The 21 Best Xbox 360 Games of 2009

Sports Legends delivers the biggest Xbox 360 games that you'll want to keep an eye on in the New Year.

[Nathan Drake]

Lot of multiplats

[Gun_Senshi]

some of the games i didn't heard of them or are crap..

like wrestling games...

[N4360G]

Yeah,next year is not looking good for Microsoft and the Xbox 360.I hope Microsoft announce great new exclusives for the Xbox 360 next year to give SONY some competition.

[Gun_Senshi]

most fanboys have 7 bubbles +

I say something against x360, in a non offensive tone i loose bubble

I say something against ps3, in a non offensive tone i loose bubble

Now. Example I, ME, MYSELF, did not hear of Aliens Colonial Marines or Red Faction: Guerilla.

Personally. ME, IN MY OPINION. Wheelman will be a turd and WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania? No need to talk about it

[Bombomb]

haha im sure at once you too had 7+....damn fanboys

[lowcarb]

Right now 360 is looking perfectly fine going into next year. MS just needs to make some announcements at GDC and E3 to get the hype flowing. Multiplat or not who cares as long as there are tons of games to play.

[Stubacca]

Bubble and agree given.

Merry Christmas.

[No Way]

I find it to be a rather good list, regardless of multiplats..

[Parappa The Rappa]

Well, you have to remember, the fanboys have multiple account(10+ prolly) and spend most of there day logging onto this site, and bubbling them selves up. With the exception of PP, its mostly the guys with fewer bubbles that have brains. I know, its backwards-logic, but N4G is the only place where it makes sense. Dont worry about bubbles. Say what you want. F*ck everyone else. :)

[power of Green]

@#1 You people say that every year and PS3 always laggggs behind lol.

LOL @#1.2

[Jazz4108]

@ Drake

Looking at your post, you post something negative in just about every 360 post. If you were not a ps3 fanboy you would at least have something nice to say about the competition every once in a while; but with you never. Im not trying to personaly attack you because this goes for xbox fanboys too. I have an idea, lets be gamers and enjoy what competition brings, which means better systems and games for everyone to enjoy. Merry Christmas........

[phosphor112]

checking the "status" on these "09" games. Most are on the 360 and PS3. I'll list them for you (I won't list PC just for my times sake):

-Aliens Colonial Marines: 360
-Alpha Protocol: 360 / PS3
-BackBreaker: N/A (I will use N/A for the site not showing any console specific logos, or announcing what console [according to site]).
-Borderlands: N/A
-Brutal Legend: 360 / PS3
-Bionic Commando: 360 / PS3
-Dark Void: 360
-Final Fantasy XIII: 360 / PS3
-The Godfather II: 360 / PS3
-Halo 3: ODST: 360
-I Am Alive: N/A
-Ninja Blade: 360
-Red Faction: Guerilla: 360 / PS3
-Splatterhouse: 360 / PS3
-Star Ocean: The Last Hope: 360
-Street Fighter IV: 360 / PS3
-Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion: 360 / PS3
-Wolfenstein: 360 / PS3
-UFC 2009 Undisputed: 360 / PS3
-WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania: 360 / PS3
-Wheelman: 360 / PS3

4 out of 21 are COMFIRMED 360, exclusives.
N/A's are more than likely not to even come out next year, counting for the fact, their trailers are purely CGI. You can even look for yourself. This article is fail.

[N4PS3G]

Nice list..can't wait for the 09 unannounced games....especially Mass Effect 2 and Peter Molyneux GDC games

[Danja]

Mass Effect 2 would just be awesome really enjoyed the 1st one...

[N4PS3G]

Yeah...awesome game..too bad it runs like $hit..

I wish they were doing another KOTOR instead of that stupid MMO

[N4360G]

A next-gen KOTOR game would be awesome.Mass Effect was a great game,but there was too many framerate issues.I hope Mass Effect 2 doesn't suffer from framerate issues.

[NicCageMYHero]

Am I the only person who really didn't have a problem with the way it ran? The framerate wasn't great in some parts but overall it ran well. One of my favorite games of this generation (MGS4 is the other)

[Pika-pie]

@NicCageMYHero

Nope, I had a problem with it. It ran like crap, I hoped it would be better after harddrive installs.. But it still runs like crap. Its still beyond me that reviewers didnt penalise this game more because of it.

[No Way]

I loved Mass Effect 1, and because of that the framerate(?) and pop-ins did not bother me.. The good out weighs the bad, immensely.

So, I think that's one reason the reviewers didn't really penalize it for those issues, they don't really ruin a game.. unless they are too bad, which in Mass Effect those issues weren't horrible.

