5 Hit Xbox 360 Games No One Remembers Today

Microsoft's sophomore console, the Xbox 360, maintained a prominent presence in the gaming industry for nearly a decade. Launched in 2005, the 360 was Microsoft's primary home console until 2013 with the debut of the Xbox One. We've covered the best Xbox 360 games before, many of which are still renowned as being among the highlights of their generation. This time around, we're shining a light on games that are among the best-sellers for the console but aren't as widely recognized for their success now.

Not every game maintains its relevance after the passage of time, as the following games prove. For the purposes of this list, what we're considering as hits are games that sold at least one million copies during the console's primary lifecycle. We're also focusing on games that were 360 exclusives or were at least timed exclusives for the console. From first-party games that didn't thrive in later Xbox generations to third-party titles that have fallen by the wayside, here are five hit Xbox 360 games no one remembers today.

The 2006 game "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas" was console-exclusive to the Xbox 360 for a while, eventually coming to the PlayStation 3 seven months after its launch. The game is primarily relies on squad-based first-person tactical shooter action, with its story mode focusing on a three-person team. It eschews the series' strategic planning going into each mission, instead having the team leader commanding the squad as they breach and clear rooms seized by terrorists. The game also features a gameplay mode involving players clearing out a set number of terrorists in a given map, either alone or with a friend.

"Rainbow Six: Vegas" was successful enough to receive a direct sequel in 2008, though Ubisoft took "Rainbow Six" in a different direction after this. After the canceled "Rainbow Six: Patriots," the developer repositioned the series as an online multiplayer title with "Rainbow Six: Siege," which remains active over a decade later. However, one wishes that Ubisoft would revisit the series' pair of "Vegas" titles, at least beyond making them backwards-compatible on the Xbox Series X|S. In the meantime, it's full steam ahead on post-launch support for "Siege" for the foreseeable future for the franchise.

The Capcom third-person shooter "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" was originally announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive but was later ported and released on the PlayStation 3 around 14 months after its 2006 launch. The game is set on a frigid, faraway planet, which happens to be populated by vicious insectoid monsters. Because of the planet's unforgiving conditions, players must constantly replenish their thermal energy or risk freezing to death. The game also features a set of different online multiplayer modes with varying gameplay objectives.

The success of "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" led Capcom to produce follow-ups for the Xbox 360. However, 2013's "Lost Planet 3" was so bad that sequel plans were cancelled and Capcom has done little with the franchise ever since. This is a real shame because the original "Lost Planet" was one of the best games Capcom had put out in years and a solid title for the 360's library. Mixing third-person shooter action with a sci-fi survivalist edge, "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" definitely deserves a revival of some sort.

One of the biggest features for the Xbox 360 was the inclusion of Xbox Live Arcade, allowing players to purchase titles through a digital storefront. While a more rudimentary version existed on the original Xbox, the 360 version was basically a relaunch, switching from a disc-based to a download-based service. This feature is an industry standard now, but it was revolutionary for its time. Among the prominent Xbox Live Arcade-exclusive titles for the 360 was "Trials HD," released in 2009.

The game has players controlling a character on a motorcycle as they try to complete various obstacle courses. Through Xbox Live Arcade, the series found its console audience and remained a highlight for the platform. Bringing the unassuming series to high-definition while taking advantage of the 360's digital storefront, "Trials HD" was a game released in the right place and at the right time. It was all 360 owners were talking about for a spell, but it has basically been forgotten about today.

Though the Microsoft Kinect had become a complete failure by the Xbox One generation, it made a big splash when it debuted with the Xbox 360. It launched in 2010 and the motion sensor peripheral had sold over 24 million units by February 2013, making it a bonafide commercial success. That effectively makes the pack-in game "Kinect Adventures!" the best-selling game in the entire Xbox 360 library. The game lets players choose from five minigames relying on motion control inputs, ranging from plugging holes in an aquarium to steering a raft traveling down a river.

"Kinect Adventures!" was the 360's answer to "Wii Sports," showcasing what the Kinect peripheral was capable of. The problem was, unlike 360 games that didn't rely on the Kinect, the pack-in title became as irrelevant as the peripheral itself by the time the gimmick wore off. It doesn't help that the game also earned a lukewarm critical reception upon its debut, with reviewers decrying its lack of enjoyable minigames. People stopped talking about "Kinect Adventures!" the second they packed away their Kinects.

We're including one more Kinect game to close things out because that peripheral did make a splash initially. "Dance Central" was among the launch games for the Kinect when it hit store shelves in 2010, a dance game that mapped body movements to rhythm inputs. The game boasts a 32-song soundtrack, including tracks by popular artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pitbull, Snoop Dogg, and the Beastie Boys. This soundtrack was bolstered by purchasable DLC while the game's challenge mode combined several tracks to keep players on their toes.

Offering a pop music rhythm experience for players who didn't want to trouble themselves with instrumental peripherals like "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band," "Dance Central" showcased the Kinect's body-mapping abilities. The game also inspired a wave of copycat Kinect dance experiences, including the infamous dancing minigames in 2012's "Kinect Star Wars." But like the Kinect overall, the novelty eventually wore off. With rhythm games no longer prominently in vogue, "Dance Central" is among the franchises that have become the most obscure in retrospect.