I just bought an oXbox for the first time (sorta)

[Ziggy]

After thinking about it for a while, I just bought an oXbox off eBay. I don't even have it yet, I'm still waiting for it to ship.

Way back in 2011, I briefly owned an oXbox. I got one from someone on the forums here, in a trade I think. It was already soft modded. I played around with some emulators on it, but it never got a whole lot of use. I remember trying to find some Xbox games that I'd like, but came up with next to nothing. At the time, I had the first Halo and Fable games on PC so I didn't care to have them on Xbox. And I also figured I wouldn't bother with any games that were cross platform on PS2. What was left over, I guess I didn't care about back then. I picked up Ninja Gaiden Black and had fun with it. But after a while I decided that the Xbox was underutilized and taking up room, so I got rid of it. I remember having it listed for sale or trade on the forums here for a while without bites, and this was back when the BST was very active. No one was interested in an oXbox back then. I ended up getting rid of it for not a lot of money.

So that's why I say this is "sorta" the first time getting an oXbox. I did technically own one already, but it was so long ago and for such a brief amount of time. And I never really gave it a chance.

In recent years, I've been regretting getting rid of it. I've come around on my opinion on a lot of things. During the 6th generation of consoles, the PS2 was my jam. And after gaming on the SNES and then Playstation controllers, I was very partial to that layout. When the Xbox first came out, I thought the controllers were big and dumb (and not just The Duke) and the offset joystick were stupid. But over the years, I eventually got a 360 and Xbox One controller for use on PC, and I've grown to really like them. After using the Xbox controllers at length, now when I switch back to a PS2 controller I'm thinking it's not as comfortable.

So back in 2022, I got myself an Xbox 360 for the first time. I posted a thread about it here. My decision to get a 360 was based off the fact that it was also partially backward compatible with the original Xbox. So I picked up a few oXbox games that I've used on my 360. The problem there is that not every game is compatible. And the ones that are might have issues. So after having some fun with a few oXbox games, and thinking of more I would like to try, I decided it would be a good idea to just get an oXbox console. They have 100% compatibility, after all.

Annoyingly, Xboxes aren't especially cheap on eBay right now. If you want one that is listed as tested and in working condition, you're looking at around $100 give or take. You can certainly get ones for less, but sold as-is, untested, for parts etc. And sometimes beat to hell. But I eventually found a listing that I felt comfortable with, so I decided to pull the trigger on it.



It comes with Halo 2 skins on it. I'm kinda taking a little bit of a gamble on that part. I'm hoping that when I remove them, it doesn't turn out that they were hiding any massive blemishes. But judging from the pics the seller provided, the console looks like it's in decent shape. I was also happy that the listing included an S type controller that looks to be in decent shape (thumb grips not worn down) and three non-sport games.

I've actually already purchased a mod chip for this. I think I will keep it stock for a little bit, since I have a bunch of legit games to use with it. But I'll definitely mod it before long. Mostly just to play games off the HDD and save the wear and tear from the optical drive. I know you can easily soft mod the Xbox, and I'm almost certain that this isn't a 1.6 revision console meaning I can flash a BIOS. But with the OpenXenium mod chip that I got, from what I understand, I can boot multiple BIOSes. And it makes upgrading the HDD easier. And the install is super easy. And it looks like it can be used as a recovery tool for broken Xboxes. So I figure I could also use the mod chip to flash the BIOS and then remove it to use in another Xbox if I needed or wanted to.

Anyways, here's the games I currently have...

Picked up when I got the 360:
Halo 2
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars KOTOR 2
Tonly Hawk's Pro Skater 2X
Ultra Bust-A-Move

Recently Acquired:
Call of Duty Finest Hour
Call of Duty Big Red One
Medal of Honor Frontline
Medal of Honor Rising Sun *
Fable
Halo

Comes with the Xbox I purchased:
Robotech Battlecry
Soul Calibur II
Roadkill

*Medal of Honor Rising Sun was acquired by mistake. I ordered Frontline, and the seller shipped me Rising Sun by mistake. They shipped me Frontline, and told me to keep Rising Sun.

I decided to order Halo and Fable, even though I have them on PC, just because they were really cheap and they seem like must haves for the Xbox. Especially the first Halo, that's like owning a SNES but not having a copy of Super Mario World. I also figured that it's been a long time since I've played either game, and it would be nice to experience them on the Xbox.

But speaking of, one factor that lead to my decision to purchase an oXbox is that a lot of the games are really cheap. Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Fable and Halo can all be had CIB for around $10 shipped. Or less! Plenty of other games seem relatively cheap, compared to what I'm use to seeing for retro video games. After the price of retro games started to rise I pretty much stopped collecting, probably just like so many of you. So it's really nice to be able to collect for a console again, without spending a fortune on the games.

