MVP Baseball will never be forgotten. Burnout 3 had no unique connection to Xbox in any way, but that's OK because it was simply sublime and belongs on this list. It is a near-timeless racing game that's more about smashing the other cars than it is about avoiding and zooming past them.
That subversion made it unlike any other driving game that's been made before or since. The star of the show, of course, was Burnout's Crash mode, and Burnout 3: Takedown is where developer Criterion realized it was more than just an afterthought.
Instead, it was a pillar of the entire game. But it wasn't a one-note racer. Road Rage mode — in which the goal was to cause as many of your opponents to crash as possible — was a sadistic sport, while Hot Laps challenged you to complete perfect runs at mph with almost no margin for error.
Burnout 3 is just as much fun today as it was in , despite its now-aged graphics. Most racing games cannot claim that. Psychonauts went on quite a journey before it was released in , near the end of the original Xbox era. It was the first game from Double Fine, the studio that LucasArts legend Tim Schafer started after going out on his own.
It was originally scheduled to be an Xbox exclusive published by Microsoft in the early years of the console before the business of video games got in the way.
It did end up releasing as an Xbox exclusive under Majesco, and it was worth the wait. There were strange and beautiful brains to explore in this telekenetic platformer, and lead character Raz quickly stole every player's heart.
It's poetic that Microsoft ended up purchasing Double Fine and publishing Psychonauts 2 over a decade-and-a-half later. Platforming and puzzles are the backbone of Sands of Time, with combat serving only as a last resort.
Still, that combat was really wonderfully handled, as the Prince was no bulletproof superhero. He wouldn't take much damage before succumbing to his wounds, and so you needed to rely on your wits instead.
The ability to rewind time was revolutionary in that moment of gaming history, and Prince of Persia expertly recaptured the spirit of the original game while beautifully reimagining it for the modern era. Long before From Software made it big as the developers of Dark Souls, the talented team made the Xbox-exclusive ninja action game Otogi: Myth of Demons and later a sequel called Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors. It was beautiful, polished, precise, smart, and action-packed, and it did so half a year before Ninja Gaiden came out.
Is it as good as Itagaki's classic? No, but it remains one of the best games — exclusive or otherwise — to ever grace the Xbox. The Xbox-exclusive Steel Battalion would never be made today.
It was a first-person mech sim — the mechs were called vertical tanks, or "VTs" here — and the hook was that it was such a simulation that it came with its own proprietary button controller and three-pedal foot box. If that wasn't enough for you, it was also such a sim that if you failed to hit the eject button on the giant controller prior to having your VT destroyed in the campaign, you'd lose your save game and be forced to start all over again.
It is truly a unicorn in gaming history. If at least one cult classic belongs on this list, it's the Xbox-exclusive Breakdown, a one-and-done science-fiction adventure best known for that part where you eat and then vomit up a hamburger without leaving the first-person view. Stubborn adhesion to the first-person perspective was one of Breakdown's core tenets, but given the game's melee-combat focus, it totally worked.
You play Derrick Cole, a man who awakens in a science facility with no memory of what happened to him. The ensuing campaign is one of the most engrossing sci-fi mysteries in Xbox history, and as you get more powerful you feel more and more like a superhero — which was more than you could say of actual superhero-based games of the time. A tennis game on the top 25 Xbox Games of All-Time list?
You'd better believe it! Top Spin wasn't just a phenomenal tennis sim that featured a ton of real-life superstars of the sport. It was also one of the pioneers of Microsoft's online sports initiative, XSN, which integrated Xbox Live online play with webpage-based stats and tournament information, allowing you to participate in online events and then track your progress on the web afterwards. When Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came out for Xbox, it wasn't just a big deal because the game was absolutely incredible.
It was a big deal because it was the first time that a Grand Theft Auto game released day and date on Xbox along with PS2. The biggest series in the world finally gave equal time to Xbox, and San Andreas was Rockstar's most ambitious effort yet. It lives on in memories and memes today. Full Spectrum Warrior wasn't a game at all, in the beginning. It was a training tool built for the US Army that was converted into a game.
