Best Xbox Game
The Xbox had another great year in 2004, and whittling our list of finalists down to just five games was a real challenge. In deciding which Xbox game stands out as the best of the best, there are a number of factors that we have to consider, including their technical merits, lasting value, and impact on the industry, as well as the amount of fun that we've had with them since their release. It's unfortunate that there can be only one winner when so many games are deserving of recognition in a single year, and it's unlikely that any of you who think that the choice is an obvious one have played all five of the finalists enough for your decision to be considered well informed. The important thing is that 2004 was a great year to own an Xbox, 2004 was a great year to have an Xbox Live account, and 2005 will be a great year to play any of the following five games if you haven't already:
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This exceptional first-person shooter frequently delivers thrilling, memorable, and unique moments in its online, co-op, and single-player modes. It holds its own alongside all the great PC shooters released in 2004, and is certainly one of the best games released for any platform this year.
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Team Ninja's challenging action adventure game is as difficult to fault as it is to beat. The visuals are some of the very best ever to grace the Xbox, the camera controls are slick, and the gameplay will keep even the most skilled players engrossed for a good 20 hours.
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One of the best racing games ever made, Criterion's latest is so good that even crashing your car is invariably an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Innovative, addictive, and so fast that it'll make your eyes bleed, Burnout 3 seems destined to influence just about every racing game that follows it in some way.
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In a genre where a lesser game might have gone unnoticed in a year that saw the releases of Halo 2 and a number of high-profile PC titles, this movie-inspired shooter from a previously unknown developer did just about everything right, and did it months before the competition.
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Digitial Illusions' superb rally racing sequel is easily one of the best driving games available for any platform right now, and like most Xbox titles published by Microsoft, its Xbox Live support is exemplary. A great-looking game with gameplay to match.
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And the Winner is...
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