Advice: 1st Xbox 360 Game(s) to purchase?

[grimey]

I know its late in the game, but I am going to finally purchase a 360 within the coming week or two (which ever week it is that they're dropping the 60GB ver. to $299 US). My question to the totally rad family:

What 1 (or possibly 2) game(s) do you suggest buying to burst my cherry?

I'm thinking Gears and/or Halo 3 because of great single AND multi-player gameplay (I'd like to have the best of both worlds, idyllic I know). Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

*Sorry for the edit, but I just wanted to state that this will also be my first foray into the next-gen console universe.

[7h0m45]

I would say Gears of War, Bioshock, and The Orange Box.

but Gears of War 2 comes out in a month so i dont know if you would want to wait or not.

[aerodash84]

I know its late in the game, but I am going to finally purchase a 360 within the coming week or two (which ever week it is that they're dropping the 60GB ver. to $299 US). My question to the totally rad family:

What 1 (or possibly 2) game(s) do you suggest buying to burst my cherry?

I'm thinking Gears and/or Halo 3 because of great single AND multi-player gameplay (I'd like to have the best of both worlds, idyllic I know). Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I rag on Halo 3 a lot... and my opinion doesn't change. I like single player games, and this didn't do it for me. It may be alright for multi-player with friends though for I didn't care for random online matches either. I did enjoy a bit of Gears of War from what I played. BioShock is probably my favorite game I've played on 360 so far. I do want to get Call of Duty 4 for good single player and online.

I'd also recommend Dead Rising, Tomb Raider: Legend, and try some demos that are out there too.

[krypt]

I absolutely hate halo 3. Even with friends, you still have to deal with all the jerks and kids online and that just becomes beyond what you would ever want to deal with, which is not to mention all the BS inherently built in to the game. I've been playing CoD 4 and Orange Box constantly and they both have fantastic single and multi-player games. I recently went back with a few friends and played some Gears of War and it was actually pretty dull and like 7h0m45 said, Gears 2 is so close its pretty pointless to buy it now. Some other great games: Braid, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved, Galaga Legions, Castle Crashers, Burnout Paradise, Rez HD

[bobafettjm]

I would say if you like online shooters go with Call of Duty 4. Bioshock and Orange Box are great single player shooters. Oblivion or MAss Effect are good single player RPG's if that's your fancy.

I would also download demos of Dead Rising and Crackdown.

Of course theres always GTA 4, which i'm sure you already know if you like or dislike.

[straylightrise]

Call of Duty 4 without a doubt. Best game on the console

[yssman]

A rough painting of what I believe should be purchased...

- Call of Duty 4: I'd say its a pre-requisite these days

- PGR4: Its pretty, its fun, and I think they cut the price (again?)

- Star Wars The Force Unleased: Comes out in a few weeks, but yeah, I'm getting it... You should too!

- Rainbow Six Vegas: Its old, I get that. But its still an amazing game, and you can get it for pretty cheap now.

- Rock Band/Rock Band 2: You need at least ONE music game.

[joedubbs]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet but Burnout Paradise is pretty amazing.

It's a game you can pick up for 20 minutes or 2 hours. Tons of great gameplay and all the downloadable content is free and will keep the game fresh. I'm not even a fan of racing games but picked this up on a whim and I'm so hooked on it.

COD 4 is great too.

[joedubbs]

I would hold off for Rock Band 2 because then you can just pull all the Rock Band games in for a $5 fee.

[masherscf]

If you like first-person Fantasy RPGs, you won't do better than Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

[inertianinja]

for FPS, Gears of War, Bioshock, COD4 Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2, GTA4, Halo 3 are all must-play.

each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but all are great in their own right.

for racing:
PGR4 = arcade
GRID = middle-of-the-road (no pun intended.)
Forza2 = simulator

don't expect to find a huge online community for games that are ~18 months old...though halo is still running very strong :)

for a second round, assassin's creed and Mass Effect were great, but didn't blow me away.

on the XBOX Live Arcade, definitely check out Psychonauts (must-play), puzzle quest (if you're into that sort of thing; it's an RPG with bejeweled as a fight mechanic), penny arcade episode 1

AND BRAID!

ALSO, if i might suggest, look on half.com for all of these older games. i get things pretty damn cheap and it's generally without the BS you put up with on ebay.

[stubadub]

Bioshock is amazing, but few of my friends have wanted to replay it. This is a definite keeper for me, but most people I know would say either rent it or buy it cheap.

The Orange Box is one of the greatest game experiences all around that I've ever had. This is probably the most value for your dollar that you'll find.

Call of Duty 4 surpasses Halo and Gears for me in both single player and multiplayer. It's a game that I return to frequently. Worth every penny.

Burnout Paradise is the best Burnout yet, and they still have a ton of free content to drop on us in the coming months. I miss crash mode, but being able to drive around in a single city and find races is pretty incredible. The more you play the more you find in the city and the better you can think on your feet during the races. This one is only $30 and it's the best arcade racer on the market IMO.

Dead Rising can be found for $20 to $30. If you have a decent sized HDTV and the idea of running through a mall, picking up whatever weapons you can find so you can take on hundreds of zombies at a time appeals to you, this game is essential.

GTAIV multiplayer might not have lasted, but the single player experience is pretty great, and there are two more expansions set to come out on 360. Now that the fever has died down a lot of people seem to be less interested in this game, but it is the first in the series that really keeps me coming back, and it will probably be the first one I actually finish.

[babnert]

Get a fun multiplayer game for now, and hold out for Force Unleashed and Fable 2 imo.

[satori]

Red Ring Rumpus

[burkhartmj]

I pretty much stick to PC gaming, but I have to reinforce the amazingness of CoD4. Never could get into Halo.

