As I was putting this list together I learnt two things. Firstly, Microsoft definitely favours quality over quantity. Secondly, they were really committed to the whole Kinect thing before that died in the ass. Now that sounds like another list waiting to happen. Im excluding games that have yet to be released because thanks to Watch Dogs, I learnt high expectations don’t result in good games. I will however, include games that have been released to PC because Microsoft seems to be happy settling for console exclusives rather than everything exclusives. Seriously, if I didn’t open it up to PC I was getting scarily close to wacking in Kinectimals at number 10 and hoping no one would notice.

10. Dead Rising

Xbox 360, Xbox One

I know, I know. ‘But the second game came out on Playstation’. Well the first and third didn’t, so suck it you trolls. When this game appeared on the scene it was a breath of rotten air (which in this case is a good thing). Zombie games were not new by any means, but the genre was completely different. After players had become used to games like Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark, it was a risk to completely change the formula from horror to the arcade hack and slash approach it took. Ultimately this paid off, both for Xbox and zombie games in general, spawning two sequels and many inspired games like Dead Island and Dying Light. This game was made famous by the sheer number of ways in which you could dispose of the undead. Seriously, that zombie on the right clearly can’t get enough of these games.

9. Crackdown

Xbox 360

Back in 2007, the sales pitch for most third person open world shooters probably started with ‘Imagine GTA but with *insert gimmick here*. It also does’t hurt that the conceiver of Crackdown also created the Grand Theft Auto series. Crackdown’s unique gimmick is superpowers. Imagine Saints Row 4 but 6 years earlier and with orb collecting. So. Many. Orbs. Im fairly sure my first teenage crush was on those orbs or, you know, some other orb-like objects… What was I talking about? Oh yeah, collecting orbs was highly addictive and felt genuinely rewarding. Crackdown was an overwhelming success and has since become a cult classic. While the sequel was criticised for being to similar to the original, that hasn’t stopped the development of a third game for the Xbox One.

8. Dance Central

Xbox 360, Xbox One

How could we make this list without including Angel, Dare, Mo and the gang? Im just kidding, I definitely had to Google those names and don’t even care if they’re wrong. I’m fully serious that this game comes in at number 8 though. If you have ever played any Harmonix game, then you know the wild ride in store for you. Already become a world class rockstar and a phoney, sell-out DJ? Well now you can take your pick in becoming a back-up dancer, world class PSY imitator and/or stripper! The first time I played Dance Central with my friends, I think I can speak for all of us when I say it is the most fun we have had with our bodies collectively. All jokes aside, it is super fun, easy to pick up and the perfect ice breaker for a first date or to break the uncomfortable silence after a one night stand. Seeing as it doesn’t even need controllers, you’re looking at the perfect party game.

7. Sunset Overdrive

Xbox One

Whenever I bring up Sunset Overdrive, I usually get one of three responses. The most popular, ‘What’s that?’. The second most popular, ‘Sunset Overpride?’ The third most popular, ‘Jon, whatever you put in the microwave just exploded. Also, what’s Sunset Overpride?’. Sunset Overdrive was developed by Insomniac Games, the brilliant minds behind the Ratchet and Clank series. It is an open world third person shooter that takes place in the fictional Sunset City, where chaos, mutants and grind rails reign supreme. Very similar to the Ratchet and Clank series, the player is given a large arsenal of weapons to upgrade as well as a fast and fun way to navigate the city. The game is based around movement and momentum, so you won’t find cover based shooting here. Just more mutants created by evil energy drink. Im being serious, thats how the world ends apparently.

6. Fable

Xbox, Xbox 360

Despite the game never quite living up to the hype that Peter Molyneux had promised, the Fable series delivers some of the best decision based fantasy gameplay and storytelling in video games. Hell, you’re appearance will change from a beautiful angel to hell-spawn depending on whether or whether not you set a chicken farmer on fire (which you should always do). You can specialise in swordplay, guns, magic or a combination of all three to be a total badass. This is also a rare case of a fantasy game offering good online multiplayer, so you and a mate can tear it up in Albion and (literally) become Kings. Unfortunately with the late cancellation of Fable Legends the future of the development studio, and the Fable series in general, isn’t looking good. Fortunately the existing games are.

5. Left 4 Dead

Xbox 360

HOLY FUCK THAT DUDE IS MISSING HIS THUMB! Wait, they did that on purpose, everyone calm down. This game could have made it to the list exclusively due to the fact that my friend loved it so much he punched me in the face and knocked me unconscious when I told him I broke his copy. That’s what happens when you’re 16 and sexually frustrated. This is not the only reason the game is so memorable however. Another zombie game, Left 4 Dead gives you the chance to survive the apocalypse with up to 3 pals online. Split screen wise, it was hailed as ‘quite possibly the perfect co-op shooter’ by IGN at the time. Unlike Dead Rising, this game was quite terrifying at times and maintains the tense atmosphere throughout. If you like co-op shooters, zombie games, ambiguous back stories and lack of overall narrative, this is going to be the game for you.

