threevue

Hi friend, did Santa leave you a nice little black/gray/green colored box of high-techiness underneath your Christmas tree? And did he only leave you one or two games, maybe just the ones that came with it? Well little buddy, I’ve been thinking this would happen, so I put together a list of titles you can pick up for relatively cheap, so you can start building up an awesome library.

First and foremost, let’s talk about demos. On Xbox Live Marketplace you can find 100+ free demos to download and try. I would recommend trying some demos out first before blindly laying down cash for a game.

Now, let’s consider places to buy games. Everybody’s default store is Gamestop/EB Games, since they’re everywhere and you can get games used. Two other places you might want to check out are online. The site half.com is like eBay without the bidding, but you pay for shipping. And GameFly works like Netflix for games but also has a used-game store with free shipping, but only certain games are available at certain times. Prices between these three stores vary, so it’s worth your time to check out all three before making your choice. For instance, Battlefield: Bad Company is selling at half.com for $21.99, $24.99 at GameFly, and $26.99 at Gamestop (although you have to consider that half.com charges a couple bucks shipping). For this list, I’m going to display the half.com prices, which are almost always cheaper than Gamestop.

Also, there are Xbox Live Arcade games available for download on Xbox Live Marketplace. These cost anywhere from $5 to $15 depending on the game itself, and I’ll make a list for those, too.

On to the lists! I chose six retail and six XBLA games. I’ve included the IGN.com rating next to the game (whose scoring system goes to 10.0), to let you know I’m not feeding you crap games.

Retail games:

Call of Duty 2 ($5) – IGN.com rating: 9.0
Although the series is already at #5(!), COD2 stands to be one of the best WWII shooters ever. You play as both an American and Russian soldier in this hectic and fun FPS title. Its bigger brother, COD4, can be found for about $30 nowadays, but if you’re looking to simply join in on the COD craze, there’s no better start than right here. It probably had 6 to 8 solid hours of gameplay. Demo? Yes.

Prey ($5) – IGN.com rating: 9.0
Prey has been overlooked over the years, but I’d be hard-pressed to find a better $5 game. Like COD2, this is a FPS game, but with gravity-defying effects thrown in the mix. This was the first Xbox 360 game I ever bought (for a whopping $10 a year and a half ago), and I still own it just in case I want to play through it one more time. Eight hours of gameplay. Demo? Yes.

Assassin’s Creed ($12) – IGN.com rating: 7.7
This game got mixed reviews from critics but we here at Threevue loved it. Where else can you play as an assassin in medieval times, with the ability to graciously climb nearly every section of the entire game? 20 hours of gameplay. Demo? No.

Mass Effect ($12) – IGN.com rating: 9.4
Mass Effect is a nice blend of action and role-playing in one solid game. If you’re looking for an epic, multi-planet story to get immersed in, look no further. The dialog “trees” and moral-based gameplay offer a pretty deep experience. 14 hours of gameplay. Demo? No.

The Orange Box ($16) – IGN.com rating: 9.5
The Orange Box comes with five games inside, all five of which are worth your time. You get Half-Life 2 and its two episodic sequels, mind-bending puzzle game Portal, and online-only Team Fortress 2. My personal choice for Game of the Year 2007. 30 hours of gameplay. Demo? Yes.

BioShock ($17) – IGN.com rating: 9.7
Short but sweet, Bioshock takes you to a beautiful and decaying underwater city. There are moments in this game where you can completely lose yourself in this living, breathing environment. 8 hours of gameplay. Demo? Yes.

Xbox Live Arcade games:
Keep in mind that every XBLA game has a free demo, so try before you buy!

Aegis Wing (Free) – IGN.com rating: not reviewed
First of all, this game is free. Second of all, it’s pretty fun, especially when you play online with a friend. And since it’s free, you can imagine your friends have already picked it up, too.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game ($5) – IGN.com rating: 6.7
This is a title that wades knee-deep in nostalgia. If you didn’t play it in the arcade, I’ll be okay if you skip this one. If you did play it back in the day, it’s exactly how you remember it – but without having to drop a quarter in the machine every 3 minutes.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ($10) – IGN.com rating: 9.0
Originally released on the PSOne, this is what I consider the peak of Castlevania gaming – a perfect blend of action, exploring and RPG elements. Be prepared for a long and arduous journey, which is very fun and fulfilling.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ($10) – IGN.com rating: 9.0
This Bejeweled-style game will have you coming back again and again. Not for the story – which is pretty boring – but just for the simple but addicting gameplay.

Soul Calibur ($10) – IGN.com rating: 8.1
Originally released on the Sega Dreamcast (and garnering a 10.0 score from IGN.com) in 1999, this fighter is still fun and good-looking even today. Don’t waste $60 on Soul Calibur 4 when this is essentially the same experience for a fraction of the price.

Braid ($15) – IGN.com rating: 8.8
Our Threevue Game of the Year 2008, Braid’s $15 price point may seem steep, but after all this saving you’re allowed to splurge a little bit. You deserve it. Braid is a mixture of platform game (think Super Mario) and puzzle game, that will have you staring at the screen in wonder and confusion, and patting yourself on the back with each level solved.

So there you go, 12 A-list titles for a grand total of about $120. That’s the same price as two full retail games. Happy hunting!