Best Original Xbox games to check to see if my gaming gene is still active
September 29, 2010 8:42 PM Subscribe
tl;dr What Xbox games for an old system might help me realize if new games are still for me?
So though I have very much like playing video games in the past, I wouldn’t say as much as many -- at least not as many as most people who at one timed owned a N64, Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2. (Generous inlaws and impulse buying had a lot to do with this.) A couple of years ago, I sold all of them save the XBox (because it was hacked and I used it for video streaming) because I hadn’t touched any of them for a couple of years. I’ve really only played games socially (Wii with family or bars) recently and though when I hear about certain games, I get curious, but nothing huge.
So fast forward to last weekend when I found a forgotten copy of Lego Star Wars Original Trilogy on the XBox. Almost 7 hours later, I’d had a joyous day and had trouble pressing buttons on my TV remote because of an almost-blister on my thumb. Not only that but I found that relaxing this way was much more conducive of inspiring my writerly impulses than web surfing.
So, without buying myself a new system, I want to find some games to test whether or not this was a one time thing. Which games for the original XBox would be best to test if the type of games I used to like or new type of games I’m interested in do people who’ve played them think might test this?
I’ll admit that previously I’ve used torrents for Xbox games in the past but I’m not looking for that -- both because it’s too much hassle and because it’s a lot harder to find them because who hosts relatively ancient torrents. Because I’m actually dropping money to test this out -- and hunting them down in the first place, I’d like to have a few suggestions before I start spending.
I know I always enjoy sports games, especially playing with friends and family, so actually, anything like that isn’t really something you need to suggest. Same thing probably with social games like Wii Sports or MarioKart.. When I did play by myself ‘back in the day’, I liked Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Max Payne. I’ve been most interested in games I’ve heard about lately with non-linear options/sandbox/other terms I’m probably using wrong.
So though I have very much like playing video games in the past, I wouldn’t say as much as many -- at least not as many as most people who at one timed owned a N64, Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2. (Generous inlaws and impulse buying had a lot to do with this.) A couple of years ago, I sold all of them save the XBox (because it was hacked and I used it for video streaming) because I hadn’t touched any of them for a couple of years. I’ve really only played games socially (Wii with family or bars) recently and though when I hear about certain games, I get curious, but nothing huge.
So fast forward to last weekend when I found a forgotten copy of Lego Star Wars Original Trilogy on the XBox. Almost 7 hours later, I’d had a joyous day and had trouble pressing buttons on my TV remote because of an almost-blister on my thumb. Not only that but I found that relaxing this way was much more conducive of inspiring my writerly impulses than web surfing.
So, without buying myself a new system, I want to find some games to test whether or not this was a one time thing. Which games for the original XBox would be best to test if the type of games I used to like or new type of games I’m interested in do people who’ve played them think might test this?
I’ll admit that previously I’ve used torrents for Xbox games in the past but I’m not looking for that -- both because it’s too much hassle and because it’s a lot harder to find them because who hosts relatively ancient torrents. Because I’m actually dropping money to test this out -- and hunting them down in the first place, I’d like to have a few suggestions before I start spending.
I know I always enjoy sports games, especially playing with friends and family, so actually, anything like that isn’t really something you need to suggest. Same thing probably with social games like Wii Sports or MarioKart.. When I did play by myself ‘back in the day’, I liked Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Max Payne. I’ve been most interested in games I’ve heard about lately with non-linear options/sandbox/other terms I’m probably using wrong.
Classic Xbox, eh?
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Great storyline and characters. Probably the greatest game on the classic Xbox.
If you liked Goldeneye, Halo: Combat Evolved might be your cup of tea. Extremely linear for the most part, and tedious in places (curse you, Library), but has some surprisingly great character moments and that beautiful, beautiful jeep.
Splinter Cell might be interesting if only because it's very different - the game is largely predicated on not fighting, on situational awareness, and on being just inside a one-pixel shadow. Pandora Tomorrow was well-received, but it's unlikely you'll get to enjoy the true fun of the multiplayer.
