Need for speed game for PC Archives

When Need for Speed Heat releases this November, it will mark the 24th entry in Electronic Arts’ long-running racing game anthology. Heat takes the franchise in a new direction, but draws influences from the franchise’s past. During the day, you’ll earn fame and money by participating in professional events; at night, you’ll fend off arrest in illegal street races.

Heat’s concept is an enticing one, but this series needs more than a clever premise to make up for its recent missteps. Which happened to get us thinking: in a franchise as vast and diverse as Need for Speed, which games rise to the top? The brand has hardly been a model of consistency over the years, though it's certainly also delivered its share of unforgettable, white-knuckle thrills.

Thus, we set about ranking every mainline Need for Speed game. Mainline, in this case, excludes a few spin-offs: the Shift titles, NFS Nitro for the Wii and DS, and NFS World for the PC. Everything else is fair game. Here's how it all shook out.

18. NFS: Undercover (2008)

Primed as a return to form for Need for Speed after the lapse in direction that was 2007’s ProStreet, Undercover certainly captures the series’ rebellious nature in a way its predecessor does not. Still, that’s not enough to make it a good game. Between its dull open world, repetitive campaign events, graphics reminiscent of a mobile title and bevy of technical issues, Undercover winds up feeling like a shallow jab at replicating the success of Most Wanted, without any of that title's charm or polish. In fact, it's best described as under-cooked. Which is strange, considering Undercover had been in development for considerably longer than the games that immediately preceded it.

17. Need for Speed Payback (2017)

A shameless attempt to cash in on Fast & Furious fervor roughly a decade after the film franchise first became relevant, Payback mostly repeats the sins of Ghost Games’ 2015 franchise reboot, but this time gussied up in Hollywood attire. And while Payback is still utterly dismal to drive, the misery is compounded by the game's unbearably overwrought card system for vehicle upgrades and heavily scripted police chases fraught with cutscenes. That pairing of poor game design decisions, coupled with Payback’s over-reliance on microtransactions, obliterates any last shred of enthusiasm anyone might otherwise have for the game. At least it’s sort of nice to look at. 

16. Need for Speed (2015)

This one hurts. Not since Capcom's Auto Modellista has a racing game so perfectly captured a flavor of car culture fans had been yearning for, yet been so inexplicably dreadful to play. NFS 2015 had everything going for it: a clear vision, phenomenal visuals for the time and the most powerful customization engine the series had seen up to that point. Yet, it’s all mercilessly undone, beaten and torn beyond recognition by the least intuitive handling model ever to grace a triple-A racing game. Thematically, 2015 had the conviction to redefine Need for Speed for an exciting new era. Instead, it added yet another notch to the franchise's long list of failed reboots. 

15. NFS: Carbon (2006) 

At the outset, Carbon doesn't do a whole lot to distance itself from Most Wanted before it. However, the more you play it, the more you realize it somehow also fails to recognize what made Most Wanted a fan favorite to begin with. The perpetual night setting certainly doesn't do Carbon any favors, nor does its personality-less metropolitan map that holds few, if any, memorable features. All these years later, I can still remember my favorite cooldown spots and stretches of road in Most Wanted. Carbon, conversely, has aged into one dark, murky blur. 

14. NFS: ProStreet (2007)

The thing about Need for Speed’s lawful turn is that it wasn’t so much a bad idea — just badly executed. Released in the same year as Codemasters’ generation-defining Grid, ProStreet similarly attempts to capture a grittier side of circuit racing with a simulator flair, without the sterility of Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. The problem for developer Black Box proved a familiar one: half-baked physics that render certain vehicles undriveable, coupled with a predisposition for gimmicks (like a minigame in which you heat up your tires before drag racing) that were no replacement for a satisfying driving experience. It’s a shame, because ProStreet did have a killer track list that included underappreciated gems like Japan’s Autopolis and Ebisu, the recently-revived Portland International Raceway and even the historic Avus loop in Germany. 

13. NFS: Most Wanted (2012)

Certainly one of the most polarizing entries in the series, Criterion's Most Wanted is typically remembered by those who played it as Burnout Paradise with licensed cars. And while there's some merit to that assessment, it's also pretty unfair to Paradise. That game had a world teeming with exciting moments, furnished with endless, fun events and a physics engine that encouraged a will to discover. Most Wanted 2012 has, well, none of that. 

It’s also remarkably short, omits car customization entirely and incorporates AI rubber banding to a degree that puts Mario Kart's to shame (an impressive feat, we must admit). There’s no doubt the wizards at Criterion could have made a more fitting tribute to one of the most iconic entries in the franchise, especially because they already accomplished exactly that with the more well-rounded Hot Pursuit reboot in 2010. But something about this take on Most Wanted fills you with that nagging feeling of a good game rushed to incompletion.

12. Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed (1994)

There's nothing egregiously wrong with the first Need for Speed; it's just not particularly fun or noteworthy in light of the highs the franchise would rise to in the future. (Then again, it is far superior to the lows.) At a time when licensed vehicles were still a rarity in racing games, The Need for Speed offered a swath of the most desirable sports cars in the world, with an attention to detail its contemporaries lacked. These cars had interior views, were modeled on their unique specifications (owing to that Road & Track tie-in) and came accompanied with oodles of CD-ROM-filling multimedia content, like press photos and videos. It sounds quaint by today’s standards, though for a generation of gamers and car lovers that grew up with Lamborghini Diablos postered on their bedroom walls, it was pretty exciting. It’s just a shame that the gameplay is diminished by exceedingly long, wide and boring point-to-point tracks. 

