Recommended Xbox 360 Games

[Master Link]

Hello all fellow Zelda Dungeon go-ers,

I, quite recently, got an Xbox 360 and I was wondering if you had any game recommendations.

I'm not a huge fan of FPS game. I'm still more of a Fantasy or RPG/Adventure fan.

So far I have Assassin's Creed (one), and I'm planning to get the rest of the series.

I'm also planning on getting Oblivion (plus Skyrim when it releases) and Mass Effect.
I've heard good things about the JRPG game, Blue Dragon; what do you guys think about that game?

 

[Big Octo]

Good pick on getting Oblivion. Okay, for you, here's my list:
1. Mass Effect 2 (And 3 when it comes out)
2. You NEED Fable II and III, one of the best RPGs that's exclusively on the Xbox 360
3. Dragon Age I and II, also good RPGs

 

[Ventus]

I recommend you get Star Ocean:The Last Hope. I've said this millions of times, but I didn't personally like it however many others have.

Oh, regardless of whether you like FPS or not, you absolutely NEED to buy at least one Call of Duty game. I'm not saying that you need to buy it to have fun, but you need to understand how some Xbox Live communities operate and CoD is the best place to start.

 

[Emma]

Good pick on getting Oblivion. Okay, for you, here's my list:
1. Mass Effect 2 (And 3 when it comes out)
2. You NEED Fable II and III, one of the best RPGs that's exclusively on the Xbox 360
3. Dragon Age I and II, also good RPGs

I second all these suggestions. But make sure to play them in order.

You should be warned that not everyone liked Dragon Age II and Fable III compared to Dragon Age: Origins and Fable II. Because of the changes. This is very common for RPGs it's kind of an RPG curse where the sequels don't compare the originals. It's very common with BioWare games. But from what I understand, Mass Effect 2 broke the mold there and is just as good, or better, than its original.

Oblivion and Skyrim are good choices. Just be aware that they'll be very different from each other and because of how very long they are, it's doubtful that you'd finish Oblivion before Skyrim comes out. I've had it for months and still haven't had the time to beat it.

That covers most of the good RPG games on the system. In my opinion there's not a whole lot else besides them. Other games depend on your tastes. You could try Final Fantasy. Some people say the 360 version isn't as good as the PS3 version, I never understood why. I enjoyed it enough. It's not really a secret that the 360 has a lot of FPS titles. They make decent games to play with friends. But are lacking in sustainability in single player.

What I do, is buy most of my games from Amazon.com. And that automatically suggests games for me based on my purchases. I've found a lot of the ones I liked because of that.

 

[Ventus]

Matt, Final Fantasy XIII isn't truthfully better or worse on 360/PS3. It's just a matter of discs and aspect ratio - FF13 on the 360 is in 3 separate discs, so at certain points in the story you'll have to get off of whatever you are sitting/standing/laying on/being supported by and insert another disc whereas on the PS3, all of the game data is on one disc. The PS3 arguably has better graphical power than the 360 which allows for sharper, cleaner, and crispier graphics than the Xbox360 counterpart. And supposedly the Xbox360 upscales to 1080P whereas the PS3 is built in with 1080p support. I'm not fanboying - I've had and played through more than 3/4 of Final Fantasy XIII on my Xbox.

Oh, that's another game. I recommend Final Fantasy XIII. You may or may not like the gameplay, but the graphics and music are a wonder!

 

[Hanyou]

The best RPG I've played on the 360 is Tales of Vesperia. The Tales of... games are all fantastic, and Vesperia is one of the better ones. So Tales of Vesperia is highly recommended, as it's not just one of the best 360 RPGs, but one of the best RPGs I have ever played, period. Personally, I couldn't get into Mass Effect and Oblivion pales in comparison to two of its prequels and will probably not be as good as its sequel (though I do highly recommend Morrowind--it was released for the Xbox and should be playable on the 360. Get that). That leaves Vesperia as my single favorite exclusive on the 360. Vesperia is the reason I own a 360, and may well be the only reason I still keep it.

Also, be warned: you'll hear a lot of good stuff about Mass Effect, but it plays like a shooter. That annoyed me quite a bit (Knights of the Old Republic's system was better overall) and if you're not into shooters it might annoy you.

Unfortunately, the 360 is not the strongest system for RPGs. But Vesperia kind of makes up for it, with almost 100 hours of pure gameplay. You may also want to try Eternal Sonata, which is short but charming.

I have Blue Dragon, but haven't played it. Heard lots of bad things. If you can find it cheap, though, it may be worth checking out--maybe I'll try playing it too for the hell of it.

If you're really in the mood for a good RPG, just check out the DS library. Far, far richer than the other systems out there in that department.

Oh, regardless of whether you like FPS or not, you absolutely NEED to buy at least one Call of Duty game. I'm not saying that you need to buy it to have fun, but you need to understand how some Xbox Live communities operate and CoD is the best place to start.

I've managed quite well without any Call of Duty games in my library, and I'm a 360 owner. He'll do fine without spending money on that franchise.

 

[Ventus]

I respect your love for Vesperia, Hanyou, but I found it's battle system to be pretty bad. I don't really connect with any of the Tales battle systems because they are all limiting, even for an RPG, but Vesperia's was the worse one yet in my opinion. Other people see the Tales series differently so I'll let them decide what they like, but I expected a lot more out of Vesperia given all the hype and excellent reviews it obtained.

Never mind me saying you need a game from the CoD series (no one really NEEDS it), but I do recommend any game of that series if you are hoping to know what friends to make and what friends to keep away from.

 

[ladraove]

I have a bunch of games for my Xbox that I haven't played yet, but I do recommend Fable II and Final Fantasy XIII. Also, Beautiful Katamari is a hilarious and fun game; great for when I need to blow off some steam but don't want to get into a complicated story.

 

[Garo]

L.A. Noire. It's a fantastic game.

Portal 2. Portal 2 is undeniably one of the greatest games of the past 10 years, and is easily the best so far this year. It may be a little on the short side, but it is so funny, endearing, exhilarating and clever that you cannot deprive yourself of the experience.

 

[Big Octo]

Oh there are two I forgot to mention!
1. Fallout 3 -Sure, it's an FPS, bu it's more of an RPG actually.
2. Fallout: New Vegas -Another fun fallout game. It has different gameplay elements from Fallout 3.