Halo 3 tops XBL activity in 2008

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jan 5, 2009 12:57 pm PT

Microsoft dubs Bungie's sci-fi FPS as most-played online Xbox 360 game; Castle Crashers crowned Arcade champ.

About this time last year, Microsoft was profusely apologizing for extensive outages to its online hub, Xbox Live. Luckily, Xbox Live's holiday 2008 performance was not a repeat of last year, giving Microsoft leeway to tout the most-played Xbox 360 and original Xbox games on the service throughout the year.

Microsoft and Bungie Studios' Halo 3, a commercial and critical powerhouse released for the Xbox 360 in September 2007, landed in the top position for 2008. Through November, the game had shifted 5.4 million units in the US alone, according to the NPD Group. The game's first full expansion, Halo 3: ODST, is expected to arrive for the Xbox 360 this fall. Another holdover from 2007, Activision and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4, scored the runner-up slot, followed by Rockstar's top sales performer Grand Theft Auto IV.

The three best-selling Xbox Live Arcade games, oddly enough, were all released within a month of each other. The Behemoth's long-in-the-making beat-'em-up Castle Crashers sold the most units in 2008, with Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 placing second. One of the top-rated games for the year, Jonathan Blow's Braid, rounded out the top three as measured by units sold.

Mimicking the Xbox 360's chart, Microsoft and Bungie's Halo 2 scored top honors for online activity for the original Xbox. The game, first released in November 2004, was the top-performing game on Xbox Live up until November 20, 2006, when it was ousted by Epic Games' Gears of War. Gears of War placed just behind its 2008 sequel on the Xbox 360 chart, with the pair falling into fourth and fifth according to Microsoft's accounting.

The top 20 Live games of 2008, broken down by platform, are listed below.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games
1. Halo 3
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
3. Grand Theft Auto IV
4. Gears of War 2
5. Gears of War
6. Call of Duty: World at War
7. Guitar Hero III
8. Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
9. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
10. Rock Band
11. Fable II
12. Mirror's Edge Demo
13. Madden NFL 09
14. Battlefield: Bad Company
15. Rainbow Six Vegas 2
16. Uno
17. Castle Crashers
18. Call of Duty: World at War Multiplayer Beta
19. Forza Motorsport 2
20. Too Human Demo

Top Arcade Games (based on full-version purchases)
1. Castle Crashers
2. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
3. Braid
4. A Kingdom for Keflings
5. Uno
6. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
7. Fable II Pub Games
8. Duke Nukem 3D
9. Bionic Commando: Rearmed
10. Worms
11. Soulcalibur
12. Portal: Still Alive
13. Doom
14. 1942: Joint Strike
15. Bomberman Live
16. Mega Man 9
17. N+
18. Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
19. Marble Blast Ultra
20. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1. Halo 2
2. Fable
3. Star Wars: Battlefront 2
4. Counter-Strike
5. Fable: Lost Chapters
6. Doom 3
7. Conker: Live Reloaded
8. Splinter Cell Chaos
9. Star Wars: KOTOR
10. Star Wars: Republic Commando
11. Star Wars: Battlefront
12. Burnout 3
13. Guilty Gear XX #Reload
14. Gauntlet Seven Sorrows
15. Call of Duty 3
16. Ninja Gaiden Black
17. Crimson Skies
18. MechAssault 2
19. Call of Duty 2
20. Rainbow Six 3

235 Comments

  • Intrakitt

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 4:39 pm PT

    What I was trying to get across with that message is that Halo might not be realistic but that doesn't mean it's goofy. It is an extraordinary FPS game. I've played them all and watched their progression over the ages, and no other game comes close to being nearly perfect multiplayer-wise as Halo does. Even the largest games don't feel too cluttered, unlike some other games (cough cough Resistance 2 cough Killzone 2).

  • Intrakitt

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 4:35 pm PT

    Mac11: You can say all that stuff about any shooter. I think CoD 4 is tacky and not realistic at all, though that seems to be what a lot of people like about it. You can't just spam grenades in reality, nor can you just shank someone while your running and keep running. If a shooting game were realistic, it would be a tedious game of duck and cover and peek out to shoot, miss continuously, keep taking cover, reload, rinse and repeat. It would be the most boring game ever. The average death would occur like every 20 minutes.