Two games I'd really like to get are Ninja Gaiden Black and Conker: Live and Reloaded, but these two aren't especially cheap. Not too expensive, but not dirt cheap like so many other Xbox games.

I guess I use to be too much of a PS2 fanboy, I had no interest in playing any Xbox ports. But over the years, I've constantly heard how the Xbox usually had the superior ports over the PS2/GCN. I've looked up comparison videos for certain games, and the Xbox version usually does look noticeably better. So now I'm not resistant to checking out multiplatform games.

I'm open to game suggestions and any other tips you might have!

[opa]

Getting an xbox now? Brave soul! I had nothing but issues with the system (had two or three iirc). But maybe there's enough info out there now on which units are the good ones.

I remember suffering through the load times on Morrowind and KOTOR. Great games but I'd never go back to the console ports.

If you like horror games, there's Silent Hill 2/4, Call of Cthulhu, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, and Fatal Frame 2. (and maybe others that I've forgotten). Not sure on the pricing of these; horror games tend to keep value.

I recall somewhat enjoying Turok Evolution. Probably a dirt cheap game.

There's also a port of MGS2.

[Ziggy]

Getting an xbox now? Brave soul! I had nothing but issues with the system (had two or three iirc). But maybe there's enough info out there now on which units are the good ones.

LOL, well hopefully you were just unlucky! I've been reading up a little on them, naturally. It seems like the DVD drive is the biggest point of failure. And the earliest models had an issue with the power supply. Apparently the solder joints would crack and arcing could cause it to catch fire.

I remember suffering through the load times on Morrowind and KOTOR. Great games but I'd never go back to the console ports.

I played a bit of KOTOR on my 360 and didn't notice anything regarding load times. I don't know if that's the same case on the oXbox, but they're both DVD drives after all. And I'll probably be playing games off the HDD (faster loading times) soon enough. I played maybe a few hours of KOTOR but got bored with it. I was thinking of giving it another try at some point, after I get the oXbox.

If you like horror games, there's Silent Hill 2/4, Call of Cthulhu, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, and Fatal Frame 2. (and maybe others that I've forgotten). Not sure on the pricing of these; horror games tend to keep value.

It's funny. When I read game lists like this, I'm still in the mind set of "Well I have a PS2, so I'll ignore these games." I'll definitely look into those. Castlevania Curse of Darkness, I've heard people say recently that it's underrated. But if I ever get around to playing it, it'll just have to be on PS2. I've heard that if you have a Lament of Innocence save file on your memory card (which I do) then it will unlock an item for you in Curse of Darkness.

I recall somewhat enjoying Turok Evolution. Probably a dirt cheap game.

There's also a port of MGS2.

I'm a big fan of the first Turok. I remember Evolution getting rated average when it came out, but I'd still like to check it out at some point. I think I own a copy on PS2. But like I said, so many games look and/or play better on Xbox.

MGS2 I also have on PS2. I'm not a huge fan of the game. I thought the gameplay was all right, but my memory on it is that it has very long cut scenes. Just thinking about the length of the cutscenes makes me not want to play it again LOL.

[emwearz]

LOL, well hopefully you were just unlucky! I've been reading up a little on them, naturally. It seems like the DVD drive is the biggest point of failure. And the earliest models had an issue with the power supply. Apparently the solder joints would crack and arcing could cause it to catch fire.

I had this issue, when turning the system on I could heard a momentary spark and crackling like it was arcing. Opened it up, super cold solder, on the points for the power port, cleaned it all up and re soldered, that was years ago, not an issue since.

My launch era Xbox's drive still works, just slow. I install games to the upgraded HDD when I use it these days to avoid anymore wear and tear, but it was my main console during that generation, then was a media player for the next 5 or so years so it was well used.

Xbox games are also still around in Opshops (thrift stores) fairly cheap if you go out an hunt regulatory.

In terms of games, do you have any hardware in the Xbox One/s family? Generally, because all those consoles enable Vsync, which eliminates screen tearing, almost all backwards compat games are hard to recommend on original hardware. The 360's Backwards Compat is 50/50. I assume by some of your pickups you are just looking for 'bangers' regardless of if they play better in later releases / consoles?

[Ziggy]

I had this issue, when turning the system on I could heard a momentary spark and crackling like it was arcing. Opened it up, super cold solder, on the points for the power port, cleaned it all up and re soldered, that was years ago, not an issue since.

Apparently Microsoft's solution to this was to have a plug with ARCI protection, which would trip if the cold solder joints started arcing. Then they got a new revision to the power supply board. But yeah, I'm definitely going to be checking mine when I get it in the mail.

Xbox games are also still around in Opshops (thrift stores) fairly cheap if you go out an hunt regulatory.