4. Forza

Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Forza is Microsoft’s answer to Gran Turismo from Sony, and boy does it hold up. Despite being bundled with almost every Xbox console for the last decade, players still can’t get enough of the high speed glitz and glamour of the franchise. The ultimate wet dream for all Top Gear fans, Forza has two successful series of games now. The Motorsport series focuses on realistic tracks, cars and driving conditions, while the Horizon series provides an open world, arcade-style take on the franchise. For a bad boy like myself who has never played by the rules, having the option of having Forza’s graphics, engines and cars and being able to do flips and stuff with them suits my baller lifestyle. I also make my own bed time now, you know, whatever, it’s no big deal. Forza is a perfect balance between driving simulator and arcade racer thanks to its two series, both being fantastic in very similar yet vastly different ways.

3. Gears of War

Xbox 360, Xbox One

If you have never played Gears of War, you would probably play it today and think it was ripping off the cover system from Uncharted, the health system in Modern Warfare and the sprint mechanics from The Phantom Pain. Gears of War pioneered, or at the very least refined, a new way to play third person shooters. Many of these mechanics very well may not have made it into other franchises without Gears perfecting it first. Could you imagine if every shooter still used a health bar? I don’t know about you, but I’d probably kill myself. The original was re-released with an updated everything last year with Gears of War Ultimate Edition, with a fourth currently being in the works. Just goes to show, you give a man a gun with a chainsaw and he will be unstoppable. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, your main weapon is a gun MIXED WITH A FREAKING CHAINSAW! God damn that’s cool.

2. Rare Replay

Xbox One

Named after the developer, whose name escapes me at the moment, Rare Replay is a collection of 30 games spanning 25 years in the industry, from 1983-2008. It includes classics such as Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Conkers Bad Fur Day alongside such flops as Banjo Kazooe: Nuts & Bolts, Perfect Dark Zero and Conkers Bad Fur Day. This developer was full of hits and misses, and at least 10 of these games will be borderline unplayable if you didn’t grow up with them, but the value here is just to good. Despite missing Goldeneye and Donkey Kong Country, this collects some of the best games to ever grace multiple platforms. Seriously, if you haven’t played Banjo Kazooie, you can’t be my friend anymore. This is a must have game for Xbox, whether you are playing the games for the first time or revisiting them for the hundredth.

Honourable Mentions

Alan Wake

Unfortunately there were already to many good survival/horror games in the list, but this psychological thriller has cool mechanics, a cool concept and cool scares. It’s pretty cool.

Project Gotham Racing

This racer was a goliath back in the day. Unfortunately, it was only destined to be overshadowed and eventually, left broken down on the starting line covered in Forza’s beautifully animated smoke and dust particles.

Dead Or Alive

Whether you love it or hate it (I am 100% generalising between men and women here) it is still one of the most prominent fighting games of our generation. Yeah Injustice is cool, but did they create their own physics system to track the bounce of boobies? I don’t know actually but I’m guessing the answer is no, because NetherRealm aren’t terrible people.

1. Halo

Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One

One day, someone is going to make a Top 10 Xbox games list and won’t put Halo at number 1. That is when society will collapse quicker than the newscaster fight in Anchorman escalated, and as we all know from that meme, that escalated pretty quickly. Thankfully that day is not today. Halo tops many lists, be it for Xbox exclusives or games in general, for good reason. The original Halo was ahead of its time both in terms of its shooting mechanic and it actually being set in the future (ahh thank you). Im sure almost everyone has played its award winning multiplayer whether you own the platform or not and its only getting bigger with Let’s Plays and eSports. The Halo World Champions that took place this month had a prize pool of $2,500,000 USD, with top team claiming a neat $1,000,000 for themselves. A lot of games have had difficulty making the switch between console generations. As the hardware evolves, the players have greater expectations that sometimes developers can’t meet. This transition has been the end of a number of successful and beloved game franchises. While Halo has not been flawless by any means, they have made the jump across every iteration of the Xbox and it looks like it has no intention of slowing down. Since it’s inception in 2001, Microsoft has sold over 65 million games, with the release of Halo 5 last year pushing its lifetime sales over $5 billion dollars. Thats a tidy little retirement fund for Phil Spencer right there.

So what do you think? Which games are over rated and which ones did I miss completely? Im not going to update the article but I would still love to hear why you love your Xbox, even after they tried to pull that whole ‘always online’ bullshit on us. Bastards.