[eagle21]

For $200 plus tax you can get no exclusives, horrible graphics (see Fable 2 and Too Human), the poor man's version of FFXIII, no HDD, no online, no Wifi, no HD movies, no web browser and a coffin for your troubles. :)

[NaiNaiNai]

for 400+$ you can play with these idiots. oh wait, why would anyone want to do that. i mean 600$ for wifi you will never use. a web browser that works better on your PC you have now. games that are on or are going to the 200$ so called POS. and a free warranty. or you could go with that 400+ actual POS with no tech support, lousy online play, a poor mans network. and really no 3rd party support. not to mention poor first party support where most games are broken on release and take 3+ weeks to get a patch.
-nai-

[eagle21]

Only on 360 does a game *cough, gears 2, cough* have horrendous problems that get overlooked in reviews and make end buyers mad as hell.

LittleBigPlanet outscored every exclusive in those lime green DVD cases. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a technical, gaming masterpiece (visit Gamespot or IGN). It outsold every 2008 360 exclusive, over 4.5 million highly impressed gamers. Happy gaming. :)

You sound like an RROD is coming in your life real soon.

[heroicjanitor]

you are an idiot. Just how is the 360's 3rd party support better? I always use wifi because I am too far for an ethernet cable.The 360 NEEDS a huge warranty. And if you're going to act like the ps3 has bad online play, we may as well go home. The 360 has marginally better online play(Their real victory is everyone has a mic), but you have to pay for it. It's stupid because it is the only online you have to pay for with pc games they have much better online yet it's free.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Make that "Superior MultiplatBox 180"

[NaiNaiNai]

i love rilling you guys up in the open zone its so easy.
-nai-

[ReTarDedFisHy]

Make that "NoLongerSuperior MultiplatBox 180"

Are you admitting that the 360 is only good for multiplatform games? And please, this "ZOMFG 360 multiplat games are better" is so 2007.
Burnout: Paradise? Call of Duty 4? Dead Space? Please stfu and gtfo.

[Stubacca]

I guess people of a young age or of limited means can be happy with a cheaper, inferior system. I want quality. I ONLY use wi-fi. I never hardwire anymore. The folk on PSN are far more mature (yes, even the sad gimps on Home trying to pick up chicks -who are probably dudes too!)

Online, the PS3 wins in my book. But I guess we have our own priorities. I'd rather pay more for a badass games system than dodgy online services. But that's just me.

-Written by Stubacca on his awesome PS3 using a wi-fi connection.

[mxdan]

Final Fantasy 13 probably won't be out on the 360 in 2009. The new trailer for it said for 'playstation 3 only 2009'.

Second at least half those games look generic and look like they'll suck, multiplat or not.

The only game in there that I want on the ps3 is Star Ocean 4. Square has become a whore though so there isn't much more I can do. (Not that she wasn't before she came to the playstation :P).

[MGOelite]

lol how is gears of war 2 going??? the last AAA 360 game in existance, its been what 6 weeks since its release and theres STILL MORE GLITCHES AND BUG THEN ALL OTHER GAMES PROVEN HERE:

http://x2theg.blogspot.com/...

OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

[joebahrjoebahr]

thats OLD buddy, besides its a blog.

good try though cutiepie.

[ReBurn]

I'm hopeful for 2009. Aside from a few rare gems 2008 was yet again the year of the shooter. Here's to hoping for more variety in 2009!

[heroicjanitor]

Why don't they name the exclusives? Otherwise you can just say games instead of 360 games.

[HemiHalo]

Probly because the 360 don't have much for exclusives for 09... 05-08 was good. Now it's Sony's turn.

[CViper]

Gears2 was the only AAA one.
Braid if you count XBLA games, thats 2..
Fable2 and Lost Odyssey.

Everything else was a flop by ps3 flop standards just saying.. the 360's last good year with unquestionable titles was 07.

MS definitely front loaded and hoped that they would kill sony off quickly. Lets only hope there are some major unnaounced games. But until then

Just wait.

[Halochampian]

The 360 had three. you forgot Left 4 Dead. I think Portal:Still Alive is one also.

Dont try to make the 360 sound like it had a terrible year. Three is good enough in a year when there will always be great multiplats coming out every year.

[Karum]

Left 4 Dead isn't exclusive.

Exclusive means it's only available on one platform, not multiple.

[Jazz4108]

OpenZone fanboy>>>>>> There waiting for you bent over with there mouth wide open

[MGOelite]

i know tell me about it, it was published a whole 5 days ago!!!! OMGWTFBBQ!!! and yet no patch for this sh!t, at least in socoms case they have got a patch and have given it a release date. unlike epic who just shovel sh!t to the 360 whores who just lick it up off the ground and treat it like gold.