I do see them in thrift stores, but I have ignored Xbox up until now. Usually it's sports or cheaper games. Long Island is pretty over crowded and thrift stores are usually picked clean of anything good. It'll just be random chance when something is put out on the sales floor, if you're there to see it before anyone else buys it first.

in terms of games, do you have any hardware in the Xbox One/s family? Generally, because all those consoles enable Vsync, which eliminates screen tearing, almost all backwards compat games are hard to recommend on original hardware. The 360's Backwards Compat is 50/50. I assume by some of your pickups you are just looking for 'bangers' regardless of if they play better in later releases / consoles?

Nope, I currently just have the 360 and now the oXbox (assuming it arrives safely and works). I was actually considering an Xbox One, thinking I would have oXbox and 360 compatibility. And I did catch in a few comparison videos that the One makes oXbox games look better. But aside form Rare Replay, there really aren't any One games that I care to get. At least, not right now. Maybe one day in the future I'll get a One. But I thought I'd have more fun with the oXbox. They're really easy to mod and work on. I also like to collect hardware, not just games, and I sorta grew to admire the oXbox for what it is.

I mainly picked up Halo 1 and 2 because they were so cheap and it seemed like it would be a crime not to own them. I actually have the Master Chief Collection on PC. But I wouldn't mind playing through the originals at least once. I remember Halo 1 not being too long of a game. So yeah, I guess I'm open to the mega hits even if they have better ports. I guess since I completely missed out on this console, I want to try and experience it as it was. Honestly, I'm just finding it fun to be able to collect again without having to spend a fortune. It's been a long time since I could purchase a game on eBay for under $10.

[emwearz]

If you have not already, get yourself some decent Component cables.

I will try to shoot off suggestions as I think of them

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
This is a multiplat, but it looks and runs best on Xbox. It is pretty much a carbon clone of Final Fantasy X, but set have a party that are new to the game, but takes place during the timeline of the three books. The game is backwards compay on the 360 but has visual issues that to me make it unplayable. It is best played on the oXbox. If you have not played it and enjoyed FFX, give it a go.

Max Payne
The PS2 version of this has performance issues but on Xbox it plays lovely, it has backwards compat on the newer Xbox but on the oXbox it plays really well. It is on PC, but for a bunch of older games I prefer to actually play them on console for whatever reason.

Jet Set Radio Future
Exclusives to the platform, it is a pricier game but if you mod your console it is worth playing. Screams Dreamcast for obvious reasons. Really most of the early Sega stuff on Xbox like Crazy Taxi 3, Shenmue 2, Outrun 2, etc are worth checking out if the Dreamcast was your vibe.

Blinx: The Time Sweeper
This was MS trying to have an animal mascot early in the consoles life. I loved this game when it first came out, it plays with time manipulation in a way the turns it into a semi platofrmer / beat em up / puzzle game. Playing it today the only issue I have is adjusting to the inverted horizontal camera control, which can't be changed.

Ninja Gaiden / Ninja Gaiden Black
Tough as all hell hack and slash but it is really tight and satisfying.

Splinter Cell Series
All three play the best on Xbox as well as having far more advanced lighting systems that were just removed or changed in the PS2 ports

KOTOR 1 and 2
While I loved this games so much when they first came out, and with the recent ports not doing enough to compared to the PC modders have been doing for years I would actually recommend playing these on PC today, but if for whatever reason you don't have a PC that can run them, you should play them on xbox!

The Tony Hawk Series
While the PS2 controller is more ideal for the position of the shoulder buttons, the Xbox versions are so smooth. All of them support 480P, with THPS4, THUG and THUG2 (and Disney Extreme Skate Adventure, which uses the THPS4 engine) supporting 720P.

Broken Sword 3 is also on that I play on the Xbox over PC or other consoles.
Soul Calibur 2, while no Link from the GC version, does 720P with 4:3
The Warriors, great Rockstar beat em up, is multiplat but Xbox does 720P

[opa]

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
This is a multiplat, but it looks and runs best on Xbox. It is pretty much a carbon clone of Final Fantasy X, but set have a party that are new to the game, but takes place during the timeline of the three books. The game is backwards compay on the 360 but has visual issues that to me make it unplayable. It is best played on the oXbox. If you have not played it and enjoyed FFX, give it a go.

I will actually second this suggestion.

I'll be real with you: the characters are bland, the voice acting is terrible, and the plot makes no sense. So, yes, they cloned FFX perfectly. But there's no weird sphere grid to upgrade. Your characters gain experience and you distribute points among their stats when they level up. Also, the sound design in the game is really good. The way enemy orcs and wargs snarl at you sounds great and somewhat threatening.

The Third Age is actually worth checking out if you like JRPGS.

[Ziggy]

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
This is a multiplat, but it looks and runs best on Xbox. It is pretty much a carbon clone of Final Fantasy X, but set have a party that are new to the game, but takes place during the timeline of the three books. The game is backwards compay on the 360 but has visual issues that to me make it unplayable. It is best played on the oXbox. If you have not played it and enjoyed FFX, give it a go.

