Awesome original xbox games

It would be nice if we'd get a Morrowind remaster rather than yet another re-release of Skyrim. Remember the hype around No Man's Sky in the years leading up to its release? It was mightily similar to the anticipation around Lionhead Studios' Fable. It also shared a similar fate at launch due to absence of many talked-about features. Granted, Fable was still positively received by fans and critics, but it wasn't the revelatory and novel experience that was promised.

It was also pretty short by role-playing game standards. By the time the game started really hitting its stride, it was almost over. Fable: The Lost Chapters remedied this issue by adding new quests, areas, weapons, monsters, and more, which helped Fable feel far more fully realized. Though The Lost Chapters didn't turn Fable into the game that was expected, it did add enough to round out an excellent action-RPG that holds up pretty well today.

Today, the Forza series is one of Microsoft's most successful and popular IPs, and it's not surprising at all considering Turn 10 Studios knocked it out of the park with the very first entry. Forza Motorsport zipped onto the original Xbox in , just months before the launch of the Xbox It basically pushed the Xbox hardware to its limits with its car renders, tracks, and racing physics. Forza Motorsport featured both real-world and fictional tracks from around the world, but the stars of the show were the vehicles.

With more than cars across nine different classes and a bevy of customization features, Forza Motorsport gave Xbox users a worthy alternative to Sony's popular Gran Turismo. Set in a fictional version of Miami comprised of two islands, Vice City starred Tommy Vercetti, a mobster who just finished a year prison sentence for murder.

Though Vice City had an interesting story and excellent variety of missions, much of the fun came from using the vibrant world as a playground to see what kind of trouble you could stir up. Rockstar Games nailed the s setting, and Vice City is arguably still the best locale in series history. Is there more iconic menu music than Halo's entrancing theme? Definitely not within the first-person shooter genre. Halo: Combat Evolved introduced the world to one of the defining franchises of the 21st century.

Combat Evolved contains a number of the most beloved campaign missions in franchise history, including The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control Room. Yes, it also is home to The Library, a mission that has perplexed more than a few people since its release. Along with the truly excellent campaign, Combat Evolved supported System Link for up to 16 players for competitive multiplayer. Since Xbox Live wasn't around at the time, you had to lug your Xbox around to have multiplayer matches exceeding four players.

Plus, we all knew someone who was a constant "screen-looker" when playing on the same TV. It simply wasn't possible to only include one Halo game on this list. After all, Halo 2 is also one of the best Halo games thanks to another brilliant solo campaign that dove deeper into Halo lore and one key addition: online multiplayer.

Halo 2 was the defining experience on Xbox Live for the original Xbox and was home to several of the most memorable maps, including Zanzibar, Lockout, Midship, Burial Mounds, and Coagulation. Halo 2 also added dual-wielding, a popular feature that will sadly be missing in Halo Infinite. While Jade Empire was well-received when it released, it didn't garner a huge fanbase. Its poor sales were likely due, at least in part, to the fact it was BioWare's first original IP.

The studio had just released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic also on this list , which obviously had built-in name recognition. It's a shame Jade Empire didn't inspire a legion of fans, because it's one of the very best action-RPGs on the original Xbox. Inspired by Chinese mythology, Jade Empire starred the Spirit Monk, a hero with six different possible archetypes and play styles.

While the real-time combat didn't add anything fresh to the genre, it still felt great to play. Jade Empire is arguably the most under-appreciated game on this list, but you can remedy that by picking up the solid iOS, Android, or PC port. Rollerblading has never gotten the same amount of love as skateboarding in games, but thankfully Jet Set Radio Future exists. You played as a member of the GGs, a rollerblading group seeking to take control of the city by spraying over graffiti left by your rivals.

Jet Set Radio Future made excellent use of cel-shaded graphics, which gave the game a timeless look that still looks good today. With great handles, cool level designs, and a ton of tricks at your disposal, Jet Set Radio Future was the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater of rollerblading in many ways. It also came bundled with the Xbox console for a while, which helped expand its release. Sadly, a third game in the series was never made, but there are numerous fan-made projects based on the franchise as well as mods.