[Sevir04]

hardly anything MS can call there own. most of those you can get on teh PS3.. and since when is FF13 on 360 in 2009? eh..... i though that was PS3 in japan 2009? considering NA and europe wont See FF13 till 2010.. mis informed. Well MS has Fall 09 locked with Halo recon sure to sell in the upwards of 6-8 million units.

I gan probably see splinter cell:Con, a few rare games, Ninja blade, Halo wars, Forza 3(maybe) PGR5, and alan wake if it shows up. and a slew of multiplats.

we shall see though

[Kush_Reaper]

Woah! only 1 exclusive(ninja blade) and an expansion pack(halo). Lets face it Star Ocean will end up on the ps3 soon after it's released on the 360. All that is left is mediocre multiplats. If you ask me i'd say microsoft is in real trouble with the lack of exclusive games, i wouldn't be suprised if they show the new 720 next year for the xbox fanboys to fork out more money.

OBAMA!!!

[Tiberium]

this is a horrible list. Alan wake, SC: conviction, mass effect 2, bioshock 2, Modern warfare 2, are supposed to be coming out in 2009.

[MrWonderful]

lol at ff13. it wont be on 360 til 2010 when it hits the US and EU on both consoles

[Rhoic]

Like they did for '08, '07 and '06.. guarantee you that there will be some big announcements.

They didn't even mention Forza Motorsport 3, Halo Wars, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell 5, GTA IV DLC, APB, Mass Effect 2, Huxley or Half-Life 2: Episode 3.. and god I hope Ep. 3 comes out next year.

[yz250]

microsoft doesn't "blow their load too early"

[Karum]

Wouldn't surprise me if MS had a few announcements, I think I read before that they did have some to make regarding games in '09.

@yz250 - Sony have also said they haven't announced all of their '09 releases either.

Besides, letting people know what they can look forward to next year is not a bad thing by any means.

[JHUX]

No offense, but I really hope they have some really big games that haven't been announced yet, cause right now it looks pathetic. From the list you gave the only thing for me of interest is Mass Effect 2 (possible multiplat?), and Splinter Cell.

Huxley is a maybe for me, it kind of has disappeared off the radar for a while, Half Life I will never play on anything but a PC, but that's only because I have had HL1 on my PC since the year it came out. I don't really consider DLC to be a game, and after beating GTA IV, and thinking to myself this is the worst GTA game I have ever played in my life, I have no desire to buy anything else from them until number 5, and to see if they brought back everything that made the GTA games so great.

Then it's hard to tell what might came out with microsofts current studios, I honestly don't seeing anything very big coming out, unless they drop a big load of cash.

I'm positive they will have some unannounced games that will come out, cause right now they will HAVE TO.

My opinions though, not trying to be so offsided here, but it's really truth for me, 08 and from the looks 09 will be better for ps3 owners. Not that HUGE of a problem, as one of my most anticipated games is RE5, so there will be plenty of multiplats that will be very good. Like 08 though, I will be even more broke in 09 haha.

[Matpan]

Wow... so what if they are multiplat?

The article does not say the best xbox 360 exclusives... says games...
so yup, we are facing an era of mostly multiplatform games, they cost too much to make, devs want to ensure the revenue is as high as possible. Exclusives surely play a role in your console of choice and shouldn´t be disregarded at all, but I think MS did a good job so far, let´s see what else does 2009 brings that´s unnanounced. Bare in mind it´s the 4th year in the life cicle of the 360, it has a larger user base, and while still needing to catter to new audiences, people that already own the console won´t sell and buy for exclusives, they´ll stick to the console they have. And that goes for the masses, not for the forum-reader-hardcore gamers...

That´s how MS must see it... if you ask me, I love exclusives, and hope MS does bring some new IPs in the near future.

I still find PS3 less attractive than the 360, besides the fact that it cannot be modded and though I buy an original now and then, I must admit, I play copies... I know it blows... but a single game here goes for 100 dollars (I live in argentina... and 1 dollar is 3,4 pesos... so that´s right, each game costs me 340 pesos, and my salary comes in pesos... so... it´s like companies almost expecting you to pay 340 dollars for a single game)

If you ask me, both sony and MS and Nintendo need to reevaluate their lauch programs and should make region locked content consoles, with game releases for otehr countries in the world at a more accessible price... really, they would sell more consoles and specially software, which nowadays is almost all left to piracy down here (and surely in many other non US non EU non Japanese countries :P). I mean... they could be making money they are not...

[Jazz4108]

nice reading but please use spell check

[DNAgent]

(Insert 21 multi-platform titles here)

[THELANDOFSAND]

The new batman game, ghostbusters, resident evil 5 and the fallout expansions are what i'm wating for. oh and the lost and the dammed expansion for GTA4 will be worth my $20...