I will actually second this suggestion.

I'll be real with you: the characters are bland, the voice acting is terrible, and the plot makes no sense. So, yes, they cloned FFX perfectly. But there's no weird sphere grid to upgrade. Your characters gain experience and you distribute points among their stats when they level up. Also, the sound design in the game is really good. The way enemy orcs and wargs snarl at you sounds great and somewhat threatening.

The Third Age is actually worth checking out if you like JRPGS.

I got FFX when it came out and got frustrated with it. I hated how many cutscenes there are. I felt like I was watching the game more than I was playing it. I can clearly remember at one point, I had just finished watching a cut scene then walked about 10 seconds down a path which triggered another cutscene. It annoyed me enough that I stopped playing the game. Of course, that was a very long time ago and I was relatively young. I've been curious to give FFX another shot some time, to see if my opinion of it has changed.

Story-wise, what is the relation of The Third Age to the rest of the franchise? As of right now, I have not seen any of the LotR movies. I have read most of the first book, but still have to finish it. I figured I would watch the movies after I finish reading the books. That said, where does this book fit in? Should I wait to play it until after I have read the books? Or watched the movies? Or does it not matter?

Ninja Gaiden / Ninja Gaiden Black
Tough as all hell hack and slash but it is really tight and satisfying.

I ordered a copy of Ninja Gaiden Black on eBay. It was the one game that I owned, back when I briefly owned an oXbox. I remember it being frustratingly hard, even on the secret "Ninja Dog" difficulty.

Thanks for those suggestions, emwearz, I'll have to comb through them. I do already have KOTOR 1 and 2 on Xbox (as well as PC). And I have Tony Hawk 2X. I never actually played past that in the series, so maybe I'll pick up more. Max Payne and Splinter Cell were uber popular, but I ignored them back then for whatever reason, I'll have to look into them. The Warriors sounds interesting, I don't believe I've ever heard of it before.

[ZRofel]

The original Xbox is nowhere near my list of favorite consoles, but I've really enjoyed collecting for it (and the 360) recently for exactly the reasons already stated. You can get tons of great games for modest prices, and there are actually a surprising number of exclusives that really haven't gone anywhere else (other than maybe PC).

The Warriors sounds interesting, I don't believe I've ever heard of it before.

The Warriors is actually based on the cult Walter Hill film of the same name from the '70s. It's an awesome game, but it's so weird that Rockstar decided to make a video game prequel of it thirty years later apropos of nothing.

Breakdown is a first person brawler that has genuinely excellent first-person fist-fighting mechanics, and it's still reasonably priced. Along with Escape from Butcher Bay, the original Xbox had a brief monopoly on good first-person fist-fighting games

The two Otogi games are a bit more expensive (especially the second one), but also great. They're From Software action games where you play as undead warriors battling ghoulies and ghosts through medieval fantasy Japan. I wrote an article for USGamer years ago about how you can kind of see some of the pedigree of Dark Souls in them, in that you feel very isolated for most of the game and the story is very subtle and unspoken. They're much more hack-and-slash than Dark Souls' measured combat, though. You can do repeated air dashes and flip around the environment like a crazy ghost ninja, plus most of every level is destructible.

The two Mechassault games are fun, relatively breezy sci-fi action games set in the Battletech universe (I think), and both are still very cheap.

And speaking of mediocre RPGs aping jRPGs like The Third Age, Sudeki is a very short action RPG that in no way can compete with the likes of the heavy hitters from that era, but if you get it cheap and treat it kind of like the equivalent of a made-for-TV movie but a game, it's pretty fun. The combat at least feels satisfying and it's very different depending on what character you're controlling.

Also, Urban Chaos: Riot Response is a very unsung FPS featuring a defensive combat style. As a riot cop the player has an indestructible riot shield he can hold up to absorb enemy fire. There's not a lot of cover in the game, so using the shield effectively is the key to surviving firefights. Also, you have a taser you can use to non-lethally take down enemies, and as a police officer, you get better rewards in missions if you're not just killing everyone indiscriminately.

[o.pwuaioc]

The Warriors sounds interesting, I don't believe I've ever heard of it before.

The Warriors is actually based on the cult Walter Hill film of the same name from the '70s. It's an awesome game, but it's so weird that Rockstar decided to make a video game prequel of it thirty years later apropos of nothing.

The movie is fantastic (and inspired by Xenophon's Anabasis, which makes it doubly cool). I'm sure everyone knows the classic Coke-bottle clink taunt.

I remember seeing the game when it came out, but didn't realize it was supposed to be a prequel. I had written it off back then. I might check it out if it's actually supposed to be good (but on PS2---no plans to ever get an Xbox again).