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Marino

Is it the shoes?

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By the Numbers: Seven Years of Achievements

It all leads back to this man.
It all leads back to this man.

Seven years ago today, on May 12, 2005, we were first introduced to the Xbox 360. Thanks to MTV, Elijah Wood, and The Killers, we learned everything we needed to know about Microsoft's new console in a thirty minute television show prior to E3 2005. There was a lot of talk about inhaling, creating and selling t-shirts in Tony Hawk, microtransactions, blades, and Gamer Zones. But, the most important thing that we learned about from J Allard that night, although we probably didn't know it then, was achievements. Love 'em or hate 'em, achievements have changed the way many of us play games.

At the end of 2011, I posted a blog chock full of achievement data pertaining to every Xbox 360 game released last year. So, what's the next step? How about every Xbox 360 game ever released? About 1500 games. I know...that's insane. Well...too late, because I've already compiled it all. The data you will find below was accumulated over the course of three days (May 3-5). Enough talkin', let's get to it.

Basics

To start off, here's some simple, somewhat boring info on average players per game, average completion rate, and average number of achievements unlocked.

.OverallRetailXBLAKinect
Average Players per Game2597.42776.82274.8559.3
Average Completion per Game25.4%25.8%24.7%22.4%
Average Number of Achievements Unlocked8.3311.143.287.08

Top 50 Most Played Games

Here's the most obvious category to include. Of nearly seven years of playing Xbox 360 games, these are the ones that are most played by Giant Bomb users. Not too many surprises, but would you have guessed Mirror's Edge would be in the top 50? Will anything ever topple Halo 3's reign at the top? Will four more people play Hexic to take over the #2 spot?

1. Halo 3 -- 30,796
2. Gears of War -- 28,956
3. Hexic HD -- 28,953
4. Grand Theft Auto IV -- 28,213
5. Mass Effect -- 28,019
6. Gears of War 2 -- 27,459
7. Fable II -- 27,205
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- 25,719
9. BioShock -- 24,722
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -- 24,693
11. Assassin's Creed -- 24,589
12. Fallout 3 -- 23,104
13. Halo Reach -- 22,902
14. Red Dead Redemption -- 22,426
15. Mass Effect 2 -- 22,006
16. Assassin's Creed II -- 20,966
17. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The -- 20,773
18. Halo 3: ODST -- 20,759
19. Dead Rising -- 20,556
20. Orange Box, The -- 20,504
21. Crackdown -- 20,383
22. Borderlands -- 19,915
23. Shadow Complex -- 19,010
24. Left 4 Dead -- 18,636
25. Batman: Arkham Asylum -- 18,171
26. Game Room -- 17,887
27. Castle Crashers -- 17,462
28. Resident Evil 5 -- 17,452
29. Dead Space -- 17,030
30. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock -- 16,300
31. Call of Duty: World at War -- 16,157
32. Rock Band -- 16,045
33. Uno -- 15,932
34. Alan Wake -- 15,861
35. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved -- 15,793
36. Burnout Paradise -- 15,099
37. Call of Duty: Black Ops -- 14,536
38. Rock Band 2 -- 14,029
39. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas -- 14,017
40. Forza Motorsport 2 -- 13,823
41. Aegis Wing -- 13,803
42. Braid -- 13,627
43. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed -- 13,485
44. Dash of Destruction -- 13,414
45. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction -- 13,297
46. Gears of War 3 -- 13,270
47. 'Splosion Man -- 13,220
48. Left 4 Dead 2 -- 13,216
49. Limbo -- 13,160
50. Mirror's Edge -- 13,069

Top 50 Least Played Games

The #1 least played game is a bit of a cop out, but the game does have achievements, and some people did get their hands on it. No Giant Bomb users have, though. Well, one user did get PS3 copy, but we're not here to talk about trophies. I think the major takeaway here is to look at all those Kinect games!

