Xbox 360 has become a major success amongst video game players all over the world due to its amazing HD graphics, easy gaming controls and navigation, plus the ability to connect live with other players around the globe. There are so many games to choose from that I have compiled the top 10 best-selling exclusive Xbox 360 games of all time to help you choose what to play next.

Halo 3 – 8.1 million copies sold

A first person shooter, Halo 3 finishes the trilogy that started with Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2. Halo 3\’s story revolves around the interstellar war between 26th century humanity, led by the United Nations Space Command, and an assortment of alien races known as the Covenant. Gamers take on the role of Master Chief again, an enhanced supersoldier, as he wages war in defence of humanity. The game features new weapons and vehicles not present in previous titles of the series, as well as a variety of new features.

Gears of War – 5 million copies sold*

Gears of War is a third-person shooter where players assume the role of Marcus Fenix, a former prisoner and war-hardened soldier, who along with the troops of Delta Squad, fight to save the human inhabitants from the Locust Horde, an uncompromising underground enemy on the fictional planet Sera. The game is based on the use of cover and strategic fire for the player to advance through the scenarios.

* Gears of War sales may include the PC version of the game.

Gears of War 2 – 5 million copies sold

Gears of War 2 is the second instalment in the Gears of War series and continues with the COG\’s fighting against the Locust Horde who are attempting to sink all of the cities on Sera by using a big riftworm to eat the ground beneath them. Players again take on the role of Marcus Fenix leading Delta Squad into the depths of the planet to try and stop the worm but instead discover the true intent of the Locust\’s actions. New weapons and gameplay features such as \”hockey fights\” and the ability to use overpowered foes as \”meatshields\” are added to the game.

Halo: Reach – 3.7 million copies sold

Halo: Reach is another first-person shooter in the Halo universe. Humanity is locked in a war with the alien Covenant in the year 2552 as players control Noble Six, a member of an elite supersoldier squad, during the battle for the world of Reach. As the Covenant start their assault on the planet, the UNSC begin their heroic yet ultimately futile effort to deter the alien invaders.

Fable II – 3.5 million copies sold

Fable II is a role-playing game with a focus on action. The sequel to Fable, the game takes place five hundred years later in the fictional land of Albion. Weapons are still primitive and with towns have been overtaken by larger cities and castles. Unlike the original, the player can select the gender of their protagonist, while also choosing a character\’s sexuality, allowing for marriage and sexual liaisons with male and female NPCs.

Forza Motorsport 2 – 2.6 million copies sold

Forza Motorsport 2 is a realistic racing game and the second title in the Forza Motorsport series. There are 349 cars available (including downloadable content) which are divided into six production classes and four race classes with the car\’s class limiting the races it is eligible for. All cars have multiple settings for damage and physics characteristics and most of the cars can be visually customised with both aerodynamic parts as well as graphics. 1000 layers of graphics can be created to draw shapes, letters and pictures onto a car. Forza 2 concentrates on circuit racing complete with real world tracks – Road Atlanta, Silverstone, Laguna Seca, Tsukuba, Mugello Circuit, Sebring International Raceway, Suzuka Circuit, and Nrburgring Nordschleife are all licensed and included.

Forza Motorsport 3 – 2 million copies sold

Forza Motorsport 3 is a racing simulation video game containing over 400 customisable cars with the ability to race up to 8 cars on track at a time from 50 manufacturers and over 100 race track variations. The new single-player season mode puts the player through a completely customised racing calendar that includes more than 200 different events, including circuit, oval, drag, drift, and timed events personalised to the player\’s requirements. New tracks to the series include Circuit de la Sarthe and Circuit de Catalunya – these tracks join the already impressive list from Forza 2. New additions to the game include a rewind feature, an in-car view, an updated physics engine which includes tyre deformation, vehicle rollover with detailed undercarriages, one button assisted driving, real-simulation drifting and drag racing. Also new to the series is the addition of stock cars, albeit generic and the inclusion of some SUVs.

Mass Effect – 1.6 million copies sold

Mass Effect is an action RPG where the player assumes the role of an elite human soldier called Commander Shepard who sets out to explore the Galaxy on a starship, the SSV Normandy in the year 2183. The titular mass effect is a form of inertia-suppressing technology, allowing faster-than-light travel. A sequel, Mass Effect 2 (not an Xbox 360 exclusive) takes place 2 years after the events in the first game and utilises the players\’ completed save data from the first Mass Effect game to impact events and storylines within the second game.

Dead Rising – 1.6 million copies sold

Designed as a sandbox game, Dead Rising is an action-adventure, survival horror where players assume the role of Frank West, a photojournalist, who must defend himself from zombie attacks, rescue survivors, contend with crazed psychopaths, and stay alive while trapped in a shopping mall infested with zombies and still attempt to uncover the truth behind the incident. Frank can explore the mall, using any available object as a weapon to complete several main and optional missions and earn Prestige Points for special abilities. The game features several endings, subject to the decisions players make along the way.

*A Wii remake was released in February 2009 titled Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop.

Crackdown – 1.5 million copies sold

Crackdown is an open world, third-person shooter where the player controls a biologically enhanced Agent tasked with defeating 3 crime lords and their organised crime syndicates. The Agent\’s skills improve by defeating both crime lords and their supporters, as well as by completing optional objectives, such as street races and scavenger hunts. The gameplay is nonlinear – instead of following a rigid mission sequence players can select the approach to completing their missions and activities.

N.B. The sales information based on total games sold has been collated from Wikipedia and is correct as of April 2011. The definition of exclusive games in this article is meant to denote games that have not appeared on any other console (i.e. Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii).

The need to include the sales from the PC version of Gears of War is due to the Wikipedia article indicating it was not possible to distinguish between the sales from the Xbox 360 and the PC version.

Dead Rising made the list as an exclusive Xbox 360 title because a \’remake\’ for the Wii console (which was released under a different name – Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop) had several changes from the original Xbox 360 version and so believe this an acceptable \’exclusive\’ title for the Xbox 360.

PhenomenalAJR has been an avid Xbox 360 gamer since it was released. He put this article together to give gamers an idea of what they may like to play next or add to their games collection. Please visit my 360 games for more PhenomenalAJR reviews, opinions & discussions.