The Xbox 360 had quite a different year than rival PlayStation 3.
While Sony, knowing it was in underdog status, cranked up the juice and got several major exclusive games into stores throughout the year, Microsoft mostly hung back and relied on multi-platform content.
It released two quality Halo titles, but nothing that would be considered a true sequel to its flagship franchise. Episodes from Liberty City, made up of the two downloadable Grand Theft Auto games for which Microsoft paid a mint was practically the only major third-party exclusive. Even most of the major Xbox Live Arcade releases were multi-platform this year.
So while we had to fight over which PlayStation 3 games made the Top 5, Wired.com's list of the best Xbox 360 games of 2009 didn't need nearly as much debate.
(ProTip: Also see Wired.com’s Best Multi-Platform Games of 2009.)
Yes: A racing sim can be all things to all people. There's a brutal, rigid and extremely challenging simulator under Forza 3's hood. But with an error-erasing rewind system, players can back away from realism and steer the game towards pure fun. Rich car customization (the game's decal design suite remains one of the best in gaming) makes every race, no matter how serious, feel intensely personal. -- Gus Mastrapa
When Epic Games compared its downloadable game to Nintendo's Metroid at E3, it wasn't just whistling Dixie. Shadow Complex slavishly copied every element of the open-ended action game, leaving anyone who'd played the originals with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Complex was bordering on plagiarism; on the other, it was really fun. And fun always wins. -- Chris Kohler
This half-a-sequel may not have rattled the pillars of heaven, but it certainly injected a fresh breath into the staid corridors of Bungie's shooter franchise. Two new twists were real keepers. Halo 3: ODST's fragmented plot, a mixture of flashbacks and exploration, kept the action intriguing. And the prolonged cooperative multiplayer Firefight rumbles were altogether awesome. -- Gus Mastrapa
The real-time strategy game was the last title from Ensemble Studios. And though the developer was known for creating the popular Age of Empires series for PC, Ensemble made Halo Wars specifically for the Xbox 360. The game's biggest accomplishment was crafting a real-time strategy system that could be easily controlled using the humble console joypad. It makes us wish that Ensemble was still around to make more. -- Tracey John
This on-disc bundle of two superb downloadable expansions to Grand Theft Auto IV follows the exploits of two new psychopaths: burnout biker Johnny Klebitz and Domincan club thug Luis Lopez. Episodes lets you jump back into Liberty City for a host of fan-requested diversions like parachuting and motorcycle riding. Both episodes feature Rockstar's brilliant writing and cutting cultural satire. -- Gus Mastrapa
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