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Don't Forget the First Xbox
Eurogamer wants to remind us that, before Microsoft's next-gen console, they had this large black box which was sold in stores. A few games were even made for it. They've come up with two lists, one detailing the twelve finest exclusives to grace the system and another to highlight poorly-selling but highly-entertaining 'cult classics' you may have missed the first time around. From the 'best of' list: "Halo made the Xbox - without it, Microsoft would have had a much tougher struggle in the console market, and it's really telling that five years on, almost everyone would still rate the first game as one of its top titles. Unsurprisingly, Halo spawned countless imitators, and the market is awash with the corpses of space-marine-shoots-aliens games which simply didn't resonate with the gaming audience in the same way. The reason is clear; Halo wasn't just a success because people want to be a space marine and shoot aliens. The game was the complete package; it had stirring narrative, great characters, epic, sweeping scale, and absolutely fantastic, haunting music. It may not have brought much to the table in terms of gameplay innovation, and many PC FPS fans turned their noses up at it for that reason - but the production values and the understanding of how to create an involving, cinematic experience which Bungie brought to bear were unmatched."
Don't forget the X-what?
Don't forget Poland either!
For many of those games, it seemed there was no hype, or the hype was amazing, only to be overshadowed a day or two after release. Its strange to think I may never have played Kingdom Under Fire if my father's friend hadn't done voices for it. It was such a great game and would have passed right under my radar if I hadn't been told about. I wonder how many games have passed under the collective radar like that over the last couple decades?
-Now I may be an idiot, but there is one thing I am not sir, and that, sir, is an idiot.
Someone has to say it, so I might as well... Nintendo isn't forgetting the NES/SNES/N64/Gamecube when releasing their next-gen, they're embracing them all. Somehow I think that's a better business strategy, for the very reason this article points out-- there were some great games for older consoles! Fun > Graphics.
"!"
Halo spawned countless imitators, and the market is awash with the corpses of space-marine-shoots-aliens games which simply didn't resonate with the gaming audience in the same way.
Wait, Halo didn't create the first marine-shoots-aliens games they have existed for a very long time; you could argue that Halo was mostly a rip-off of the delivery method produced by Half-life (1998) and similar content and style of Doom (1994) [replace Demons with Aliens]. All Halo did was introduce console gamers to the modern (story based) PC first person shooter; at the time most of the First Person shooters released to consoles were still level based (think of Goldeneye/Perfect Dark).
Enclave? An overlooked classic? Give me a break, the reason this failed was because it was an unmitigated steaming pile of crap.
To err is human. To forgive is not company policy.
Hopefully, one day, Psychonauts will get the recognition it deserves. It's one of the most entertaining games I've ever played.
I'm shocked to hear such a well-reasoned, articulate explanation of why Halo is such a great game. It makes my heart warm. Yeah, I'm a Halo fanboi, but it's because of the artistic vision of Bungie. They're one of the few game companies that I feel really elevate gaming to an art.
Of course, Halo multiplayer is a different beast altogether...
In any case, it's their legacy of refined story/music/narrative/character that make me hopeful for the eventual movie. That, and I Love Bees (ilovebees.com).
-stormin
The Southern Baptist Convention has creationism. On Slashdot, we have porn.
Well duh. Without it they wouldn't have *been* in teh console market!
Oh, bullshit. Running across the same vague field, then hiding behind the same damn rocks until you get into an alien space ship and spend the rest of the game running around identical corridors.
I love my Xbox, but I truly despise Halo. Ordinary on so many levels, but obviously appeals on the lowest common denominator factor. Aliens, shooting shit, and packed in with a bunch of systems.
Hell, I can't even give my copy away, came free with the box and it's like cancer, just can't shake it.
