I wish I was still into buying physical discs for that reason, but living where I’m at it’s just easier to go digital.
February 2008 was home to one of my favorite JRPGs of the generation, and one of Xbox’s best exclusives of the time. It’s an IP they still own and with the Final Fantasy series aligning itself with PlayStation, maybe it’s time we see it return…
February 2008
Lost Odyssey
If you judge a game by its cover, I can see why this one might not have done as well as it should’ve. This is pretty bad box art and it’s something I’d have steered away from if I was “cool” and not really into gaming (or JRPGs specifically) at the time. I don’t really recall how Xbox marketed this one. Or if they did. Shame, because there’s a really good game here and a great story told by the creator of Final Fantasy - Sakaguchi.
The game itself is fairly straightforward for the genre, drifting closer to traditional than innovative and fresh, but sometimes that’s what a old school guy like me needs. The gameplay was more a means to an end, a distraction from the storytelling. Lost Odyssey had this really interesting system which involved “dreams” of the main character, essentially telling various tales and reliving his past. It’s all well written stuff, some of it heart wrenching, some of it putting a smile on your face. I think this is really the most fascinating part of this game, and that it manages to tell a fairly mature tale despite having some truly oddball characters such as Jansen and those kids. If you’re looking to revisit the past and JRPGs in their hay day, you could do a lot worse than Lost Odyssey. Now where’s my sequel Phil? 
Shoutouts to Devil May Cry 4, Culdcept Saga, Poker Smash, The Club (underrated!), and N+ which is quite amazing. What’s your pick of the month?
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Didn’t I just post a catchup? 
I loved Rez on DC @anon98342452 and its my favourite PSVR Game, (and you don’t need the separate Vibrator 
) But I don’t ever remember playing it on Xbox. I might have to check my achievements.
Anyway Allons-y!
November 2007 : Mass Effect
I can’t say much as I have already gushed over the game and series in other thread, and frankly I’m a touch emotional today, and can’t cope with anything else 
In short, wonderful to inhabit Jessica Shepard, what a wonderfully compelling universe and what a lovely cast of characters to “play” alongside.
What Joy to play it again.
And here come the tears. 
December 2007 : SWOS
I dont like football, or football games.
But I loved Sensible Soccer back in the day and this arcade version was equally fun
Plus the following months have games thin on the ground.
January 2008 : RezHD
Wonderful music, wonderful aesthetic and just wonderful in every iteration I have played. PSVR version is just so wonderful to play.
February 2008 : Lost Odyssey
The best JRPG of that gen for me, possibly the last one I truly enjoyed a lot of the “dreams” made me cry and are genuinely well written/translated. Some of the voice actor direction is just dreadful too, and though its not particularly revolutionary, its an excellent example of the genre.
Like you say @anon98342452 that cover art is just repugnant, leaned a little too hard into the “adult” themes and into the deathly dull . Though I recall the advert being everywhere in the UK and was amazing with Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit being the music used.
Lost Odyssey TV commercial - YouTube
March 2008 : I have literally no idea!
And she’s gone! Laters nerds!
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September 2014 is an important month for me because I bought Destiny on release.
Within hours I realised that I was just replaying the demo and that the game was of no interest to me whatsoever.
I went to game and traded it within 24 hours for Forza Horizon 2 which turned out to probably be my most played game of the generation.
I love that game and have not been as big a fan of either of the Horizon games released since even though they are very good.
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I bought my 360 for Forza 4 and the first Forza Horizon, and the second game was the biggest reason why I wanted to get my Xbox One. I think I prefer the third over the second one, but I get what you mean.
Looks like my time was 223 hours for second, 245 for third, 265 for most recent. I loved when they released the 1000 club for the original game, that was a cool way to add extra challenges per car
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Titanfall one was the reason I bought an Xbone. Just as well as it was just about the only thing of interest out so I played it for 12 months straight. 
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I actually didn’t buy my Xbox One for any particular game, but I do remember playing Titanfall at PAX West (Prime?) the summer before the console released and was smitten. It’s a shame the game didn’t seem to have the legs of other MP shooters, it was special. I think the lack of content probably hurt it a lot, as did the infamous early goings of the Xbox One. Out of the launch lineup, I probably played Dead Rising 3, Black Flag, and BF4 most.
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I prefer Titanfall one to Titanfall 2 Multiplayer wise but the campaign for Titanfall 2 was awesome.
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March 2008 was one of those months that had fun games, games that really fill out a library and calendar, but aren’t what I’d call classics or must-plays. What’s here is pretty good though, and I’d say you might even find a few diamonds in the rough.
March 2008
Dark Sector
Dark Sector is a poster child for that grim, try-hard, post-Gears third person shooter. It’s everything an imitator should be, one that never matches the quality of the original but darn it does it do its best. It has heart, and makes the most of what it has to offer. It apes many mechanics and aesthetics ideas, yet adds just enough of a twist to avoid being a complete clone.
The story told here is inconsequential, I don’t even recall the name of the protagonist and I want to say this has links to Warframe somehow? That’s not why you’re here though (or maybe you are? Idk), you want that sweet third person action. Dark Sector does its best with some gory, bloody, fast gameplay. There’s a roadie run. There’s a slightly clunky moving main character. Chunks and bits and blood are excessive. There’s a badass boomerang type glaive weapon. Ok, so that last bit is new and not in Gears, and honestly is the standout of the game. See cover of box. This is a solid effort, a AA effort, and one worth checking out.
