One of the best things about the Xbox 360 is the achievements that are built into every game. They give you a little extra motivation to play a game longer than you would have in the past in order to earn an achievement and add a few points to your gamerscore. I know, I know, your gamerscore is meaningless, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as playing a game and hearing the little sound effect and the “Achievement Unlocked” window pops up.
One of my favorite things in videogames is when you get to constantly unlock new items. Fighting games, racing games, and FPS are great at constantly rewarding you with new trinkets and characters and stuff. I see achievements as an extension of this. You are constantly rewarded, which just keeps you playing longer in the hope of earning something else. And it all adds up into a neat and tidy gamerscore that you can share with your friends at sites such as GamerScoreChart.com or 360 Voice.com.
What Makes a Game Good or Bad For Your Gamerscore?
Good: Good games for improving your gamerscore reward you for playing through the game, performing specific in-game tasks, or accomplishing goals within reason
Bad: Bad games for improving your gamerscore are ones that require a long term investment of time, topping online leaderboards, or feature a majority of online-only achievements.
Here is a listing of the best and worst Xbox 360 games for improving your gamerscore. It is not a complete listing of every game, just ones that we have played.
Good Games For Your Gamerscore
- Madden NFL 06: Very easy to get all 1000 in an afternoon. It takes a while to sim 30 years of franchise, though.
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06: Some crazy online stuff, but the single player achievements are easy enough. Not recommended if you don’t intend to play a lot.
- Need for Speed Most Wanted: You earn all 1000 by simply playing through the game.
- Project Gotham Racing 3: You earn most of them just by playing the game and collecting cars. It is hard to get them all, but you’ll have fun doing it.
- Kameo: Elements of Power: You get most of them by simply playing through the game. You also get them for earning “A” Rankings in each temple.
- Gun: The game is short and easy, but you get lots of achievements and points for playing through it.
- Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland: You get most of them for playing through the story and classic modes. Easy if you are THPS fan.
- King Kong: You get all 1000 just by playing through the game.
- Condemned: Criminal Origins: You get most of them while playing through the game. The rest are associated with hidden items that are easy enough to find.
- Full Auto: Just play through the game to get most of them. Some achievements are for Xbox Live stuff, but most of the points are for single-player.
- Fight Night Round 3: Very, very easy to earn all 1000. Just play single-player.
- Ghost Recon: Advance Warfighter: Split fairly even between single-player and Xbox Live. You’ll have lots of fun doing it.
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Earning all 1000 points isn’t all that hard, but it might take you 100 hours to do it. You’ll love every minute of it, though.
- Top Spin 2: Most of the points are earned in single-player. It can be difficult, but once you get over the learning curve it isn’t too bad.
- Amped 3: Earn them all by playing through single-player. Very underrated game that is highly recommended.
- Tomb Raider Legend: Just play through the game to earn most of the points.
- X-Men 3: Play through the game to earn them all.
- Rockstar Table Tennis: Pretty easy to get most of the points, and a blast to play online.
- Hitman: Blood Money: Earned by playing through the game on various difficulties. Not an easy task, but fun enough to keep you playing.
- LotR: Battle for Middle Earth II: Most achievements are for single-player. Lots of fun.
- Prey: You get 600+ points just playing through the story missions, and since you can never die it is insanely easy.
- NCAA Football 2007: Easy points if you intend on playing it quite a bit.
- Dead Rising: Most of the achievements are easy. There are a couple tough ones, but the game is so fun you won’t mind.
- Ninety Nine Nights: Most achievements are earned by simply playing through the game.
- Madden NFL 07: Not as stupid-easy as Madden 06, but you can simulate games and earn most of the achievements.
- Lego Star Wars II: You earn most of them by playing through the game. Achievements for beating each level without dying are hard, but not impossible.
- Enchanted Arms: You get all of them for playing through the game.
- The Godfather: You earn most of them over the course of the game.
- Saints Row: You get most of them in single-player. Very fun.
- Test Drive Unlimited: You earn most of them just playing the game normally.
- NBA 2K6: Insanely easy to earn all 1000. Lower the difficulty and extend the time to a full 48 minutes and you can get them all in one game.
- NHL 2K7: Between using sliders to make the game very easy and simulating through dynasty mode, you can earn most of these achievements easily.
- Just Caue: You earn all of them playing through the game normally.
- NBA Live 07: Most of them are just rewards for playing with the superstar freestyle controls.
- Splinter Cell Double Agent: You earn most by playing through the game.
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07: Most of them are for playing through career and trying all of the modes.
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Very easy, just play through the game.
- FIFA 07: Earned just by playing the game. Some take a while, but it is worth it.
- Tony Hawk's Project 8: You get most by simply playing through the game normally.
- Gears of War: A good balance between single and multiplayer. Very enjoyable to earn.
- Phantasy Star Universe: Very easy as all of them are earned through playing the single player.
The list of good games continues on page 2. Page 3 features the worst games for improving your Gamerscore along with Xbox Live Arcade games.
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