11. NFS: The Run (2011)

You can’t fault The Run for its ambition, which saw Need for Speed shed the basic circuit racing shtick to focus on one, long interstate odyssey spanning coast to coast. The concept had some potential, but the brevity of the campaign, which clocked in at roughly four hours, coupled with an over-reliance on cutscenes, scripted segments and non-driving quick-time events, made this racer feel kind of short on actual racing. And once you finished the campaign, there wasn’t much of anything left to do. Although the Run exhibited flashes of brilliance, history will sadly remember it best as Black Box’s final stab at the series before being shuttered in 2013.  

10. Need For Speed Rivals (2013)

While it’s fair to rag on Rivals for being bare-bones in that typical cross-generational way (it released on both last- and modern-gen consoles), the 20th entry in the series deserves more respect than it typically gets. Spiritually, Rivals shares much in common with Criterion’s Hot Pursuit reboot that came out three years earlier, but expands the format to take advantage of a legitimate open world. The dynamic weather system present in certain versions of the game does a lot to enhance the environmental immersion, and the handling model is remarkably composed compared to Ghost Games’ later iterations. Looking back, you sort of wish there was more to do in the campaign than fulfill vague objectives, but Rivals is so strong at its core that the experience was fun even in spite of being aimless. 

9. NFS: Underground (2003)

2003's Underground marks the first time Need for Speed was taken in a totally new direction — a tactic Electronic Arts would repeatedly fall back on in the years following, whenever the franchise appeared to meet a creative dead end. While the pivot to tuner culture was controversial at the time, Underground remains a competent, well put-together street racer with an inspiring customization suite, at a time when customization was priority number one for street racers. Ironically, what holds it back from a higher ranking in this list is that Underground 2 exists, and expanded on everything the first accomplished to great effect. 

8. NFS: High Stakes (1999)

With High Stakes, developer EA Canada applied the original Hot Pursuit's revolutionary chase mechanic to a fully fleshed-out single-player campaign that saw players purchasing vehicles and racing for pinks for the first time in the series. In retrospect, it was a bold spin on NFS' established formula up to that point, and an astute one given how Gran Turismo established the car-PG genre the year prior. What holds High Stakes back is that it strays too far in that direction, to the point of curtailing the series’ trademark pick-up-and-play enjoyment. The tracks are far too boring to justify their length, and the emphasis on gratuitous multi-race championships makes the experience feel like a slog from the very start. From a technical standpoint, High Stakes happens to be one of the franchise's high points; it's just a shame it's such a chore, too. 

7. NFS: Porsche Unleashed (2000) 

It may be hard to recall now, but once upon a time, Need for Speed was the only game in which you could drive a Porsche, thanks to a nearly 20-year exclusivity agreement between Electronic Arts and the famed German automaker. Like most exclusivity deals, nothing worthwhile came of it, and EA never used the license to great effect — well, except for the one time it did. Porsche Unleashed, known as Porsche 2000 in some parts of the world, features a sweeping roster of the manufacturer’s most significant production vehicles (and even a few of its race cars), along with a campaign charting the company’s storied legacy. In that way, it still stands as one of the series’ most ambitious entries, even if the PlayStation version in particular suffered from somewhat dodgy handling, and even if the older, slower cars are a bit boring to drive. 

6. Need for Speed II (1997)

Typically overlooked in the franchise’s legacy, Need for Speed II deserves recognition for ditching the rather uneventful highway cruising motif of the first game in favor of a selection of unique, epic courses, each brimming with wild moments and true personality. The car roster, too, is arguably the finest of the franchise’s classic era. While it only included nine vehicles, these were the most breathtaking supercars the late ‘90s had to offer, inspiring a generation of budding enthusiasts to lust after the McLaren F1 and Ferrari F50, as well as oddities like the Ford GT90 and lost-to-time Isdera Commendatore 112i. Add in a masterpiece of a soundtrack from Saki Kaskas and Rom Di Prisco, and it’s easy to see why Need For Speed II left an indelible impression on those who had the fortune of playing it 22 years ago. It’s just a shame it looks terrible next to the later PlayStation iterations, and that it’s only gotten uglier with age. 

5. NFS: Hot Pursuit (2010)

Far and away the closest Need For Speed has come to recapturing the magic of its golden era, Criterion Games’ Hot Pursuit reboot doesn’t so much resemble the 1998 title of the same name, but instead feels more like a modernization of the very first Need for Speed. EA’s visual wizards at DICE took charge on the game’s environmental design, resulting in a gorgeous experience that evokes the sort of epic road tests and journeys you’d expect to see watching Top Gear or The Grand Tour. Unfortunately, recalcitrant, vague physics somewhat mitigate the fun, as does an overabundance of wide roads that don’t engage or challenge players. Overall it’s still a blast, though you get the sense that if the game took proper advantage of its open world and tightened up the handling, it’d top this list. 

4. NFS III: Hot Pursuit (1998)

The first Hot Pursuit does everything right. From a technical standpoint, it’s a showcase for the PlayStation. The physics rank among the most intuitive and satisfying ever to grace the series. The tracks retain the character of NFS II’s, but are more grounded and polished. And then, last but certainly not least, there are the cop chases. The balancing and general design of this game’s pursuit system — from the behavior of the police, to the ticketing system and especially the introduction of road blocks and spike strips — remains the series’ finest contribution to the medium. With Hot Pursuit, EA not only realized the potential of the Need for Speed brand — it cemented the franchise’s identity. 

3. NFS: Underground 2 (2004)

The deep, dark secret about the tuning fad of the early aughts is that it resulted in some pretty poor racing games, as a consequence of every major publisher’s eagerness to cash in. Though, that’s not to say there weren’t legitimate exceptions. Alongside Rockstar’s Midnight Club 3, Underground 2 is one of the era’s finest achievements. Expanding upon the scope of the original, the sequel offers more varied event types, vehicles and customization options, all within an open world you want to explore. It nails the fundamentals too, handling well and looking fantastic for the time. Fifteen years on, it’s not hard to recognize why Underground 2 has achieved cult status among fans — or at least those who aren’t too bothered by the lack of cop chases. 