Shoutouts to Bully: Scholarship Edition, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I personally enjoyed Bully, but really put in my time on PS2. What were your favorite games? Did you think any of these were hidden gems?
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Oh wow I remember that I liked the glaive.
And yeah Digital Extremes went on to make Warframe, which I love and have spent hundreds of hours and maybe 100 euro into. LET ME USE MY PC SAVE ON XBOX YOU BASTARDS!
I really like the lore in Warframe and there are things from Dark Sector all over the game, glaives, “Tenno” being the character, “Dark Sectors” being a thing in Warframe. Its probably more of a carrying over of “cool” names and things more than a direct link, but I think a lot of people think its a prequel 1000’s years earlier.
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I never got into warframe, it always felt inaccessible in some way. It’s been around so long, it’s one of those things where I feel like I’m too late to the party.
Totally understood, I didnt jump in day one and was quite overwhlemed when I did start. I still dont have a clue now, especially since the updates. Like Destiny its quite indecipherable most of the time. Unlike Destiny though there’s no real PvP getting in the way 
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Always enjoyed destiny when I’ve played but it’s sort of boring solo, you know? It’s a good hang out game.
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Here we go, a few truly great games released on Xbox 360 during my birthday month! Finally, finally, I could buy myself a gift that felt good
April 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA IV. This was a big, big deal for the Xbox 360 and the Xbox brand. From the moment Peter Moore showed his guns featuring the “tattoo”, you knew Xbox had finally found its place in the industry. It was here to stay and had the clout to make an impact. GTA was and still is one of gaming’s mega series, a true console shifter and industry changer. Each title has made a huge impact on the direction of the game industry and IV was no different in this regard.
I don’t think it’s the best entry in the series, but GTA IV showed the power of the generation with a massive living world, an over abundance of things to do and see, and a mature story told in the way that only Rockstar does. Hate it or love it, it’s hard to deny just how impressive GTA IV was at the time. I remember spending so many hours just cruising around the city as Niko, not really even focusing on story or missions, just seeing what the world offered. The soundtrack was awesome (though no Vice City or San Andreas!), the voice acting superb. The only thing that’s iffy here is, well, the gameplay. Shooting and driving can feel clunky, as can character movement. That’s kind of a GTA tradition at this point. Sadly, I never saw this one through due to that enraging RC copter mission, but you know what? Maybe it’s time to check this one off the list…
Shoutouts go to one of the best shmups ever, Ikaruga. Another Dreamcast->Xbox game, and an amazing one at that. I love this game.
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I haven’t found much for April I’m afraid @anon98342452 GTA 4 is certainly the biggest and best “produced” but GTA has not really been my thing since Vice City.
Just not for me at all. Although having said that I did have a lot of fun in GTAonline for a while with some friends, driving about and doing a couple of heists, but then I found for that kind of thing I rather liked Payday 2 better.
Boring boring Cerys!
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I get it. I think IV is probably the least “fun” in the franchise so far, but I can’t deny the quality of the game - especially given the time it was made. Very impressive technically, and I totally get that you don’t enjoy it. It’s the definition of divisive and isn’t for everyone.
I think 5 was more “fun” but I hated that more. if that makes sense. I can never deny the technical prowess, but from a social commentary PoV I don’t think the Housers are as clever or insightful as they think, not even a little 
So here’s another month where I can’t really pick a game that stands out and describe it in any great detail. Of the few games released, I’m lukewarm on most and the standouts are kind of meh in my opinion.
May 2008
Assault Heroes 2
I try to avoid mentioning too many games in the same franchises when possible, and luckily this is the last of the Assault Heroes games. Up front, it’s not as good as the first game. There’s something here that doesn’t resonate as well with me, and it’s not simply the fact that there were so many other games releasing at the time. I was looking forward to this one, but it fell flat in many ways. It’s not bad, and certainly has its fun moments with a friend. It’s just not much of a step in any direction from the first. I suppose that’s ok.
Shoutout goes to Penny Arcade Episode 1. I know people seem to like this one a lot, I think it’s ok. Not really my kind of humor, but it’s an interesting mashup.
June was another one of those summer months with some good stuff to play but nothing groundbreaking. It really shows how much the industry has changed from this idea that you can only release the biggest hitters in the fall/holiday season.
June 2008
Battlefield: Bad Company
I’m not a big BF fan. I have friends who live and breath these games, but it’s always been a series I dabble in and dip out of fairly quickly. 1942 is the best, don’t try to argue because I’m right! Anyway, this one is a bit different, I mean, the box art makes that quite clear. This is BF without taking itself super serious, a BF about jokes and goofy fun amidst a bunch of killing…outside of 1942, the Bad Company games are my favorite in the franchise with good campaigns and characters you actually cared about for more than three seconds. Interesting when thinking about the most recent BF reveal with no campaign. Gaming has changed!
I don’t remember much about the multiplayer but I do think it was a good enough time. The game itself felt fine to play, looked great, sounded fantastic. So basically a DICE game. Idk, it’s good and worked well for me during the hot months of the year.
Shoutouts to Kung Fu Panda (almost chose this!), Lego Indiana Jones, Grid, Roogoo, Ninja Gaiden II, and Top Spin 3. Hey, I just beat Ninja Gaiden III RE yesterday!
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Bad Company had the bestest trailers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBajxoUFwtM
“hey guys, look. i found an eyepatch!”