Remedy Entertainment's story-driven action game prowess may have shined brightest with Control, but the studio got its start in the genre with the Max Payne series.

You played as the titular detective for the NYPD assisting a contract killer in unraveling a massive conspiracy. Though Max Payne 2 isn't a lengthy game, it never wastes a moment thanks to top-notch writing and action gameplay.

Like the original, which adapted the "bullet time" mechanic from The Matrix, you can slow down time to shoot enemies and dodge shots. Bullet time is more than just a novelty in Max Payne 2; it's a central mechanic that can be used strategically to take out waves of enemies in quick succession.

There aren't many linear third-person shooters like Max Payne 2 nowadays, and there's no indication that Rockstar Games has any interest in making Max Payne 4.

Confession time: If Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was released on the original Xbox, it would own this spot as the best Metal Gear game from that console generation and arguably all time. That said, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, the expanded version of Sons of Liberty, is possibly the most ambitious entry in the series. Sons of Liberty is utterly bonkers in a lot of ways. You primarily played as a young man named Raiden, which was a surprise to everyone.

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. Many of our most beloved Microsoft titles were born on the Xbox, with the becoming a platform for HD versions, prequels, and further titles that would propel all of the games in this list onto the XBOX One and beyond.

Part of me wonders whether this was a deliberate choice, while another part of me wishes Microsoft had released just one more title to make it 1,! So, all of the games have been tried and tested by yours truly. As the Xbox is about the right age to go to university or get a job in the city now, the best original Xbox games are undoubtedly all second-hand. Shows how much I knew back then! Credit: Boxsequelart. Credit: Giant Bomb. Credit: Lukie Games.

Due to its power advantage, it can be modded to play almost any console released before it. Games made by Microsoft Game Studios have game demos and trailers packed in them, which is a great gift planner. Many games have Dolby Digital 5. Bad Qualities The original controller for the system was too large for many gamers hands, which gained the controller nicknames such as "Fatty" and later the "Duke".

The controller that replaced it, the "Controller S", was interestingly the standard controller for the Japanese market. The Duke has received a cult following, having a improved controller by Hyperkin that works with Windows 10 and Xbox One. It even plays the original intro when you tap the Xbox button. The S controller unfortunately moved the start and back buttons to the left side while the Duke has them in the middle where they should be, this made reaching and pushing them very uncomfortable.

Both the Duke and S controllers only have two analog triggers and black and white buttons instead of shoulder buttons. The successor Xbox controller replaced the black and white buttons with two shoulder buttons above the triggers, and made it much easier to control certain games. There wasn't a "mascot character" associated with the console.

Microsoft had Blinx: The Time Sweeper as an attempt to get a mascot but the franchise didn't last long due to lack of popularity and sales, over time, however, Master Chief from the Halo series would become the unofficial mascot for the Xbox brand.

You can't use a controller when watching DVDs and have to use an Xbox remote and receiver to watch them and use the menus or else the Xbox will refuse to boot them. The remote quality is low and has no power and eject buttons unlike the PS2 remote which eventually had a revision that added said buttons, the Xbox remote never got them , and all of the buttons feel loose and wobbly.

Luckily these aren't too hard or expensive to find. Many early Xbox consoles tend to break down easily due to the cheap clock capacitor inside leaking acid which corrodes the motherboard. As mentioned below, it didn't do well in Japan, as the Japanese only bought it for the Dead or Alive games. The faceplate can come off easily when dropped from a tall height.

This is the first console to have paid online multiplayer which, unfortunately, had Sony and Nintendo do the same thing two generations later. The infamous creepy voices that can be heard from Xbox Dashboard The console has been renamed as Xbox Original in order to avoid confusion with the Xbox One, but this may make it harder for people to find an Original Xbox for sale.

Reception While it lost to the PlayStation 2 by a huge margin, the Xbox sold an acceptable 24 million units and was very popular in North America, enough to get a successor, the Xbox Trivia To some extent, the Xbox can be considered the successor to the Dreamcast, to the point that the console's hardware design was strongly inspired by the Dreamcast.

In fact, Sega initially negotiated with Microsoft to make the Xbox backwards compatible with the Dreamcast.