Games That Defined the Xbox - NEW GUIDE!

[MrPopo]

I've owned two, because the first one broke (one of the joysticks snapped and sheared the wires and I was unable to fix it because of how tight everything is).

[Rydon]

So for defining the Xbox, I got these but some might be considered hidden gems. They at least defined the console for me:

Dungeons and dragons heroes
Advent Rising
Call of Cthulhu
Chronicles of riddick
Gun Valkyrie
Oddworld strangers wrath
Phantom Dust
Psychonauts
Star wars battlefront I and II
Deus ex II
Thief deadly shadows

Edit: spelling

[CRTGAMER]

Did Jet Set Radio Future do well enough to be considered defining? It certainly caught my eye, along with PD Orta. My suspicion is that neither were nearly as popular or top-selling as I would have hoped.

JSRF was a pack-in game for a good while, so I would include it...

Orta is more of a Hidden Gem, IMO though

When I think of Jet Set Radio, Dreamcast comes to mind. However, as a pack-in, maybe falls in as defining? As in most consoles, I lean towards the games that started out or are exclusive defining each console its own.

Steel Battalion though the controller too pricey to have huge sales certainly should be a defining game. Sadly, I only have the center section found at a Thrift Store many months back.

Oddworld - Though started out on the PS1, the two Xbox versions are exclusives. Strangers Wrath has remakes on newer consoles, but defined on the original Xbox.

Crimson Skies - A very good arcade flight sim exclusive besides a PC release.

Midtown Madness 3 - The series started on the PC, version 3 exclusive to Xbox.

Blinx 1 and Blinx 2 - Both exclusives, the unique pause time mode.

[racketboy]

Ok, so I'm going to post this Google Sheet here as a tally and my general rank.
You can see we're at 20+ already and you can see which ones might not make the cut if we add more


Adding a screenshot of current status as well

Added a handful to the bottom section that may be more Hidden Gems than Defining

Let me know if you think we should change any ranking

[Melek-Ric]

Perhaps for a defining category, the best version on multiplats. Xbox usually had by far the best version. Examples: Splinter Cells, SW Battlefronts, GTAs, most racing games (Burnout 3!), Prince of Persias, PSO, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, etc...

Another category as mentioned was games ported from the PC to only Xbox during that generation. Half-Life 2, DOOM 3, SW: KotOR, Morrorwind & Chronicles of Riddick, Call of Cthulhu, Mercenaries, Jade Empire, etc...

And some great exclusives: Ninja Gaiden, Halos, Fable, Shenmue II, JSRF, Dead of Alive 3, Forza, PGR, MechAssault, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Steel Battalion, Outrun 2, Otogi, etc...

And online MP was huge on Xbox with games like: Halo 2, MechAssault, Star Wars BF 1 & 2, Splinter Cell PT & CT, Sports games, & other shooters.

While not as good 1st-party games, a lot of people view the OG Xbox as the successor to the Dreamcast that generation because of hardware cues, library, and the online functionality.

[alienjesus]

I kinda wonder if we can't just group up 'Sega games' as one entry. I don't feel like any particular one was super notable as defining, but Sega's overall support as a whole was a defining trait of the XBox library.

On a seperate note, what do people think about Grabbed By The Ghoulies? Rare going to Microsoft was a big deal, and that was the first game they released for the console.

[marurun]

So I think the Xbox's defining characteristic vs the PS2 and GC appears to be ports of PC games. A lot of those defining titles were inferior ports of PC games (though superior to what the competition could do if they attempted a PC port, which they often didn't).

[isiolia]

Several of those are the other way around though - KoTOR, Jade Empire, Halo (and 2), and even stuff like Chroncles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay were console first and released on PC later.

Team Ninja and Sega did favor it as well, as mentioned, more or less shifting over what might have otherwise been Dreamcast titles.

[CRTGAMER]

Perhaps for a defining category, the best version on multiplats. Xbox usually had by far the best version. Examples: Splinter Cells, SW Battlefronts, GTAs, most racing games (Burnout 3!), Prince of Persias, PSO, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, etc...

Agree, Overall the Xbox had the best versions in its generation due to a more powerful console. However, there are exceptions such as Special Editions or even which company produced a game for a given console and this should be mentioned as well. PS2 Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 has better coding in frames per minute and game play features by Black Box instead of EA on all the other console and PC versions.

[Xeogred]

Team Ninja and Sega did favor it as well, as mentioned, more or less shifting over what might have otherwise been Dreamcast titles.

Yep.

Ninja Gaiden / Black is an absolute masterpiece.