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Here’s to you, Xbox 360!

On the cusp of a new Microsoft console, we here at Stevivor.com thought we’d take a second to honour the Xbox 360. A mainstay in our lives for the last 7 years, staffers each had some memories and ‘best of’ moments that they wanted to share in terms of games, memories or the console itself.

Since we’re fair, we’ll hit this up alphabetically, eh?

Andy Gray

I remember vividly the moment I walked out of Vault 101, the sun blinding me and the world slowly coming into view.  I panned left, then panned right and thought to myself “What in the heck am I supposed to do?” I credit Fallout 3 as being the game that moved me from playing games to being a gamer. I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment of when that shift occurred, what I do know is my love and appreciation for the ‘experience’ of playing a game was forever changed. It’s the first game I remember playing where I felt the world was as much of a character and part of the experience as any other character. The expansiveness of the world, the myriad of side quests and the various different play styles wrapped up in a post-apocalyptic world changed my view of what gaming could be.

When all was said and done, when I had collected every Bobblehead, explored every cave, city, nook and cranny I poured over 600 hours into Fallout 3.  Not only did it change how I viewed gaming, but it also cemented the idea of DLC. It was the first game I had ever purchased DLC for, and I still think the add-on Point Lookout is one of, if not the best, DLC I have ever purchased. Adding an entire new map, new enemies, weapons, characters but it also provided a new feeling to the experience. I think that’s the thing that really hooked me on this game. It was more than doing quests, finding locations, meeting new people; it was really about the experience of being alone, scavenging for everything and just trying to survive. Fallout 3 as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If you told me I could only play one game the rest of my life, it would be without a doubt this game, no questions asked.

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While Fallout 3 will always have a special place in my heart there are a couple other games that sucked up hours and hours of my life, it’s only fair for me to mention them as well. For those who don’t know me, this first one may surprise you but Pinball FX2 in terms of bang for your buck and overall fun was amazing. So much variety and replayability, I really hope it makes the move to Xbox One. Gears of War (not counting Judgment) an amazing series with a gripping story and characters I actually cared about. And, no list would be complete without mentioning the Mass Effect trilogy. Even though I was late to the Mass Effect party, it’s still a series that is a must play for any gamer. The Xbox 360 has a great library of games, here’s hoping that the Xbox One can deliver an equally amazing library.

Some people play games to pass the time, others play games to have fun, some even play because they are competitive, yet there are also a dedicated group of Xbox games who play for Achievements. We wear the badge of Achievement Whore proudly. We understand that those who are not one of us laugh at us and call it a waste of time. Yet those who have been bitten by the Achievement bug know that all too familiar “Ba-dink” noise when we finish a level, accomplish a seemingly impossible task, or meet some predetermined milestone in a game. Yes, we know our Gamerscore doesn’t matter, that’s it’s an arbitrary number, and it’s a waste of time. I’d argue that because of achievements I have done things in game that I most likely wouldn’t have without the drive to get Achievements.

Completing playthroughs on the hardest difficulty, getting every collectible, exploring every location, and using certain weapons to name a few. Achievements have helped me get more playtime out of some games. They have also gotten me to play games I never would have played otherwise. Sure there are some ridiculously easy Achievement games such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Up, TMNT, and Toy Story Mania – but I never would have played them otherwise.

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Sure for us Achievement junkies play some bad games just for those points such as Heavy Fire, Truth or Lies, CSI, NCIS, and Lost. But, there’s also some gems that we stumble upon in our endless quest for those peezies; Lego games, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Bully, and Fight Night Round 3. There are also some individual achievements that cause us to swear and throw controllers, I’m looking at you If they came to hear me beg’ from Halo Reach. But, we push on and endure because we need those points!

Achievements have changed the way some of us game. There are entire websites and forums dedicated to gaining achievements. Just look up a game on Youtube and you will most likely find Achievement videos for it. Achievements have added value and longevity to games that may have been forgotten or rarely played. Ask almost any Achievement hunter and they will talk about the 2 minutes and 52 seconds it takes to get a full 1,000 gamerscore on Avatar: The Last Airbender we will play anything, and everything for those points and most of the time have fun doing it. I can honestly say I’ve met some great on-line friends strictly because of achievements. And hey, at the end of the day having fun and meeting some friends is what gaming is truly about. Pardon me if I cut this short, I have some achievements to earn.

Dave Haldane

For me, the best thing about the Xbox 360 was Xbox Live. Often overlooked I feel it brought console gaming ahead in leaps and bounds. The version introduced with the 360 was far superior to its predecessors, outshone competitor options and paved the way for a swathe of innovations and improvements that would change the way console gaming was perceived. Aside from online play and friend management Xbox Live offered a full messaging service, voice chat, a games marketplace, standardised achievement system. Most importantly, it did it with a standardised and easy to use interface.