2. NFS: Most Wanted (2005)

Blending the aesthetic and environments of the classic era installments with the open world and street racing culture of the Underground era, Black Box’s 2005 entry has become the modern benchmark against which every new Need for Speed is compared. That's for good reason. If you enjoyed Underground’s tight physics and street focus, but regretted the lack of cop chases and wasn’t enthralled by the strictly nighttime metropolitan setting, Most Wanted checked all the boxes. 

The city of Rockport is the perfect backdrop for Most Wanted’s notorious and addictive hour-long pursuits. In fact, Rockport remains one of the finest open worlds in any racer thanks to a mix of different environments, spanning dense, urban streets to winding mountain roads, that each hold something for everyone. Bridging the gap between the franchise’s two extremes should’ve been an impossible task, yet Most Wanted pulls it off brilliantly — cringeworthy full-motion video cutscenes notwithstanding.

1. NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)

At its core, Need for Speed should be about two things: running from the law and trying to finish first. Hot Pursuit 2 perfected both. The pitch is remarkably simple. Start with an all-star cast of the world’s most prestigious, lust-worthy supercars. Offer an eclectic selection of tracks set in exotic locales, teeming with inventive track design where not a single corner or moment is wasted. And — perhaps most critically — inspire players to risk victory and freedom with a responsive physics model that is accessible yet rewarding. Most Wanted ‘05 may have the element of surprise going for it, thanks to the breadth of its open world. However, Hot Pursuit 2’s mastery of arcade racing fundamentals makes it timeless. Seventeen years on, it’s still an exemplar of the genre  — so long as you’re playing the vastly superior PS2 port, of course. 

This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

European Release Dates

Why does the PS3 games like store Japanese, European and US release dates separately, and 360 doesnt. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.13.152.241 (talk) 16:36, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Region Free Games

I have been told that there are a lot of xbox 360 games that are region free, but I don't see any mention of region free games here. Have I been misinformed or is the information missing? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.109.22 (talk) 02:33, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

New list

Please can someone make a list of games released. Or divide the current list into released & announced. What's the point of having future games on this list, if they are not out yet, that should be on another article. --MarioV 00:10, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

--I agree--UnrivaledShogun 11 July 2007 (UTC)(what's "UTC" for anyway?)

This list is totally useless junk, it needs to be fixed badly

This list has no point. The information inside is all mixed together. There should be at least 2 separate lists, 1 list for games that are already out and available to purchase, and a list for games that are not available. The average person wants to see a list of stuff that they can go to the store and buy TODAY, not stuff that's coming out in a year and a half. Only nerds care about games that aren't not out yet. 208.103.185.30 16:22, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

-I guess I'm a nerd - UnrivaledShogun

Rework

I am reworking this whole page into a table format to make it look neater and with more information. I have A-C so far but I am taking a break and will hopefully finish the rest tomorrow. --Silver Sonic Shadow 08:00, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

The re-work is now complete. Hopefully this will address the needs of various individuals. The new table format serves two additional purposes:

1) Provides references/links for games, in an effort to provide at least some external source where the game has been listed or announced for the Xbox 360. This helps to remove games which are only rumored.

2) Indicates release dates, so individuals will be able to tell games which are out versus games which are not out yet. Furthermore, flag icons attempt to indicate games which are only available overseas.

-- Slordak 19:09, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Note that while external links are great for redlinks... games that already have an article should already address verifiability in that article (eg. otherwise, we might have to litter external links around every time one of these games are linked from other pages too). I'm reluctant to quickly remove them from all bluelinks though, because it would be good to check that each article is already minimally referenced, and if one isn't, then the link here should be moved to that article. --Interiot 20:08, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

Prey 2 for the Xbox 360

I found out today that Prey 2 would be released for the Xbox 360. No other game consoles were mentioned in the article, and neither was the PC. Only the Xbox 360 was mentioned. Here is the hyperlink: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/726/726294p1.html And another hyperlink here: http://pc.ign.com/articles/726/726295p1.html -- mike_mgoblue

New Battlefield Game

EA Announced a new gamed called Battlefield: Bad Company for the Xbox 360. You can read about it here: http://www.xboxcircle.com/news/bad_company_xbox_360_bound.html -- mike_mgoblue —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.61.44.215 (talk • contribs) .

Blitz: The League for Xbox 360

Midway announced today that Blitz: The League will be released for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation Portable. The Xbox 360 version will be released in October. You can read about this here: http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2006/8/22-50 -- mike_mgoblue —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.61.44.215 (talk • contribs) .

Fatal Fury Special

Today, SNK Playmore announced that Fatal Fury Special would be appearing on the Xbox Live Arcade. I added this game to the list of games for the Xbox 360. You can read about this here: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6156462.html -- mike_mgoblue

Golden Axe

The Golden Axe link links directly to the old Arcade version. Shouldn't there be a "Golden Axe(360 version)" link or something, due to it being a remake? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 208.113.148.27 (talk) 13:53, 13 December 2006 (UTC).

Virtua Fighter 5 has officially been announced for release on the Xbox 360

Today, Sega announced that Virtua Fighter 5 will be released for the Xbox 360 during the summer of 2007. I added this game to the list of games for the Xbox 360. You can read about this here: http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/12476/SEGA-Announces-Virtua-Fighter-5-for-Xbox-360/Mike mgoblue 18:56, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Unreal Tournament 3 has officially been announced for release on the Xbox 360

Today, Midway announced that Unreal Tournament 3 will be released for the Xbox 360. I added this game to the list of games for the Xbox 360. You can read about this here: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/758/758367p1.htmlMike mgoblue 00:46, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

New Table Format?