And it made a heck of a unique one. In Full Spectrum Warrior, you guide your troops through a combat zone with one goal: keep them alive. Formations, carefully considered movements, and suppressing fire are the keys to survival.
Funny enough, for an actual military shooter, you didn't really do any shooting yourself. And yet, the strategic Full Spectrum Warrior was every bit as tense as any other traditional shooter. As history has since shown, Xbox needed Bethesda as much as Bethesda needed Xbox back in The Xbox was the perfect fit for both parties, and Morrowind brought an RPG experience to consoles the likes of which had never been seen before.
Its high-fantasy open world was teeming with player possibilities, and its first-person perspective pulled you straight into Tamriel and Morrowind in a way that the third-person view of the traditional JRPG could not.
This was the beginning of a long and bountiful partnership between Microsoft and Bethesda. MechWarrior was a beloved PC game franchise. It was one of the best pen-and-paper-to-video-game RPG translations that had ever been made to that point, and MechAssault took that universe and made a faster-paced, more arcade-y version of it that felt great to play with a gamepad for the original Xbox.
It managed to retain the soul of the more simulation-focused parent series. Even better, it was a day-one launch title for Xbox Live, and its multiplayer proved to be unique and brilliantly suited to the Xbox Live environment. This is another game that has remained disappointingly dormant in the years since its release MechAssault 2 hit a couple years later but wasn't as good , leading fans to wonder if MechAssault will ever return. That is what we'll always think of first when we think of this beloved Xbox racing franchise from the renowned developers at Bizarre Creations.
When you did awesome stuff on the track, like drifting, passing, powersliding, etc. The power of the Xbox hardware relative to the PS2 really shined here, as PGR2 was gorgeous as future entries in the series would be as well.
PGR2 deftly walked the line between arcade and simulation racing, making itself incredibly approachable for more casual players, while still offering enough for hardcore sim fans to grab onto as well. Its soul seems to live on today in Forza Horizon.
KOTOR was the first and it has historically gotten all of the glory, but the second was Jade Empire, an excellent Eastern-influenced epic that took home one of the highest review scores IGN had ever given at the time. It borrowed the morality system from KOTOR but ditched the turn-based combat in favor of a real-time combat engine, resulting in much faster, more fluid fights.
It was a classic and unfortunate case of critical success and commercial failure, but it's never too late. If you get the chance, play it. It wasn't a true open-world game, but there were plenty of spots you could get out of your fighter plane and interact on the ground while on foot.
Crimson Skies boasted fantastic graphics and great multiplayer that wasn't like anything else on the Xbox, and it eventually became something of a cult classic on the console, with fans clamoring for years afterward for a sequel that never came.
Many Dreamcast fans would agree that the original Xbox was, spiritually speaking, the Dreamcast 2. Some readers may be pleased to know that players do not die resulting in a game over scenario. The squad can resuscitate players or save them from drowning if they can be reached. If one clone dies, play continues with one of the other two commandos.
Secondly, the game display screen shaped in the style of a Clone commando helmet made this game even cooler. Dead or Alive 3 released with the original Xbox back in and is considered one of the finest fighting titles ever made.
DOA3 sees many previous characters returning for a slice of glory and largely uses the same mechanics as the first two titles. The one thing that has changed is that the developers have removed more clothes off the female fighters; not sure whether that was a conscious choice or not!
Fans of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat will feel right at home in this button-mashing fighting title. This is actually one of the easiest fighting games to pick up too, making it more accessible for newbies to the genre.
Jet Set Radio Future takes the 16th spot in out list of the best original Xbox games of all time! Gamers play as a member of the GGs, a gang of inline artists in a futuristic Tokyo. Collect spray cans, pull off gnarly moves, and defeat police by charging into them and spraying them senseless. The first title on our list of the best Xbox games was an online sensation!
