Juan Xavier Larrea

This was another great year for Xbox hardcore gamers and casual alike. Not as jam-packed as last year, true, but with the NXE and a low price of $199 for the arcade version, there’s no reason for not buying the best gaming console out there.

These are my picks for the top 5 best Xbox 360 games of 2008.

Gears of War 2

Yes, it’s buggy and a glitchers heaven. Matchmaking is laggy and takes forever. But god damn, it’s friggin’ Gears of War.

If ‘Gears 2′ (as the cool kids call it) were a movie, it would be the action blockbuster of the year. It won’t win any awards. The story is mindless. But there’s enough brawn, hostile aliens and gnarly explosions to grow a beard with. And there’s friggin’ chainsaws strapped to the bottom of machine guns, for crying out loud!

With the best graphics and sound you can find in any other console game (shame on you PS3) this game is a technical wonder and definitely the best action game of 2008.

Fallout 3

Wait: A massive post-apocalyptic setting, absorbing gameplay and “Elder Scrolls: Oblivion” with guns? This is the second best role-playing game for Xbox 360 (Mass Effect still holds championship in my book). It is a complete package of great graphics and sound, a solid story (minus the ending …) a huge well designed world filled with great characters, and rewarding exploration and bloody satisfying combat.

Just a little piece of advise: If you plan to finish all the gazillion secondary quests available or just explore the whole thing, do it before going trough the main quest; after completing it you won’t be able to continue the game just like Oblivion. I learned this the hard way.

Fable II

Fable II was an unexpected surprise for me. I’m not really into trivial and childish storylines but the role-playing game’s openness, fantastic dream-like graphics and widespread appeal makes this an unbelievably engaging experience.

That, or the little child in me just had plain fun with this game.

Left 4 Dead

Two of our absolute favorite things in the entire world – co-op gaming and zombies – in one game is like a dream come true. Left 4 Dead puts you smack dab in the middle of a zombie outbreak and you have to get not only yourself, but your friends as well, out of danger by blasting through hundreds (and i mean hundreds) of the undead. Honestly, it is like playing through the best scenes from every zombie movie ever.

Even better, thanks to fantastic A.I. and clever game design, every time you play Left 4 Dead it will be a different experience so it never really gets old. L4D is a game that is going to keep going strong for a long time to come.

Mirror’s Edge

Mirror’s Edge is one of the most polarizing titles of 2008 as you either loved it for its gorgeous visuals, great music, and fresh take on what a first-person title could be or you hated it due to its trial and error nature and lack of twitchy violence. It does take a lot of practice and patience to really get the most out of Mirror’s Edge, but when everything clicks it is one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences out there.

DICE deserves credit for taking a risk with something new, thinking outside the box, and making a first-person Parkour game that (amazingly) doesn’t give everyone simulator sickness. Seriously, that last bit is quite an accomplishment. Lets hope more devs are willing to take risks like this in the future.

BONUS: GRiD

By far the most stunning looking game on the 360. The graphics are one of the biggest stunners of this game and the gameplay is insanely addicting. It sits in between pure arcade racing games and racing simulators; a perfect blend in my opinion. The best racing game for the 360.

And yes, the image above is an in-game screenshot. That’s how amazing the graphics are.

BONUS: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo - HD Remix

Super Street Fighter 2 with 1080p HD graphics and remastered in-game music, sound and zero lag Xbox Live matches. It’s a game for the fans and the fans love it.