Over at the List of Wii games article last week we converted to a new sortable table format. The List of PlayStation 3 games article liked it so much, they are following suit. The sortable table is much nicer for keeping track of release dates in different regions as well as what various developers and publishers are doing. Someone who is more involved in this article might want to look into switching to the same table format. To some extent, it would be nice to have a level of consistency across the next gen systems. -Telvin 3d 02:12, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

I just converted the 26 tables into a single SorTable per a request on slashdot, but it's still missing exclusivity data. --Damian Yerrick (talk | stalk) 21:03, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

I've added the exclusive section, plus created a section for canceled games. Telvin, as you may have expected, the 360 has thus far the most exclusives of any 7th gen console thanks to its year start. The Wii says hello. -Digiwrld1 07:47, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Splinter Cell

The Xbox 360 exsclusive Splinter Cell:Convitctionshod be added —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.233.175.49 (talk • contribs).

UEFA Champions League 2006-2007

Hi I added this game but someone deleted it (thanks editors). Isn't the point of Wikipedia to be up to date? You guys have games that are to be released next year but can't put a game that has already been released? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 171.161.160.10 (talk) 16:50, 26 March 2007 (UTC).

Missing Games ... again

• Pimp My Ride X360
• Meet The Robinsons X360
• Football Manager 2007 X360
• FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 X360
• World Snooker Championship 2007
• Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volumn 1
• Rapala Tournament Fishing
• Rayman Raving Rabbids
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Tetris Evolution

10 games M I S S I N G ... o.m.g ...

• Virtua Tennis 3 - has been released. Not TBA.

I don't want to add them as this place run's by some strange people who deletes evrething they haven't added. So go ahead and add your self.

I suspect that some of the previous editing attempts have been somewhat half-hearted, without filling in the full information. When folks add unreleased games without sources/references, or when they add valid titles but don't add all the data, these tend to get reverted. In any case, I have gone ahead and done most of the requested updates, although do bear in mind that some of the confusion is stemming from the US vs. European games having different names. Note also that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is titled "TMNT" and was already on the list. -- Slordak 16:13, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Well maybe I was wrong about 1 game, but 9 games wasnt on the list. Just trying to keep this list updated. I also think it would be nice to mark if games are playable on the NTSC and or on PAL systems as it can help many people to save some cash on buying games. List needs also to be some how sorted on released and not released games as today it provides almost no use full information. Gcardinal 22:53, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I found out about a new game that isn't listed here. It's called Fracture, it is being developed by Day 1 Studios. It's for the PS3 and 360. I don't know how to add stuff to this thing so if one of you wouldn't mind. 24.84.108.255 22:02, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Looks like it's already been done. Your wish is granted! -- Slordak 13:25, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Haze

So, um...will Haze be released on the X360? It seems like it's not on this list, but it is marked as an X360 on the Haze article. Furthermore, I think Sony claimed this was an exclusive of theirs?

Actually Haze is a timed exclusive for the PS3, meaning it will eventually be on the Xbox 360, they just won't launch simultaneously.--156.34.77.149 20:40, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Metronome

The game known as The City of Metronome has no publisher and is not slated to ship in the near future. This game should not be listed at all on this page so I'll remove it from this list, fine with everyone? Great.

- JollyRogerSkogh 2007-08-02 21:07

Game Rating Info

Something that may be helpful to users would be to include the ESRB ratings in the table Jcgod 13:58, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

151.197.12.34 10:11, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

If someone could also come up with a simplified list for printing purposes and the like. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 151.197.12.34 (talk) 10:11, August 22, 2007 (UTC)

Additional Info

It'd be nice to see a column for play style here (single player, multiplayer offline, multiplayer online, etc.). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Qhudspeth (talk • contribs) 02:23, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Major overhaul including Japanese and European date columns

I'm looking at a complete reworking of this list to bring a level of consistency with the wii and ps3 lists. Below I have what would be the start of the list (based on the List of PlayStation 3 games). This will include links to official game website (or IGN if not available) as well as links to the corresponding international Xbox game page for each date. I feel that IGN can be pretty unreliable when it comes to game dates. However I did notice that the date for 2006 Fifa World Cup was wrong on the US Xbox website, so I linked to IGN instead. Hopefully this is just the odd error on Microsoft's part, but it may be best to check with the corresponding wikipedia articles to make sure it is the only exception.

If there are no objections, I will move all the dates already present to the "North America" column in preparation of the game being updated, so as to not completely destroy the list while this process is undertaken (as shown from "Age Of Pirates" onwards). Some games will need to be removed from the list if they are no longer in development, but these should probably be discussed in a new forum before deletion (ie. 2 Days to Vegas seems to be PC only according to the official website). I considered a genre column, but thought it was unnecessary.

Any other feedback is welcome before I make the initial change. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 23:55, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I can see the uses of such an update. One thing that I don't think is necessary though is the extra links which I believe are useless unless the respective game page does not exist. Having a link for each game is completely unnecessary and they can easy be found or added in on the respective game pages. Also while it isn't really that big of a deal I believe with the columns the North American one should probably be first as I believe more games have been released in North America then the other regions and the system was released in North America first but like I said it doesn't really make that much of a difference. Silver Sonic Shadow (talk) 02:45, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I arranged the list in the same order as the PS3 list, which orders the regions alphabetically. I feel this is the fairest solution and keeps some consistency between the articles. Just to clarify - I should remove the additional links from "games title" column AND from the "date" columns? Should the links to the date be placed in the corresponding game article (if present) instead then? I'm just a little confused on what needs to be referenced in an article like this. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 14:32, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah I noticed that your doing it in the same order as the PS3 list which I don't mind but if the regions are ordered alphabetically as you say then Europe should be before Japan. I was just saying that as I figured the Japan list being first is going to look a little weird as a good portion of the games released for the 360 seem to have not been released in Japan. For the links, like Slordak just said too, they are unnecessary unless Wikipedia doesn't have an article on that game. The only time it will need to have a reference is when Wikipedia doesn't have an article on it. If you notice however that the necessary info or link is not in the main game article feel free to edit it in there instead. Silver Sonic Shadow (talk) 05:36, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

