My Latest Xbox 360 Games

It’s been a while since I posted about my latest Xbox 360 exploits, so I decided it was time. Since my last post, I (and/or Boomer aka Sean) have acquired many new games. Boomer actually helped me with these reviews.

Gears of War

We got this game back in November and its been hard to put down since then. Its a third person shooter and the graphics are just phenomenal. The game play is very addictive and keeps you coming back for more. The weak point of the game is the storyline, but its not too bad as to distract from the excellent game play. Any kind of shooter game that does not offer the ability to take cover, is just plain and simple last gen. Boomer and I have made it through this game on all difficulty levels (normal, hardcore and insane). We haven’t ventured online too much yet to play this game, but all the reviews I read say it too is a strong point. A new map pack for Gears of War is coming out soon.

Maybe the best thing of this game is the fact that I can actually own Boomer in it. If you are a run and gun shooter, this game will take getting used to and you will die many times. It will make you think tactically and use any cover you can find. This may be one reason that I really like the game. For us the replay value has been high (ie finished on all difficulty levels). I still need to take at least one more run through it because somehow I missed 3 COGs (think soldier dog tags). This just may be the best game I have ever played on console or PC. If the storyline was better and more riveting, it would be a no brainer. If you have an Xbox 360, get this game.

Call of Duty 3

After the wonderful Xbox 360 launch title Call of Duty 2, it was a given that version 3 would come out. I was concerned about more of the same thing though that is not necessarily as the COD2 was very good. The visuals for COD3 were even better than COD2 though not on the same level as Gears of War. The gameplay remains riveting and the storyline is compelling. I guess I am growing a bit tired of the WWII era, but the game is still very good. The AI has been beefed up and makes for a challenge.

Unfortunately, we got Gears of War a few weeks after COD3 and it has been relegated to second class despite being a very good game. I am not the biggest shooter fan, so until I tire of Gears of War, COD3 may not see to much action which is not indicative of the game quality.

Tiger Woods 2007

We always have the latest golf game in our possession. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite genre to game in, it would be sports. While I still miss the Links series on the console, Tiger Woods is enjoyable. Especially when Boomer and I play together or when we have visitors over. Four players competing against each other in Tiger Woods is really really fun. As it turns out, I don’t play single player too much though it holds it own. The real fun for us, mostly in the past with the previous edition of Tiger Woods, but sure to be the same with this one, is multiplayer. Oh, and the create a player with face matching technology is an afternoon of family fun too. In Tiger Woods 06, the entire family (yes, including Savannah and Suzanne) created players and made the faces look like themselves. Okay, call us dorks, but it was fun. We are certain to pick a Saturday afternoon and do the same. Now, Suzanne and Savannah aren’t likely to ever play the game, but they still want a player that looks like them. Well, maybe not Suzanne, but the kids wont let her not have one.

Star Trek Legacy

This one is brand new. It combines all five major Star Trek Captains (Kirk, Picard, Archer, Janeway and Sisko) into one game. It is a real time simulation game, so if you are looking for a fast paced shooter type game, you will be disappointed. This game is much slower paced, but is still combat driven. Thus far, my biggest complaint would be the user interface. It seems overly complicated and has a steep learning curve. I still find myself struggling to remember the proper button or trigger sequence to get done what I need. It might be an age thing as Sean seems much more comfortable with the interface and gets things done a lot better than me. What we really need is my tactical skills with his controller skills. This game will get some play time in the future.

Viva Pinata

I am not really sure I can review this game as I have not played it and am not likely to play it. This game was a Christmas present for Savannah. She absolutely loves it and now competes for Xbox 360 time with Sean and I. She is further in the game than Sean is.

The premise of the game is for you to cultivate your field and attract all of these pinata creatures to come populate your garden. You have to nurture them and take care of them. Your actions in the game determine which pinatas come to your garden and whether or not they decide to live there. For you old time gamers, think Civilization or Sims but with pinatas. The kids absolutely love this game. It actually appears to be deep enough for older gamers too and is not solely aimed at kids. In fact, it will take some life experiences to get to the deeper parts of the game.

Why haven’t I played it? I can’t really say except I have a hard time getting excited about cultivating pinatas. The kids are constantly bugging me to try it and play is, so one day I will likely give it a spin. The worst part about this game is that it keeps showing up in my Xbox 360 blog as a game I am playing since when they start the Xbox 360 with the disc in, the console by default logs in my account and records me as playing the game. 😆

Upcoming Games

The most anticipated future game for us is Halo 3. I suspect it wont be available until closer to the end of the year, but we have played a lot of Halo and Halo 2. In fact, we still play it to this day. I just hope they don’t make me play as the Arbiter again though Sean wants that to come back. If Gears of War isn’t my favorite game, it would likely be one of the Halo games.

A couple of other games we are looking forward to are Mass Effect (an RPG) and perhaps Battlestations Midway (WWII naval recreation).