You should be able to find copies of Halo for basically free, Splinter cell for $10, and KOTOR might be as much as $15 - it's that popular even in this late age.
posted by lantius at 9:53 PM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Great storyline and characters. Probably the greatest game on the classic Xbox.
If you liked Goldeneye, Halo: Combat Evolved might be your cup of tea. Extremely linear for the most part, and tedious in places (curse you, Library), but has some surprisingly great character moments and that beautiful, beautiful jeep.
Splinter Cell might be interesting if only because it's very different - the game is largely predicated on not fighting, on situational awareness, and on being just inside a one-pixel shadow. Pandora Tomorrow was well-received, but it's unlikely you'll get to enjoy the true fun of the multiplayer.
You should be able to find copies of Halo for basically free, Splinter cell for $10, and KOTOR might be as much as $15 - it's that popular even in this late age.
posted by lantius at 9:53 PM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Was going to say Halo after you mentioned a few FPS style shooty games. KotoR is a great idea too; it's Bioware, so duh. Most of the other games I played on the Xbox were RPGs (my SO didn't like shooting games, augh) so I can't give suggestions there.
posted by Heretical at 10:48 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by Heretical at 10:48 PM on September 29, 2010
So, first off, if you are still interested in older games on other systems, a lot of companies ported over collections of classic games onto the Xbox: Sega Genesis Collection, Capcom Classics Collection, Sonic Mega Collection, etc.
Ok, that out the way, I'm not an first person shooter person really, but I got really into Halo. Like folks mentioned, it's linear, but a lot of FPS games are, and you can play co-op, which adds to the fun. Halo is one of those genre-defining games that shaped a lot of FPS games since, and if you're at all interested in the genre, worth checking out.
Fighting games. They have classic Street Fighter and King of Fighters stuff, if you're into that. Dead or Alive is a fun one if you are into "reversal/counter" based fighting games. Virtua Fighter is the fighting game series for folks who have intense technical skills, and most notably is probably the only fighting game series going on that doesn't have characters shooting fireballs or using energy beam attacks.
Jet Set Radio Future is a funky Japanese cel-shaded game where you run around the city on rollerblades, doing graffiti while being chased by cops, etc. Your rollerblades are also magnetic and rocket-powered, so you can grind vertically up light poles and other crazy stunts. It's a frickin' awesome game.
Panzer Dragoon Orta is a "rails shooter". You're in a post-apocalyptic world in which genetically engineered weapons have -become- the ecosystem. You ride a "dragon" and fly around fighting shit on using lasers. The graphics are amazing and if you've played any of the previous Panzer Dragoon games on the Sega systems, it's basically more of the same.
Dynasty Warriors 3 - you play historical characters from the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and fight in historical battles- taking out hundreds of bad guys and shifting the tide of battles. The battles are pretty much open field- you can pick what strategic targets are most important to you, deciding between reinforcing your side or taking down the other side- from capturing officers, capturing gates, etc. As you play, your character(s) get more powerful and you can do better and better beating folks down. It's not a complicated game, but sometimes it's great to blow off steam.
Generally, though, Xbox just didn't have a serious swath of games for it. If you ever upgrade, the 360 has a nice set of "arcade games" you can download demos of, or buy for $10-15 each. Some of these include classics from other systems, like Castlevania's Symphony of the Night, but most are original games and a ton of them are really fun.
posted by yeloson at 10:52 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ok, that out the way, I'm not an first person shooter person really, but I got really into Halo. Like folks mentioned, it's linear, but a lot of FPS games are, and you can play co-op, which adds to the fun. Halo is one of those genre-defining games that shaped a lot of FPS games since, and if you're at all interested in the genre, worth checking out.
Fighting games. They have classic Street Fighter and King of Fighters stuff, if you're into that. Dead or Alive is a fun one if you are into "reversal/counter" based fighting games. Virtua Fighter is the fighting game series for folks who have intense technical skills, and most notably is probably the only fighting game series going on that doesn't have characters shooting fireballs or using energy beam attacks.
Jet Set Radio Future is a funky Japanese cel-shaded game where you run around the city on rollerblades, doing graffiti while being chased by cops, etc. Your rollerblades are also magnetic and rocket-powered, so you can grind vertically up light poles and other crazy stunts. It's a frickin' awesome game.