1. NBA Elite 11 -- 0
2. Country Dance All Stars -- 2
3. Victorious: Time to Shine -- 3
4. Summer Stars 2012 -- 3
5. Just Dance Kids -- 4
6. Motion Explosion! -- 5
7. Rapala for Kinect -- 6
8. Karaoke Revolution: Glee Volume 3 -- 6
9. Mud: FIM Motocross World Championship -- 6
10. Winter Sports 2011 -- 7
11. Big League Sports -- 7
12. SpongeBob Surf & Skate Roadtrip -- 7
13. Onechanbara Z: Kagura -- 7
14. Crash Time 4: The Syndicate -- 8
15. Cabela's Big Game Hunter: Hunting Party -- 8
16. Winter Stars -- 8
17. Get Fit with Mel B -- 10
18. Jimmie Johnson's Anything With an Engine -- 10
19. Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer -- 10
20. Self Defense Training Camp -- 10
21. Let's Cheer! -- 11
22. Air Conflicts: Secret Wars -- 12
23. MLB Bobblehead Battle -- 12
24. Cabela's Adventure Camp -- 12
25. X Factor, The -- 13
26. Grease Dance -- 13
27. Battle vs. Chess -- 14
28. Ben 10 Galactic Racing -- 14
29. Generator Rex: Agent of Providence -- 14
30. Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked -- 14
31. Xotic -- 15
32. Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters -- 15
33. Happy Feet Two -- 15
34. Deepak Chopra's Leela -- 15
35. Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt -- 16
36. Winter Sports 2010: The Great Tournament -- 16
37. Tour de France 2011 -- 16
38. Jillian Michaels' Fitness Adventure -- 16
39. Minute to Win It -- 17
40. MotionSports: Adrenaline -- 17
41. Kung Fu High Impact -- 17
42. Top Gun: Hard Lock -- 17
43. Deep Black: Episode 1 -- 17
44. Family Game Night Fun Pack -- 18
45. NASCAR Unleashed -- 18
46. Asteroids Deluxe -- 19
47. Bakugan: Defenders of the Core -- 19
48. PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour -- 20
49. WSC Real 11: World Snooker Championship -- 20
50. Dance! It's Your Stage -- 21

Top 25 Most Played XBLA Games

God damn Black Pearls!
God damn Black Pearls!

It's not exactly fair to the XBLA games to always lump them in with the retail games. How 'bout them Doritos?

  1. Hexic HD -- 28,953
  2. Shadow Complex -- 19,010
  3. Game Room -- 17,887
  4. Castle Crashers -- 17,462
  5. Uno -- 15,932
  6. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved -- 15,793
  7. Aegis Wing -- 13,803
  8. Braid -- 13,627
  9. Dash of Destruction -- 13,414
  10. Splosion Man -- 13,220
  11. Limbo -- 13,160
  12. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- 12,560
  13. Undertow -- 11,774
  14. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 -- 11,501
  15. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero -- 11,294
  16. Worms -- 11,036
  17. Trials HD -- 10,778
  18. Doom -- 10,617
  19. Pac-Man Championship Edition -- 10,616
  20. TMNT 1989 Arcade -- 10,559
  21. Battlefield 1943 -- 10,194
  22. Doritos Crash Course -- 10,139
  23. Bastion -- 9945
  24. 1 vs 100 -- 9822
  25. Carcassone -- 9685

Top 25 Least Played XBLA Games

So...that's a thing.
So...that's a thing.

Tell the truth. How many of these games did you even know existed? They're right there on your dashboard! ...under like seven menus.

  1. MLB Bobblehead Battle -- 12
  2. Xotic -- 15
  3. Deep Black: Episode 1 -- 17
  4. Asteroids Deluxe -- 19
  5. Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour -- 21
  6. Dance! It's Your Stage -- 21
  7. NBA Unrivaled -- 25
  8. Fret Nice -- 26
  9. Defenders of Ardania -- 28
  10. Puzzlegeddon -- 29
  11. Yo Ho Kablammo! -- 30
  12. Lucha Fury -- 32
  13. Days of Thunder: Arcade -- 34
  14. Rhythm Party -- 34
  15. Dream Chronicles -- 35
  16. Rock Band Track Pack: Country Volume 2 -- 35
  17. Inferno Pool -- 37
  18. Rotastic -- 37
  19. Star Raiders -- 38
  20. Double D Dodgeball -- 40
  21. Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure -- 42
  22. Wrecked: Revenge Revisited -- 43
  23. Haunted House -- 46
  24. Boulder Dash-XL -- 48
  25. Frogger 2 -- 49

Top 10 Most Played Kinect Games

That's a lot of inflatable raft sales.
That's a lot of inflatable raft sales.

Oh, Kinect. If it isn't clear from this list that Giant Bomb users aren't crazy (krazy?) about Kinect, wait til you see the next list.

  1. Kinect Adventures! -- 7776
  2. Dance Central -- 4698
  3. Kinect Sports -- 3186
  4. Kinect Fun Labs: Kinect Me -- 3065
  5. Fruit Ninja Kinect -- 2756
  6. Kinect Fun Labs: Googly Eyes -- 2286
  7. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved -- 2138
  8. Dance Central 2 -- 1781
  9. Gunstringer, The -- 1660
  10. Kinectimals -- 1336

Top 10 Least Played Kinect Games

Two! Two people!
Two! Two people!

