The Xbox 360 was slightly light on big budget Xbox 360 exclusive titles this year. But this year was about the strong summer XBLA line-up which was easily the one of the main highlights for the platform. Through its exclusives Microsoft sold many of us in the future of excellent small sized games.

10. Splosion Man: 

One of the successful XBLA titles was ‘Splosion Man. This game is easily one of the best platformers I have played in a long time. Based on the simple premise of simply exploding, through clever design, the game offered smart and highly challenging set pieces towards the end.

This was well complemented by a humorous setting where exploding on scientists would turn them into pieces of steak and fat scientists were literally used as meat shields against lasers. The game even has a challenging co-op mode where players must use each other explosions to get around. Best of all, the game comes at a great price of only 800 MS points (or $10)

Full review here.

9. Dragon Age: Origins: 

If you have a lot of free time and not a lot of cash to spend, then Dragon Age: Origins might be the game for you. A single play through alone can easily take from 50 to 70 hours. Dragon Age is a return to classical RPGs and proof that BioWare is the king of the genre.

In addition to an expectedly great and thorough story line and characters, the game evolves the good and bad deeds system from black and white to a whole lot of grey. Getting the best results sometime require using intimidation or even double crossing. Regardless of your choices, there would be some members in your party that would voice their discomfort with the decisions you make. These at times can even lead to them turning against you.

8. DJ Hero:

Before I had played DJ Hero, I saw the rhythm genre nothing more than a gimmick with expensive plastic controllers. However DJ Hero with its mixture of button pressing, scratching and fading just feels perfect for a DJ game. Activision has done an extraordinary job of bringing a DJ game to life. The great gameplay mechanics are backed up by some truly outstanding tracks. Mixing two songs together with the right gameplay mechanics make for a truly rewarding and satisfying experience.

Full review here. 

7. Prototype:

Contrary to other super heroes, Alex Mercer does not bother himself about being self righteous. His objectives are his only concern and he will reach them even if it means leaving waves of chaos. And boy, chaos is fun. Heck, he’ll even consume an innocent bystander simply to recover his health.

From elbow dropping tanks to performing flying kicks on helicopters, the game oozes of ‘cool’. Even traversing through the streets of New York by means of running really fast, taking humongous jumps and gliding around is a thrill in itself. This is one of the rare action games where it feels the game slows down when you take control of a tank.

Full review here. 

6. Street Fighter 4:

2009 was easily one of the best years for fighting games. The year saw the release of quality new IPs and sequels from some of the most established series. However Street Fighter 4 easily takes the crown for being the best fighting game this year.

Keeping with the tradition of the franchise, through its limited special moves the game is easy to play but offers many combos and tricks that make it hard to master. The new characters offer refreshing new fighting styles. The game also introduces additional fighting mechanics that offer a great amount of depth and evolve the series to new heights.

Full review here. 

5. Fifa 10:

Fifa 09 changed the trend for Electronic Arts and took the mantle of best soccer game from Konami’s Pro Evolution series. Fifa 10 builds on top of an already great game with their new 360 control system. In addition a multitude of other minor adjustments have been made that improve the AI of computer. They have also improved defenders and goal keepers to make for a much more balanced game. This culminates into a richer experience.

Besides the numerous features and skills, the game has a natural feel to it which makes it easy to pick up and play for novice players as well. The great and thorough online play furthers the experience and longevity.

4. Shadow Complex:

Shadow Complex revisits the 2D shooter genre that has taken a backseat in the world of 3D and open worlds. But the game is also a strong testament of the importance of quality over technical achievement. This 2D game is simplistic in nature but its action, adventure and exploration provides for a highly addictive experience.

Speaking of technical achievements, the game looks stunning. Its audio complements the great visuals and keeps the game on par with other high quality games. For a measly $15, it’s a downright steal.

Full review here. 

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum:

When it comes to making video games based on popular licenses, the gaming industry as a whole should learn from the success of Rocksteady Studios. Most game developers make the mistake of only focusing on the protagonist and the star of the show. Instead of simply creating a game based on Batman, the studio clearly did their homework by learning the ins and outs of the rich Batman universe and all its characters.

This results in a game that offers a very authentic Batman experience. By using a great script and hiring the right cast for the vocals, they managed to recreate and bring the rivalries between Batman and his enemies to the gaming medium.

Full review here. 

2. Modern Warfare 2:

Dodging falling helicopters, making getaways in snowmobiles, chasing gang members in the cities of Brazil and infiltrating oil rigs are just some of the things you take part in during the campaign for Modern Warfare 2. Although lasting only six hours, the campaign offers a greater adrenaline rush and action packed gameplay than the best shooters with standard length campaigns.

Special Ops mode offers an impressive variety of 25 missions that allow the thrill to be experienced in 2-player co-op. Its competitive multiplayer opens up even more customization options that even extend to kill streak rewards. Its levelling system offers a high level addiction that had only previously been reserved for RPGs.

Full review here. 

InsightBits Game of the Year: Assassin’s Creed 2:

Saying that Assassin’s Creed 2 is a major improvement over the first Assassin’s Creed would be a slight understatement. In addition to addressing the issues of repetition by offering a great variety in primary missions, the also game makes an assortment of tools and techniques available to the players.

Furthermore it also has two great side missions that have the player adventure through mysterious tombs and also keep an eye out for markings left by subject 16 that provide insight into the present period (Desmond’s time year 2012).

This parallel story telling of past and present is strengthened by a great script and direction. The story is definitely one of the most remarkable things about Assassin’s Creed 2. It’s a story that follows Ezio from his teenage years to the time he becomes a full fledged assassin. The game does a great job in providing details into the assassination targets and their roles which lead to death of Ezio’s father and brothers. This attaches a certain amount of emotion to them. This steady paced story leads to a very satisfying and fulfilling experience.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is a great example of that shows the prospect of video games having a better ability to tell a story compared to movies that is primarily due to the latter’s lack of time and interactivity. 

Full review here.