Panzer Dragoon Orta is a "rails shooter". You're in a post-apocalyptic world in which genetically engineered weapons have -become- the ecosystem. You ride a "dragon" and fly around fighting shit on using lasers. The graphics are amazing and if you've played any of the previous Panzer Dragoon games on the Sega systems, it's basically more of the same.
Dynasty Warriors 3 - you play historical characters from the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and fight in historical battles- taking out hundreds of bad guys and shifting the tide of battles. The battles are pretty much open field- you can pick what strategic targets are most important to you, deciding between reinforcing your side or taking down the other side- from capturing officers, capturing gates, etc. As you play, your character(s) get more powerful and you can do better and better beating folks down. It's not a complicated game, but sometimes it's great to blow off steam.
Generally, though, Xbox just didn't have a serious swath of games for it. If you ever upgrade, the 360 has a nice set of "arcade games" you can download demos of, or buy for $10-15 each. Some of these include classics from other systems, like Castlevania's Symphony of the Night, but most are original games and a ton of them are really fun.
posted by yeloson at 10:52 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Beyond Good and Evil was an engaging platformer with fun puzzles, good story, an interesting game world, and a likeable protagonist and sidekick.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:25 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:25 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Burnout ( I played 3 ) was a nice spin on racing games.
posted by backwards guitar at 3:00 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by backwards guitar at 3:00 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Agree with KotOR, Halo 1 and 2, and GTA.
I'd also suggest The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It's an open-world RPG and very compelling. (That could lead you to appreciate Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 on the 360.)
Jade Empire is another good RPG of a more story-and-character-driven, linear type. (A predecessor to Dragon Age and Mass Effect on 360.)
And for just gleefully addictive fun, I'd recommend Sid Maier's Pirates.
posted by dunadan17 at 3:37 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'd also suggest The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It's an open-world RPG and very compelling. (That could lead you to appreciate Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 on the 360.)
Jade Empire is another good RPG of a more story-and-character-driven, linear type. (A predecessor to Dragon Age and Mass Effect on 360.)
And for just gleefully addictive fun, I'd recommend Sid Maier's Pirates.
posted by dunadan17 at 3:37 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you've never played Halo 1, at least give it a serious try. By serious, I mean play it all the way through on Normal or Heroic one time to get used to the basics and then try to play it on Legendary, which is where the game really shines. Halo 2 is crap, IMO.
I'll just add a correction to some previous suggestions: Katamari and Virtua Fighter aren't available for the Xbox.
posted by Bangaioh at 4:18 AM on September 30, 2010
I'll just add a correction to some previous suggestions: Katamari and Virtua Fighter aren't available for the Xbox.
posted by Bangaioh at 4:18 AM on September 30, 2010
Ninja Gaiden is a decent fighting game, although it's no God Hand. Crimson Skies is an okay arcadey flightsim. Timesplitters 2 is not a bad shooter, especially for multiplayer. I've only ever played the PS2 version of Battle Engine Aquila, but it's a pretty good game where you wander a series of dynamic battlefields in a giant transforming spider thing and the Xbox version is supposed to be slightly better. 2-player is great fun.
Really, though, you'll be handicapping yourself if you try to rediscover gaming through an original Xbox. Aside from the handful of great games it had (e.g. Halo) its catalogue was an ocean of mediocrity. It just didn't have as much interesting, original stuff as the PS2, and almost none of the weird, rare, mostly Japanese obscurities that make the PS2 racks in my local secondhand games shop so much fun to flick through. But then I don't have much time for sport games, driving sims or pseudo-realistic military shooters so maybe I just wasn't part of the target audience.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 6:09 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Really, though, you'll be handicapping yourself if you try to rediscover gaming through an original Xbox. Aside from the handful of great games it had (e.g. Halo) its catalogue was an ocean of mediocrity. It just didn't have as much interesting, original stuff as the PS2, and almost none of the weird, rare, mostly Japanese obscurities that make the PS2 racks in my local secondhand games shop so much fun to flick through. But then I don't have much time for sport games, driving sims or pseudo-realistic military shooters so maybe I just wasn't part of the target audience.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 6:09 AM on September 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding Psychonauts -- a gorgeous, fun, clever and well-written game. I think the only other Xbox game I kept when we moved to the 360 is Mercenaries, which should satisfy your sandbox jones.
