The Best Xbox Game Every Year 2001 - 2024
14. 2011 - Gears of War 3
With the time that development now takes in today's age, getting a complete trilogy released on a system is a pretty unlikely affair. However, if one franchise were to perfectly embody the lifespan of the Xbox 360, from every possible perspective, it would be Gears of War. As such it's fitting that Gears 3 was the best Xbox game released in 2011.
Whilst the campaign of Gears of War 2 tends to be the overall fan favourite, the crescendo of the Marcus Fenix trilogy had some of the most of gut-wrenching and air-punching moments in the series, all set to some stunning visuals and cinematography.
Like it's predecessor, Gears 3 was no slouch on the multiplayer side of things. The potential of Horde mode was cracked wide open, building on what came before by giving players fortifications against the oncoming enemy waves and, for the first time, the campaign supported four player co-op.
Perhaps the most underrated element of Gears 3 though was its challenges and rewards. Sure, it asked players to put in some serious work to unlock its cosmetics but it tracked progress across every single mode, making sure that players who came for one thing at least tried out the wealth of content in the conclusion of the original trilogy.