The Xbox 360 remains one of the most successful and influential console platforms in the history of video games. Between achievements, Xbox Live, and what Xbox Live Arcade did for indie games, it's hard to deny how important the Xbox 360 was to the history of video games.
The console was home to hit titles of every genre and budget size, with survival games thriving in an era where they were sought after by gamers. There were plenty of famous and memorable hit survival games, but sadly as time has gone on there are more than a handful in the genre that the general audience has forgotten about for one reason or another.
8 Deadly Premonition
In the world of movies, there's a community of people who genuinely enjoy watching the worst-made things in the medium. For video games, the same thing exists where critically poor received titles develop cult followings who fall in love with imperfect games that simply have something magical about them.
Deadly Premonition, a campy open-world survival horror game from developer Access Games is one such case. It's a whodunnit story that fans adore due to its whacky and eccentric plot that is entertaining and enjoyable. Deadly Premonition has also been described as the closest thing in video games to the beloved cult television show Twin Peaks, by creator David Lynch.
7 How To Survive
These days with every game being available for digital purchase and download, it's hard to remember how special the Xbox Live Arcade was on the Xbox 360 and how it helped advance the perception of indie games to the masses.
How To Survive was a 2013 game from Eko Software, offering a top-down perspective take on the zombie survival genre. Players would choose one of three characters and the game could be played solo or two-player co-op. The goal was to gather materials, craft weapons, and tools, and make it off the island without dying.
6 Dead Island
If it wasn't for the recent announcement of Dead Island 2 at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, many people might have forgotten that this zombie-slaying series existed. The first game caught a lot of attention thanks to an incredible trailer that showed the tragic death of a family in reverse.
The creativity and mystery brought a lot of hype to the game, which wasn't met with fantastic critical reception. It was an open-world survival game where players used various weapons to take out hordes of zombies on an island full of them. Fans are hoping the sequel delivers on the promises set forth by the original game.
5 State of Decay
Video games are unique in that they are dictated by technology and budget to an extent that films, tv, or other mediums aren't. State of Decay is a perfect example as the first entry in the series was a definitive arcade indie title looking to capture the feeling of trying to survive during a zombie apocalypse. The second entry showcased its enhanced budget as State of Decay 2 very much felt like a bigger budget indie title with developers more experienced and confident in their craft.
After being acquired by Microsoft and working under Xbox Game Studios, fans are eagerly awaiting the series' foray into the world of AAA game development and are anticipating a big leap for the third entry. That being said, the first State of Decay, despite its bugs and issues, was a special moment for indie games and the zombie survival genre.
4 Condemned: Criminal Origins
These days Monolith Productions is known as the studio behind the Middle-Earth games featuring the Nemesis system and are currently at work on an AAA-licensed Wonder Woman game. There was a time, though, when the studio was known for horror survival and horror shooters.
In 2005 they released Condemned: Criminal Origins, a first-person melee combat title where players took on the role of a crime scene investigator who was on the hunt to capture a deadly serial killer. It was critically well received, but its display of violence and cruel intentions was so immersive that the game was outlawed in Germany in 2008, as all copies of the game were confiscated.
3 Alien: Isolation
Anyone who remembers Alien: Isolation might think it was released a few years ago, but as it turns out the Creative Assembly title launched in 2014, almost a decade ago. The game was a surprise as it presented itself as a stealthy survival horror game, which was refreshing for a popular series usually adapted in video games as fast-paced action games.
Players had to navigate through a ship and avoid xenomorphs at every turn. Surprising for most players was the fact that headsets and/or controllers with built-in microphones could betray the user as any sound coming through could alert predators and give away a hiding spot.
2 Alan Wake
When it was originally released, Alan Wake from Remedy Entertainment kind of went by in a flash despite the survival horror title finding an audience who loved its unique take on the genre. In the years since it was released on the Xbox 360 in 2010, the original game has seen a remastered version released, a sequel is announced set to release in 2023, and was also heavily referenced in Remedy's psychological thriller third-person action title Control. What made Alan Wake stand out for fans is that the plot felt original for the medium and the pacing of the game was described as perfect or flawless by numerous review outlets.
1 Dead Rising
During the height of the zombie zeitgeist in entertainment Capcom delivered a game that gave people the zombie-killing experience of their dreams. In 2006, Dead Rising was released, which placed players in a mall during a zombie apocalypse.
It was their job to fight their way out of this mall and get rescued while playing as a photographer named Frank West. The original saw three sequels, but with each new release, both the quality of the game and its sales suffered. It's unclear what's next for the series, as fans hope for a full-fledged remake of the original game.