Disclaimer: These are ONLY games I have played. I realize that there are many great games out there which I have not played.
19. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Reason: This game was *brutally* fun; it was everything the movie should have been. Playing as Wolverine as a true-to-the-comics Wolverine was totally badass. Being able to leap across at some rifleman and impale him with your claws, or get into a fight with a shotgun-wielding dude only to turn it back on him and fire off a round into their face. The quicktime events were badass, and some of the cinematic sequences were so bloody and gory I couldn't help but love it. Seriously, stabbing a guy in the torso and then RIPPING HIM IN HALF has never been so gratifying.
Why it's not ranked higher: While the gameplay was polished and well-done, it's still not too much of a step away from other action games in that genre. The campaign was fun, but there isn't really a need to play it twice other than some meaningless unlockables.
"OH SHIT" moment: Leaping from jeep to jeep driving away from an approaching tidal wave from an underground dam, and systematically SHREDDING the enemies into bits.
18. Gears of War
Reason: This was the "what multiplayer game do I play while I wait for Halo 3?" game, and it turned out to be the first of a slew of third person shooters on the next gen systems. The cover system was intuitive and well-thought out, and I never really felt like I was "sticking" to something unnecessary or in an odd way. Some new weapons introduced interesting multiplayer game mechanics like the Hammer of Dawn and the torquebow (which influence a ridiculous amount of games these days) made the multi a fresh experience. The plot was pretty decent, but a bit generic in a "Save the world" kind of way, but that's pretty much what every game is about anyways. I've never actually beaten a Gears of War game playing by myself, I've always done co-op, and Gears is definitely tailored to be a co-op experience (always a bonus in my book),
Why it's not ranked higher: Another one of those games that use 2-3 colors: brown, gray... and red (for the blood). And while as much as I like apocalyptic aliens ruining my planet and having to fight back, I can only take so much of that genre. Marcus isn't a very developed hero and suffers from the typical "total badass that grunts a lot" syndrome. When your supporting character has more depth than the lead, something isn't right.
"OH SHIT" moment: Chainsawing someone in the face for the very first time.... DAMN!
17. Halo: ODST
Reason: I'm expecting a lot of shit for this. Honestly, I liked the campaign far more than Halo 2 or 3, which were essentially the campaign of Halo 1 but repeated with more Halos or some other stupid detail to milk the franchise. ODST, however, puts you in the boots of a spec ops soldier without all the ridiculous capacity for killing that Chief had. I know that realism isn't what Bungie is striving for, and I certainly don't look for realism as the chief factor of a game's quality, but I did appreciate having to use my resources more carefully and even avoid fights I know I probably couldn't win. The interarcing character levels were a neat puzzle that brought some personality to ODST, and the voice acting was exceptional (Nathan Fillion, Tricia Helfer, etc.)
Why it's not ranked higher: It's the same multiplayer as Halo 3 with Horde mode from Gears of War 2, and the campaign can be beaten in less than 10 hours (I think I beat it in 8)... so it really should have been an expansion to Halo 3 instead of a standalone title. And honestly, the gameplay is just Master Chief with some handicaps put on.
"OH SHIT" moment: I can't really remember one, honestly. Maybe getting owned by a Brute the first time after owning them as Chief in previous games.
16. Darksiders
Reason: Essentially, Darksiders is a blend of Zelda and God of War. There's combat which is really relegated to just two buttons (and then holding down a trigger for some special powers) and A LOT of puzzles. However, none of the puzzles are incredibly difficult and I only had one frustrating experience with them... but I eventually figured it out after about 20 minutes. The story is pretty predictable and kind of interesting if you're into Revelations from the bible or any of that religious apocalyptic (this word is coming up a lot) stuff. However, the art for this game is fantastic and very well-conceived. I really enjoyed this game and the different quirks it kept throwing as it progressed. You don't unlock all your tools and weapons for puzzle solving within the first two hours of the game, it's a constant upgrading mentality that kept the game fresh the whole time which was very nice.
Why it's not ranked higher: Darksiders didn't really bring anything NEW to the genres it was smashing together, it just took the best bits of them and came up with its own story. Also, the screen tearing could get pretty awful at times, but when I was about halfway through the game THQ put a patch out that appeared to fix the majority of it, so problem solved.
"OH SHIT" moment: I don't remember at what point in the game this was, but there was a boss where you're jumping around all over him legolas style and you just fucking stab him everywhere and then finally end in a decapitation, and it all looks really good.
15. Battlefield 1943
Reason: If there was ONE arcade game from XBLA that people should have bought, this was it. It's not "Battlefield 1942 stripped down", it's seriously the full Battlefield experience. The maps are, as Battlefield's always are, quite large and full of vehicles. I personally thought flying the fighter planes was the most fun; strafing any bases and dropping bombs was very cool... and then the next moment you're in a dog fight with an enemy... also very cool (there's even a game mode JUST for dogfights.) There's three classes to choose from, and they're pretty rock-paper-scissors and seemed well-balanced for the amount of time I played it (I logged in over 200 matches). All in all, a very quality multiplayer experience for only $15 I think it was at the time I bought it.
Why it's not ranked higher: There's no single player campaign (although that wasn't a surprise), and there's only three maps for the land battles. However, they are not symmetric so really there's more like six maps, three for each team. Also, other than dogfight game mode, there's only the standard "Conquest" gametype, capture bases and hold on to them as long as you can.
"OH SHIT" moment: Trying to escape from an enemy fighter plane on your tail, then pulling a Will Smith from Independence Day by flying between two buildings at the perfect angle, and the guy chasing you collides with one and blows up. What a nub.
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