One thing that always stood out for me as a benefit was the ability to perform most non game functions via a web or app interface. You could manage friends, send messages, check your stats and even shop online. The ability to purchase a game from the web based Xbox Marketplace, remotely turn on my Xbox and then download the game so it’s ready and done when I get home is still something I find extremely useful today! Over the years the service has been improved with Xbox live Arcade, Party Rooms, cross platform integration (tablet, PC and phone), online save storage, video Chat and a variety of streaming services. With the innovations coming with Xbox One it stands to reason that Xbox Live is huge part of the Xbox brand’s success and something that will continue to improve gaming going into the future.

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Of course I can’t talk about what made the Xbox 360 great without mentioning a few games. So here’s a shout out to the Gears of War series for being one of the greatest unique TPS games I’ve played; The Mass Effect series for mixing action, RPG and sci fi in a perfect blend; The Halo games for being unique FPS awesome with kickass stories; Alan Wake for creeping me out whilst telling a great story and providing loads of fun; The Forza series for providing one of the best car sim games I’ve ever played; and, last but not least, Kinect Adventures for justifying my Kinect and providing hours upon hours of fun!

Greg Newbegin

Halo is, arguably, the series that made Xbox a phenomenon. Whether you like it or not, it was the game that bought Microsoft some interest in the original Xbox. The second title in the series (cleverly titled Halo 2) cemented the series as a powerhouse multiplayer FPS, and was a favourite among the console LAN crowd. When Halo 3 was released on Xbox 360 two years after the launch of the console, it was we received by fans – in fact, with a campaign that could be played co-op, split-screen multiplayer, and that same classic gameplay covered in glorious new artwork, it was a huge hit, and remains one of the most popular FPS titles on the console. With four other major Halo titles to be released during the 360’s lifetime (ODSTHalo WarsReach, and Halo 4), numerous books, and even short films, Halo became a constant, unwavering success for the Microsoft brand. I’m sure it will continue to be so into the next generation.

In fact, Halo 3 has a warm place in my heart, personally. On returning to live in Australia in 2007, I purchased the title as a present for myself on release, and found that my wife fell in love with it. So much so that she is a Halo-obsessive even to this day. So while I don’t love the series as much as she does, I can credit it as being the title that made my wife a gamer. Nice.

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Similarly, there are a number of titles I’d have to call out for various nostalgic reasons – Geometry Wars, for showing me that there actually was some merit to this “Xbox Live Arcade”; PegglePac-Man Championship Edition, and Castle Crashers, for showing me that there was a lot of fun to be had with multiplayer XBLA titles; Table TennisFight Night Round 3, and Project Gotham Racing 3, for making me fall in love with the system in the first place; and finally, the Gears of War series, for simply being a great series of games that also happened to be Xbox-exclusives. Oh, and King Kong, for being surprisingly good for a launch title that also happened to be a movie tie-in.

Leo Stevenson

What can I say about the Xbox 360 that hasn’t already been covered? As a Nintendo fan boy for much of my gaming life my experience of last generation was mostly focused on the Gamecube. Sure, I had an Xbox and a PS2, but they barely got a look in. When this generation rolled around I went along at midnight and picked up my Wii waiting to be amazed by the motion controls and games of the future. I loved my Wii, I really did, but it wasn’t long until I started to notice that none of the really big games were coming to the humble white box. As developers started to harness the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3, my Wii started to look less and less shiny, new and innovative. Eventually I gave in and bought an Xbox 360. It was on or just after launch day for Grand Theft Auto IV.

I picked up a Pro Console – going back a few years now – GTAIV, Assassin’s Creed and a play and charge kit. Upon booting up GTA I was simply blown away by how much better it looked than my Wii games. Despite using an old CRT monitor, I couldn’t believe how much crisper, clearer and cleaner the visuals were. Not only that, but the console itself felt like an entertainment unit, not just a toy. You might not remember them too fondly now, but the old blades menus of the Xbox 360 were pretty slick in their time. I could look at my friends, play music, stream media from my PC and quickly and easily purchase new content from the Marketplace. Xbox 360 was the first truly multi-purpose entertainment experience I ever had. And I never looked back. Xbox 360 dominated my play time for the next few years. I became addicted to achievements. I played Mass Effect six times. I loved my Xbox 360, even after it red ringed.

