# Xbox 360 releases of 2011



## FAST6191 (Feb 3, 2012)

360 disc releases of 2011 roundup and discussion.
With the start of the 2012 releases we thought we might have a quick look back on the releases of 2011 as there were many and it was an interesting year. The list is intended to cover the 360 side of things but should also sum up the general state of things as well. I might get around to doing a month by month for the months I was on holiday (mid October through to just after the new year) but for now hopefully the complete years roundup will cover a bit of what was missed. XBLA and DLC are not really going to feature in this and there will probably be nothing much on the Japanese exclusives (and any Japanese game or non English language game (usually German RPG companies) released first there will have the English language releases noted instead) but if you want to talk about it do feel free to.

For my money 2011 was fairly interesting with several games I quite liked although I still have stuff from 2010 and 2009 as well as earlier titles on the go and on top of that I am easy to please so hey. Looking back at it we appear to not quite have dodged the games droughts and floods of previous years but June was quite solid and things seem to be bleeding back earlier and earlier which is always nice. This is also arguably the year 360 stuff got real with microsoft reflashing DVD drives in console, releasing XGD3 (apologies for the large tract of the year where I called it XDG3) and AP2.5 getting serious fangs with console unique versions out there although c4e and co have been there knocking it back every step of the way.
Thanks first of all to the fine folks of ABGX for their text list of all releases http://www.abgx.net/...leases_date.txt

The releases list has been edited a bit to remove some nukes, internal releases (many GXC stuff) and some region dupes (games that would later be localised or were otherwise of note should have been left though).



December was a dire month for new releases (although anybody that played all the games from the previous months is commended for a large amount of free or very specific tastes) with the bulk of them in my setup page being topology data (the thing that in conjunction with LT+3.0 that appears to have put AP2.5 to rest) and nothing much of note unless you count the Japanese release of Final Fantasy X-2 and Musou Orochi 2.


Spoiler



[titleecember]
2011-12-25 Driver.San.Francisco.LT.3.0.Topology.Data.Patch.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-12-25 Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.3.LT.3.0.Topology.Data.Patch.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-12-25 Battlefield.3.LT.3.0.Topology.Data.Patch.DiRFiX.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-12-25 Battefield.3.LT.3.0.Topology.Data.Patch.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-12-25 iXtreme_LTplus_3_Topology_Data_Patches-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-12-24 Your_Shape_Fitness_Evolved_2012_CHT_XBOX360-SuperX360
2011-12-24 Instant_Brain_DVDFIX_JPN_XBOX360-SuperX360
2011-12-24 Instant_Brain_JPN_XBOX360-SuperX360
2011-12-21 Musou_Orochi_2_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-12-14 Final_Fantasy_XIII_2_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-12-13 Machi-ing_Maker_4_JPN_XBOX360-SuperX360
2011-12-13 National.Geographic.Challenge.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-12-10 Disneyland_Adventures_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-12-05 Karaoke.Revolution.Glee.3.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS



November on the other hand had a lot to say for itself.

Jurassic park- the film/book franchise does not have that good a history and Telltale Games decided to try their episodic concept (they previously did the somewhat well liked Sam and Max episodic games) for this. The results were not that impressive but it is Jurassic park so we must include it (it had also seen a limited cinema rerelease and blu ray version).
Need for speed the run- perhaps not what one might call a bad game it did see the series lose a bit of momentum (both under the eyes of critics and in the sales charts) although looking back at the previous title from the developers (NFS Undercover) it did OK.
Call Of Duty MW3- latest in the Modern warfare offshoot of call of duty. Does pretty much the same as the last game but people seem to like it so one can not really fault those responsible for it.
Halo anniversary. A remake remastered version of the first Halo game and the cynical (although cynical certainly does not mean wrong) might say call it a ploy to have a Halo title in the 2011 releases it more or less delivered. Some might miss the refinements of later games but those would probably be invited to play those instead.
Metal Gear Solid collection (since seen a PAL release in ( Metal.Gear.Solid.HD.Collection.PAL.XBOX360-SWAG )
Saints Row 3 - third in the saints row series and although it did well there were murmurs of it not being quite as if not groundbreaking then
Skyrim - the latest in the Elder scrolls series of RPGs. It faced criticism for being something of a retread of the previous title but that did not stop people greatly enjoying it and sinking many an hour into it.
Blackwater- perhaps not a game that wants to be in this list but with a video like this how could we not.
Lord of the Rings War in the North- the lord of the rings games have had an odd history and although many have been pretty good as far as film tie ins go they tend not to have stuck in the popular imagination. Despite launching against skyrim and dark souls it gained a reasonable following and has a fairly well made co-op mode.
Rayman Origins- despite being a remake of sorts it was by all accounts a top notch platformer.
Assassin's Creed Revelations- the latest in the Assassin's Creed franchise and much like the other sequels of the year it got accused of being a retread but a good one.