My bad, must have made that assumption about it being alphabetical without actually looking. I will put the North American column first, followed by the European, and lastly the Japanese. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 07:46, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, please only include external links when the Wikipedia page does not exist. Otherwise, including this redundant information tends to really bloat up the size of the list and increases the time to load the page. --Slordak (talk) 20:16, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

"Semi" Exclusive

I see that too many people from both sides are arguing over what games are qualified as "exclusives". To settle the argument, I suggest that we create a new type that is between exclusive and non-exclusive: "Semi-exclusive". Semi-exclusive are titles that are on Xbox 360 and Windows but not PS3 or Wii. (I have already started changing some of the titles up to the end of "B".) In addition, some titles are not yet announced to be on Xbox 360 or on another platform but are listed as "non-exclusive" -- I've changed those to "TBA" under the "Exclus" category. --ktchong 29 October 2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.136.156.157 (talk) 08:48, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

There needs to be a changing of this rule. Partial exclusive tells you nothing besides being a marketing ploy for Microsoft. There needs to be a solution to how to designate what other consoles/systems the games appear on. Otherwise, what is the point of labeling it exclusive? --67.208.226.52 (talk) 15:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Partial was explained succinctly prior to your edits -> Partial exclusivity means that the Xbox 360 is the only console upon which the game is available. This makes complete sense and is important information for users who are only interested in consoles. xenocidic (talk) 15:49, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

You said it was because of the console war, that doesn't make sense who cares so much about that? If you want it to be correct, why not keep them at no? If it's only purpose is for the fanboys then change all the partial to yes. If you want to make an informative list, why not include the other systems it is on? Anything is better than the partial system.--67.208.226.52 (talk) 16:00, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Console exclusive

As a compromise, I've changed all references of "Partial" exclusive to "Console" exclusive, for clarity. xenocidic (talk) 16:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

This is fine, in my opinion. As has been discussed before, the conceptal usage of this term really is "not available on other game systems", but I agree that there seems to be continued confusion here when it comes to the same game being available on the PC. Incidentally, the side claim that "the PS3 can run Linux, Linux can run Windows, and Windows can run these games, meaning the PS3 can play them!" is ridiculous; there's a world of difference between being able to "run Windows" and being able to "run a DirectX Windows game at a playable speed". --Slordak (talk) 17:23, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

I can play, for example Condemned: Criminal Origins at full speed through linux on my PS3 without any hacking. So what to do about those games? --67.208.226.52 (talk) 03:43, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

But to do this you would need to emulate XP code on your PS3 via Linux, which is in affect hacking. I'm sure given time someone could write a PS3 emulator for a highly spec'd PC. Would that mean that PS3 games should then no longer be deemed exclusive? I wouldn't say that Mario 64 is not exclusive to the N64 just because I can run it on my PC. In my opinion, specifying "console" exclusive clarifies any confusion users may have with this article. Unless you feel the need to specify in the intro that- "even though some games were developed with the intention of being exclusive to the PC and Xbox 360, some can infact be emulated on a PS3". I feel that is an unnecessary point to make, and would affect all articles of this nature. It could perhaps be mentioned in a PS3/emulation article of it's own. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 05:43, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I've added the qualifying term "native mode" and a footnote explaining the bit about PS3 running Windows. xenocidic (talk) 13:56, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

No, you don't have to run XP code on your PS3 to do it. As for Mario 64, well for one thing the List of N64 games doesn't even include an exclusive column. Plus you have the Wii's VC and Super Mario 64 DS to limit the exclusives. The whole runnings games on systems they're not supposed to run one wasn't really a sticking point with me, I just pointed it out. The larger issue at hand is a better way to define exclusive. It's kind of like if you had the release date to have just the Year and the Day. Kind of pointless. It tells you a bit more information than just the year, but not really enough to justify adding the Day with also including the month.--67.208.226.52 (talk) 14:04, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

"No, you don't have to run XP code on your PS3 to do it. " so how is it done? in my opinion the present compromise and qualifying statements resolves this issue. the List of PS3 games article has been modified to match for uniformity. xenocidic (talk) 18:32, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Exclusive?!

This is a list of Xbox 360 games. When you say exclusive, it means exclusive to the 360. If it's scheduled for another system, INCLUDING the PC, it is not exclusive and should not be listed. I took out some ones which were lamely commented with "Yes! It's MS exclusive!" which I know aren't 360 only--Alan Wake, Command and Conquer 3, Bioshock and Oblivion. The PC and the 360 are as different as, say, the PS3 and the PSP as far as this list is concerned--sure they're both influenced by the same company, but that's not what people care about. They care about whether it's out for that system and only that system. I know you guys want to beef up the list of exclusive things, but this "MS exclusive, therefore 360 exclusive" stuff can't be allowed to happen :/ -Twile