I hated Halo. While it may have a "large following" (re: bunch of know-no-better kids), I wouldn't go so far as to say it had "great characters". It had a bunch of faceless space marines, and the alien enemies were Lame. Lame with a capital L... they weren't scary, or even a little frightening. The sounds the most common little carebear one would make did NOT make me want to shoot it. I thought there was some sort of space marine vs impending alien DOOM as far back as.. what, 92-ish? I think it even had blood, gore, violence, and a scary aspect (if I remember correctly). While I admit Halo's 2 player while-on-the-warthog was fun for 5 minutes, it irks me every time I hear about how M$ tapped a previously unforrayed market with this rehashed garbage.
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5 of games on their list are racing games. I hate racing games - control pads don't make good steering wheels.
I found it odd they put KOTOR 2 on the list but not Jade Kingdom.
Granted, Jade Kingdom felt like KOTOR in a fakey "asian" skin, but it was unique in that there just aren't many martial-arts RPGs out there.
Furthermore, from what I've read about KOTOR2, it was released buggy and incomplete.
Don't forget halo was game develop for the Mac, (at that time Bungie was one of the biggest developer of games for the Mac, I remember Marathon as one of the best person shooters I have ever played and that was in 1995, and Myth as excellent game too).
And I think this is true even for today, a majority of the best applications I ever used were created for then Macintosh and then ported/acquired to run on Windows (like Photoshop, freehand, myst)
I think Microsoft knew they needed a killer app and bought bungie, but left the Mac without one of the biggest developer it had, and is a shame, because now a game for a Mac its the last priority in bungie's list
Re: "rehashed garbage"
So, are you saying that every game after Wolfenstien 3D (or whatever the first FPS was) is crap?
Production of the PSOne was only halted March this year, 11 years after the playstation launch, and 6 years after the launch of PS2. I get the feeling PS2 will continue long after the launch of PS3 also. As the PS3 has PS2 on a chip inside it, I'd guess we'll be soon seeing another further slimmed down and cut price PS2 released.
A great game that got overlooked by almost everyone was a game called Deathrow. It featured the most intense frisbee game on any console. It was half free fighting game, half sports game and wasted a good amount of my time. It got great reviews but I guess since it had lots of course language (the characters would curse at each other during the matches), and not much advertising it didn't do well. Still one of my favorite xbox games.
The past 5 have been awsome for the Xbox.
Over 700 games came out for the platform. Some of those being of very high quality (and where were Ninja Gaiden / Dead or Alive / DOAX on that list?).
Thriving homebrew scene. XBMC still outdoes X360 on almost all counts as a media player.
I'm gonna miss it when / if the 360 gets hacked, but the original Xbox is not gonna be forgotten.
I only picked up my Xbox at the start of this year. Strangely enough, it was bundled with three of the games mentioned in the second article (Voodoo Vince, Kung Fu Chaos and Crimson Skies) as well as the ever-present Halo. However, my primary reason for picking up a Xbox wasn't for gaming (I already owned a reasonable PC, a PS2 and a Gamecube). The main reason I bought the console is because it's one of the cheapest options for a media centre that I could find. A quick soft-mod later (after installing XBMC) and I had a console that could stream content from my PC straight onto my television. It was a blessing in disguise.
Of course, that also allowed me to play games I hadn't necessarily purchased, but that's not the point. However, after playing around with it for a while I actually decided to pick up a X360 as well.
Another reason the first Xbox was so successful was because it was the first console to truly incorporate online play. Xbox Live has been one of the biggest drawcards for the Microsoft consoles to date, though Sony and Nintendo have played catch up with the current generation of consoles.
no... I think I would rather forget it, thanks.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
It's Jade Empire and I would agree that it doesn't get enough props. It's fun, well-produced, "linear-plus" RPG action. And, unlike the two KOTOR games I can't remember any showstopping bugs.
KOTOR2 was good until you reached the endgame but then just fell apart. Had they given the game another 2 months of work, it might have ended up legendary, but everyone was anxious to cash in on the sequel (and they surely did).