Yikes. Eight titles with single digit user counts. That's gotta be tough to do.

  1. Country Dance All Stars -- 2
  2. Victorious: Time to Shine -- 3
  3. Just Dance Kids -- 4
  4. Motion Explosion! -- 5
  5. Big League Sports -- 7
  6. SpongeBob Surf & Skate Roadtrip -- 7
  7. Cabela's Big Game Hunter: Hunting Party -- 8
  8. Winter Stars -- 8
  9. Self Defense Training Camp -- 10
  10. Let's Cheer! -- 11

Top 10 Most Completed Games

Really?
Really?

This isn't just about finishing the game. This is about S-ranking the achievements. Are these games just super easy to get achievements for? Or are they so enthralling that players have to get every single one? Probably the former.

  1. Megamind: Ultimate Showdown -- 95.4%
  2. Backyard Football 2010 -- 92.8%
  3. NCIS -- 90.9%
  4. Avatar: The Burning Earth -- 87.6%
  5. Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush -- 87.5%
  6. Walking Dead, The -- 85.0%
  7. Truth or Lies -- 84.7%
  8. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian -- 81.4%
  9. Hannah Montana: The Movie -- 81.1%
  10. Kinect Fun Labs: Kinect Rush Snapshot -- 79.2%

Top 10 Least Completed Games

It's Giant Bomb's white whale.
It's Giant Bomb's white whale.

There's 13 games here, but that's to include ties. DOAX2 is notoriously difficult in terms of achievements. And, although I haven't played the XBLA version, I'm sure Ecco the Dolphin is still ridiculously hard.

  1. NBA Elite 11 -- 0.0%
  2. Screwjumper! -- 0.7%
  3. Exit -- 0.9%
  4. Battlestar Galactica -- 1.3%
  5. Novadrome -- 1.4%
  6. Street Trace: NYC -- 1.5%
  7. Wing Commander Arena -- 1.6%
  8. Tour de France 2011 -- 1.7%
  9. Speedball 2 -- 1.8%
  10. Minute to Win It -- 2.0%
  11. Tony Hawk: Shred -- 2.0%
  12. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 -- 2.0%
  13. Ecco the Dolphin -- 2.0%

Top 20 Highest Average Number of Achievements (Retail)

This beat Mass Effect 2.
This beat Mass Effect 2.

I have no explanation for this eclectic mix of titles. Backyard Sports? Really?!

  1. Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush -- 40.1
  2. Mass Effect 2 -- 37.4
  3. Rango -- 36.1
  4. Mass Effect 3 -- 35.8
  5. Captain America: Super Soldier -- 34.6
  6. NASCAR Unleashed -- 34.1
  7. Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again, The -- 34.1
  8. Happy Feet Two -- 32.5
  9. Borderlands -- 32.5
  10. Dragon Age II -- 31.4
  11. Assassin's Creed II -- 30.9
  12. X-Men: Destiny -- 30.0
  13. Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers -- 29.8
  14. Saints Row: The Third -- 29.6
  15. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- 29.6
  16. Generator Rex: Agent of Providence -- 29.3
  17. Shadows of the Damned -- 28.9
  18. Orange Box, The -- 28.9
  19. Dead Space 2 -- 28.6
  20. Madden NFL 12 -- 28.1

Top 20 Lowest Average Number of Achievements (Retail)

A pioneer in the field of broken achievements.
A pioneer in the field of broken achievements.

Unlike the list above, this one is at least explainable. As mentioned previously, no Giant Bomb users have put their mitts on a 360 copy of NBA Elite 11. And Tiger Woods 06 was a launch title that had legitimately broken achievements. There were several that simply did not work. Not just difficult to obtain, but literally impossible. And DOAX2 is just...well...not right.

  1. NBA Elite 11 -- 0.0
  2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 -- 0.4
  3. Earth Defense Force 2017 -- 0.7
  4. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 -- 0.8
  5. FIFA 07 -- 0.9
  6. World Championship Poker: All-In -- 1.0
  7. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII -- 1.0
  8. Quake II -- 1.1
  9. Supremacy MMA -- 1.3
  10. Zoids Assault -- 1.3
  11. Brunswick Pro Bowling -- 1.4
  12. Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia -- 1.4
  13. Rapala Tournament Fishing -- 1.5
  14. Sonic the Hedgehog -- 1.5
  15. Battle vs. Chess -- 1.6
  16. Minute to Win It -- 1.6
  17. Fighters Uncaged -- 1.9
  18. MotionSports -- 1.9
  19. Sonic Free Riders -- 1.9
  20. Vampire Rain -- 1.9

Top 20 Highest Average Number of Achievements (XBLA)

Trick or Treating takes dedication.
Trick or Treating takes dedication.