posted by themissy at 7:56 AM on September 30, 2010
posted by themissy at 7:56 AM on September 30, 2010
If you liked Goldeneye and Perfect Dark (as did I), Timesplitters plays almost identically, although I personally prefered Half-Life 2 and Far Cry. Halo left me a little cold, in comparison. Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City are the best sandbox games out there. Forza Motorsport is the best driving game. The Splinter Cell series are all excellent.
posted by salmacis at 8:52 AM on September 30, 2010
posted by salmacis at 8:52 AM on September 30, 2010
The original Buffy game has a good story and very fun gameplay/combat. I think I still have it, if you want to borrow it.
posted by lholladay at 9:02 AM on September 30, 2010
posted by lholladay at 9:02 AM on September 30, 2010
BitterOldPunk beat me to Beyond Good And Evil.
General opinion seems to be against me, but Grabbed By The Ghoulies is incredibly good fun. Especially if you enjoyed Lego Star Wars; Ghoulies has the same kind of drop-in-and-play gameplay.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:51 AM on September 30, 2010
General opinion seems to be against me, but Grabbed By The Ghoulies is incredibly good fun. Especially if you enjoyed Lego Star Wars; Ghoulies has the same kind of drop-in-and-play gameplay.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:51 AM on September 30, 2010
Response by poster: I'd forgotten about asking this question before going to bed the other night, and coming here and seeing all these answers this morning feels like Christmas (except I have to pay for my presents -- which I guess it what being an adult is all about) I'm working my other job this weekend, so am bummed that I can't spend my time this way, but now I know where my money might possibly go.
And lholladay, I will certainly take you up on that offer.
Thanks so much everyone!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:32 AM on October 1, 2010
And lholladay, I will certainly take you up on that offer.
Thanks so much everyone!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:32 AM on October 1, 2010
Response by poster: Wow - has it been 30 days already?
So just to update, I've been super busy with personal stuff so I haven't been able to explore these answers as much as I've liked.
BUT
I did discover (though a recommendation by the employee at my local GameSpot, where they've gotten rid of all of their original XBox titles (though none of their other systems), People Play Games, a place I recommend for anyone in Chicago. It's awesome.
There, I was able to find Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mercenaries quite cheap. These were two of the games I remembered being recommended. My copy of Mercenaries was a little wonky (the shop accepted the return no problem), but the bit I was able to play was fun. However, KOTOR has been exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure if I'd had more time I'd finished it by now, but because I haven't, I've been able to enjoy it quite a bit when I can squeeze it in.
I'd gladly take more recommendations of games like that, but given all the others listed here, it's totally unnecessary. Thanks again!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:13 AM on November 1, 2010
So just to update, I've been super busy with personal stuff so I haven't been able to explore these answers as much as I've liked.
BUT
I did discover (though a recommendation by the employee at my local GameSpot, where they've gotten rid of all of their original XBox titles (though none of their other systems), People Play Games, a place I recommend for anyone in Chicago. It's awesome.
There, I was able to find Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mercenaries quite cheap. These were two of the games I remembered being recommended. My copy of Mercenaries was a little wonky (the shop accepted the return no problem), but the bit I was able to play was fun. However, KOTOR has been exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure if I'd had more time I'd finished it by now, but because I haven't, I've been able to enjoy it quite a bit when I can squeeze it in.
I'd gladly take more recommendations of games like that, but given all the others listed here, it's totally unnecessary. Thanks again!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:13 AM on November 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also good for openness are the various RPGs, like Fable and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. They're highly addictive, have stood the test of time, and if you like what you see, there are next-gen versions available in Fable II and GTA IV, along with other titles like Fallout 3 and Red Dead Redemption.
Also, Katamari Damacy. I'm not sure what other games out now resemble it other than its sequels, but the original was a damn good game. Insanely infectious soundtrack, too.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:17 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]