.. that it tells you if Microsoft themselves have forgotten about the games in question :
2. Project Gotham Racing 1 and 2
* Project Gotham Racing 1 review
* Project Gotham Racing 2 review
* Xbox 360 compatible? No - both
...but ultimately slapped down by our Tom for some slowdown and being way too easy - though you'll note he complains about it taking "only" 12 hours to finish...
What the?
Either this Tom fellow is a fucking liar or the greatest gamer EVAR.
I've had that game 3 years, and I still haven't finished it, let alone 12 fucking hours.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Agree 100%.
Have had mine for a few years and get loads of use out of it. Loaded up with games, movies, Family Guy episodes, etc. Bargain of the century.
Still play Halo II with friends, still play a lot of FIFA World Cup 2002, Fusion Frenzy, etc.
Only when you can hack/mod the 360 quite easily will I 'upgrade'.
'Thats they exact same thing a banana wrench monkey.'
Wow I feel like a loser now. I scanned through both articles just looking for my Steel Battalion. The controller sits prominently on top of my TV. I'm still pissed there won't be a new game for the 360!
The article touched on some interesting opinions and yes those are arguably the best exclusive games on the console. However, modding it gave me almost every emulator and they play quite well to this day on top of having XBMC. In a way the latest consoles are basically late on this stuff. Now all of a sudden downloadable classics,media center is the next "coolest thing". I think that if the Capcoms,Konamis,Squares,etc would've showed more love the original Xbox would've had a better showing. Imagine Devil May Cry with normal and bump mapping and just better graphic quality, the same goes for MGS(that old PS2 port doesn't count)and a host of other PS2 games. I say that the graphic capabilities are still up there, the only thing missing is HD of course but other than that it still has legs to stand on. For the record, I own all 3 current gen consoles and eventually will own all 3 "next-gen" consoles again,especially when the PS3 goes down in price.
It is Jade Empire
With the announcement that the new Halo 2 multiplayer maps will only be available on the Xbox 360, it seems to me like Microsoft has forgotten the first Xbox. I know that they want to provide more incentive for buying a 360. But seriously, creating new content for Halo 2 and then not even making it available on the system the game was released on-even Sony is smart enough not to do that.
I went through the list of cult classics looking for one game, and am quite happy it was there:
Battle Engine Aquila
Freaking absolutely fantastic game. If you haven't played it, you really owe it to yourself.
Otherwise, there were a few games I was surprised to see... I always thought MechAssault was pretty popular, being the first Xbox Live game and all (and a great one at that). Also figured Fuzion Frenzy was considered a hit.
The Xbox was my favourite console of last generation - and I'm not an FPS fan. I thought it had a great mix of unique exclusives, PC ports, and better-than-ps2-and-cube versions of multiplatform titles.
I think they were a little forgiving in picking out cult classics (XIII? Bleh) but there are still some good ones mentioned.
Here are some of my favourite console (so I'm including PC ports that didn't see release on any other system) exclusives:
Phantom Dust - it looks like a third-person action game but plays like a collectible card game in real time. The singleplayer game has a very unique atmosphere reminiscient of Panzer Dragoon Saga (not surprising, considering it was designed by the same person), but the real draw is the incredible multiplayer action via Xbox Live. I really hope this shows up on the 360 compatibility list in the future, as I'd love to play it online again. Inexplicably, this Microsoft-developed game was released here by Majesco after MS decided not to publish it in North America, so it's a little hard to find. Definitely worth tracking down, though.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath - they mentioned this one in the article, but it deserves being mentioned again. Its unique blend of third-person platforming and first-person action will appeal to those who don't necessarily like either (or who love both). Toss in some of the most beautiful graphics on Xbox (and that's saying something!), a storyline with some serious and profound statements on tolerance, culture, and the environment, and incredibly satisfying boss battles, and you have one of the greatest Xbox titles out there. Too bad it isn't 360 compatible.
