The Top Ten Xbox 360 Sleeper Hits You May Have Missed

With the dozen games that hit shelves each month, it's only natural that a few of them get lost in the shuffle. With everyone playing The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Call of Duty, I thought it would be fair to come up with a list of my top ten sleeper hits on the Xbox 360. These are all games that I have played multiple times and loved every moment of.

Developed by Pioneer Studios, this spinoff of the Devil May Cry franchise has its fair share of offerings to make it unique. You play as Bayonetta, a witch caught between the battle of Heaven and Hell. You are introduced to several strange and interesting enemies, as well as a mixture of constant boss fights. With guns on both your hands and feet, you can keep the battle going to create insane combos. The ending sequence of the game is phenomenal and leaves you wanting to replay through a new game plus when you're finished. Bayonetta landed in early 2010 and is sometimes difficult to find in stores. Bayonetta received an IGN rating of 9.5 out of 10.

From the same studio that brought you Dead Space comes another demented tale that's sure to make your stomach twist. Often called the 'poor man's God of War', I would say it's more deserving of the title, 'God of War for the 360'. You swing the scythe of Dante through the nine layers of hell. You have betrayed your love, Beatrice, and seek to save her soul from Lucifer. Dante is haunted by his sins along the way, forced to deal with the disappointment of his dead family. The game has a wonderful mix of boss bottles and an arena-type game mode titled, "The Gates of Hell". I have thouroughly enjoyed playing through this game twice. It will take you anywhere between eight and ten hours to complete, but is well worth it for its replayability and low price.

If you've played a Forza game before, you know by now that Turn 10 studios loves their cars. They put a ridiculous amount of effort and detail into the vehicles and enviornments. The racetracks are perfectly recreated from various raceways all over the world. A wide selection of cars can be viewed from your garage and can be examined and even stepped into. The game developers have included just about every piece of information about the cars that you'd ever want to know. Downloadable car packs are released at the beginning of every single month, and the career mode spans ten seasons long. This game will take you awhile to complete and is a blast to play with friends online. Even if you aren't into cars, this game will take you for a ride you won't soon forget. If money is an issue, you can always try out Forza Motorsport 3 or 2 before making a final decision.

It's been awhile since the release of a Deus Ex game, but it appears that the wait was well worth it. Using your augmented abilities received from an accident, you blast through the city uncovering various mysteries and corporate conspiracies. The game has much of a stealth-play to it, and can even be completed without actually killing any enemies. Guns are always at your disposal, but ammo can get short quickly. This game also relies very heavily on story, in almost a Mass-Effect sort of way. If a solid story and stealth gameplay are your thing, give Deus Ex: Human Revolution a shot.

This game recently dropped in price by 50% in the last few weeks, and is still well-worth a pickup. The twisted mind of Suda 51 and Grasshopper studios bring you Shadows of the Damned, a demon-hunting adventure from the same studio that brought you Killer 7 back in 2005. You play as Garcia Hotspurr, a hot-headed mexican demon hunter. Your girlfriend is stolen from you and is used a mistress in hell until you can jump in and save her. This game is exceptionally odd and strange, but never proved to be a boring experience. You'll need to feed baby-faced doors eyeballs and strawberries in order for them to open. You'll be shooting goat heads to light up rooms and shake off the darkness. The game plays heavily on time spent in darkness and light. The boss battles are unique and a bit comical. If you don't mind juvenile jokes and aren't afraid to laugh here and there, this game can be a fun, but short, experience. There is no multiplayer, but the game is fun to play through, put down for a bit, and then pick back up.

I know that these are two games, but they fell under a lot of peoples radar. Condemnded was one of the first games released for the Xbox 360, and had an odd achievement max of 970. Both games offer awesome melee combat and light gunplay. You can use boards, pipes, bricks, conduits, and many other blunt objects you find lying around in the game. The combat is intense due to the camera shake as you fight off groups of manic enemies. Each level will leave you with a bit of an eerie feeling, and these games are best played with the lights off and sound up.

Dark Souls has become increasingly popular since its release. Dark Souls is a very unique game set in ancient times, with litters of swords and bows at your disposal. What makes this game so unique is its style of gameplay. There is absolutely no way to pause your game at any time, so you'd better not be in a bad spot if someone comes knocking at your door. If you die, and trust me, you will die a LOT, then you are respawned at the nearest 'bonfire' or checkpoint. The game itself autosaves everything that you do, so if you accidentally use a healing item or accidentally fall of a cliff; there is no going back. While frusterating at times, there is no other feeling like finding a save point in this game. These save points are better described as checkpoints, thus you will respawn there the next time that you perish. My best advice once you complete the introductory level; don't go for the skeletons! You will end up dying countless times. If one path seems too difficult, try another or level up using souls of the fallen to become stronger. Dark souls is an amazing single player experience that will literally last you hundreds of hours.

Okay, so this game might not exactly be under the radar, but it's well worth checking out. Many people were turned off by the idea of playing as a Big Daddy in this game, but it proves itself to be quite fun. It can feel a bit generic at times, but the plasma upgrades and RPG elements save this one. The story is engaging and the enviornments are interesting, featuring a few underwater walking segments. Collectable achievements are back as well. While Bioshock 2 isn't nearly as good as it's predecessor, it is still worthy of a playthrough for its cheap price. After all, there's nothing like the feeling of using your drill to spin through enemies. Bioshock 2 also has downloadable content that is worth checking out, including the sister trials and Minerva's Den.

You'll have to download this one from the arcade, but it's well worth the price point if you've never played the original. While the HD graphics are less than outstanding, it still feels wonderful to relive the classic Gamecube game that changed the Resident Evil series forever. You play as Leon Kennedy, sent on a mission to rescue the presidents daughter from 'las plagas', or the plague. You must stop Saddler's evil plans and escape alive. Originally on the Gamecube, the game has since then been ported to the Playstation 2 and Wii. It also offers an additional Mercanaries mode upon the games completion, which will keep you playing for quite some additional time. Overall, a wonderful classic.

Many people ignored this game because of its 'only decent' scores. This is by far one of my top games on the 360 today. Combining the elements of Zelda and God of War, this game is a classic adventure story at heart. You play as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Upon being charged for abusing your powers, you are given the chance to make things right. You run across the land, seeking items from various dungeons and bosses. There is an even mixture of exploration, combat and puzzle-solving. There are also trial arenas to find, as well as life and magic pieces to collect. One complete playthrough of this game will keep you playing for quite some time. Don't be turned off by the generic first hour of the game, as it gets much, much better after that. I borrowed this game from a friend at first, but didn't waste any time buying it for myself shortly after I returned it to him. Darksiders is an amazing adventure and has a sequel coming out this year.

There you have it, my top ten recommended sleeper hits so far on the Xbox 360. Feel free to leave any comments, especially if you purchase and enjoy a game that I recommended! I don't think that anyone will be disappointed with the selections that I have made.