You Should Buy These Xbox 360 Titles Before The Store Closes

Don't skip these gems!

After 18 years, the Xbox 360 Marketplace will shut down on July 29, 2024. Backward-compatible games will still be available for purchase on the Microsoft Store, but games not playable on newer Xbox consoles will be gone for good. This also includes DLCs for many non-backward compatible titles, including Street Fighter X Tekken, Anarchy Reigns, Sonic '06, and more.

RELATED: Best Backwards Compatible Games To Play On Xbox Series X|S

While most 360 games had a physical release, most Xbox Live Arcade titles were digital only. Unfortunately, a lot of the amazing XBLA games that were not backward compatible have already been delisted, but there's definitely some still available.

One of the more notable snubs in the backward compatibility program is Bionic Commando Rearmed. For some reason, the second game is there, but not the first one. Both games are great, with the first title being a phenomenal remake of the original NES entry. The controls are super tight, and doing these levels as fast as possible is extremely fun.

Rearmed 1 isn't as lengthy as the second game, but that's okay, as there are light Metroidvania elements with backtracking at several points. You can get this game on Steam, but it doesn't work for a lot of people. If you want a game that just works straight after installation, get it on 360; plus, you can unlock bonuses for the 2009 3D Bionic Commando title.

Cloudberry Kingdom is a 2013 platformer where you simply need to get to the end of a level while avoiding all hazards in your path. You can play single-player mode, but it is a lot of fun in multiplayer. A common element in many co-op platformers around this time was the pure chaos of all these characters on-screen. In the era's 2D Mario games, you can easily screw over the other players.

Cloudberry is more simple in that the four people just play the level simultaneously. Your characters will overlap if they're on top of one another, and just one person making it to the end will allow the group to continue forward. Considering the hard difficulty, this system works great. Just try not to finish the game 100 percent, as the final two levels are virtually impossible.

In terms of history, Death Tank is quite an interesting title. It originally started out as a bonus extra in the Sega Saturn game PowerSlave and appeared again in the Saturn port of Duke Nukem 3D. The Xbox Live Arcade version is an enhanced remake of it with better graphics and online play.

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Death Tank is very similar to Scorched Earth or Worms in its gameplay and it's a blast with friends. Those Saturn games are very expensive today, but Death Tank on 360 is only $15. The title has a fascinating history tied to it, and due to that and its fun factor, it is worth considering picking up.

The Xbox 360 days were when a lot of the classic indie games were launched, like Super Meat Boy, Limbo, Castle Crashers, Trials HD, 'Splosion Man, and many more. Another title that deserves to be in that catalog but often isn't put in is Fez. This is likely due to the title's controversial lead developer Phil Fish, but the game itself is an indie game masterpiece.

Being an indie game of the time, it took one element (rotating a 2D world) and made a whole game about it. It's a fantastic experience from start to finish, and the title's actually been ported to many modern systems. However, there's just a special quality about playing the original 360 version, as it was a 360 exclusive for over a year.

It's likely a surprise that a Kinect game is worth picking up, but it's true because Fruit Ninja Kinect is a hidden gem. Fruit Ninja was a classic mobile game back in the day, and it fit perfectly for the Kinect. Many Kinect games were overly complex, pushing the device too hard, but in Fruit Ninja, you simply slice 'n dice fruits.

It's very fun, and you can even play two-player. Just make sure you aren't too close so you don't hit them by mistake. This game is an Xbox 360 exclusive, so if you think you want to play this title in the future, pick it up now.

Of the three digital Street Fighter 360 games, the one to get is Third Strike Online Edition. The 360 port of Hyper Fighting isn't that special, and you can actually get HD Remix with the Capcom Digital Collection disc. Third Strike Online Edition is awesome and still worth buying for Street Fighter fans.

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You get a remixed soundtrack by Simon Viklund exclusive to this port and the Trials mode. Essentially a challenge mode, you must do various combos for the many characters, but also a few special tasks. There are handicap trials and parrying trials. One of these makes you recreate Evo Moment 37, which is awesome to do. These exclusive features make this port worthwhile to get.

The Worms series is a fantastic set of turn-based tactics party games, and it's a bit sad the last main instalment was Worms W.M.D back in 2016. Team17 used to pump these games out left and right, especially on the Xbox 360. There are four Worms games on the Xbox 360 store, and the peak of the series on that system is Worms Revolution.

With more tools at your disposal than ever before, Worms Revolution is still an excellent time with friends. It still stacks up really well to even the newest Worms title, and you're only missing a few key features found in the newest game.

Another quality party game only available digitally on the 360 is Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. It's a four-player car combat party title where you must race against and destroy the other vehicles. If you're the last car standing, you get two points, while further placements get downgraded point values, with the first eliminated car losing two points.

It's a lot of fun, and the title is exclusive to the 360 and PS3 digital stores with no PC version. Wrecked is a great 360 party game, and it's worth picking up for future family/friend gatherings.

Next: Best Split-Screen Multiplayer Games For The Xbox Series X|S

A gaming enthusiast from the northwest. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Portland State University with a GPA of 3.49. Has done article work for Keen Gamer. His favorite games are Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden II. Super Ninja on the Prowl.