Top 10 Xbox 360 Games of 2012

#1 Halo 4

Though the Call of Duty franchise may have long since dethroned Halo as the 360’s most popular online shooter, all the soldiers and terrorists in the world can’t match Master Chief and company for sheer creative will. With its rich universe bursting with otherworldly landscapes, beautifully intimidating foes, and imaginative alien technology, Halo 4 makes our list largely on reputation.

That’s because details about the game have been hard to come by. We do know two important facts: Halo 4 will mark the beginning of a new story arc Microsoft is calling the Reclaimer Trilogy, and it will be the first game developed without series creators Bungie.

In a lot of ways, Halo 4 will be a proving ground for the franchise’s new caretakers, an internal Microsoft studio called 343 Industries. If they can pull off the perfect blend of action and storytelling that made the first few games wildly successful, we’ll have plenty more adventures with the Chief and Cortana to look forward to.