As mentioned later Dodonpachi Resurrection Deluxe Edition



Spoiler: November




2011-11-27 Jurassic.Park.The.Game.NTSC.XBOX360-EVIL_iNT
2011-11-23 Kung-Fu.High.Impact.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-22 LA.Noire.Complete.Edition.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-11-21 Kung-Fu_High_Impact_USA_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-21 The_King_Of_Fighters_XIII_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-21 Udraw.Studio.Instant.Artist.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-11-21 Hole.in.the.Wall.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-20 Need.For.Speed.The.Run.XboX360.PAL.XGD3.MULTI3-iND
2011-11-19 Greg.Hastings.Paintball.2.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-19 The_Cursed_Crusade_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-19 Cartoon.Network.Punch.Time.Explosion.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-18 WWE.12.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-11-18 Dreamworks_Super_Star_Kartz_PAL_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-17 Pictionary_Ultimate_Edition_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-15 Rapala.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-15 Disneyland.Adventures.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-15 Winter.Stars.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-11-15 Need.for.Speed.The.Run.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-15 Victorious_Time_To_Shine_XBOX360-iCON
2011-11-15 Bejeweled_3_RARFiX_NTSC_XBOX360-iCON
2011-11-15 Bejeweled_3_NTSC_XBOX360-iCON
2011-11-15 The_Price_Is_Right_Decades_NTSC_XBOX360-iCON
2011-11-15 Marvel.Super.Hero.Squad.Comic.Combat.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-15 Alvin.and.the.Chipmunks.Chipwrecked.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-15 Ultimate.Marvel.vs.Capcom.3.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-13 Need_For_Speed_The_Run_USA_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-11-13 Jimmie_Johnsons_Anything_with_an_Engine_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-13 Rayman.Origins.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-11-11 Halo.Combat.Evolved.Anniversary.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-11 Meikyuu_Cross_Blood_Reloaded_JPN_XBOX360-SuperX360 (and adventure game)
2011-11-10 Lego_Harry_Potter_Years_5-7_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-10 Assassins.Creed.Revelations.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-09 Saints_Row_The_Third_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-09 Metal.Gear.Solid.HD.Collection.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-08 Skyrim_The_Elder_Scrolls_V_PAL_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-11-08 Deepak_Chopras_Leela-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-11-08 Otomedius_Excellent_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-17 [NUKED] SpongeBob.Surf.and.Skate.Tour.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-08 SpongeBobs_Surf_and_Skate_Roadtrip_XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-11-08 Nickelodeon_Dance_XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-11-08 Self.Defense.Training.Camp.XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-11-08 Your.Shape.Fitness.Evolved.2012.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-08 The.Black.Eyed.Peas.Experience.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-07 Happy_Feet_Two_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-07 Big_League_Sports_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-06 Dodonpachi_Resurrection_Deluxe_Edition_PAL_DiRFiX-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-05 Dodonpachi_Resurrection_Deluxe_Edition_PAL_USA-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-04 Nascar.Unleashed.NTSC.XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-11-04 Call_of_Duty_Modern_Warfare_3_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-11-04 Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.3.PAL.GERMAN.XBOX360-DNL
2011-11-04 [NUKED] Hasbro_Game_Night_4_USA_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-04 Hasbro_Family_Game_Night_4_The_Game_Show_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-11-03 Hasbro.Family.Game.Night.4.PAL.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-03 Who_Wants_To_Be_a_Millionaire_USA_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-11-02 [NUKED] Modern.Warfare.3.XGD3.0800.RF.XBOX360-iND
2011-11-02 Twister.Mania.USA.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-02 Cabelas.Adventure.Camp.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-02 Just.Dance.Kids.PAL.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-02 Motion.Explosion.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-02 Rabbids.Alive.and.Kicking.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-11-02 Generator.Rex.Agent.of.Providence.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-01 Cabelas.Survival.Shadows.of.Katmai.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-01 Lord.of.the.Rings.War.in.the.North.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-01 Blackwater.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-11-01 [NUKED] Kinect_Sports_Season_Two_XBOX360-STRANGE


October did pretty well also

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded appeared with the aim of making a new James Bond game in the spirit of the N64 classic (although said game did not age well) and to do so it remade a wii game of the same name (which itself made several nods in the general direction of the N64 title) but with a new engine. Whether people remember it in ten years is a matter for debate but it did OK against a fair bit of competition.
NCIS- every moderately sucessful crime procedural seems to get a game at some point and now it was the turn of NCIS. TV show to games (cartoons aside) have a very bad history and this added to them with a subpar game even among TV show games.
Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster- a seasame street game in this list. But it was made by doublefine (pyschonauts among others) so we mention it.
Dead Rising 2 Off The Record- the story is posed as a what if Frank West was in Dead Rising 2 instead (he did appear in the Case West DLC) and although it may justifiably get calls of "quick reskin" it is probably one of the definitive versions of dead rising.
Dark Souls- a spiritual sequel to the well liked PS3 exclusive Demon's souls (itself following in the steps of king's field) it continued the nuaunced if hard as balls. Releasing so close to Skyrim has been considered risky by some but many others have said it might even top Skyrim.
Sonic Generations- the handheld side of things aside Sonic has largely been going downhill since the megadrive era and although this might not be a complete reversal of the trend it was a definite upswing in it even if parts did feel a bit like a retread of said megadrive era material.
Battlefield 3- pitched as a competitor to call of duty it released and gained a nice following although it was ultimately dwarfed by the new call of duty you will certainly find a fair few people willing to call better of the two on this.
Dragon ball Z got a new title in Ultimate tenchikai (the NA release was eventually seen n Dragon.Ball.Z.Ultimate.Tenkaichi.USA.XBOX360-CLANDESTiNE released about a week ago at this point). Reviews were middling to fair but some people like this franchise.
Tropico 4- a strategy series that has a fair following and although this got criticism for too similar to the last it is still a top notch game and one of the few like it on the 360.
Forza 4- the first game to stop truncated burns from working it was also the latest entry in Microsoft's answer to Gran Turismo. Much like most competing franchises there are fans either side of the line (and the better ones that enjoy it all) but few would argue it is not a highly polished racing game.
Crysis- the original crysis game got a GOD (games on demand) release on the 360.
Batman Arkham City- the Arkham Asylum title was something of an unexpected/breakout hit and produced an enjoyable game which had the unenviable task of following and although it did not seem the same lightning strike twice (perhaps a sign of a similar fate for the upcoming film) it was still enjoyable if you like that sort of thing.
Skylanders Spyros Adventure- a spinoff of the venerable spyro franchise it featured a gimmick controller of sorts you could plug figures into but despite this it had some decent gameplay if you were after something you could share with a friend or two.



