From Polygon · Randy Rhodes · · 2m
Forgotten Xbox 360 Masterpieces
8 near-perfect Xbox 360 games that vanished from memory.
In brief
8 near-perfect Xbox 360 games that vanished from memory. Eight Xbox 360 games, forgotten by time but still influential, are revisited as forgotten masterpieces. Originally reported by Polygon.
Quick answers
- Why Forgotten?
- All eight games are now playable on Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility.
- What is the key takeaway from Forgotten Xbox 360 Masterpieces?
- Eight Xbox 360 games, forgotten by time but still influential, are revisited as forgotten masterpieces.
The Xbox 360 Era
The Xbox 360 era was a generation where publishers regularly bet on original ideas.
Forgotten Gems
Some of the generation's best games have been out of the conversation so long that a new wave of players has never heard of them.
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata, a social garden simulator developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios, launched on Xbox 360 on Nov. 9, 2.006.
Viva Piñata's Legacy
Viva Piñata was loved for its vivid art style, whimsical soundtrack, and surprisingly deep strategic gameplay.
Viva Piñata's Struggles
Sales started slow due to candy-colored art and tie-in cartoon dressing it as a kids' game on a console built for hardcore shooters.
Singularity
Singularity, a 2010 first-person shooter from Raven Software, sets you on Katorga-12, an abandoned Soviet island where Cold War experiments with E99 ripped time apart.
Singularity's Impact
The Time Manipulation Device (TMD) lets you age enemies into dust and rebuild collapsed staircases and crumbling bridges to their prime.
Crackdown
Crackdown, an open-world action game from Realtime Worlds, launched on Feb. 20, 2007, and sold over 1.5 million copies in six months.
Crackdown's Legacy
Crackdown 2 followed in 2010 to mixed reviews, but Crackdown 3 was so bad it killed the franchise.
1 vs. 100
1 vs. 100, a live TV trivia game show on Xbox Live Primetime, ran from 2009 to 2010 with over 114,000 players.
The Saboteur
The Saboteur, a Nazi-occupied Paris game, doubles as a gameplay mechanic by draining occupied districts to black and white.
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs, a crime-driven open-world game from United Front Games and Square Enix, launched on Xbox 360 in August 2012.
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2, a game from Volition, launched in October 2008 and felt more like a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas than GTA 4.
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey, a cinematic turn-based JRPG from Mistwalker, reached North America in February 2008.
Why Forgotten?
All eight games are now playable on Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility.
Conclusion
These forgotten Xbox 360 games are still influential despite being out of the conversation for years.
What it means
Eight Xbox 360 games, forgotten by time but still influential, are revisited as forgotten masterpieces.