Talk about having the cool factor! Ninja Gaiden Black was one of the hardest games on the console. It was one of the first titles to host online competitions between players all over the world. Ninja Gaiden Black sees the player controlling a bad-ass ninja named Ryu Habasa. In true ninja style, Ryu can perform some incredible moves as you go about your mission to recover a stolen sword and avenge his slaughtered clan. SoulCalibur 2 is one of those games that never gets old.
Playing as Spawn was so cool, and the music and levels are still stuck in my head today! What did I like the most about Soulcalibur? For those of you that have never played this game why have you not played it! There are lots of different characters to choose from, some human, some down-right monstrous. Each character has different weapons that can be unlocked as you progress, keeping you coming back for more. Buy this game — you need it in your life.
I first came across the Half-Life series when my neighbour bought a copy for his PC. Many critics say that Half-Life 2 was a pivotal game in the first-person-shooter genre. Fans of the Metroid Prime series will notice some similarities in the game design, which can only ever be a good thing. Players control Gordon Freeman, the games glasses-wearing gun-wielding protagonist. You have to pick up weapons and items as you go along, upgrading your arsenal as the game progresses. What… a… GAME! Sure, the original ran smoothly and was well made, but PGR2 was where it was at.
Better graphics, improved levels, and car handling that was silky smooth. Multiple difficulty modes and extra features such as Time Attack, Quick Battles, and Online Play will turn you and your mates into speed freaks before you know it. You might recognise the voice of our next protagonist from his previous work as Alpha 5 in Power Rangers, the Zoni in Ratchet and Clank, and Kaos in Skylanders. Richard Horvitz delivers the character of Raz in Psychonauts perfectly, adding an extra depth to this superbly addictive and vibrant game.
Psychonauts follows a boy with psychic powers who wants to become a super spy — a Psychonaut. In recent years, however, it has garnered a loyal cult following of gamers who have finally realised this games potential. There are big bosses to defeat and lots of exciting adventures to be had along the way, all in a game with a unique design that makes the N64 title 40 Winks look like a pleasant dream. Burnout 3: Takedown is one of my all-time favourite racing games, purely because it had lots of other elements to it that separated it from other titles of its kind.
Apart from being an integral part of the game, the Takedowns were so cool, filling up that boost meter for that all-important speed-shove to get in front of your opponent or to beat your previous high score.
It was critically acclaimed on release, with gaming bigwigs calling it the greatest racing game ever made. Burnout 3 had just over levels spread across three continents, each one with stunning scenes and memorable corners that got you every single damn time! For me, one of the most exciting parts was unlocking new cars. Tolkien stuff right there! There is a morality element to the game, with certain actions revealing a certain path that the player may unwillingly find themselves wandering down.
Players take control of a Spirit Monk whose gender is chosen at the start of the game. You must chat with dragons, defeat Lotus Assassins, accomplish death-defying feats and unlock hidden mysteries along the way. Skill points can be collected to harness and upgrade different abilities, and there are other elements to consider such as falling in love with other characters at certain stages of the game.
It stars Jade, a photo-snapping adventurer with a bad-ass stick and a whole heap of martial arts skills. If you like solving puzzles and sneaking around, then this is one of the best original XBOX games that should be in your collection.
Cue robot warriors and evil overlords! Ubisoft certainly know how to make a good adventure game, and Jade is a powerful protagonist that means business. Use other characters for gnarly combo moves and wield your combat staff like a boss. Jade can run, climb, push, pull, sidle, sneak, and fight her way through each of the levels, and there are tonnes of problems to solve along the way. Shooting games were never the same after Halo: Combat Evolved crashed into our lives.
The Master Chief was, and still is one of the coolest super soldiers alive. The landscapes were huge, the vehicles were huge; everything was huge! I still remember the first time that I climbed into a truck and mowed down enemies while ploughing through the jungle. Ah; memories!