Spoiler



[titlectober]
2011-10-30 Goldeneye_007_Reloaded_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-10-28 Red_Dead_Redemption-Game_of_The_Year_Edition-PAL_RF-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-28 Sonic_Generations_XBOX360_READNFO_DIRFIX-ZRY
2011-10-28 [NUKED] Sonic.Generations.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-28 Sonic_Generatoins_USA_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-10-27 Puss_In_Boots_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-26 MotionSports.Adrenaline.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-10-26 NCIS.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-10-25 Grease_Dance_DiRFiX_XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-25 Grease_Dance_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-24 JASF.Janes.Advanced.Strike.Fighters.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-24 Just.Dance.Kids.2.NTSC.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-10-24 Battlefield.3.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-24 Dragon.Ball.Z.Ultimate.Tenkaichi.PAL.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-10-22 iXtreme_LT_Plus_2.01_SAMSUNG_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-10-22 iXtreme_Burner_Max_1.0_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-10-22 [NUKED] Battlefield.3.RF.XBOX360-XGP
2011-10-22 Disney_Universe_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-21 SPORTS_SEASON_TWO_FIX_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-21 SPORTS_SEASON_TWO_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-21 Dance.Central.2.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-10-20 Minute.To.Win.It.USA.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-18 Ougon_Musou_Kyoku_X_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-10-18 Ben.10.Galactic.Racing.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-18 The.Adventures.of.Tintin.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-17 Family.Feud.2012.NTSC.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-10-16 The.Sims.3.Pets.REPACK.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-10-16 [NUKED] The.Sims.3.Pets.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-10-15 Tropico.4.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-14 Ace.Combat.Air.Assault.Horizon.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-13 Skylanders.Spyros.Adventure.XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-13 Ace_Combat_Assault_Horizon_ASIA_XBOX360-GANT
2011-10-13 Batman.Arkham.City.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-12 Hulk.Hogan.Main.Event.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-12 Forza.Motorsport.4.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-12 Ace.Combat.Assault.Horizon.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-12 Michael.Phelps.Push.The.Limit.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-11 Pro.Evolution.Soccer.2012.PAL.XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-11 Wipeout.2.USA.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-09 Air_Conflicts_Secret_Wars_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-09 RAGE_PAL_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-08 iXtreme_LT_Plus_2.0_SLIM_XBOX360-iND
2011-10-08 [NUKED] PowerUp_Heroes_NTSC_XBOX360-GANT
2011-10-08 World_Soccer_Winning_Eleven_2012_ASIA_XBOX360-KFC
2011-10-08 WRC.2.FIA.World.Rally.Championship.2011.XBOX360-DNL
2011-10-08 Just.Dance.3.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-08 PowerUp.Heroes.PAL.XBOX360-SPARE
2011-10-07 Forza_Motorsport_4_USA_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-10-07 Sesame.Street.Once.Upon.a.Monster.XBOX360-DNL
2011-10-07 Dead.Rising.2.Off.The.Record.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-10-05 Dark.Souls.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-05 NBA_2K12_PROPER_READNFO_USA_RF-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-05 Crysis.GOD.XBOX360-MoNGoLS
2011-10-04 Rage.DVD2FIX.USA.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-10-04 [NUKED] NBA.2K12.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-10-04 Rage.PAL.MULTi4.READNFO.XBOX360-UNLiMiTED
2011-10-04 [NUKED] Warhammer.40000.Space.Marine.XGD3.PAL.XBOX360-DNL
2011-10-04 Driver.San.Francisco.NFOFIX.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-04 Dark_Souls_XGD3_0800_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-04 Driver.San.Francisco.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-10-04 Rage.USA.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-10-04 Gears.of.War.3.XGD3.PAL.SPANiSH.XBOX360-FBi_X360
2011-10-03 Gears.of.War.3.XGD3.PAL.GERMAN.XBOX360-DNL
2011-10-02 iXtreme_LT_Plus_2.0_and_0800_3.0_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-10-01 PRO.EVOLUTION.SOCCER.12.PAL.SPANiSH.XBOX360-FBi_X360
2011-10-01 Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_READNFO_XGD3_0800_USA_RF-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-10-01 X-Men_Destiny_READNFO_XGD3_0800_USA_RF-XBOX360-RRoD



