Culdcept Saga

But if you want to go even older school, then consider Namco Bandai’s Culdcept Saga, the sequel to the cult PS2 title. Though a 360-exclusive, the graphically challenged game hardly needs the extra oomph since it is, at its root, a combination of a board game like Monopoly and a D&D-influenced collectible card game, à la Magic: The Gathering. You even roll dice! Luck certainly factors in but there’s plenty lot of strategy at play here as you move about the board, purchase "property” and charge rent while waging war with nearly 500 different cards marked by monsters, weapons or magic spells (all boasting beautiful hand-drawn designs by some of Japan’s most famous fantasy artists). Despite its seeming simplicity Culdcept is way complex. But once you have a handle, it can be as addictive as UNO, especially when you do battle over Xbox Live. No, seriously, that was a compliment — UNO is awesome.