Oh yes, The Darkness. A game we Germans had to import from Austria, because or fragile minds just could not handle the violence. One of the best early games of the 360 gen. Who doesn’t remember Mike Pattons voice or getting the ‘Romantic’ achievement?
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It’s surreal being out of the US for a while and realizing that games weren’t readily available to everyone. I was lucky!
The month of July is often associated with those “all American “ activities in the U.S. Fireworks, BBQ, football…video games?
July 2007
Sonic the Hedgehog (Live Arcade)
Well, maybe not video games. But this month saw the release of a game that has a huge impact on the U.S. video game market way back when Sega did what Nintendon’t. Sonic was fast, had a ‘tude, he was the antithesis of Mario while aping many of Mario’s best features. You all know what Sonic is and was, so I’ll save my time there and just say that seeing such a important game hitting the Xbox with Xbox Live features, achievements, etc., is awesome. Now you had to prove your accomplishments, so little Bobby couldn’t lie during recess anymore…anyway, I’m not the biggest Sonic fan but love his legacy and love that more people can play it on a more modern platform.
Shoutouts go to Allpro Football 2K8 and Bomberman Live! What was your pick in a rather slim month?
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I mostly sucked at Sonic games, but somehow still always loved them.
At the start of the 360 a lot of the exclusive heavy hitters like Gear of War, Crackdown or Dead Rising were banned in Germany (this has changed, all these you can buy now). But our import infrastructure was also really good, no real problem here.
The Darkness was a bit different, they made a German version where there is no blood and a different animation if you tear a heart out of an enemy iirc.
This was a great month for Xbox gamers, and really gamers in general. It kind of feels like this is where the gen truly found its feet, and we started to see some great titles releasing with great frequency.
August 2007
Bioshock
Bioshock was an absolute gem of a game, no clue how it holds up, but at the time wow! Amazing graphics, eerie gameplay, fantastic sound design, a compelling story…what more could you ask for? A huge exclusive for a long time, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s a Sony exclusive soon. The hype was huge with Kevin Levine being the big name behind it and talk of it being a spiritual successor to System Shock. The game mostly lived up to the hype in my book, I enjoyed it thoroughly from the moment I first played the demo to the point I finished the story and marveled at how much video game storytelling had “grown up” (lol). I think the only thing I don’t love about the game is the The feel of the shooting which feels clunky. Using the powers though? Super legit and setting up traps for the splicers was always a blast. Or shock.
As an aside, Jason Schreier’s new book sheds some light on this series, Levine, and the little spiderwebs connected to it which is really awesome.
Shoutouts…big breath: Hexic 2, Marathon Durandal, Stuntman Ignition, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (
), and Blue Dragon. Lots of amazing stuff here, I like Hexic, LOVE SPF2T, and of course there’s Blue Dragon which is better viewed as a good JRPG infusion to the lineup rather than a good JRPG.
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I’d argue that September 2007 would be a solid month without the monster that released, likely the most important game in the history on the console.
September 2007
Halo 3
Halo 3 aka the beta that came with Crackdown. Many Xbox fans can attribute their love of the platform to Halo, and many of those Halo 3 specifically. I don’t have the time or energy this morning pre-coffee to go into all ways Halo 3 improved the series, sold Xbox consoles, and established XBL as the premier place to play multiplayer games (on console). Halo 3 is probably my favorite in the series. I didn’t play it as much as the prior two entries, but that was more of factor of a busy life and not the quality of the game. I loved that it still felt like Halo, it was beautiful, the story was great, the co-op worked (!!!) and that music…so good. Bungie at its prime, everything firing on all cylinders. The series has been divisive for some time now, but I think most Halo fans would say that 3 was a great game and not much can detract from its legacy. Maybe some of you can share your thoughts on the game, its impact, and legacy?
Shoutouts to Medal of Honor Airborne, Stranglehold, Skate, Sonic 2, and of course, Eternal Sonata…that RPG about composer Chopin that we all never knew we wanted.
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Catchup Cerys time.
June 2007: Civilisation Revolution
This game was amazing, as a long time Civ fan I was massively suspicious of how a console version would work trimmed to its essence and without the benefit of Mouse and Keyboard.
