House Rules: Other Ways to Play

Your game library looking a bit moldy? Here’s an easy way to make your old games feel new again: Don’t play by their rules — create your own!

Those were some good times you had with Gears of War, Oblivion, and Guitar Hero II. They were loyal buds who offered you hours of entertainment, and whether you were by yourself or playing online, they never let you down. But now your friendship seems a bit stale. The fun times have been fewer and farther between. Is it time to part ways and, sadly, invest in new pals?

Hell no, we say! With a little help from our readers in the OXM forums at xbox.com, we’ve rekindled our love for some old, back-of-the-closet 360 favorites (and even some newer ones) simply by changing the rules of the game — literally. With each of the following games, we’ve tried playing in a way that’s not part of normal gameplay and isn’t rewarded with an Achievement. They’re simply new ways to have fun within the gameworld, following our own totally made-up house rules. Give ’em a try, and see if they revive your joy the way they did for us.

SAINTS ROW

Let’s Play…Death Race 2000
This one’s a bit cruel, but hey — Saints isn’t for saints. The goal is to get the slightly dumb A.I. characters hit by cars. For ample catastrophe, head to one of the big bridges and start causing trouble with the locals. The poor dolts will panic and run into the road, foolishly thinking they’ll be safer in traffic than getting beat up by you. And that’s when they’ll be struck by cars. They’re not real people, so you can even assign point values without guilt: 10 points per hit; 20 points if a victim flies off the bridge; 30 points if an A.I. is hit by multiple vehicles; and -10 points if a bystander crosses to the other side unscathed.

ACE COMBAT 6

Let’s Play…Follow the Leader
Sick of chasing enemy planes? In a co-op game, try chasing each other instead. Ace 6’s expansive environments are a wonderful playground: your jetfighters can weave between skyscrapers in the city, fly under bridges out in the bay, and do barrel-rolls while flying beneath railroad bridges. See what other challenges you can create for your pursuer. (Suggested by RyouDEAF)

CALL OF DUTY 3

Let’s Play…WWII Olympics
These aren’t the only ways to turn multiplayer into an athletic competition, but they’re a start: (1) Have a foot race across and around a map. Use your sprints wisely! (2) For a more steeplechase-type scenario, build an obstacle course with mines and see who can traverse it quickest; players can be on-foot or in tanks. If you make the course hard enough, the goal can simply be to survive it! (Suggested by The AVengER X)

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