[terrandragon]

Can you guys just for once say "looks like multiplats" or "no exclusives". Just be happy that these kinds of games ARE coming out, and they didn't even list Stormrise, which is a sleeper from Creative Assembly.

[Golfcoachh]

I know I will probably lose bubbles for this statement, but in this day and age of gaming, there will be less and less exclusive titles from third party companies. People who bought the 360 first will probably continue to buy games for it, since they are used to the system and controller. Those that bought a ps3 first or only, will be happy as well. Enough of the bashing. Can't we all just get along.

[Jdoki]

Off topic. I use Firefox at home, but am forced to use IE6 at work.

What sort of coders can't manage to make their site work in IE?

Jeez!

[yz250]

glad to see that 90% of the posts' in this thread are from non-owning xbox 360 people. thought the ps3 fancrowd "stayed away" from 360 news?? yea right. multiplats or not, this isn't a list of exclusives anyways- but no-one expects the sony group to know how to read, now do they???? and yea ALL these games are available on the xbox 360, so this article/list is CORRECT.

[Karum]

Personally, I just like to read gaming news tbh.

I'm not a 360 owner but reading 360 news now and again is interesting, you never know when there might be something to tempt me into buying the console.

And even at that I only read 360 news when it's sitting on N4G's front page as this one was, I don't click the 360 section any more often than once in a blue moon.

Ok sorry back on track.

Now whilst I get your point and in fact agree with it you surely have to see the point of some people in this "discussion".

We've just had an article about good PS3 games coming out next year and which this article right here was obviously inspired by. Now I don't see a date as to when this particular article was written but it was submitted here a fair while after the PS3 one so I'll assume it was inspired by that article.

That PS3 article was about truly exclusive games, not games on multiple consoles or even on 1 console and available for PC so surely you can understand why some people, fanboy or not would turn their noses up at this article.

You're 100% correct saying that the article is right in stating these are 360 games but what's the point of making a pro 360 article, showcasing 360's games when they're not really 360's games but in many cases, everyone's games?

I'm not disagreeing with you by any means, rather just trying to help put across the point that others are trying to but hopefully in a better way.

Here I'll even throw you a bubble in the hope this post isn't perceived as a silly fanboy rant.

[heroicjanitor]

The point is they should've said Best Games of 2009 instead of Best 360 Games, otherwise it is giving undue credit by naming so many when others only name ps3 exclusives

[AnttiApina]

How the hell... can't they forgot Alan Wake?

[rawd]

360 has no gamessssssss

[phosphor112]

"Treesixy gawt no gaymes!"

[whoaitztoan]

maan.. yahh xbox going to die soon 1xtreme 1.5 get it while it hot keep up the good work with hacking

[whoaitztoan]

hack that xbox 360mods.net

[yz250]

good points. the only thing is karum, i didnt write the article nor the title. sure it may needed to be different, but its not wrong neither. im just tired of things like this being posted, and as usual, the sony people come in these threads spreading their BS is all. anyways just got cod world at war so see you guys around. xbl name demented spirit (i'll be playing offline for a bit though)

[59fifty8]

they deserve it back in 06-07 the ps3 had no games now look.

[nickb]

anybody have a non firefox version my parents parents dont believe in firefox.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

The games that were first started on PS, I will continue to buy for my PS.

But where the multiplat thing hurts Sony is the fact that it cuts into the huge sales that COULD HAVE BEEN for ONLY PS, had they locked it down. The exclusiveness of for example the FF series (since it went to PS)... that would've been HUGE sales if it were still ONLY PS. But now it will take away from PS by not selling all the copies on just PS3. This is where Sonys huge games going MULTI are going to hurt them. Especially when the franchises were counted on to stay with Sony the whole time anyways!

Then what could potentially hurt Sony with SO MANY great games going multi. For FIRST TIMERS/NEW COMERS to next-gen gaming. It's cheaper to get generally the same expierence with the same game. They also don't care about blu-ray also, especially IF their ownly interest is to play games (Im a gamer before a movie watcher, the prices of them make them hard to buy, not to mention my PS3 IS a GAME CONSOLE 1st, BLURAY PLAYER 2nd). Not losing much. These are the people that truely don't care if one has better bloom effects, textures, more DLC, etc.. These are the people that just want a more graphical expierence then they know they could get on the Wii... not to mention a better library of solid games. This is also where 360 posts a threat!

So in those regards, I feel this list is far from passive as I can see the potential that it has for MS!

Sony just needs to start pushing out MORE exclusives and get cracking on fresh IPS. When they can out number MS with solid titles in both those catagorys... will they finally be recognized in the light I know they want to be in. Until then it seems that people are looking fine with the cheaper alternative!

This is my personal perspective!