Until just a few weeks ago, XBLA titles could only have a maximum of twelve achievements (not counting DLC). So, for Costume Quest and Full House Poker to have an average of over twelve is quite impressive.

  1. Costume Quest -- 12.9
  2. Full House Poker -- 12.8
  3. Fable Heroes -- 11.9
  4. Iron Brigade -- 10.2
  5. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX -- 9.7
  6. Section 8: Prejudice -- 9.3
  7. Battle: Los Angeles -- 9.1
  8. Daytona USA -- 8.8
  9. Stacking -- 8.8
  10. Bloodforge -- 8.2
  11. Wallace & Gromit: Episode 3 - Muzzled! -- 8.2
  12. Toy Soldiers: Cold War -- 8.2
  13. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 -- 8.1
  14. After Burner Climax -- 8.1
  15. Wallace & Gromit: Episode 2 - The Last Resort -- 7.8
  16. KrissX -- 7.7
  17. Wallace & Gromit: Episode 4 - The Bogey Man -- 7.7
  18. Altered Beast -- 7.7
  19. Dash of Destruction -- 7.7
  20. Asteroids Deluxe -- 7.6

Top 20 Lowest Average Number of Achievements (XBLA)

I don't even...
I don't even...

Looks like a bunch of classic games were bought for nostalgia purposes, then never actually played very much. Pretty sure we're all guilty of that at some point.

  1. Screwjumper! -- 0.1
  2. Novadrome -- 0.1
  3. Cyberball 2072 -- 0.2
  4. Street Trace: NYC -- 0.2
  5. Ecco the Dolphin -- 0.2
  6. Battlestar Galactica -- 0.2
  7. Wing Commander Arena -- 0.2
  8. Exit -- 0.2
  9. Speedball 2 -- 0.3
  10. GEON -- 0.3
  11. Missile Command -- 0.3
  12. Battlezone -- 0.4
  13. Tempest -- 0.4
  14. Shrek n Roll -- 0.4
  15. Yie Ar Kung-Fu -- 0.4
  16. Centipede & Millipede -- 0.4
  17. Gyruss -- 0.4
  18. Rush'n Attack -- 0.4
  19. Space Giraffe -- 0.4
  20. Bejeweled 2 -- 0.4

Top 25 Most Played Franchises (Total Players)

No surprises here.
No surprises here.

By "total players" I mean if you take all the games in a particular franchise and simply add their player counts together. If you're shouting at me about that not being a fair way to determine the most popular franchise, calm down and scroll on down to the next category.

  1. Call of Duty -- 114,756
  2. Halo -- 88,584
  3. Tom Clancy's -- 75,071
  4. Gears of War -- 69,685
  5. Assassin's Creed -- 63,432
  6. Mass Effect -- 59,292
  7. Guitar Hero -- 59,147
  8. Rock Band -- 52,899
  9. Battlefield -- 45,393
  10. Fable -- 42,434
  11. Dead Rising -- 41,877
  12. Street Fighter -- 38,841
  13. LEGO -- 38,439
  14. BioShock -- 36,839
  15. Fallout -- 32,568
  16. Madden NFL -- 31,861
  17. Left 4 Dead -- 31,852
  18. Elder Scrolls, The -- 31,597
  19. Hexic -- 31,496
  20. Star Wars -- 30,307
  21. Saints Row -- 29,963
  22. Forza Motorsport -- 28,217
  23. Pac-Man -- 27,539
  24. Batman: Arkham -- 27,343
  25. Geometry Wars -- 27,294

Top 25 Most Played Franchises (Average per Game)

We can't quit you, Dom.
We can't quit you, Dom.

Here I have taken the total player count (as seen above) and divided it by the number of games that franchise has had on Xbox 360. So, while Call of Duty has the highest player count, it's actually the 10th most played franchise on average.

