Honorable Mentions:
Starwars Battlefont 2
Made for some interesting online gaming, but you gotta admit that Lucas vision for weapons systems needs some tweaking.
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Mixing it up on this game online leaves a bit to be desired. You spawn too far away from the action, the action usually involves you getting sniped from God knows where. Only the single player, which is very good saves this one.
Battlefield II
I have to admit my bias. I can see why people love this game. I don't. Switching mission tactics in the middle of a level is a good idea until you run out of ammo in the only tactics that work. Then suddenly the game sucks big time.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Very nicely done. It's the best golf game ever. The problem is, of course, who wants to golf with strangers or alone? Get this game if and only if you have online buds you can depend on to spend hours with. Otherwise you bring all the challenges and frustrations of real golf to you own living room without the benefit of fresh air.
Call of Duty 3
It's not fair because the jury's still out on this. Massive online games are the bomb in this one. But aren't we all getting a little tired of WW2? Yeah sorta. When I finish it, I'll review it again.
My Top Eight
8. Saints Row
If I weren't a respectable father, I think I'd enjoy this game a lot more. I obviously have a stomach for warfare but I don't have it for crime. Even so, Saint's Row is very entertaining and doesn't take itself so seriously as GTA San Andreas, but still manages to deliver all the devolved fun of that game. Plus the driving system in Saints Row just makes sense.
7. Splinter Cell Double Agent
This game's release came unfortunately too close to Rainbow Six for me to get into the online play, but for the first time I was actually hooked. All I really care about is doing Sam Fisher's dirty work, However this episode seemed to go too quickly. Although the Clancy guys proved that playing Sam is cool even stripped of weapons and goodies, maybe they shouldn't have aged him so much. Whatever is next, a Solid Snake blood transfusion?
6. Project Gotham Racing 3
PGR 3 didn't disappoint this year. But they did make one major miscalculation. We're not interested in custom tracks we're interested in custom cars. There's a reason that only few people get to design racetracks but lots of folks make money in the auto aftermarket. The best tracks are good for a reason, that's why you improved your rendition of Nurbergring. I say for Four, give us some new cities to eyeball and get that Veyron. Or better yet, give us the tracks from MotoGP.
5. Black
The single player mode for Black is what every shooter should be in online. Massive destructible environments, devastating weapons with practically unlimited ammo. Gorgeous graphics and extra flavorful language. Squad action and explosions. All this puppy needed was a cover system. Keep those developers in mind, lessons learned from them will make the next gen incredible.
4. Prey
The best of the second tier is Prey. I don't think it has been adequately appreciated. This is the game that captures and keeps the title that Doom and Quake have been trying to rule all these years. For straight out sci-fi fun, this is the greatest game since PsyOps.
3. Rainbow Six Vegas
When I first heard the premise I didn't think it would work. None of the marketing sold me. When I got my hands on the demo I was floored. They actually made it better. The richness of this game is still remarkable, and the best battles I've ever had online have been in R6V.
2. Gears of War
No surprises here. This one is unique and gorgeous. The planet and it's architecture are a marvel. The gameplay is perfect, the online play is fast and furious. In fact, I will say that the online setup for Gears is the best way to get shooting and keep shooting all day of any shooter ever.
1. Oblivion
Immersive, addictive, complex, rewarding. I have friends who cut me off of their friends list because I went dark. If and when Bethesda makes an MMORPG for the 360, thousands of people are going to disappear from life, perhaps never to return.
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