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While people will still gladly debate whether or not Microsoft releasing their Xbox 360 a year early was folly from a hardware standpoint, it has at least given them the advantage from the software side of things. Being the first to market allowed Microsoft to get more market penetration than their rival in Sony's PS3. This increased lead time, as long as the near abandonment of third party exclusives, has allowed Microsoft to get their hands on more high quality games that may have otherwise been unavailable to them. This has allowed for the unique position of not what is the best game for the system, but rather what is the best game for you?

One of the things you learn from working in a game store is that it always comes down to a matter of personal preference. Eventually it gets to the point where you can recommend something to someone instinctively. So the following would be what I would recommend to someone in need of help deciding what game to buy.

Racing DiRT from Codemasters and Criterion's Burnout: Paradise. For a racing fan who wants total simulation, you want DiRT. Even with the release of Project Gotham Racing 4 and its addition of motorcycles, I'm told DiRT is a far more rewarding experience. I say I'm told because I'm not a fan of simulation racing, but rather arcade racing games, which is I go with the Burnout series. The Burnout games are ones that can be enjoyed by anybody. My friends and I often tell people that they aren't racing games, but rather action games with cars. And with the recently released Paradise's open-from-the-get-go free-roam city with seem-less online integration, incredible graphics, Burnout: Paradise is fun waiting to happen.

Shooters Gears of War, CoD4, Halo 3. For squad-based, duck and cover action, there is Epic's Gears of War. While the story is stale and clichd, the action can be intense, and the visuals remain extraordinary throughout. The only downside is the inability to form teams for online ranked matches. Next is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. With CoD4 Infinity Ward finally lost the WWII setting and updated the series to present day. Gone are the Nazis, but the high productions standards that Infinity is known for remain intact. CoD4 also is the proud owner of what seems to be the most engaging online versus a shooter can have. Which is saying a lot for a game that is competing against the uberfranchise that is Halo. While many would agree that Bungie's Halo 3 didn't live up to the hype (frankly nothing could),

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