  1. Gears of War -- 23,228.3
  2. Mass Effect -- 19,764.0
  3. BioShock -- 18,419.5
  4. Halo -- 17,716.8
  5. Fallout -- 16,284.0
  6. Left 4 Dead -- 15,926.0
  7. Assassin's Creed -- 15,858.0
  8. Elder Scrolls, The -- 15,798.5
  9. Hexic -- 15,748.0
  10. Call of Duty -- 14,344.5
  11. Batman: Arkham -- 13,671.5
  12. Geometry Wars -- 13,647.0
  13. Crackdown -- 13,507.5
  14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas -- 12,673.5
  15. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell -- 11,881.5
  16. Doritos -- 11,776.5
  17. Fable -- 10,608.5
  18. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon -- 10,177.0
  19. Saints Row -- 9987.7
  20. Forza Motorsport -- 9405.7
  21. Marvel Ultimate Alliance -- 9288.5
  22. Battlefield -- 9078.6
  23. Dragon Age -- 8959.0
  24. Dead Space -- 8652.7
  25. Uno -- 8635.0

Top 25 Most Played New IP

Epic
Epic

Out of all the completely new titles that have debuted during this longer-than-normal generation, these are the ones that knocked it out of the park in their first at-bat in the big leagues. Five of them are XBLA games!

  1. Gears of War -- 28,956
  2. Mass Effect -- 28,019
  3. BioShock -- 24,722
  4. Assassin's Creed -- 24,589
  5. Dead Rising -- 20,556
  6. Crackdown -- 20,383
  7. Borderlands -- 19,915
  8. Shadow Complex -- 19,010
  9. Left 4 Dead -- 18,636
  10. Castle Crashers -- 17,462
  11. Dead Space -- 17,030
  12. Rock Band -- 16,045
  13. Alan Wake -- 15,861
  14. Aegis Wing -- 13,803
  15. Braid -- 13,627
  16. Dash of Destruction -- 13,414
  17. 'Splosion Man -- 13,220
  18. Limbo -- 13,160
  19. Mirror's Edge -- 13,069
  20. Viva Piñata -- 13,011
  21. Dragon Age: Origins -- 12,810
  22. Undertow -- 11,774
  23. Saints Row -- 11,603
  24. Bayonetta -- 11,584
  25. Brütal Legend -- 11,528

Most Played Launch Titles

Times were simpler then. Before perks and killstreaks.
Times were simpler then. Before perks and killstreaks.

The Xbox 360 launched in North America on November 22, 2005 with nineteen retail titles (20 including Quake II, which was on the Quake 4 disc). Here's how they stack up against each other in terms of most players.

  1. Call of Duty 2 -- 11,915
  2. Perfect Dark Zero -- 11,186
  3. Project Gotham Racing 3 -- 10,187
  4. Condemned: Criminal Origins -- 9604
  5. Kameo: Elements of Power -- 8493
  6. Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie -- 5972
  7. Need for Speed: Most Wanted -- 5494
  8. Gun -- 4001
  9. Quake 4 -- 3969
  10. Madden NFL 06 -- 3702
  11. Amped 3 -- 3461
  12. NBA 2K6 -- 2996
  13. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland -- 2100
  14. Ridge Racer 6 -- 1995
  15. NHL 2K6 -- 1866
  16. NBA Live 06 -- 1797
  17. Quake II -- 1380
  18. College Hoops 2K6 -- 1376
  19. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup -- 1331
  20. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 -- 1023

Top Played Games Released Between Christmas & New Year's Day

The definition of
The definition of "launch window."

This random category was inspired by one of my favorite concept pages that maybe shouldn't exist.

  1. Dead or Alive 4 -- 8970
  2. New Rally X -- 2947
  3. Dead Rising: Case West -- 2082
  4. Raskulls -- 1770
  5. Divinity II: Ego Draconis -- 399
  6. MicroBot -- 255
  7. SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam -- 187
  8. All Zombies Must Die! -- 176

Top 10 Most Played Nolan North Games

I'm just imagining Nolan North and cat helmets.
I'm just imagining Nolan North and cat helmets.

It's no secret that Mr. North appears in more than a few games each year. Does his presence have anything do with the game's sales? That's hard to say for sure, but this is a pretty impressive list of games. And, if you're yelling at your monitor that I forgot Arkham City, I didn't. North's portrayal of The Penguin only garnered 9172 players on Xbox 360.

  1. Halo 3 -- 30,796
  2. Gears of War 2 -- 27,459
  3. Fable II -- 27,205
  4. Assassin's Creed -- 24,589
  5. Assassin's Creed II -- 20,966
  6. Halo 3 ODST -- 20,759
  7. Shadow Complex -- 19,010
  8. Call of Duty: World at War -- 16,157
  9. Call of Duty: Black Ops -- 14,536
  10. Marvel Ultimate Alliance -- 13,046

Top 5 Most Used Apps

I can't remember the last time I used this app.
I can't remember the last time I used this app.

Alright, I know they don't have achievements, but the site still tracks the number of users.