September
September saw the first of the XGD3 titles which were at first released as GOD titles so only JTAG consoles could use them but then new firmwares appeared, optical drive emulators added the option and a small workaround was made for burned discs (since sidelined in favour of burning using a custom drive).
Kinect games have not really done much to justify the apparent sucess of the device itself but this month we saw two that did interesting things with Rise of Nightmares and the Gunstringer.
Gears of War 3 despite having a somewhat incomplete build leaked some time beforehand dropped and supposedly finished off the series. Also in third person shooter world was Warhammer 40k Space Marine that ranks among one of the few good warhammer games and did Relic Entertainment well by showing they were not limited to making tight RTS titles.
Rage- ID software with a new game (first in a while) and a new IP (first in even longer). Reaction was a bit mixed but few would argue it was not a servicable FPS title with some interesting mechanics.
Divinity 2 got a US release of the more complete version

Resident evil (of which we are looking at a third person shooter spinoff in the form of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City in late March- gameplay footage) got a remake of Resident Evil code Veronica X and Resident Evil 4.
Speaking of Zombies we got dead island which initially hit the radar of most with an awesome, if CGI, trailer but eventually released. It was an open world zombie survival game played from the first person although with a downplay on guns in favour of close quarters stuff. It probably could have been better but many enjoyed it none the less and it meant developers Techland were still ones to watch.
Monkey Island got a disc release of some previously XBLA only titles.
The Cursed Crusade (another of the co-op medieval/fantasy games set to be released over the course of the year) hit and as far as most were concerned missed.
The formula one series got a new entry in F1 2011 which did quite well although it did change things notably in the handling department (some enjoyed it, some did not).
There were also several sports games.


Spoiler: September




2011-09-30 Rise_of_Nightmares_READNFO_XGD3_0800_USA_RF-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-09-30 Gears_of_War_3_READNFO_XGD3_0800_USA_RF-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-09-30 Rage.JTAG.READ.NFO.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-09-29 Spiderman_Edge_of_Time_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-09-28 Divinity_II_The_Dragon_Knight_Saga_READNFO_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-09-28 Resident.Evil.code.Veronica.X.GOD.XBOX360-MoNGoLS
2011-09-28 [NUKED] X-Men.Destiny.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-28 Pro.Evolution.Soccer.2012.USA.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-09-27 Resident.Evil4.HD.PAL.XBOX360-P2P-NO_LIVE_BAM
2011-09-27 Cabelas.Big.Game.Hunter.2012.USA.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-27 FIFA.12.PAL.MULTi3.XBOX360-DNL
2011-09-26 Pro.Evolution.Soccer.2012.PAL.MULTi2.XBOX360-DNL
2011-09-25 FIFA_12_PAL-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-09-25 PRO_EVOLUTION_SOCCER_12_USA_XBOX360-iNT
2011-09-23 FIFA_12_USA_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-09-22 The.Cursed.Crusade.PAL.REPACK.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-22 [NUKED] The.Cursed.Crusade.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-20 Dunamis_15_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-09-20 F1.2011.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-17 Supremacy.MMA.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-09-16 Gears.of.War.3.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-14 Nicktoons.MLB.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-13 The.Gunstringer.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-13 The.History.Channel.Great.Battles.Medieval.USA.XBOX360-CLANDESTiNE
2011-09-08 El.Shaddai.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-07 Rise.of.Nightmares.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-07 Dead.Island.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-07 Monkey_Island_Special_Edition_Collection_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-09-07 The_Penguins_of_Madagascar_Dr_Blowhole_Returns_REGION_FREE_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-09-06 Biohazard_Revival_Selection_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-09-06 iXtreme_LT_Plus_1.92_SLIM_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-09-06 NHL_12_XBOX360-iCON
2011-09-02 Dead.Island.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-02 Warhammer.40000.Space.Marine.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-02 Champion.Jockey.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-09-02 Jonah.Lomu.Rugby.Challenge.READNFO.XBOX360-iMARS



August
Although not necessarily recounting the hacking events of 2011 the 28 of August could not be ignored as it saw announcement of the 360 reset glitch attack/hack ( http://gbatemp.net/t...et-glitch-hack/ ) aka RGH and although it took quite some time for it to be weaponised (about the same time in October when ggbuild hit- fbbuild (the JTAG console hacked dash making program) and ggbuild (the RGH hacked dash making program) would later merge into xeBuild) the net result was pretty much all 360 consoles (some of the earliest have issues and some of the newest "slim" consoles can not be done) could and still can be hacked via a chip to act similar to JTAG consoles which at the cost of xbox live (you can however swap back and forth between live accounts and hacked if you want to try it) could be turned to play games from hard drives (USB and otherwise), play hacked games, play XBLA and DLC titles.
Beyond that August aside from seeing the first XGD3 title in Driver San Francisco and the first game carrying the update (Madden NFL) that reflashed the DVD of 360s (the scene release of Deus Ex fortunately being spared this although there was some versions elsewhere that did).
Games wise there were few but what was there.... good times.