This is area of debate, but over at the List of Wii games so far the definition of exclusivity is that the game has not been released on any other home system. PCs, Consoles, and Handhelds are viewed as separate planes. Thus if a game comes out for both the 360 and PC, or Wii and DS, it is still exclusive to that console. PCs, Consoles, and Handheld systems are different enough in terms of features, intended audience, and games to be considered separate entities from each other. Although I do see your point as well as to people wanting it to mean it is on just one system overall. Thing is though, for some games even if they have been released on both PC and the 360, it's still regarded as exclusive to the Xbox or Xbox 360; i.e. Halo, Halo 2, most likely Gears of War, Halo 3 someday. Additionally, when I look at an exclusive column for a console and it says 'No', I assume that it has been ported to the PS3 or the Wii, not that it's available on the PC as well. Again, I do see your point as well, and I agree to it, sort of. Just wanted to bring up some opposing points which I felt were relevant. I feel that additional discussion is needed on this matter, but until then I will (weakly) support your opinion. -Digiwrld1 05:53, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I think that separating PCs, consoles, and handhelds into their own planes is a very silly idea. Nintendo is promoting the idea of interoperability between the Wii and DS, Sony does it with the PS3 and PSP, Microsoft is doing it with the PC and Xbox 360 to the point where you can play against other people on both platforms. Target audience and such is also a moot point--the PS3 audience is a good bit different from the Wii audience, and I'd wager that the Xbox 360 audience is much closer to the PC audience than the Wii vs PS3 difference. Here's what I think the best test is. Go up to a gamer who knows a good bit about games from the past few years. Ask of Oblivion is an Xbox 360 exclusive. Or ask if Halo is an Xbox exclusive. If you ask any of my friends, they'll say "Ummm, no, those both came out on PC. Though Halo took a while to make it there" or something to that effect. As average people understand it, they are not exclusive to that one platform. --Twile 04:31, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Oh yes, thanks for agreeing with me. Not trying to argue against you, just trying to reinforce the opinions I gave before. --Twile 04:34, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

The article is a list of Xbox 360 games, I do not see the word "exclusive" anywhere in the title. One can weed the lists to make it two sets on the page, one set being "exclusive" the other being multi platform, but for people looking for what all games can be played on Xbox 360- a single article/list compilation should be done. If list of Wii games is faulty it does not mean that we replicate it's faults on Xbox too. Haphar 16:27, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

The point isn't to create a separate list of titles exclusive to the 360 and another for those titles that are multiplatform. The concept is to establish an easy way for users to see whether a game is exclusive to the system or not. Additionally, it helps unify the three seventh generation consoles under a united format, something that hasn't been done before. Although the 360 doesn't use the exact same format as the List of Wii games and the List of Playstation 3 games, sortable tables and and exclusive column are the standard features. Furthermore, do not claim that the List of Wii games is faulty without looking at it. We've worked extremely hard on that article to present users with an organized, informative, and usable list of games. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.181.225.103 (talk) 03:28, 23 March 2007 (UTC).

Errrrr...perhaps you shouldn't comment if you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not SAYING this is supposed to be a list of EXCLUSIVE titles. I'm saying that it has an exclusive column which indicates whether they're exclusive to the Xbox 360 or not. Why this is important, I don't really know, but it is there and I feel it should be accurate. My issue is that exclusivity in this case seems to mean between consoles, whereas I think many readers would see the list and go "Oh, Alan Wake is only for the Xbox 360? I thought it was coming out for the PC... Bioshock too. Maybe I should get a 360 then." They see exclusive, they assume it means the only place you can get it. --Twile 04:21, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Twile I wasn't arguing against you, I was making the statement against Haphar. I mentioned before that I understand your point, and in fact I went through the list and edited it so that the games that are out for the 360 only are listed under exclusive. Perhaps I may have missed something, and I'd appreciate it if you could amend it. As of right now hitting the sort column I do believe that the games listed as exclusives actually are exclusives, no exceptions. I'm sorry if I caused you some confusion, just wanted to let you know that I wasn't trying to refute your points or anything. Hopefully everything is satisfactory here--perhaps someone with more knowledge of 360 games can find out the exclusivity of those games which are not yet classified? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.181.225.103 (talk) 09:22, 23 March 2007 (UTC).

Um, I'm not disagreeing with you. Look closer. See, we both indented twice. If I were replying to you I'd indent three times as you did when replying to me. I too was making a statement to Haphar. --Twile 13:27, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Surely the nature of the "exclusivity" should be incorporated into the article, no? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.209.6.40 (talk • contribs).

Does it matter if the games are console exclusive or not? That means we have to change many other lists as well. In all seriousness, who really cares? Rampant fanboyism is almost as bad as vandalism. If something is good, it's good. Denying it's worth because of fanboyism is nonsensical.Sage1989 (talk) 15:34, 14 February 2008 (UTC)Sage1989

The information isn't hurting anyone. Some people do care and would like to see which games are only available on certain consoles. Anyhow the list of PS3 games has a similar column, so for uniformity's sake, either they both stay, or they both go. xenocidic (talk) 15:42, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Seventh generation exclusivity

I'm uncomfortable with this article defining exclusivity to what is available on seventh generation consoles. With this definition, titles like Burnout Revenge, Gun, King Kong, Hitman: Blood Money, and most games released before November 2006, should be changed to exclusive (or partial exclusive) even though they are available on the PS2 and/or Gamecube. I feel that someone glancing at this list would assume that exclusivity refers to all consoles. I realise that this may again bring up the debate as to whether partial exclusivity should even be included in the first place. But I think the term "console exclusivity" can and should be used as companies like Microsoft use it from time to time in their press releases. Also, the introduction should define whether handhelds are included in this exclusivity definition. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 23:01, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I think you're probably right; games like Burnout Revenge probably shouldn't be considered exclusive, even if the Xbox 360 version is significantly enhanced as compared to the versions for the previous console generation. I haven't seen anyone make the claim that, say, Guitar Hero II is exclusive. So yes, I really think a game should only be "Console Exclusive" if it really is a console exclusive. These games would all get a "No". --Slordak (talk) 18:35, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I will remove this term then. And to those who are unconvinced with the validity of the term "console exclusive", here are some links to the press releases from xbox.com [11][12][13][14][15] and playstation.com [16][17]DemonCleanerUK (talk) 20:59, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Picture format

