FPS, which I'd vastly prefer to play on the PC or at least the Wii.

The only games I'd consider on the list is the Original Gears of War, which I'd rather get the sequel.

Played any of the band music/rhythm games? They might be cheesy but they are damn fun in a group.

 

[Kromis]

OT but what happened to your Moderator status?

 

[erwos]

Want a game that you and the wife can enjoy? Grab Cloning Clyde. Great platformer, reasonable difficulty, lots of fun. The wife and I played it a fair bit.

Oh, and as for a list:
1. Dead Rising
2. Gears of War (2)
3. Soul Calibur 4
4. Crackdown
5. Pure (cheap, awesome, fun)

 

[GCS]

Well my wife plays nothing with us but Rock Band (and that is recent) so anything in that genre is lots of fun.

My kids and I enjoy the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games a lot but they are really into the Super Heroes so that certainly helps.

Batman Arkham Asylum is wonderful but it is a SP game.

Greg

 

[mchammer187]

Gears of War is an FPS and I believe Lost Planet is too

Resident Evil 5
Bayonetta
Batman Arkham Asylum
Shadow Complex

 

[Kromis]

Gears of War is an TPS and I believe Lost Planet is too

Resident Evil 5
Bayonetta
Batman Arkham Asylum
Shadow Complex

There you go!

 

[mindcycle]

Gears 2 if you want a fun co-op game. Nothing else on the list really struck me as being very good for co-op play. It may not be that great for your wife however, as it's not really what i'd consider ideal for a "light gamer".

What games does she currently like to play? That would help narrow down things.

 

[Dessert Tears]

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is pretty old, but cheap ($7 used at Gamestop). It has some RPG-lite elements. MUA2 is worse and more expensive.

I also like these, but they're single-player.
Crackdown (online multiplayer only)
Dead Rising
Viva Pinata

Some people don't like Dead Rising, so you might want to try the demo first. It took me a while to start liking it, and longer to get proficient at the controls.

 

[mchammer187]

There you go!

True but if the OP doesn't want to buy FPSs on a console he probably won't want to buy TPS with controls that are pretty much the same as FPS's

 

[Schadenfreude]

OT but what happened to your Moderator status?

I am not schadenfroh!

Played any of the band music/rhythm games? They might be cheesy but they are damn fun in a group.

I already have and play Guitar Hero 2/3 for the PS2 w/ two guitars!

True but if the OP doesn't want to buy FPSs on a console he probably won't want to buy TPS with controls that are pretty much the same as FPS's

I find that typically TPS' don't require the split-second accuracy and the speed to change direction of view - oftentimes radically - that FPS' typically require; consider playing Counter-Strike vs the Resident Evil series, for instance. So (some may say paradoxically) I won't play FPS' using a gamepad but TPS' is a-okay.

Gears 2 if you want a fun co-op game. Nothing else on the list really struck me as being very good for co-op play. It may not be that great for your wife however, as it's not really what i'd consider ideal for a "light gamer".

What games does she currently like to play? That would help narrow down things.

Uhm well, she's currently addicted to Peggle Nights, but she's also played (and beat) Kingdom Hearts II, she and I LOVE the Katamari series on the PS2, as well as playing Animal Crossing (Wii/NDS), Tetris Attack (SNES), Zak and Wiki (Wii), and I tried to get her into the Musou series - Samurai Warriors for the original Xbox - but that was a little too challenging and awkward for her. As Samurai Warriors' level design is illogical and unevenly challenged, it wans't the best game to start her out on, regarding the Musou series IMO.

Currently a BIG barrier for her to get into gaming proper is;
a.) the lack of women avatars in gaming
b.) IF there are women avatars, the rampant sexualization of them
c.) the challenge level of "core" videogames that I play.

But that's a whole another topic!

 

[Kromis]

I am not schadenfroh!

Wow that was a horrible mistake on my part! My bad!

 

[gorcorps]

Mass Effect 1 and 2

Why they're not on your list I have no idea... but you've made a terrible mistake by not having them there

 

[coldmeat]

The only game I've played from that list is Gears of War 2, and it's not one of my favorite games. There's not enough good co-op games out there. Games like Crackdown and Saints Row would be awesome with 2 player local co-op.

 

[Kromis]

Mass Effect 1 and 2

Why they're not on your list I have no idea... but you've made a terrible mistake by not having them there

- I've got plenty of RPGs to play through, so no Mass Effect 2 (and I could've gotten that on the PC anyways)

I guess he has a huge backlog of RPGs already

 

[Schadenfreude]

I guess he has a huge backlog of RPGs already

I do, and another reason is that I know that Mass Effect will be a trilogy (at the very least) so I'm just going to wait for the 3rd one to come out, get the trilogy pack-or whatever they market it as - and play it all at once; and it's more likely I'm going to be playing it on the PC anyways (I'm spec'ing out a gaming desktop PC soon )

 

[Pia]

Out of your list I'd get Bayonetta and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, but obviously there is no co-op on those. And since your wife is a light gamer, versus multiplayer is out. Hmm.

For co-op, the best 360 game I have is Mushihime-sama Futari. Its arcade modes are notoriously hard, but in the 360-specific Novice Original mode it is actually very easy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds7D323j3lo

Another game that probably has very decent co-op is Resident Evil 5.

 

[Tristicus]

Dead Rising and Crackdown.

Nao.

 

[Shadowknight]

Get Saint's Row 2, if you like sandbox-type games, but avoid GTA4 at all costs. Mass Effect 1 and 2 are pretty good action RPGS. Hitman: Blood Money if you haven't already played it on PS2/X-box.

 

[Occ]

Well you should definitely play Ninja Gaiden Black if you haven't already. She can play on Ninja Dog.