  1. Halo Waypoint -- 19,752
  2. Rock Band Music Store -- 6252
  3. Destination Arcade -- 5591
  4. ESPN3 -- 2856
  5. Kinect Beta -- 215

Top 10 Most Played of 2005

This image is here because Hexic already got some love.
This image is here because Hexic already got some love.

And thus begins the portion of this data porn where we look at each year's biggest winners and losers. In the early days of Xbox 360, the game played most is the game that no one paid for.

  1. Hexic HD -- 28,953
  2. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved -- 15,793
  3. Call of Duty 2 -- 11,915
  4. Perfect Dark Zero -- 11,186
  5. Project Gotham Racing 3 -- 10,187
  6. Condemned: Criminal Origins -- 9604
  7. Dead or Alive 4 -- 8970
  8. Kameo: Elements of Power -- 8493
  9. Zuma -- 6192
  10. Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie -- 5972

Top 10 Least Played of 2005

Card games weren't popular until Uno.
Card games weren't popular until Uno.

Apparently those Hardwood games didn't catch your attention on those blades.

  1. Hardwood Spades -- 987
  2. Hardwood Hearts -- 988
  3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 -- 1023
  4. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup -- 1331
  5. College Hoops 2K6 -- 1376
  6. Quake II -- 1380
  7. NBA Live 06 -- 1797
  8. Hardwood Backgammon -- 1847
  9. NHL 2K6 -- 1866
  10. Ridge Racer 6 -- 1995

Top 10 Most Played of 2006

Just what we needed in April 2006.
Just what we needed in April 2006.

Looking back at it, 2006 was a pretty awesome year. Some heavy hitters and great new IP as well.

  1. Gears of War -- 28,956
  2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The -- 20,773
  3. Dead Rising -- 20,556
  4. Uno -- 15,932
  5. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas -- 14,017
  6. Marvel Ultimate Alliance -- 13,046
  7. Guitar Hero II -- 13,033
  8. Viva Piñata -- 13,011
  9. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter -- 12,287
  10. Saints Row -- 11,603

Top 10 Least Played of 2006

This All-In bet went bust. Am I right, guys?
This All-In bet went bust. Am I right, guys?

Including some of these European football games may be cheating a bit, but I didn't want to discriminate. Giant Bombers clearly don't like pimpin' rides or tunin' imports though.

  1. World Championship Poker: All-In -- 80
  2. LMA Manager 2007 -- 95
  3. Rapala Tournament Fishing -- 175
  4. Football Manager 2007 -- 192
  5. Football Manager 2006 -- 239
  6. Bomberman: Act Zero -- 340
  7. Pimp My Ride -- 349
  8. Import Tuner Challenge -- 368
  9. Cabela's African Safari -- 554
  10. Bionicle Heroes -- 604

Top 10 Most Played of 2007

A new IP nearly overtook Halo. Crazy.
A new IP nearly overtook Halo. Crazy.

Hail to the king. The launch of Halo 3 was truly an event. It's no surprise that it's the most played Xbox 360 game on Giant Bomb. But, a little game from Edmonton...Alberta, Canada nearly eclipsed it on it's first try. And Guitar Hero III just barely squeaked by Rock Band.

  1. Halo 3 -- 30796
  2. Mass Effect -- 28019
  3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- 25719
  4. BioShock -- 24722
  5. Assassin's Creed -- 24589
  6. Orange Box, The -- 20504
  7. Crackdown -- 20383
  8. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock -- 16300
  9. Rock Band -- 16045
  10. Forza Motorsport 2 -- 13823

Top 10 Least Played of 2007

This image is here only because none exist on the site for Championship Manager 2007.
This image is here only because none exist on the site for Championship Manager 2007.

So, we're not big fans of managing soccer, shooting animals, monster trucks, Hot Wheels, or whatever the fuck snooker is. Good to know!

  1. Championship Manager 2007 -- 39
  2. America's Army: True Soldiers -- 130
  3. Smash Court Tennis 3 -- 157
  4. Cabela's Trophy Bucks -- 157
  5. SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam -- 187
  6. Monster Jam -- 189
  7. History Channel: Battle for the Pacific -- 209
  8. World Snooker Championship 2007 -- 211
  9. Hot Wheels: Beat That! -- 215
  10. Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal -- 232

Top 10 Most Played of 2008

2008 Giant Bomb Game of the Year
2008 Giant Bomb Game of the Year

A mere 700 players or so are all that separate Gears of War 2 from Giant Bomb's 2008 Game of the Year, GTA4.