The Master Chief is a super-enhanced soldier from the 26th Century. Of course, the single-player mode was unreal, but it was the multiplayer that really shone through. Putting such an amazing game as a launch title was an incredibly clever move. Star Wars titles are always a winner in my book, and the next game in our list of the best original XBOX games was one of the very best. This game has a similar style to Jade Empire and the worlds are just as stunning and richly created.
Characters can either turn towards the Light Side or Dark Side of the force as they progress through the game. It all depends on your actions and the people that you interact with. Other characters can join in the fight in true RPG action, and you can even make use of force powers later on through the game, undoubtedly the best move in any sci-fi series.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic contains over three-hundred different characters that you can come into contact with and fifteen thousand lines of speech — now that definitely sounds like a Lucas Arts production.
The next title on our list of the best Original XBOX games is one that made me curse and shout in anger so many times. Sneaking around with a gun in the shadows was awesome though, and like Burnout 3 with the cool cars, this is the closest that I will ever come to being a spy.
Pandora tomorrow is the sequel to the first Splinter Cell game and sees the return of Sam Fisher as the main protagonist. If I could walk around in black-ops-style uniform with night vision goggles without getting funny looks, I totally would. Then again, if anyone looks at Sam wrong, he can just shoot them.
Slow and steady wins the race in this game; gung-ho attitudes will get you killed in a matter of minutes! Shoot while hanging upside down, SWAT turn past doorways, lug bodies around, take out enemies with laser-sight precision; this is all the stuff that kids dream of doing for a living! There are very few shocking titles out there in the world than the GTA series, and Number 4 on our list off the best original XBOX games was one of the loudest, crudest, and exciting of them all.
These games are designed to push boundaries and let players go a little wild, prompting concerned mothers all over the world to have ongoing battles with their children about how inappropriate they are.
San Andreas follows the same pattern for using incredible acting talent providing the character voices as the rest of the GTA series, with appearances from David Cross, Samuel L.
Jackson, Ice T, and Young Maylay as the main man himself. Gamble, ride souped-up cars, and generally be a bad-ass gangster. Bethesda are the masters of open-world gameplay, and this is the kind of RPG that the kids in Stranger Things would have dreamt about playing every night if they were alive in the 80s…or real people.
Like many games on this list, the player can choose a class and develop certain skill attributes while travelling through the different levels while you prepare to battle an evil god.
Once again, the XBOXs graphics look incredible considering the output and the game itself was so immersive I could lose myself in it for hours. This console is like a portable awards ceremony!
Halo: Combat Evolved might have been the game that changed shooting titles forever, but Halo 2 was the one that drove the brand to insane heights. It brought about books, clothes, lunch boxes, costumes, and tonnes of other merchandise that helped to sell this incredible title. Halo 2 was more than just a game; it was an XBOX institution. This sequel sees upgraded weapons, maps, and new vehicles. XBOX live multiplayer on those incredible maps was something else — it was like Metroid Prime on steroids!
Once again, players control the Master Chief as he destroys The Flood while romping around the Halo, which turns out was an ancient weapon all along. Who would have thought it? Why do I like Halo 2 more than the first offering in the series? The online multiplayer undoubtedly made XBOX live one of the most popular gaming platforms on the market too, with gamers everywhere rushing to get a piece of the action.
Super smooth gameplay, BOTW-style maps a decade before the switch even came out, and some of the most memorable bad guys from any game series. Some of you might think that having Fable at the top of the list is a controversial choice, but not me. The fact that you could specialise in certain abilities and that you could choose to be bad or good meant that there were so many different ways to play, giving you tonnes of value for money.
It had the fighting and adventure elements of Zelda titles mixed in with the force powers of Star Wars and games like Holy Magic Century.
The story was compelling, the moves were cool, and customising your character with new and upgraded weaponry and armour added to the overall enjoyment factor. The optional quests kept hardy gamers occupied from beginning till end, and there was always something that I missed every time I replayed it. Can you believe that this console has just turned 19! They grow up… or rather grow old so fast! Yes, the Xbox went on to sell million units and paved the way for the XBOX , which would go on to sell a whopping million consoles.
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