  • JRod1981

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 2:55 pm PT

    anybody else here think battlefield bad company online is better than cod. i think it is way better. the best multiplayer game i have ever played. good to see it on the list.

  • SpideR_CentS

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 2:45 pm PT

    bizuit -
    "People play Rianbow Six 3 still? That game almost got me kicked out of college....back in very early of 04!"

    Yeah, I played this game like a pheene for years. I still pop in on every once in a while and still people are playing.

  • SpideR_CentS

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 2:29 pm PT

    Good to see one of my fav games of all time on any list in 2008. That would be Rainbow Six 3.

  • StarlightHunter

    Posted Jan 20, 2009 3:03 pm PT

    im supprised cod4 isnt at the top because most people on my friends list are either on that or world at war. not that its of mijority. i must disagree with your views on halo 3, yes its tacky and the graphics and engine are lack luster but its a fun game to play. lets hope halo odst is better.

  • cookie857

    Posted Jan 18, 2009 10:52 pm PT

    whats wrong with rainbow six 3? yeah but what i cant believe is counter strike

  • aag360360

    Posted Jan 17, 2009 2:10 pm PT

    "My opinion: Halo 3 is a tacky, unoriginal, albeit pretty shooter and I can't believe so many people play it, played it, or still play it. There, I said it. I could criticize it more, don't want to."

    Amen to that.

  • weezyindamuluva

    Posted Jan 15, 2009 4:11 pm PT

    I think it was obvious that halo and cod would be up there. they have been there since second one and there was nothing in their way. both have beastly online. halo just has a bigger fanbase and bigger appeal imo. MC will live on 4ever in my heart...no homo

  • JaredTrotterboy

    Posted Jan 14, 2009 12:55 pm PT

    can't wait for Halo Recon

  • Mac11_Fanboy

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 7:56 pm PT

    How is GOW2 in there? surely it couldn't rack up that many UNIQUE players in the 7 weeks of 2008 it was out? Same with world at war. I smell some spin over those figures.

    My opinion: Halo 3 is a tacky, unoriginal, albeit pretty shooter and I can't believe so many people play it, played it, or still play it. There, I said it. I could criticize it more, don't want to.

  • Shimowini

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 4:28 pm PT

    halo 3 its easily the best shooter of the moment. Bungie its making a great job supporting the game in many different ways that makes the game even a better expirience. halo 3 its the only system seller game right now in my opinion and clearly diserves to be Nº 1 in this list

  • RSA13

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 3:43 pm PT

    halo 3 RULES!!

  • buffdaddy69

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 7:47 am PT

    As much as i hated the campign mode and story in Halo 3, I still love the multiplayer. Team CTF and Team Snipers are always gonna be vicious.

  • cod4_MADDOG104

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 4:03 am PT

    halo 3 is awsome

  • bizuit

    Posted Jan 12, 2009 7:09 pm PT

    People play Rianbow Six 3 still? That game almost got me kicked out of college....back in very early of 04!

  • bennae66

    Posted Jan 11, 2009 11:09 pm PT

    ssf2thdr for the arcade flag! my god, you wouldnt want to have to say that fast 3 times with a gun to your head.

  • CursiveSaturn

    Posted Jan 11, 2009 1:41 pm PT

    Good to see Call of Duty 4 was in there. Halo has earned its first place position by having such a big fan base while Call of Duty 4 has so many fans just because of multiplayer. If CoD had more of a continuing storyline instead of seperate wars with completely different characters, they could attract even more gamers.

  • StJimmy15

    Posted Jan 10, 2009 8:51 pm PT

    no matter what ppl say, halo = what video games should be.

  • Trogeton

    Posted Jan 10, 2009 1:10 pm PT

    No surprise, I mean this game has been out, and has won more xbl players than any other 360 game, call of duty coming in second is like a promise.. thats an awesome game too

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