Added a "Picture format" column. This should help users to gain a quick overview of game's maximum picture resolution (e.g. 720p, 1080i, 1080p). This is helpful when considering a purchase of a new TV set.--Kozuch (talk) 11:55, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

How does this help to decide what TV to buy? The vast majority of games are 720p/1080i maximum anyway. There are only two games (that I know of) that have been confirmed to support 1080p natively; Street Home Court and Virtua Tennis 3. The 30 odd games that state 1080p on their box are actually just upscaling the resolution to 1080p - think Halo 3 [18]. All the games you can play on your 360 (inluding old xbox ones) can be scaled to 1080p via the xbox hardware, so I'm struggling to find the need for something like this. Besides, the table is bloated enough already. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 16:06, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Unlike the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360 doesn't have any quirks with native game resolutions and television types. Every game will be scaled correctly for the selected output resolution. As DemonCleanerUK notes, the table is already quite bloated and does not need another column of dubious value. I've gone ahead and reverted this change. --Slordak (talk) 16:09, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay, did not know that. Added the information to Xbox_360#Output_resolution_scaling.--Kozuch (talk) 11:55, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Date format

Some of the dates are in the wrong format and don't allow for sorting... e.g. Battlefield Bad Company ShadowFusion (talk) 15:06, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I fixed BF:BC, feel free to fix others yourself if you feel comfortable doing so. xenocidic ( talk ¿ review ) 15:31, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Split

Should we split the this page into two different ones for example one page should be # - N the 2nd should be O - Z .--Lbrun12415 04:19, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

A nice idea in theory, but in doing so would effect the usability of the sortable date columns. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 02:21, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Format of page

can someone change the list of the games so that they are not separated by the letter they start with cuz its like impossible to sort all the games by date now —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.8.222.16 (talk) 20:31, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

I agree, I want to see what new games are coming out, and this makes it hard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.239.246.137 (talk) 08:10, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

I believe Silver Sonic Shadow went ahead and undid this change, so that the table can once again be sorted as desired. --Slordak (talk) 14:01, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Euro / Japan release date sorting

Only the north american release dates are sortable, the european and japanese ones still aren't. Can someone please fix this as I don't know how. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.82.2.128 (talk) 21:16, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

If i were to hazard a guess, it's because the "unreleased" or "TBA" things haven't been properly filled down for those columns. –xeno (talk) 21:24, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Fixed. It was because two " | " were missing from a couple of games. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 15:58, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

Two games to add? (Stoked, Fuel)

Can someone investigate these:

Stoked: http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_4481/Open-World_Snowboarding_Game_Stoked_Coming_to_360

Fuel: http://www.gametrailers.com/game/10128.html

Please delete this comment when done to avoid clutter. Emike7500 (talk) 10:30, 21 August 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Emike7500 (talk • contribs)

Tekken 6 on 360

On G4 they said tekken will be on 360 also. http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/689944/Tekken_6_On_The_PS3_360_Fall_2009.html .--Lbrun12415 18:57, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

unedited correct information

I edited the release dates for Banjo Kazzoie: Nuts & Bolts and Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe but they have been changed back, if you click on their wiki pages it even states the confirmed release dates with sources. Why did somebody change it back?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seece (talk • contribs) 22:56, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, I'm not sure on that one, good question though. mcjakeqcool Mcjakeqcool (talk) 13:15, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

Release dates

None of the games on this list should have a releace date prior to the 22nd November 2005, as that was the launch of the console, e.g Condemened 2 crimanial origins appears to be releaced on November 15th 2005, when the Xbox 360 was not releaced until 22nd November 2005, which is impossible, this should be changed. P.S please can capable wikipedians, make sure that this page is NOT deleted under wikipedia's delition policy, thankyou very much, mcjakeqcool. mcjakeqcool Mcjakeqcool (talk) 13:14, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

I can't say for sure with these 360 games, but I do remember that Trickstyle for the Sega Dreamcast was on sale a week before the console was released in the UK. I think it is just a way of building up anticipation/advertising. These days they put up the empty boxes for prelaunch anyways, but I don't think they wasted shelf space back then? Now Microsoft et al. pay the shops for it. DemonCleanerUK (talk) 02:19, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

But it is fact that it is impossible to releace a game before launch, no one has a console, so there not going to buy a game before launch, anyway people aint that stupid, what if the console gets delayed?! mcjakeqcool Mcjakeqcool (talk) 17:18, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

It was released on the 15 of November as every source says i don't know why before most likely for advertising, but the date is correct. CheersKyle1278 22:48, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

Ok then, I don't see how that works but you probally are right. mcjakeqcool Mcjakeqcool (talk) 10:47, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Sales figures

Looking through the history, there seems to be a fight going on whether we should have a column on sales figures on the games as well. It has been done/undone a couple of times over the last days. At the moment, the column is almost empty, and as such does not add any real value. In fact, on a few points it does contain the Japanese release date instead which makes it impossible to sort the games based on release dates. My suggestion is that we remove it, unless someone wants to make the effort and fill in most of the sales figures so that it becomes a useful addition. Hakko504 (talk) 08:36, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

I don't think it's a necessary addition to an already full and long list. UltimateSin01 (talk) 13:35, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

Ways to improve performance

Might just be my computer here, but does anybody else notice that the article kinda makes their computer a small bit slow? Again, could be my computer. Maybe we should make articles for certain letters. Maybe A-M could have one article and N-Z have another article? Anybody else agree? mÆniac^Ask! 21:21, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

My computer takes a major perormance hit as well. Maybe we should drop the publisher and only keep one release date column. 90.184.240.251 (talk) 23:24, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

I agreed - Break the games down by alphabets (eg A-G) with popular letter having a page to themselves (eg, S & T) Banej (talk) 06:54, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

Suggestions for Unreleased Section

The current game list is getting cluttered.