I needn’t of worried, it was a fantastic addition to the series, missing some of the depth of its PC elder Sister but a perfect condensed version of the game. The controller worked excellently not just acting as a virtual mouse and the quintessential “one more go” of the game was intact. I still have my copy. The only game I still have that has been with me since its 360 launch. A wonderful game which deserved to do so much better. Strategy games are very playable on a console if the devs will it to be so.
July 2007 : I got nothing
Perhaps there was an arcade game I loved, but nothing stands out for me.
August 2007 : Stuntman Ignition
This was reasonable fun, and added simply because I would love a Horizon spin off to be all Stuntman Ignition/Burnout crash mode crazy.
Smash!
September 2007 OK, so bear with me… John Woo’s Stranglehold
OK so I am not a massive Halo fan, I like the Universe (though I dislike the “sexification” of Cortana) Halo was the thing that made me get my Xbox, as I have said and massively enjoyed playing it with my best friend, Likewise 2 and even 3.
Having said that 2 ended as it did and rather put me off, so when 3 was announced I wasn’t too bothered about rushing out to buy it. Around now is when I left the theatre and started working more and more in film and I moved into a house with a somewhat well known (now) Director and DOP duo to work on some small projects. At this time we were mad for stylish Asian movies, with slo-mo, melodrama and just delighting in its own “madness”. John Woo, Takeshi Kitano, Andrew Lau (OMG Infernal Affairs is soooooo good).
So a Sequel to hard Boiled, “by” John Woo I was in, 100% in. And this game was marvellous, just 100% adrenalin, Tequila bombs, bullet time, doves, running up handrails, diving onto carts to slomo wheel through people, animations for killshots. Just wonderful. It was short but to its benefit when it goes as such a constant pace. Stranglehold BC!!!
October 2007: PGR 4
More PGR with Dynamic weather and Bikes. I loved this.
Civ Rev was/is amazingly fun. I love that game and it’s so well set up for the controller. I actually was wondering about getting Civ 6 for console due to playing Rev, but was worried it might be more complicated controls, less humor and fun. Have you played that to compare?
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I have not, only on PC. My wife has played VI on switch while in Hospital but not for very long so I doubt she would know for sure. I’m not sure what considerations the console version of VI has TBH.
I am still missing 2 cheevs from Rev. I should try and return to get them 
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So October, holy cow. Where were you all my life? This month is one that brings supreme joy to a gamers heart, but despair to the wallet.
October 2007
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
I’m being supremely biased by picking this one, but this is my pick and I’m sticking with it. I love this game. Even the darn cheating AI when you venture deep into the game. This is probably the best “match-3” ever made, combining the addicting nature of the formula with a medieval fantasy veneer, and adding RPG elements. It was a recipe for success, and has since spawned sequels and spin-offs of varying quality. There’s a new one in development apparently, which has me quite excited to say the least.
So why PQ over some of the other stellar titles of the month, the “megatons”? To put it simply, it’s a great, fun, addicting game. It does what’s good game should, combining the simplicity and fun with skill and depth. There’s a lot of strategy to employ, both in and out of the battlefield. The story is thin but serviceable, as are the RPG mechanics, but they were in my opinion unique at the time. The game holds up ludicrously well. I’m glad I don’t have it or it’s kin on my phone, my productivity would be nil. This one is worth buying and playing. The sequels…eh, maybe.
Shoutouts Viva Piñata Party Animals, PGR4, The Orange Box, Beautiful Katamari, Flatout Ultimate Carnage, Sega Rally Revo, E4, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Exit, Tomb Raider Anniversary, Ace Combat 6, Guitar Hero 3, Virtua Fighter Online, Timeshift, The Simpsons Game, and let’s not forget about the best anime game ever Naruto Rise of a Ninja! Apologies to a lot of these games, they’re amazing. I probably would have picked Viva Piñata, Orange Box, or Naruto if I didn’t roll with PQ. Naruto in particular is quite good. I’m not really into anime and I have great fondness for this game, I wish there was a third entry.
