Has it really been three years since the Xbox 360 was released? Microsoft's second console has had a couple of strong holiday seasons, and while this year's crop of titles may not be quite as strong as last year's (mainly due to the absence of a certain helmet-clad super soldier), there are still a lot of big exclusives. High-profile sequels like Gears of War 2 and Fable II rule the proverbial roost, but there are some promising new third-party titles in the mix, including EA's Dead Space and Valve's Left 4 Dead. In an attempt to help you better plan your holiday season, we've compiled a list of some of the Xbox 360's biggest games for your reading (and viewing!) pleasure.

Since this is a selection of what we consider to be the system's biggest titles of the upcoming holiday season, you'll find that it's not an all-encompassing list of coming releases. To find out when your most anticipated game is coming out, take a look at our full Xbox 360 release date list.



Gears of War 2

Marcus Fenix is back, and he's on a mission to help his best buddy Dom find the woman he loves. This isn't War and Peace, though, as Epic's Cliff Bleszinski is quick to remind. Gears of War 2 will once again be a high-octane action-packed shooter filled with blood-gushing chainsaw wounds and plenty of epic battles.


New to Gears of War 2 are multiplayer features that should keep this one in your drives for a long time to come. We're particularly excited about modes like Wingman, which pit five two-player teams against each other, and Horde, which plays out like old-school Smash TV. In this mode, wave after wave of Locust swarm your squad, as your resourcefulness and skills are tested to see just how long you can survive.

Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 is not just about flashy graphics, though its visuals are exceedingly impressive. It's an open-world experience, where as a mercenary earning an honest day's pay for stirring up trouble in Africa you'll blow things up, shoot people to bits, and otherwise make a name for yourself in the cutthroat world of killers-for-hire.


You'll be impressed by the different play options the game offers. There are numerous mercenaries to choose from, and each will have their own motivations for selling themselves out to the highest bidder. It's not all about money, though. The friends you make in the savannah can end up being important in the future, so it's a good idea to be nice to your contacts and not burn any bridges. That is, unless there's a nice reward for torching the bridge in question.

Fable II

If you go back and read our very first preview of Fable II and compare that to our most recent, you'll notice that you can divide Mr. Molyneux's promises into two categories: those that seem to be in the game as initially described and those that can't be confirmed without a thorough playthrough. Way back when, we had our doubts about whether developer Lionhead Studios could actually achieve the goals that it had set for itself, but now we've seen proof of many in preview builds.


In Fable II's current state, however, there are certain things that simply can't be gauged yet in terms of whether they've even been implemented or not. For example, we won't know if towns will really grow out of tiny caravan settlements until we've actually witnessed it first-hand, and that could take years of in-game time. As it stands, with the dog, combat and co-operative play all appearing to function properly, we're inclined to believe that Fable II is already going to be pretty fun. But even after nearly two years' worth of previews, we still need more time to figure out if Molyneux's reach has exceeded his grasp once again.