1. How about adding a new table (just like the XBLA games) for the announced/unreleased game? It would be easier to maintain the table (simply moved them from unreleased to release table).
2. Creating additional tables just for the Japan/US exclusive games - This would also help to un-clutter the list.

Banej (talk) 06:37, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Exclusivity column

was: Console exclusivity

Can we please get rid of this "console exclusivity" thing? This is marketing nonsense that we shouldn't be propagating on Wikipedia - a game is either exclusive to a particular platform, or it isn't. If it's on PC too, then it's not an exclusive. Also proposed on List of PlayStation 3 games. Miremare 13:26, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

We were talking about this in the Videogames project. It seems the conseus in that the exclusive columm needs to go.--Ace Oliveira (talk) 17:47, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

• Please participate in the central discussion here which has evolved into a proposal to remove the "Exclusive" column altogether. –xeno^talk 13:50, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Left 4 Dead 1+2 arent console exclusive but are stated in the list as such —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.50.30.59 (talk) 14:29, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

- I personally think we should keep the "console exclusivity" labeling. It's technically correct to say that a game that is only on PC/X360 is a console exclusive, considering the fact that the PC is definantely not a console but rather is viewed as an open platform. Exclusivity labelings on games ingeneral are just for marketing as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.139.196.208 (talk) 20:46, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

This is still tracked at List of video games exclusives (seventh generation). –xeno^talk 20:51, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Xbox Live titles on Windows Phone 7

With the relese of the Xbox Live titles on Windows Phone 7 http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/phone/default.htm , I believe we should be creating a new section for it? ♠ BanëJ ♠ 06:41, 18 August 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Banej (talk • contribs)

Games exclusive to one region

I noticed Several Games exclusive to Japan or USA and a few to Europe. I was wondering if maybe we should make i different section for each region for their exclusive games.

I don't agree, there will be three lists to keep track and be prone to errors.♠♠ BanëJ ♠ ♠ 10:45, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

BanëJ, why do you say you disagree but you said essentially the same thing up above in Suggestions for Unreleased Section? Orangemohawk—Preceding undated comment added 17:55, 1 September 2010 (UTC).

Orangemohaw, It's different, Released and Unreleased game only compromises of 2 tables. Whereas if we breakdown by region, there will be 3 tables to update, it will be even more complicated if the games happened to be region free and exclusive to a particular region. ♠♠ BanëJ ♠ ♠ 08:16, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Adding rating?

Would it be feasible to add the age rating? Either an official one, or just a general idea what age the game is aimed at?

I'm guessing the official ratings are different in different countries?

Mystic eye (talk) 17:27, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

The present table is already quite cluttered and the info (Age rating) is usually present inside the game's info page. So I suggest we maintain status quo. ♠♠ BanëJ ♠ ♠ 08:22, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Breakdown Into Smaller Table

The table are approaching 800 rows, I'm now no even able to preview the changes I made or compare between versions because of the sheer amount of data. Perhaps we should come out with a display method to make it more streamline and thus load faster and easier to edit? ♠♠ BanëJ ♠ ♠ 14:26, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

I agree. Perhaps we should split it into new articles, such as List of games released on the Xbox 360 in 2010 (either by release date, similar to 2010 in video gaming; or alphabetically, similar to what it is now but split into new articles), etc. At the moment it is too much of a hassle to even attempt an edit. --114.250.38.90 (talk) 03:15, 23 February 2011 (UTC)

Edit request.

This article is too big for my computer to edit without crashing. Can someone move Halo 4 to the correct position (below Halo 3:ODST and above Reach) and change the developer to 343 Industries? Bluefist ^talk 23:44, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

Never mind, I guess it went through. Can someone delete the '_' though? Bluefist ^talk 23:47, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

MLB 2K6 missing from list. Please add.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_2K6

http://www.2ksports.com/games/mlb2k6/

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/major-league-baseball-2k6—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.118.182.56 (talk) 08:58, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Done. ♠♠ BanëJ ♠ ♠ 16:01, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

Need For Speed: The Run missing

All the information for it can be found on its corresponding Wikipedia page, it is an Xbox 360 non-exclusive game released on November 15th by EA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_The_Run— Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.227.7.35 (talk) 20:32, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Malicious Code ??

I don't know if it's just me or what, but i tried two computers and 3 different browsers and the background of this page always links to http:// 4 wrd . us/index.php?result=wydq It's quite annoying because I am trying to sort the titles by release date, but anytime I try to click the arrows, it loads that link. It never used to do that before, I've sorted by date, publisher, developer, etc. I tried to edit the page but couldn't find any code that looked like it would direct to that link, so maybe someone else can find a safe version of this page to revert to. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.145.48.230 (talk) 02:21, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

Separating of the list

Do you guys think that this page should be broken up? You're chronicling every game from the start of the 360 history, which creates such an expansive list that the page takes time to both load, and allow for editing. Because of the code being used, even a high end machine (which I have) is taking an unnecessary amount of time to load the page, or even bring up a window pane when you right click next to a title. I think some of the older years probably should be moved to a separate page to help reduce the lag of this page.  BIGNOLE (Contact me) 15:30, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Anyone going to comment on this? I see that there has been a template noting the length of the article for some time.  BIGNOLE (Contact me) 00:27, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

Recommend a list ala the Rock Band song list. You can code the individual year lists and then have one comprehensive list if someone needs it. --MASEM (t) 00:41, 30 April 2012 (UTC)