Microsoft was able to get a head start on its competition during the seventh generation of home consoles. The company released itsXbox 360in November 2005, a whole year before Sony released thePlayStation 3and Nintendo released theWii. This gave Microsoft a golden opportunity, as they had a whole year to promote their console as being far more powerful than anything else on the market at the time.
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Fast-forward to 2007, and Microsoft finally had to compete with the Wii and PS3, which were both released in late-2006. Consequently, 2007 was a vitally important year for the console, as it had to prove that it could keep pace with the two gaming giants. Thankfully, theXbox 360didn’t disappoint, as there were numerous iconic games released on the console in 2007 that ensured theXboxbrand was here to stay.
8Halo 3
TheHaloseries has been Xbox’s flagship ever sinceHalo: CombatEvolvedwas released as alaunch titlefor the original Xbox and immediately put Microsoft’s home console on the map. The sequel,Halo 2, was another roaring success on the original Xbox, so many people were eager to see what the franchise was going to do next when the Xbox 360 was released.
Bungie didn’t disappoint, creating one of the mostenjoyable games to play with friends on the seventh generation of home consoles.
7Assassin’s Creed
2007’sAssassin’s Creedlaid the foundations for what would become one of modern gaming’s most successful franchises. TheAssassin’s Creedseries has found a winning formula with its impressive game worldsset in significant historical periods, along with the now quintessential Ubisoft style of open-world game design with maps full of quests and side activities.
It’s hard to deny that the originalAssassin’s Creedhas aged poorly, particularly for how basic its mission objectives are, though it still deserves acclaim for kickstarting one of the most successful franchises of the last 15 years.
6Mass Effect
BioWare’sMass Effectseries is another that began in 2007. The action RPG stood out at the time for the plethora ofdecisions that it forced players to make throughout the story,which would heavily impact both the overarching narrative and the commander’s relationship with their crew - something that many people believe to be the game’s true story.
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AlthoughMass Effect 3andMass Effect: Andromedafaced heavy criticism, the franchise is still beloved, thanks to its first two entries.
5Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2007 saw theCall of Dutyfranchise take a bold step away from WWII and into the world of modern warfare. It may surprise people to hear today, but this was a divisive move at the time.
There were few complaints when the game was released, however, asCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfaretreated players to one of the best FPS campaigns of all time up until that point. If that wasn’t enough, the game also revolutionized online gaming with its brilliantly designed multiplayer mode that stood out with its wide range of match objectives, perks, and killstreaks.
4Rock Band
It’s easy to forget just how bigrhythm gameswere in 2007, given how sudden and steep the genre’s decline was. Following the enormous success of theGuitar Heroseries, it was only a matter of time before a worthy competitor came along.
That competitor wasRock Bandwhich, as the name suggests, let players team up with their friends to create an entire virtual band, with lead guitar, bass guitar, drum, and microphone controllers all compatible.
3BioShock
BioShock- a spiritual successor toSystem Shock- is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, exemplified by its whopping96 Metascore. The game immediately captured players' attention with its iconic opening that saw the protagonist descend into the underwater city of Rapture.
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Along with its breathtaking art design,BioShockalso impressed fans and critics with its unique FPS gameplay andcharismatic villains.
2The Orange Box
The Orange Boxis a compilation from Valve that includesHalf-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two,Team Fortress 2,andPortal.LikeBioShock, the compilation earned a96 Metascore, which came as little surprise as the package included three of the generation’s best games.
Along with the sheer quality of the games, one of the compilation’s main strengths was how different each game was from one another, which meant that many players didn’t change disks for months after first firing upThe Orange Box.
1Skate
Yet another franchise that began in 2007 wasSkate, an open-world skateboarding game from EA. In the buildup toSkate’s release, theTony Hawk’sPro Skaterseries had a stranglehold on the skateboarding genre.
However, EA saw an opening to create a competitor, that differentiated itself from the long-runningPro Skaterseries with its analog stick “flick it” system, and more realistic approach to the sport. The game was a success and has since received two sequels, with a third on the way soon.