Driver San Francisco arguably brought back to form the ailing driver series with a fun little game.
El Shaddai Ascension of The Metatron did fairly well in the arthouse platformer/action game stakes although the Japanese version having been seen in April this was to be expected. Arcana Heart 3 did fairly well as it managed to pull off a decent 2d fighting game. The developers of the well like Black released Bodycount that did not fare well although it did win a couple of fans and those looking for another entry in the big guns, no story shooting lots of things world might wish to cast an eye that way although Serious Sam (both 3 and the remakes) and Bulletstorm probably should be on the list before then but the big release would have to be Deus Ex- it was a long awaited prequel to a much loved FPS RPG title and although it might have been a bit short and still had the odd rough edge it kicked off the end of what might be called the 2011 (summer) drought.



Spoiler: August




2011-08-31 Driver.San.Francisco.JTAG.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-08-28 Reset.Glitch.JTAG.Hack.For.Slim.And.Fat.XBOX360-iND
2011-08-26 Bodycount.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-08-26 Madden.NFL.12.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-08-22 Rugby.World.Cup.2011.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-08-17 Deus.Ex.Human.Revolution.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-08-16 El.Shaddai.Ascension.of.The.Metatron.NTSC.XBOX360-iMARS
2011-08-14 Arcana_Heart_3_PAL_XBOX360-ZER0
2011-08-06 iXtreme_LT_Plus_1.91_Firmware_XBOX360-iND



July
As July is a pretty dry month most of the time this year managed a few interesting things. Catherine was a localisation (a PAL one is still pending) of a Japanese love game although unlike most of those this was filled with some interesting humour and story which won some fans.
Call of Juarez the cartel did a good line in trashing what was once a passable series with a gritty modern version and caught a lot of flack for some terrible story decisions.
On the other hand the Earth Defense Force series (there was a version early on in the 360 lifetime that was one of the better co-op games for quite a while) got a sequel that livened up things a bit.


Spoiler: July




2011-07-26 Catherine.NTSC.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-07-20 iXtreme_LT_Plus_1.9_FULL_Firmware_PROPER_XBOX360-iND
2011-07-20 [NUKED] iXtreme_LT_Plus_1.9_FULL_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-07-15 Call.of.Juarez.The.Cartel.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-07-13 NCAA.Football.12.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-07-13 Captain.America.Super.Soldier.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-07-09 Cars.2.PAL.MULTi2.XBOX360-DNL
2011-07-07 Harry.Potter.and.the.Deathly.Hallows.Part.2.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-07-20 Earth_Defense_Force_Insect_Armageddon_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-07-06 Earth.Defense.Force.Insect.Armageddon.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-07-05 Earth_Defense_Force_Insect_Armageddon_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-07-05 Power_Smash_4_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan



June
June and although this would usually be well into the drought period this year saw a few games worth looking at.

Duke Nukem Forever was the big title of month if only because the development of the title (and cancellation before being picked up and turned into this) had become either industry legend or running joke. It fell short of what a game with this many years development should have been like but many played it just to say they did.
F.E.A.R. 3- F.E.A.R. had enjoyed if not a cult following then definitely not as big as the likes of COD following for several years at this point and this was intended to wrap up some of the story from previous games. It did OK among fans and critics but probably will not be remembered 10 years from now.
Dungeon Siege III- dungeon sieges (and the other entries in the siege series) were pretty much old school (if "proper" 3d) dungeon crawlers and although this changed things quite a bit and instead turned it into more of a corridor dungeon action game with premade classes and attempted to add a bit of story in. It was also one of the local co-op fantasy titles of 2011 that arguably fell a bit short with no true co-op in the style of the genre and instead guest characters on that game (you could not raise a character and join a friend's game like in previous titles, diablo, Baldur's Gate, Borderlands (we know) and just about every other game like this that features a multiplayer mode.
Child Of Eden- made by the creator of Rez it was one of the few dual kinect and original console titles (gimmicks aside) to make a mark.
Red Faction Armageddon released to middling reviews and sales to match and got the series cancelled as a result.
Shadows Of The Damned- a joint effort (the term supergroup did get used at one point) between suda51 and Resident evil creator it will probably be remembered as one of their lesser works but a lesser work from people like this is still better than most.
Record Of Agarest War Zero- the game is a strategy RPG and prequel to the Record of Agarest War game. As with many summer games it was presumably released here to avoid being drowned out by the other releases later in the year but if you like SRPGs and/or timesinks you could do worse.
Transformers Dark Of The Moon was supposedly pretty serviceable and definitely a step up from some of the other film tie in games although it is still a transformers live action film related property.
Alice Madness Returns- a sequel to the cult classic American McGee's Alice. Did not fare that well according to most critics but if you are bored of FPS titles it could be worth a look.
Phantom Breaker which is now set to have a NA release in the coming months did alright as well and alonside that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition appeared and declared itself the final/ultimate version of the Street Fighter 4 series.
Naughty Bear Gold Edition also dropped that brought the somewhat amusing naughty bear game together with the DLC for it.