  1. Grand Theft Auto IV -- 28,213
  2. Gears of War 2 -- 27,459
  3. Fable II -- 27,205
  4. Fallout 3 -- 23,104
  5. Left 4 Dead -- 18,636
  6. Castle Crashers -- 17,462
  7. Dead Space -- 17,030
  8. Call of Duty: World at War -- 16,157
  9. Burnout Paradise -- 15,099
  10. Rock Band 2 -- 14,029

Top 10 Least Played of 2008

What is this?
What is this?

I'm gonna be completely honest. I only knew three of these games even existed.

  1. Puzzlegeddon -- 29
  2. Winter Sports 2: The Next Challenge -- 33
  3. Double D Dodgeball -- 40
  4. Frogger 2 -- 49
  5. Crazy Mouse -- 49
  6. Merv Griffin's Crosswords -- 56
  7. Summer Athletics -- 65
  8. Shotest Shogi -- 71
  9. Crash Time: Autobahn Pursuit -- 72
  10. Football Manager 2008 -- 74

Top 10 Most Played of 2009

Was this the peak?
Was this the peak?

Mother fuckin' 'Splosion Man, guys. That's the power of Summer of Arcade.

  1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -- 24,693
  2. Assassin's Creed II -- 20,966
  3. Halo 3: ODST -- 20,759
  4. Borderlands -- 19,915
  5. Shadow Complex -- 19,010
  6. Batman: Arkham Asylum -- 18,171
  7. Resident Evil 5 -- 17,452
  8. 'Splosion Man -- 13,220
  9. Left 4 Dead 2 -- 13,216
  10. Dragon Age: Origins -- 12,810

Top 10 Least Played of 2009

Everything you ever wanted in an NBA game from Tecmo. Minus the horse racing and boobs.
Everything you ever wanted in an NBA game from Tecmo. Minus the horse racing and boobs.

If you weren't aware, more people need to play Crash Time.

  1. Summer Athletics 2009 -- 25
  2. NBA Unrivaled -- 25
  3. Yo Ho Kablammo! -- 30
  4. Inferno Pool -- 37
  5. Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure -- 42
  6. Indianapolis 500 Evolution -- 42
  7. Crash Time III: Highway Nights -- 50
  8. Crash Time II: Burning Wheels -- 52
  9. SBK-09 Superbike World Championship -- 54
  10. Tour de France 2009 -- 59

Top 10 Most Played of 2010

The Swan Song
The Swan Song

This is the closest race in these yearly battles. Less than 1000 players separate #1 from #3, and it was #3 that won Giant Bomb's 2010 Game of the Year. Ironically, it was #4 that provided some of the most content on the site.

  1. Halo Reach -- 22,902
  2. Red Dead Redemption -- 22,426
  3. Mass Effect 2 -- 22,006
  4. Game Room -- 17,887
  5. Alan Wake -- 15,861
  6. Call of Duty: Black Ops -- 14,536
  7. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction -- 13,297
  8. Limbo -- 13,160
  9. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- 12,696
  10. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- 12,429

Top 10 Least Played of 2010

These guys are fuckin' psyched about darts!
These guys are fuckin' psyched about darts!

The only Xbox 360 game in existence that no one on Giant Bomb has played. Then, some Kinect junk, chess, game shows, and...fuckin' darts. Darts, guys. Darts.

  1. NBA Elite 11 -- 0
  2. Just Dance Kids -- 4
  3. Get Fit with Mel B -- 10
  4. X Factor, The -- 13
  5. Battle vs. Chess -- 14
  6. Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt -- 16
  7. Minute to Win It -- 17
  8. Asteroids Deluxe -- 19
  9. Bakugan: Defenders of the Core -- 19
  10. PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour -- 20

Top 10 Most Played of 2011

Not even Skyrim could take down Gears.
Not even Skyrim could take down Gears.

A few things have changed since my 2011 stats blog. Most notably, Saints Row: The Third has jumped into the top 10. I think the fact that @Ryan was repeatedly telling everyone and their mother to play it has actually worked.

  1. Gears of War 3 -- 13,270
  2. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The -- 10,824
  3. L.A. Noire -- 10,454
  4. Bastion -- 9945
  5. Batman: Arkham City -- 9172
  6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 -- 8387
  7. Portal 2 -- 7781
  8. Mortal Kombat -- 7539
  9. Saints Row: The Third -- 7302
  10. Bulletstorm -- 6931

Top 10 Least Played of 2011

I thought this was going to be a Victorious Boxers Kinect game.
I thought this was going to be a Victorious Boxers Kinect game.

