Adventure games
The traditional action/adventure game was the staple of the older days of consoles, with most of the big names in older games fitting the bill for the genre. Now, in an industry that has seen the ranks in styles of games swell with the introduction of newer technology and more capable consoles, this genre is but one of a host that can be found enlivening television screens everywhere. Nevertheless, the action/adventurer still holds a special place in the hearts of console gamers, and there are still plenty to choose from in modern times. One of the first to come out for the 360 was Assassin's Creed, a game in which the player takes the role of a medieval assassin named Altair and stalks the streets(and rooftops) of crusades-era Jerusalem, Demascus and Acre in search of prey. The game introduced two outstanding elements - full city exploration and climbability, and reactive crowd AI - and its recently-released sequel improves on it in every way.
For the less subtly inclined, there is the sprawling, brutal and
overpowered Prototype, in which the superhuman main character gets
the length and breadth of Manhattan to run around in, run up and
leap from buildings, absorb and morph into enemies, crush tanks and
kick helicopters out of the sky. Yes, that's right, kick
helicopters. For the more stylishly minded, the recently-released
Bayonetta is a dark-magic, blades-and-guns, surrealist enemies romp
through a game universe that's more like an impressionistic painting
than a virtual world. The witch protagonist uses a wild variety of
moves and weapons to dispatch enemies with an artistry and aesthetic
sense that is unmatched in modern-day gaming. Many more fine
examples abound, some of them more in a stealth vein, others more
action-oriented, but all with their own satisfactions.