Spoiler: June




2011-06-30 Williams.Pinball.Classics.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-28 Air.Conflicts.Secret.Wars.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-28 Le_Tour_de_France_2011_XBOX360-ZER0
2011-06-27 Naughty_Bear_Gold_Edition_XBOX360-KiNECT
2011-06-27 UFC.Personal.Trainer.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-27 Dynasty_Warriors_Gundam_3_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-06-22 Lets_Dance_with_Mel_B_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-06-21 Super.Street.Fighter.IV.Arcade.Edition.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-18 F.E.A.R.3_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-06-17 Transformers.Dark.Of.The.Moon.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-17 Cars.2.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-06-17 Shadows.Of.The.Damned.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-06-17 Steins_Gate_Hiyoku_Renri_no_Darling_JAP_XBOX360-KFC (a spinoff of sorts for the visual novel series)
2011-06-15 Record.Of.Agarest.War.Zero.USA.XBOX360-CLANDESTiNE
2011-06-15 Wipeout_In_The_Zone_NTSC_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-06-15 iXtreme_LT_Plus_1.9_Firmware_XBOX360-iND
2011-06-12 Child_Of_Eden_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-06-09 Dungeon.Siege.III.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-09 Green_Lantern-Rise_of_the_Manhunters_PAL-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-06-09 Alice.Madness.Returns.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-06-08 [NUKED] Duke_Nukem_Forever_READNFO_PAL-XBOX360-RRoD
2011-06-08 Green_Lantern_Rise_of_The_Manhunters_USA_XBOX360-ProCiSiON
2011-06-07 Duke.Nukem.Forever.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-06-02 Fighters_Uncaged_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-06-02 Red.Faction.Armageddon.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-06-01 Phantom_Breaker_JAP_XBOX360-GANT



May
May once again was short on entries but long on interesting titles.

L.A. Noire would probably be the big release of the month as it brought to a close the long saga of development (and later some moves likely to be studied by games industry business types for years to come). The game itself was a 1940s crime detective game set just after world war 2 (although foot pursuits, fighting, driving and shooting were present) built using an engine that looked somewhat like the GTA 4 engine but incorporated facial modelling to enhance interrogations. Although considered something of a landmark title few would consider it odd if it did not do it for you.
On top of this we also saw Dirt 3 (a rally driving game after a fashion) that for many brought the series back to form
MX vs ATV got a new somewhat budget entry into the series (it was supposed to be a entry level game and DLC supported) in MX vs ATV alive and reception was somewhat mixed- the previous title (Reflex) changed the series somewhat from the massive levels and arcade feel it had enjoyed to more realistic, smaller levels (destructible levels or a sort) which alienated a few people and this did not do a lot to add to it in the eyes of some. Still we hold everybody should own a MX vs ATV game and this is as good an entry as any.
Battle Vs Chess will be mentioned as it tried to turn chess into something more (although it had a reasonably solid standard chess option too).
Fans of FPS titles did not have much to do this month other than brink which was a class and team based futuristic(ish) shooting game. Team Fortress 2 was mentioned frequently and often and it suffered from serious teething problems but when the dust settled it did find a fanbase.
Shooters got Akai Katana Shin but it was region locked although it is now set to appear in English at some point (Rising Star Games have seemingly been looking at Atlus' business model and rolling with it which is nice).
The other release of note (which has pulled the first few entries of next month in as well) was Hunted the Demon's forge and accounted for one of the several co-op dungeon crawling/action games for the year (the first of which was The First Templar). It fell far short of what was promised but historical gears of war did OK if you managed to track down a person to plat it alongside you.


Spoiler: May




2011-06-01 Hunted_The_Demons_Forge_PAL_READNFO_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-06-01 Hunted.The.Demons.Forge.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-05-31 Dance_Dance_Revolution_USA_RF_XBOX360-NRP
2011-05-29 Hunted.The.Demons.Forge.PAL.FIX.READNFO.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-05-28 Hunted.The.Demons.Forge.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-05-28 Akai_Katana_Shin_JAP_XBOX360-NRP
2011-05-20 Kung.Fu.Panda.2.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-05-20 Dirt.3.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-05-19 L.A.Noire.XBOX360-ProCiSiON
2011-05-17 L.A.Noire.XboX360.fix.video.CRC.error.DVD2-DVD3
2011-05-14 [NUKED] L.A.Noire.XboX360.DVD1.RF-iND
2011-05-16 Battle.vs.Chess.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-05-08 Brink_PAL_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-05-07 MX.Vs.ATV.Alive.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-05-07 Man.Vs.Wild.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-05-07 Brink_USA_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-05-06 LEGO_Pirates_of_the_Carribean_The_Game_XBOX360-iCON



April
April then.
For most the only thing that mattered was portal 2 and it did OK- some accused the single player of being a bit drawn out and not as tight as the first (although the new mechanics were a hoot and the story did well) but a great fun, if somewhat short and arguably too easy, co-op mode did a lot to make up for it. There has since been a DLC pack that adds extra content although the scene does not seem to have made a release of it (technically it was free to everybody).
Mortal Kombat got a reboot this month and in many ways pulled it off and brought it back to form (once one of the big titles of fighting games it had become something of an "also ran" in recent years).
After this we have some less anticipated titles but with the likes of Cabelas Dangerous Hunts 2011
Operation flashpoint red river hit (operation flashpoint pegs itself as a step down from the ultra reastic FPS titles but more realistic than the likes of COD or Battlefield) and did slightly better than the prequel of Dragon rising.
More realistic(ish) motorbikes from SBK 2011
The First Templar also released and although some panned it co-op action games are few and far between and I at least would not call it broken.
Shooters did alright this month as well with Otomedius Excellent (a Gradius spinoff)- seen in November as Otomedius_Excellent_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD, Bullet Soul (region free and English menus no less) and Eschatos (also region free).



