Microsoft was able to get a head start on its competition during the seventh generation of home consoles. The company released its Xbox 360 in November 2005, a whole year before Sony released the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo released the Wii. This gave Microsoft a golden opportunity, as they had a whole year to promote their console as being far more powerful than anything else on the market at the time.
Fast-forward to 2007, and Microsoft finally had to compete with the Wii and PS3, which were both released in late-2006. Consequently, 2007 was a vitally important year for the console, as it had to prove that it could keep pace with the two gaming giants. Thankfully, the Xbox 360 didn't disappoint, as there were numerous iconic games released on the console in 2007 that ensured the Xbox brand was here to stay.
8 Halo 3
The Halo series has been Xbox's flagship ever since Halo: Combat Evolved was released as a launch title for the original Xbox and immediately put Microsoft's home console on the map. The sequel, Halo 2, was another roaring success on the original Xbox, so many people were eager to see what the franchise was going to do next when the Xbox 360 was released.
Bungie didn't disappoint, creating one of the most enjoyable games to play with friends on the seventh generation of home consoles.
7 Assassin's Creed
2007's Assassin's Creed laid the foundations for what would become one of modern gaming's most successful franchises. The Assassin's Creed series has found a winning formula with its impressive game worlds set in significant historical periods, along with the now quintessential Ubisoft style of open-world game design with maps full of quests and side activities.
It's hard to deny that the original Assassin's Creed has aged poorly, particularly for how basic its mission objectives are, though it still deserves acclaim for kickstarting one of the most successful franchises of the last 15 years.
6 Mass Effect
BioWare's Mass Effect series is another that began in 2007. The action RPG stood out at the time for the plethora of decisions that it forced players to make throughout the story, which would heavily impact both the overarching narrative and the commander's relationship with their crew - something that many people believe to be the game's true story.
Although Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda faced heavy criticism, the franchise is still beloved, thanks to its first two entries.
5 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2007 saw the Call of Duty franchise take a bold step away from WWII and into the world of modern warfare. It may surprise people to hear today, but this was a divisive move at the time.
There were few complaints when the game was released, however, as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare treated players to one of the best FPS campaigns of all time up until that point. If that wasn't enough, the game also revolutionized online gaming with its brilliantly designed multiplayer mode that stood out with its wide range of match objectives, perks, and killstreaks.
4 Rock Band
It's easy to forget just how big rhythm games were in 2007, given how sudden and steep the genre's decline was. Following the enormous success of the Guitar Hero series, it was only a matter of time before a worthy competitor came along.
That competitor was Rock Band which, as the name suggests, let players team up with their friends to create an entire virtual band, with lead guitar, bass guitar, drum, and microphone controllers all compatible.
3 BioShock
BioShock - a spiritual successor to System Shock - is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, exemplified by its whopping 96 Metascore. The game immediately captured players' attention with its iconic opening that saw the protagonist descend into the underwater city of Rapture.
Along with its breathtaking art design, BioShock also impressed fans and critics with its unique FPS gameplay and charismatic villains.
2 The Orange Box
The Orange Box is a compilation from Valve that includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Like BioShock, the compilation earned a 96 Metascore, which came as little surprise as the package included three of the generation's best games.
Along with the sheer quality of the games, one of the compilation's main strengths was how different each game was from one another, which meant that many players didn't change disks for months after first firing up The Orange Box.
1 Skate
Yet another franchise that began in 2007 was Skate, an open-world skateboarding game from EA. In the buildup to Skate's release, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series had a stranglehold on the skateboarding genre.
However, EA saw an opening to create a competitor, that differentiated itself from the long-running Pro Skater series with its analog stick "flick it" system, and more realistic approach to the sport. The game was a success and has since received two sequels, with a third on the way soon.