Microsoft declares best release year ever

Year 2007 is almost done, and Microsoft has expressed its brimming pride with how things went in the past 11 months. Powerhouse shooters like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock and The Orange Box have flexed the genre’s muscles wider than ever, while Madden NFL 08,Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Mass Effect and more have provided additional firepower. If you own an Xbox 360 and missed out on some of these, the holidays could be a nice time to get them.

In its latest press release, Microsoft declared 2007 as its best year so far in terms of games released for its Xbox 360 console. The computing giant took a bow before this year ends knowing that it made a serious statement with the quantity of high-quality titles that its platform’s owners received this calendar year.

High-profile games led by the monumental Halo 3 from Bungie headlined the Xbox 360’s 2007 campaign. Along with Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock and The Orange Box have created the fearsome foursome of the FPS genre.

While pundits may say that shooting games comprise most of the Xbox 360’s best gaming events, other genres were also given their fills. Blue Dragon from Microsoft Game Studios eased some of our RPG cravings. Viva Piñata: Party Animals provided wholesome fun and Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action gave more casual players something to smile about. Cyber-athletes, meanwhile, were treated to the awesome Madden NFL 08 from EA.

Fighting game and anime fans relished Namco Bandai‘s Naruto Rise of a Ninja, while virtual aviators flew high with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. In its latest outing, RPG master team Bioware released Mass Effect, one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time.

We must say that Microsoft put together a crazy flurry of Grade-A gaming fun this year. If you own an Xbox 360, the holidays seem to be a good time to spill that wallet’s contents. Here’s looking forward to a bigger and better 2008.