Spoiler: April




2011-04-30 The.First.Templar.DIRFIX.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-04-30 The.Dark.Templar.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-04-30 Cabelas.Dangerous.Hunts.2011.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-04-27 XBOX360_Triple_Pack_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-04-27 Thor_God_of_Thunder_XBOX360-iCON
2011-04-26 El_Shaddai_Ascension_of_The_Metatron_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-04-26 Virtua_Tennis_4-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-04-26 SBK_2011_Superbike_World_Championship-PAL-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-04-20 Otomedius_Excellent_JAP_XBOX360-KFC
2011-04-20 AFL.Live.PAL.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-04-15 Operation.Flashpoint.Red.River.XBOX360-SWAG
2011-04-15 World_Snooker_Championship_REAL_11_PAL_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-04-15 PORTAL.2.XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-04-14 Mortal.Kombat.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-04-13 Cross_Channel_In_Memory_of_All_People_JAP_XBOX360-GANT (a visual novel)
2011-04-13 Fantastic_Pets_NFOFiX_XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-04-13 Fantastic_Pets_XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-04-12 Michael_Jackson_The_Experience_XBOX360-iCON
2011-04-10 Eschatos_JPN_RF_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-04-07 Rio_XBOX360-iCON
2011-04-06 Bullet_Soul_JAP_XBOX360-KFC
2011-04-06 Carnival.Games.Monkey.See.Monkey.Do.REGION.FREE.XBOX360-CHARGED
2011-04-05 POPCAP.HiTS.VOL.2.READ.NFO.PAL.XBOX360-SHiTONLYGERMAN
2011-04-05 Brunswick.Pro.Bowling.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX



March
March had several things to look at including a few big releases either delayed to avoid clashing with big titles (December 2010 had seen World of Warcraft: Cataclysm) or delayed to be finished
A new Dynasty Warriors title (7 in this case) was noted for attempting to mix it up a tiny bit and the PAL version (NA is still outstanding) of Warriors legends of troy released to a ehh.
Dragon age 2 hit and although it did not make quite as big a dent as the first title the tweaked gameplay won a few new fans over (possibly at the cost of some older ones).
Lego Star Wars 3 added a pretty good entry to the themed lego game series.
Several racing games to get through although the PS3 finally saw Gran Turismo 5 and there was a new Forza title due in a few months so some of the impact was lost with the big ones probably being Shift 2 (a sequel/offshoot in the need for speed- shift series- where the others have focused on street racing this was closer to full track racing), Nascar the game 2011 (although it got trashed) and motoGP 10 11 (released to quite polar reviews but simulation games tend to be).
Continuing with the racing theme an interesting "3d" (via anaglyph) game in the form of Mayhem released into the very underepresented banger race car game genre.
PAL countries also saw a snowboarding game in Stoked 2 big air- big air was fairly far reaching expansion that released in NA about the time PAL countries were getting the original Stoked 2.
FPS games seem to be the staple of English speaking games world and as such there were two with Crysis 2 being the now on consoles sequel to the then PC exclusive (October saw Crysis.GOD.XBOX360-MoNGoLS) likable system testing game of Crysis and Homefront roping in Red Dawn writer to redo it in game form- single player was an amusing, if forgettable, game but the multiplayer apparently did OK.



Spoiler: March




2011-03-31 PopCap_Hits_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-03-30 Dynasty_Warriors_7_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-03-28 Dynasty.Warriors.7.NTSC.XBOX360-CCCLX
2011-03-26 Shift_2_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-03-26 WWE.All.Stars.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-25 Nascar_The_Game_2011_USA_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-03-25 Mayhem_XBOX360-SPARE
2011-03-25 Alien.Breed.Trilogy.PAL.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-24 Serious.Sam.HD.First.And.Second.Encounter.PAL.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-24 Tiger.Woods.PGA.Tour.12.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-18 Lego.Star.Wars.III.The.Clone.Wars.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-18 Crysis.2.NFO.FIX.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-18 Crysis.2.XBOX360-MARVEL
2011-03-16 MotoGP-10-11-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-03-15 Warriors_Legends_of_Troy-PAL-ROCKFIX-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-03-15 Warriors_Legends_of_Troy-PAL-XBOX360-DAGGER
2011-03-12 Top.Spin.4.XBOX360-DAMNATION
2011-03-10 Homefront.XBOX360-DAMNATION
2011-03-10 Yoostar_2_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-03-10 Stoked_Big_Air_Edition_PAL_XBOX360-iCON
2011-03-09 Yoostar.2.In.The.Movies.USA.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-03-08 Major.League.Baseball.2K11.XBOX360-CCCLX
2011-03-03 Dragon.Age.2.REPACK.XBOX360-DAMNATION
2011-03-03 [NUKED] Dragon.Age.2.XBOX360-DAMNATION