OutRun 2 - This was one of the major reasons I bought an Xbox in the first place. It's an incredibly fun and beautiful racing game with the best drift mechanics since the glory days of Ridge Racer. Along with the original arcade mode, this home port adds a suprisingly long mission mode with a lot of unlockables and tons of fun and unique objectives. Coast 2 Coast was nowhere near as good as this game. C2C is far uglier (it looks like a PS2 game thanks to all jaggies and shimmering, a far cry from the clean look of the original), too easy (the time limits are much more forgiving and bouncing off of the wall doesn't kill your momentum), and very tedious (the new mission mode involves a lot of repetition and locks many of the same items as included in the original - but also locks some that were available from the start in the original!). Skip C2C, get this version. Sadly, this is another game that isn't on the 360 compatibility list.
Xyanide - this looks like a rail shooter but plays like an arena shooter. If you can get over the twisting and turning camera and the somewhat repetitive backgrounds, the gameplay is excellent. It may look simple at first, but there's a lot of strategy involved in upgrading your two weapons (do you choose to focus on the capital ship killer or the fighter killer?) and choosing your four special powers (from a huge assortment - I still haven't even seen them all). This was a very recent budget release, so you may or may not be able to find it locally. I suggest ebay. Again, no 360 compatibility. Dammit.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - I prefer this to Oblivion. While its fairly ugly and somewhat offputting at first, the atmosphere is far better. Vvardenfell is a unique and alien place unlike anything I've ever seen before or since. The attention to detail makes the land of the Dunmer feel like a real place. The gameplay is far less action-based and more stats-oriented than Oblivion, which may or may not be a turn-off. There are also more (and several mutually-exclusive) quest lines than Oblivion. Though the quests are often shorter and simpler than Oblivion, the sheer number of them is overwhelming. Despite a fair number of bugs and glitches, Morrowind remains one of the finest RPGs I have ever played. Yet again, it isn't compatible with 360.
Metalwolf Cha
Why would you want to stream content with a modded Xbox when you could have had a Squeezebox for around the same price ($250)?
Qh, wait, you're talking video . . . .
Yeah, I recently played this. It looks just amazing (and really shows why the graphics capabilities of the next-gens are overhyped). Fun game, really well done.
No love for this amazing series of racing games? The dual analogue stick control gave the most alarmingly engaging simutated racing experience i've ever come across. Especially on xbox live! No game is perfect, but in my eyes this one came close. I've never felt such a strong desire to get that flawless lap.
sudo killall humans
Phantom Dust is where a lot of us from Asheron's Call: Darktide tried to go for a skillful game we could all play, and we weren't disappointed. Amazing game, sadly not popular enough to last :(
That's Jade Empire, not Jade Kingdom. Nitpick aside Jade Empire was not a very good game, However KOTOR 2 was horrifically buggy and unfinished game. They're both not worthy of the list.
the greatest xbox EXCLUSIVES (sorry halo, dcote, morrowind, pirates, psychonauts etc)
oddworld stranger
phantom dust
end of story
xbox is all pc ports
Yeah, the "real" games are great, but with a modded xbox, the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) rocks. Also, checkout Super Mario War: http://smw.72dpiarmy.com/
I guess you missed the part at the beginning where I mentioned that the Xbox has many PC ports, and why I decided to include them in the list of "exclusives". You also ignored Metalwolf Chaos, Unreal Championship 2, OutRun 2, and Xyanide. In other words, nearly half of the list.
OutRun 2 isn't strictly a PC port, but OutRun 2006 includes all the OutRun 2 tracks and cars and is available on PC. Edge magazine claimed the PC version was "definitive", but I can't really comment as I've only played that version myself. I can say that it's awesome.
Also, Morrowind is so much better on PC and has such trivial system requirements by modern standards that playing on xbox would be pretty silly.
That said, I do hope to get one some day for UC2 and Panzer Dragoon.