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If Xbox 360 should be remembered for anything, it’s that it was the first truly convergent piece of tech that combined gaming, movies, music, media and online integration into one piece of kit. It didn’t do it flawlessly or without a hitch, but it laid the groundwork for PS3, PS4 and Xbox One. Any innovation or new feature found on the PS4 and Xbox One can trace its heritage back to the Xbox 360. While I’ve moved away from Xbox in the last few years and am a total tragic Sony fanboy, I can still pay homage to the console that truly kicked one of the biggest shifts in how consoles are designed and perceived. Xbox 360 helped drag gaming – kicking and screaming – into the mainstream and these days Xbox is as synonymous with gaming as Nintendo was in the 90’s and PlayStation was in the noughties.

Luke Lawrie

With a strong influence from the writer Stephen King and also drawing inspiration from TV shows like Twin Peaks and LOST, a small studio from Finland crafted a game that was well received by critics but unfortunately went head to head in its release against the widely acclaimed Game of The Year for 2010 Red Dead Redemption. Remedy Entertainment decided to take a chance when they created Alan Wake with its dark themes and atmosphere, combined using a deep and twisted story, it truly left its mark for many as one of the most memorable experiences on the Xbox 360.

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Over the years Alan Wake has become a cult favourite amongst many within the gaming community, when Remedy gracefully let gamers know that a sequel had been put on hold, a sense of sadness stuck throughout their fan base. Still, we can always go back and replay those amazing moments, and hope that one day, Alan Wake will return.

Nicholas Simonovski

When I was asked what my “best of 360” topic was going to be, the choice was rather simple – Mass Effect. Now I know what you’re thinking, “but Nicholas, the Mass Effect franchise is on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 – it’s hardly a 360 exclusive”, but let’s go back to the very beginning, when conversations about the franchise wasn’t about which colour you liked best, or why you hated the ending so much, but the very origins of the franchise – the original Mass Effect, which, at the time of launch, was an Xbox 360 exclusive.

But Mass Effect was a particularly memorable (and favourite) game for a lot of reasons. I should note, I’ve never been a big sci-fi fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how quickly I was engaged and captivated by its story, the characters, and the Mass Effect lore. I also absolutely fell in love with the gameplay, and to this day, there really is no game I’ve played this generation where I’ve really loved the control scheme and gameplay/combat mechanics as much as I have with Mass Effect. I should also note, the original Mass Effect is perhaps the only game aside from the original Saints Row that I’ve actually played through more than once. While each installment of the franchise was significantly better than the game before it, there’s no denying that the original Mass Effect was a brilliant foundation for what is (in my opinion), one of the greatest franchises of this generation – and for that reason, Mass Effect is my clear best of the 360.

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When it comes to my favourite games on the Xbox 360, I’d like to give a special mention to Saints Row, Forza Motorsport 3, GTA IVMass Effect 3, and Assassin’s Creed 2.

Shane Wall

For me the best game on the Xbox 360 is without a doubt Left 4 Dead. Valve’s masterpiece completely changed the way I think about gaming and helped bring me into the current generation of gaming. I have never been one to enjoy first person shooters or co-op games in the slightest with the exception of GoldenEye on the N64. At the time of Left 4 Dead’s release I had no interest in any game that didn’t have Pokémon or Final Fantasy in the title and online play was something for people who played wow. Left 4 Dead completely opened my eyes to an amazing variety of games on the market and although I still love a good JRPG I will play anything I can get my hands on these days.

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Every long weekend for almost 2 years myself and three housemates would move our consoles and TVs into a common room and settle in for 3 days of nothing but Left 4 Dead. When I wasn’t playing over a LAN I was using Xbox Live, making really good friends from all over the world with whom I still play with today. Replay value in any game I play today has the impossible task of trying to compete with Left 4 Dead. Even now I will fire it up every now and then and I instantly remember why I felt such a connection with this game. Titles like Left 4 Dead that can change the way we look at gaming are a rare treat and this is surely the first game I played as an adult that completely blew me away. This is truly an incredible game and a fine example of why I proudly call myself a gamer.

Steve Wright

By the time you read this, you’ll have already had a chance to read my impressions of the Xbox One and its new Kinect sensor, but without the bittersweet success of the first Kinect peripheral, we’d be in an entirely different place right now. I love Kinect.

Yeah, it wasn’t the best at picking up every voice command. Tracking was useless in small rooms or in bright sunlight, but when it all came together and worked? It worked. I’ve had the best time with games like Dance Central, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and Nike+ Kinect. Hell, that last game has caused me to buy $300.00 worth of Nike fitness equipment.

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Alan Wake, as Luke alluded to, is one of the best games of all time, and I love me my Halo. You know I’m all about gamerscore too. I only wish Australians got to experience the beautiful experiment that was 1 vs. 100, too. PLEASE bring it back on Xbox One, Microsoft.

So many memories, and so many great ones at that. Thanks for everything, Xbox 360.

There you have it. Did we miss anything? Share your Xbox 360 memories in the comments area, below.

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