If you're shopping for one of the lucky few that will have an Xbox 360 by Christmas (read our in-depth Xbox 360 primer), you'll find that, like any new console, the size of the 360's game selection is a little lacking. Still, there's enough for most tastes and giving a game for someone's coveted new toy is sure to earn you serious kudos. On the other hand, if you're planning to buy a 360, it's not that easy. Shortages are expected, so your best bet is to avoid specialist stores and do the rounds at the big electronics chains.
On the accessories side, you might consider the always-popular extra controller, an Xbox Live one-year subscription ($60), or a snazzy new faceplate. The wired controllers (or wireless ones with the Play & Charge kit) can be used on a PC, too.
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Call of Duty 2
The best by far of the year's WWII shooters, Call of Duty 2 combines outstanding graphics with compelling (and sometimes grim) realistic combat. Taking in a variety of wartime locations across northern France, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, the single-player game has some welcome wide-open, dynamic levels that play differently each time through -- a far cry from the stage-managed stuff most WWII games get away with. The game also purrs on the Xbox 360 and is a definite showcase for the system.
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Project Gotham Racing 3
Despite the peculiar name, the Project Gotham Racing series has been a favorite of Xbox owners for years. With the launch of the 360, it's even better, thanks to a vastly enhanced graphics engine that makes its cityscape surroundings look almost real. One of the big new additions in the third PGR game is a new in-car view that models everything around the driver for added realism. Great Xbox Live features and equally sound single-player options make this outstanding package a must buy for any 360 owner.
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Gun
Hunt bounties, ride with the Pony Express, and mine gold in this Grand Theft Auto-style Western escapade. Thanks to an outstanding plot and strong voice work from the likes of Kris Kristofferson and Brad Dourif, Gun brings the Old West to the 360 with class. You're free to roam around the game's enormous landscape at will, taking on jobs as you find them, and the quick-draw gunfights hit the mark perfectly. It's just right for any Clint Eastwood wannabe.
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Amped 3
Now here's how to make an original game from a well-trodden theme. Snowboarding sequel Amped 3 has a simplified, fighting game-style control system, an all-new look that takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources, a massive music selection of over 300 tracks, and seven huge mountains to explore. In between runs down the mountain, it's a veritable barrage of sound clips, music, and rapid-fire video; once you're on the piste, it's a well-honed and slick trick racer.
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Condemned: Criminal Origins
Pegged as one of the best games of launch day, Condemned: Criminal Origins is an inspired survival-horror shooter with an original line in melee combat and a variety of crime-solving forensic tools to play with. Condemned is one of the games that'll show off the 360's visual capabilities to best effect, but all that graphical splendor is used to display some pretty grim goings-on. In other words, this is a great choice for adult gamers, but best to keep it away from the little ones.
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Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
The only game in the 360's current lineup to be licensed from a movie, King Kong is based on the Peter Jackson movie of the same name. Following the film closely, it lets you play both the movie's hero, Jack Driscoll, and the oversized ape himself. Lumbering about as King Kong shows off the 360's abilities to great effect and the game includes the real voices of the film's cast. Kong isn't the only gigantic beast around -- you'll also be chased by Tyrannosaurus Rexes, giant centipedes, pterodactyls, and even some creatures that aren't in the movie.
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Need for Speed: Most Wanted
This long running street/arcade racing series speeds onto the 360 in style. Although the feature list is identical to its cousins on the current generation of systems, this is the type of title where flashy visuals carry the game a long way. And Most Wanted certainly looks stunning, relaying blistering speeds, a stylish bullet-time Speedbreaker, and plenty of tuning options to keep gearheads happy.
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