39. Gears of War 2 (X360)
Gears was one of the first 360 games I played, and immediately it became a real guilty pleasure of mine. It was a truly competent cover shooter, a game mechanic for which I'm a hopeless sucker, slathered with ridiculous machismo and gloriously over the top Michael Bay bullshit. GOW2 (take that, Sony boys!) was billed as being bigger, better, and more badass, and it's definitely all of that. The campaign feels so much huger than the first game's, and is simply an epic (hurrr!) thrill ride on par with any summer blockbuster. The chemistry between characters is just as good as it was in the first go 'round, and there's even some new faces thrown in... Dizzy for the motherfucking wiiiiiin! Multiplayer is much improved, too, with matches not being anything near the rage-inducing shotgun-from-the-hip-fests that they were in the first game. Horde mode is a welcome addition and became such a hit that it has appeared in pretty much every shooter released since. Also, bots!