Oh, geez....look at all those Kinect games.

  1. Victorious: Time to Shine -- 3
  2. Motion Explosion! -- 5
  3. Rapala for Kinect -- 6
  4. Karaoke Revolution: Glee Volume 3 -- 6
  5. Winter Sports 2011 -- 7
  6. SpongeBob Surf & Skate Roadtrip -- 7
  7. Big League Sports -- 7
  8. Crash Time 4: The Syndicate -- 8
  9. Cabela's Big Game Hunter: Hunting Party -- 8
  10. Winter Stars -- 8

Top 10 Most Played of 2012

Just calm down.
Just calm down.

It's not even half over yet, but if any game is going to catch Mass Effect 3 in 2012, it's gonna be pretty tough. And how about those two XBLA in the top 3?

  1. Mass Effect 3 -- 9267
  2. Fez -- 5984
  3. Trials Evolution -- 5397
  4. SSX -- 2751
  5. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning -- 2441
  6. Walking Dead, The -- 1811
  7. Syndicate -- 1671
  8. Darkness II, The -- 1575
  9. Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, The -- 1445
  10. Alan Wake's American Nightmare -- 1390

Top 10 Least Played of 2012

Because the world needs more ATV games.
Because the world needs more ATV games.

Anyone want to take bets on how many players Country Dance All Stars has at the end of the year? Will it break out of single digits?

  1. Country Dance All Stars -- 2
  2. Summer Stars 2012 -- 3
  3. Mud: FIM Motocross World Championship -- 6
  4. Onechanbara Z: Kagura -- 7
  5. Top Gun: Hard Lock -- 17
  6. Deep Black: Episode 1 -- 17
  7. Defenders of Ardania -- 28
  8. Rhythm Party -- 34
  9. Zumba Fitness Rush -- 42
  10. Birds of Steel -- 43

Random Facts

Bloop!
Bloop!

If you follow me on Twitter (@MarinoV1), you've probably seen most of these. They are just random observations I made while gathering all the data for this project. Some are interesting. Some are pretty dumb. But, here they are. I hope you enjoyed all this data porn.

  • The only time the Giant Bomb Game of the Year was the most played game that year was 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV.
  • Currently, 93 games have over 10,000 players. Both Bastion and Guitar Hero World Tour need 45 more to be #94.
  • 19 of the top 50 most played games were new IP's. 4 of the top 50 were sequels to those new IP's.
  • Based on avg # of players per game, the Doritos franchise is more popular than Fable, Forza, Ghost Recon, Battlefield, and Dragon Age.
  • Only 14% of players who completed Mass Effect 3 did it without picking up Javik.
  • People like trucks. 70.72% of people who played Dead Island killed at least 50 zombies with a vehicle.
  • No GB users have gotten their hands on an Xbox 360 version of NBA Elite 11. One did on PS3 though.
  • 215 Giant Bomb members participated in the Kinect Beta in Fall 2010.
  • Released on the same day, 57 more people have played Scott Pilgrim than have played Monday Night Combat.
  • 63.91% of those who played LIMBO completed it, but only 2.27% did it without dying more than 5 times.
  • Asteroids is probably one of the most popular games ever. Not Asteroids Deluxe though. 19 players.
  • Of the 28,018 who played the 1st Mass Effect, 23.1% never completed Eden Prime (the 1st mission).
  • Only 18.6% didn't finish the first mission in ME2. That's improvement!
  • Dragon Age Romance - Morrigan 32.77% - Leliana 21.39% - Zevran 19% - Alistair 13.54% - EVERYONE 8.52%.
  • Of the 13,000+ users that played Forza 2, only 1.23% can claim they earned 1,000,000 online credits.
  • Nearly 20,000 played Borderlands, but over 4000 of them never saw level 5.
  • It's been 2.5 years, but Madden 10 still has more players than Wolfenstein. @snide still wins.
  • 186 people are completely insane for accomplishing a "Hardcore" run in 'Splosion Man.
  • Nearly 10,000 played 1 vs 100, but only 15.71% answered 500+ questions before it shut down.
  • Despite being the site's first ever 1-star review, 5336 people still played Fable II Pub Games.
  • Barely 50% that played Braid completely figured it out. But only 1.59% completed the speed run.
  • Of the 28,213 who played GTA4 only 41 (0.14%) won a match of each of the multiplayer game types.
  • 25% of the 15,000+ who played Burnout Paradise never won a race.
  • 38 people earned an 'A' rank on every challenge in Sneak King.
  • 8 people have collected every item in Dead or Alive Xtreme 2.
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