If you're big at all on FPS, Orange Box is a must, considering you pay for one game and get 3 all-new and each greatly unique games [don't know if 360 version comes with HL2 and HL2:E1]

[poltah]

Halo 3 isn't a good game by any stretch in my opinion.

I'd go with Gears of War, to get you suited up for the sequel. Also, it's pretty cheap.

And Call of Duty 4 for the best online multipayer evaarrrr!!! And a really well done singleplayer campaign as well.

(And Geometry Wars 2 on xbox live arcade, just to suck all of your time).

[straylightrise]

i myself just bought a xbox 360 not a month ago - i love COD4 and playing my mac videos on my tv :-D. Welcome

[dolson]

If I had a 360, I'd be all over BioShock and Gears of War. Also, in the XBLM, go and grab at least the demos for Alien Hominid and Ikaruga, and thanks me later.

I sold my COD4 (PS3) after beating it and giving up on the online mode (too many people who are too bloody good). I stick with Battlefield now. It's hard to go back to on-foot-only after having such variety and large maps in Bad Company.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet but Burnout Paradise is pretty amazing.
krypt mentioned it. ;)

[spamminator]

I bought my 360 for Dead Rising -- still one of the better games for the console (and cheap now too, I think). COD4 is a great shooter. Haven't played Burnout Paradise yet, but I think the price is only $40 now, so why not.

[mephistos-brother]

I just got a 360 about a month ago.

I picked up Oblivion when i bought it and have picked up gears of war and burnout paradise since.

I played Oblivion the most being a big rpg fan and i bought burnout for my son being he is a big racing fan.

I really got into the burnout even though i pretty much hate racing games.

Gears just hasnt grabbed me yet so its been relegated to the bottom of the pile till i can get some co-op going with a friend of mine who insisted i buy it.

Future games i plan on buying include The Force Unleashed, Fable 2, Left for Dead.


You can pick up Oblivion and Burnout paradise city for around 25$ used each.

[grimey]

You guys have really helped me alot! But like I said originally, I won't be purchasing for another week or two so if you or anyone else has any further ideas or suggestions please, please, please share them.

To reply to some posts:


Yes, I will be purchasing most games (none that have just come out) through Gamestop, half.com, etc.
Is it really true that online mutliplayer for most games dies after about 18 months?
Is Halo 3 multiplayer really that terrible?
What exactly happened to GTA IV's online mulitplayer community? Based on the reviews I read it is awesome and should be thriving.

Once again, you guys/gals are amazing and anymore input would be greatly appreciated!

*by-the-by, I'm thinking of grabbing Gears #1 b/c it's super cheap (~$18 inc. shipping) as well as Burnout Paradise (~$30, plus I played the 1st two and really dug them).

[stubadub]

For multiplayer it depends on the game. You can still find enough people playing COD2, a 360 launch title that has had two versions released since it came out. I'd say that is the exception, though. Gears of War probably still has a decent number of people playing it, but I haven't tried it. I tried playing The Darkness online a month or so after it came out, and it was dead. The buzz type games will have people playing forever, though the further you get out from launch the smaller the group playing becomes, and they tend to be those that are insanely good.

I've heard there aren't many people playing GTA online anymore, and none of my friends and I have played lately, so I have no first hand experience having trouble locating people. When it first came out it was an absolute blast, but it was definitely more fun when I was playing against my friends, or on a team with friends against other teams. When playing against strangers you have to be willing to deal with some obnoxious people. "Why are you driving around on a scooter. Get a car stupid!" Thanks for the tip. I hadn't noticed I'm faster in a car, or that this was a race. My being on a scooter has nothing to do with the fact that I'm driving through an empty part of the city with no vehicles because I got pinched between two cars, launched into the lake, struggled to find a ladder to get back to land, and had no more cars passing by me once I made it back up. I was actually having fun through that whole scenario, but one of my friends was so annoyed that he wanted to switch games. If you can deal with that kind of person you'll have a good time.

Halo 3 is an amazingly designed multiplayer console shooter (single player is pretty dull), but there are a lot of those obnoxious people playing. I have a good time when I'm playing with my friends, but I enjoy COD4 more in every conceivable way.

[dolson]

What exactly happened to GTA IV's online mulitplayer community? Based on the reviews I read it is awesome and should be thriving.

Over-rated, and over-hyped. It happens.

[az0madman]

Over-rated, and over-hyped. It happens.

Your opinion of course.

I played GTA online a few weeks ago and it still seems to be active enough. Had no problems finding people at least. Not as fast paced as CoD or Halo, but it's fun.

I don't play online nearly enough though, so I can't comment on how many annoying people are on, but that really does come with any online game.

[ryudo]

Orange box!

Portal rocks!

[goliath553]

Halo 3 Definitley - I have bought lots of games since, but always go back to Halo Multiplayer.

Gears was amazing, not overly fond of its multiplayer myself.

Call of Duty 4. Great single and multiplayer.

I really enjoyed Kameo and I bet you could get it super cheap.

[aerodash84]

I just recently bought my second copy of Call of Duty 2. I lost my original one that I got for $9.99 and my second for $4.99 both from Target on clearance. So I'd check your local one and maybe they'll have a ton of copies too. Haven't played it yet.

I do have this to say. I finally quit XBL and my gold should end after this month. If you don't do much online play, buy the pre-paid cards and let them expire if you don't play much. I tried some multi-player rounds with strangers and absolutely hated the experience. I'm not great, but would like to get better. So currently I'm losing all interest in my 360 for multi-player. I'm thinking of going to PS3 for online play, because even if it may have its problems it is free. So that's my two cents on gold membership. It was a pain to quit, and glad I did because I haven't used it since GTA 4 released.

[blacksymbiote]

Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Gears of War, Orange Box.