Underrated Xbox 360 games that age best

Not every Xbox 360 game, whether first-party or third-party, cross-platform or exclusive, could reach the level of status Gears of War or Hello 3. For every AAA experience that was recorded, another was thrown under the bus.

The funny thing today is that many of these more polished experiences last less because they focused on high-end graphics rather than what makes games so special: gameplay. While the following Xbox 360 games aren't perfect, they hold up better than many Xbox 360 games that were criminally underrated when they were first released.

Asura's Wrath

Dragon Ball In All But Name

Asura's Wrath is an action game at heart, but also relies heavily on Quick-Time Events. The basic plot is that Asura is betrayed by the gods and then seeks revenge to save his daughter.

There is some action against mobs of enemies and a bit of light exploration, but overall this game is about boss fights, which are pretty much basic pieces. This is the game that would come out if God of War and Dragon Ball Z dated, and that's not a bad thing.

Binary domain

On the brink of the fall of humanity

Binary domain takes place in the future, where androids live peacefully among humans, but thanks to a virus, everyone has started to turn. In the missions, players will control a group following the leader Daniel, who can issue orders.

Doing well in missions will improve the relationship between these characters, and there will also be minor gear tweaks between rounds. It's a rare example of a game that was perhaps too narrow for its own good, but it reigns supreme as a cover shooter fighting a robot army.

Bulletstorm

Spice Sagittarians

Bulletstorm is almost a parody of the first-person genre, but one thing it didn't skimp on was the gameplay. Players can acquire a variety of weapons along the way, but only two mechanics really matter: the boot and the electric tether.

Using a rope, players can pull an enemy in and then kick them off cliffs, into cactus groves to gut them, into traps, and more. The game rewards creativity even between kills, so the wilder players are, the more fun they'll have overall.

Dante's Inferno

The God of Catholicism

Dante's Inferno was an adaptation of a famous epic poem Divine comedy. It was different God of War clone but slightly more 1:1 compared to Asura's Wrath.

As the night of the cloth, players will delve into the underworld and battle demons with their scythe. The combat and exploration weren't amazing at the time, and it felt fake at the time because it seemed like it was just a mindless clone, but looking back now, it's a better game once players add up all the pieces.

Dragon Age 2

Pretty good sequel actually

Dragon Age 2 was disappointing for Dragon Age fans because it was shorter and was mostly contained within one city that branched off into different dungeons. Compared to the original game, which had numerous branching paths and customization options, it was a valid point to have in the sequel, but it's a lot better than all the negative rhetoric at the time.

What Dragon Age 2 does with his city is great for an RPG. The combat was more action-packed and better to play, and the character interactions were just as satisfying. Sometimes a shorter sequel doesn't hurt, and sequels don't always have to be better than their previous iterations, just as long as the game is fun.

Enslaved: Odyssey To The West

Horizon minus zero dawn

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is less impressive Uncharted game, but before that it made a beautiful post-apocalypse The last of us or Horizon Zero Dawn. Players control Monkey, whom the girl Trip forces to accompany her on an adventure through destroyed civilizations.

There's plenty of platforming, pole swinging and even surfing. The robot enemies aren't too tough and the combat is somewhere in between God of War and Batman Arkham games, so overall it's enjoyable.

Saboteur

Take back Paris

Saboteur is a World War 2 game set in Paris that appears in black and white because it was taken over by the Nazis. As a rebel spy/racing car driver working with the resistance, players can save neighborhoods and in return restore the colors of the world.

It's a cool effect that rewards players every time they complete a mission, but it also robs the game of its killer black and white aesthetic, so it's a double-edged sword. Either way, this chaotic open-world game holds up better than others of the era thanks to style and content.

Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron

Autobots vs Decepticons

Transformers: War for Cybertron is one of the few originals Transformers games that don't feel like hoarding money. Players can choose to play as either the Autobots or the Decepticons, and each side has its own campaign and playable characters.

The third-person shooting is good enough, but the real hook is quickly transforming into other machines at the touch of a button. Its sequel, Transformers: Fall of Cybertronis also good but unfortunately it is very hard to play both games these days.

Defeat

Shoot To Kill

Defeat is one of the few PlatinumGames titles that is strictly a shooter but has a twist. The story doesn't matter because all you need to know is that you're a space soldier fighting a war with an experimental suit that allows you to bend time. W

when players dodge attacks or powerslide between cover spots, time will slow down. The gunfights and time mechanics are incredible, even if the story doesn't win awards. Defeat it's still fun and unique as a shooter even today, between the original version and its remaster.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Gears Of Space War

It's hard to keep track of everyone Warhammer game because they come out quite often, which is how the titles like it Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine flew under the radar. This original game gets a second look thanks to its sequel and perhaps holds up even more than the sequel.

Players will enter linear levels where they will battle hordes of orcs with all manner of weapons from bolt guns to chainsaw swords. The best equivalent is Gears of War in terms of tone, except for more forward-pushing action and less time spent in cover.