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ooooo this is a good call. We put so much time into Puzzle Quest that cheating AI riddled bastard of a game
The sequels managed to quite, quite effectively remove every drop of Magic from this wonderful game. Lightning in a bottle!
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I really hope the new one recaptures the magic. We need this game in our lives. My wife hated when I played it towards the end…as did my controller when I was squeezing the heck out of it and borderline wanting to chuck it across the room!
Following up October 2007 was going to be a tough one, but somehow November 2007 saw the release of a few of the most beloved games and franchises in Xbox (and gaming) history. I had to make a hard call, because I have a lot of fondness for a good handful of these games.
November 2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Right up front, sorry Mass Effect. I’m playing the Legendary Edition at the moment which is probably coloring this a bit, but it doesn’t hold up as well as I’d remembered. With that out of the way, I’m not a big COD fan now and never really have been to be honest. I think the last one I enjoyed was World at War? Anyway, COD4 was an absolute juggernaut, it soaked up so much of my time. My roommates and I would play for hours and hours, and some of my fondest 360 memories are tied to this game. No, I don’t know the map names, the guns, the perks, etc. but I do know that I had a heck of a good time playing this game.
I’m terrible at it. My K/D was probably around 0.33. I’m the chump who other teams loved to play against, because it’s essentially guarantee easy frags. It didn’t matter, because the gameplay was so silky smooth and addictive, the progression system was finely tuned, and it looked and sounded fantastic. This was probably the most I’ve ever used a headset to chat with friends, so that wireless 360 headset got a workout as well. I think the campaign is fine, eh, whatever, but I know a lot of folks love it. This one stayed in rotation for a long time.
Shoutouts go to Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, Scene It! (Lovely game), Rock Band (!!!), Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and a little indie hidden gem called Undertow. I’m sure I chose wrong this month, but look at that list! What was your pick, I’d love if some of you shared your experiences with these games.
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I loved this game so much, Think I had around a 1000 hrs clocked up on it. Our clan had several members from the U.S, a few from the U.K and myself and one other Aussie. My fondest memories from any video game ever are from playing this with the crew.
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December 2007 closed out the year with a bit of a whimper, but after the feast of November I guess I can’t complain.
December 2007
Sensible World of Soccer
I’d never played SWOS before this point. It was always one of those games that just didn’t look appealing to me, despite growing up playing the world’s sport. When it released on Xbox 360, it had a demo so I decided to give it a shot and you know what? It’s actually a lot of fun. Simplistic, arcadey, fast, pick-up-and-play gameplay. The graphics actually still work, I think these types of games age well compared to a lot of other eras. There’s not a ton to say here. It’s really basic soccer with a legacy behind it.
Only one shoutout, it’s Gripshift. Short post today, my apologies, but there’s just not a ton to talk about! If you have fond memories of a December game, give it a post.
Man, got the double disc for this and Forza Motorsport 2 back in the day.
Ha, I had a buddy dump off a bunch of his old games on me before I moved and this double disc was in the lot. Pretty cool, they did something similar with Sega GT 2002 & Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox.
January 2008, I’m slowly catching up to current times…ok, the holidays are over so don’t expect anything big here, but I think a few of the games released were absolute must plays.
January 2008
Rez HD
Rez is amazing. The HD version is a re-release of the Dreamcast classic for XBLA at a very reasonable price compared to the secondary market for a disc at the time. I would say unless you have a strong affinity for playing on original hardware, this HD version is the best way to play (other than the recently released VR version). So Rez is a rhythm game of sorts, a shooting game or sorts, a music game of sorts. It’s a psychedelic trip visually, the music is great, the gameplay is simple yet hard to master. This is a high score changing game, but also a chill out game. It’s so hard to describe where it fits and I think the reason why is it can be a lot of different things for each person. I still love putting it on and running through it’s fairly short campaign, which I would say is the only downside to the game. It could use more content, but that’s just me being greedy.
Shoutouts to Metal Slug 3 (amazing series) and Burnout Paradise. Paradise is neat and has an HD remaster for Xbox One, but I think it pales in comparison to the previous few games in the series and certainly doesn’t hold a candle to Forza Horizon.
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I had that on the original Xbox too.Any time discs were bundled was an opportunity to get more bang for the buck.