February
February
With March and April set to house several big releases February managed to squeeze in a few titles. Knights contract launched into the very much oversaturated action game genre but having to go up against Bayonetta and Ninja Gaiden among many others it fell short although many would argue it fell short in general.
Still fighting game fans had something to note with Marvel vs Capcom 3 being released although if setting out to find it now you are pointed at November's "ultimate" edition instead (those new to fighting game circles Capcom have an almost comical tendency to rerelease titles with minor tweaks- http://insertcoyne.c...l/timeline.html ) and via an early release Fight Night Champion which was another entry in the fight night series (fight night 3 was released early on in the 360 lifetime and was often held up as a sign of the potential).
De Blob 2 released (a sequel to a wii only platformer), Test drive unlimited 2 released and at best can be said to have added an extra game to the franchise  and eventual game of note "Catherine" that got localised around the middle of the year.
PAL countries were given the rare treat of a Japanese shmup (such things are frequently region locked Japan only let alone actually being localised and published outside it) although Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets and Do Don Pachi Daifukkatsu Black Label (fans of the title can mix and match to make any version of the title- also note there was a localised version released in PAL countries (but should be region free) that hit in November as Dodonpachi_Resurrection_Deluxe_Edition_PAL_USA-XBOX360-RRoD (also a DIRfix) but they shifted a lot of the extra content to DLC) hit in the same month.as in and the big release of the month. In actual street releases Gray Matter hit which was a point and click (ish) adventure but that had dropped back in 2010 as Gray.Matter.PAL.XBOX360-COMPLEX although there does not seem to be a North American release. The big release of the month for most though was Bulletstorm made by People Can Fly (they of Painkiller fame) which released to very polarised reviews but as a short single player romp was quite fun.



Spoiler: February




2011-02-25 Fight.Night.Champion.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-23 Muchi_Muchi_Pork_and_Pink_Sweets_JAP_XBOX360-GANT
2011-02-23 Pia_Carrot_e_Youkoso_4_Natsu_no_Koikatsu_JAP_XBOX360-GANT (one of the many "love simulations").
2011-02-22 Dreamcast.Collection.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-22 De.Blob.2.XBOX360-CCCLX
2011-02-22 Knights.Contract.PAL.XBOX360-LoCAL
2011-02-22 Rango_The_Videogame_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-02-22 Rock.Band.Country.Track.Pack.2.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-21 Knights.Contract.NTSC.XBOX360-CCCLX
2011-02-20 Brunswick_Pro_Bowling_USA_REGION_LOCK_XBOX360-ZRY
2011-02-19 Deathsmiles_PAL_XBOX360-STRANGE
2011-02-17 BulletStorm.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-16 Catherine_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-02-12 You.Dont.Know.Jack.USA.XBOX360-CLANDESTiNE
2011-02-11 Dance.Paradise.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-10 Marvel.Vs.Capcom.3.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-10 [NUKED] Marvel.Vs.Capcom.3.Fate.Of.Two.Worlds.READNFO.RF.XBOX360-PEMA (nuked for being a p2p dupe/no proof)
2011-02-10 Dr.Kawashimas.Body.and.Brain.Exercises.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-02-09 Entaku_no_Seito_Students_of_Round_JAP_XBOX360-GANT
2011-02-09 SBK_X_Superbike_World_Championship_NTSC-XBOX360-RRoD (actually released to NA in June 2010)
2011-02-04 Test.Drive.Unlimited.2.XBOX360-CCCLX
2011-02-02 Do_Don_Pachi_Daifukkatsu_Black_Label_JAP_XBOX360-KFC



January did OK as far as January tends to with North America finally seeing a couple of nice RPGs that Europe had been enjoying for some time (two worlds two and Venetica) but there was also Dead space 2 for that like that sort of thing. Mindjack also hit but was largely panned although developers feelplus have mainly stuck to ports and codevelopment in the past.
Arcana Heart 3 hit in Japan and would get a PAL release (it is a NA PS3 exclusive) in August as Arcana_Heart_3_PAL_XBOX360-ZER0



Spoiler: January




2011-01-27 Dream_Club_Zero_JAP_XBOX360-KFC
2011-01-26 Gal_Gun_JAP_XBOX360-GANT
2011-01-25 Dead.Space.2.PAL.MULTi2.XBOX360-DNL
2011-01-23 Venetica.NTSC.XBOX360-dumpTruck
2011-01-22 Two.Worlds.II.NTSC.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-01-21 Dead.Space.2.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-01-19 Majin_to_Ushinawareta_Oukoku_JPN_XBOX360-Caravan
2011-01-13 Mindjack.XBOX360-COMPLEX
2011-01-13 Arcana_Heart_3_JAP_XBOX360-KFC



So 2011- bring on 2012 (the coming months have a lot of interesting things coming) or hold on I still have stuff to finish here first?


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## T-hug (Feb 6, 2012)

I just finally got 1000/1000 in Dark Souls, was too awesome, took 115 hours.


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