Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)

Modernising the classic Fallout formula was never going to be an easy task but Bethesda managed it, and in some style, with this epic, endlessly playable RPG masterclass.

Fallout 3 takes the dark, subversive humour, post-apocalyptic setting and choice-driven gameplay of the original Fallout RPGs and drags it kicking and screaming back to life here in an enormous game that gives us a great big chunk of Washington DC wasteland to get busy killing, dying and making friends and enemies in.

The all new VATS system of combat provides plenty of hilariously OTT and gruesome action, conversations have endless permutations and choices to be made and, overall, you're given the freedom to play as you please here. Follow along with the zany plot, nuke a small town, act like a maniac, stab everything you see, join a faction, help those in need or just disappear into the irradiated wastelands in search of dungeons, loot and lots of trouble. Fallout 3 lets you have it all.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes

Fez (Xbox 360)

An indie puzzle platforming classic, Fez is an endlessly engaging, mind-bending game that's also surprisingly relaxing, intuitive and, most importantly, fun to get to grips with.

Watching Gomez's beautiful little 2D world transform into this complex 3D wonder as you rotate it through 90 degrees at a time, realigning platforms, solving puzzles and revealing secrets as you go is a beguiling experience that's full of wonderful "a-ha!" moments. What could have been a tortuous challenge is instead a thoroughly enchanting time that weaves clever puzzles with lots of quirky characters and interesting subtext as you gather the cube fragments necessary to return harmony and balance to your little retro-inspired world. Fez is a magical creation.

  • Backwards Compatible? No

Forza Horizon (Xbox 360)

The very first entry in a now hugely successful series, this 2012 spin-off from the Forza Motorsport franchise raised the bar for open world racers, delivering a great big chunk of Colorado for players to spin around in.

Forza Horizon was, and still is, a beautifully crafted slice of freewheeling arcade action, a heady mix of motors and music that sees you attempt to become champ of the Horizon Festival by competing in all-manner of road races, rallying, drift events and off-road activities. It may lack the completely open world feel of later entries in the series but, with a phenomenal looking settings, seamlessly integrated online and a never-ending supply of fantastic vehicles to tool around in, this was a hell of a way for Forza Horizon to introduce itself on the gaming stage.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes

Gears of War (Xbox 360)

One of this writer's very first experiences of the Xbox 360 was watching a friend roadie run through one of Gears of War's opening levels and, it's fair to say, minds were well and truly blown that day.

A graphical tour de force, a game that introduced the aforementioned roadie run and popularised the hugely satisfying active reload mechanic, Gears of War also brought the world Marcus Fenix and his ridiculously gruff band of Gears warriors, the last line of defence against the Locust hordes.

Gears was a masterclass in pulse-pounding shooter action, a new standard in cover-shooting and a game that excelled at punchy, violent, jaw-droppingly spectacular action set-pieces. Later entries became a little too bloated for our money, but the original is a wonderfully slick, insanely good-looking showstopper that really showed us all, early on in its life cycle, just what the Xbox 360 was capable of.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes, and available in its Ultimate Edition form

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (Xbox 360)

Starting out life as a minigame in the excellent Project Gotham Racing 2, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is a polished up full release for the twin-stick classic that's a fiendishly addictive fever dream to play.

What at first appears to be a simple enough arcade shooter soon reveals its hidden depths as you engage and learn and begin to identify enemy patterns in the swirling neon swarms that head directly for your tiny little spacecraft here. With full 360 degree scope for shooting and armed with a limited number of lives and bombs - which are cleverly replenished at scored intervals - you spend your time here weaving and shooting and bombing enemies who never shoot back, instead choosing to kamikaze your craft.

It's mesmerizing, hypnotic stuff that really gets under your skin as you start to get into its addictive rhythms. It also doesn't hurt that it all looks and sounds so fantastic. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is a deceptively deep retro arcade classic.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes

GTA IV (Xbox 360)

Has it really been thirteen years since we first met Niko Bellic?

Grand Theft Auto IV's hard-nosed immigrant protagonist ushered in a newly mature, gritty and grown-up feel to GTA that excised a lot of the previous silliness of the series in favour of a rather dark tale of a man on a mission, driven by his own personal code and stopping at nothing to rise through the ranks of Liberty City's criminal underworld.

The world-building is top-notch here, with stellar voice-acting, amazing soundtrack and the kind of exceptional, fully-realised setting that we've all come to know and expect from Rockstar. GTA IV is, in hindsight, perhaps the most brooding entry in the entire series and a game that still holds up as an absolute masterclass in open world design. It also benefitted later down the line form some of the very best DLC packs we've seen in the franchise, extra story content that added so, so much to what was already a complex and fascinating tale.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes

Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360)

Five years on and Rockstar were back with a game that, in hindsight, must have been pushing the Xbox 360 to the absolute max.

Grand Theft Auto V is a towering achievement, a game that refined and improved every aspect of its predecessors, with better gunplay, a much improved cover system, punchier weapons and not one but three mad protagonists to get to grips with.

The narrative here is a twisting, turning, overlapping joy and hopping between Michael, Franklin and Trevor is both seamless and allows Rockstar to fix the tonal inconsistencies that plagued Nico Bellic's story, pushing various personalities onto these separate and distinct characters.

The OTT side of the series was also brought screaming back to life here and San Andreas and Los Santos are rammed full of ridiculous shenanigans to indulge in. With an epic campaign that's a darkly comic satire on modern America and an online mode that's since taken on a life of its own, GTA V is a true modern masterpiece and a game you simply must experience for yourself.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes

Halo 3 (Xbox 360)

The final part of a narrative arc that started with 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, the Master Chief's third adventure is epic in scale, bringing to a close the story of the fight between humanity, the Covenant and the Flood.

While the campaign here ended up being something of a messy disappointment to many, it was perhaps expected that it could never live up to the unstoppable pre-release hype. One thing that wasn't a disappointment, however, was the actual gameplay. With new weapons and vehicles, more enemies on screen at once than ever before and action that was on a scale entirely new to the series, Halo 3 delivered where it counted most.

And then you had the multiplayer. Bungie knew full well this was now the most important element of their franchise and they gave the fans an enormous suite of modes to tool around in, including the Forge and the ability to record your very own movies, adding endless hours to the mayhem. The campaign was also available to play in four player co-op, rounding out an entry in the series that was fully dedicated to multiplayer good times.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes, and available as part of the Master Chief Collection

Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)

Released just one year after its predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2 upped the ante in every way possible with more weapons, bigger and better levels and tons more zombies for up to four players to wade into war against.

The level design is a big step up here, the new zombie types make for much more intense gameplay and overall this is just a much more complete version of Valve's vision for their zombie-slaying series. It's a bloody, brutal and brilliantly chaotic co-op shooter and a masterclass in team-based gameplay.

  • Backwards Compatible? Yes