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| PS2 and Xbox side by side - Yeah, I don't think anyone ever used the word "compact" to describe an original Xbox |
I still remember the day I got an Xbox. I was in grade 7, and I came home from school for lunch. I was planning on having a few friends over for the lamest party you've ever seen, and when I looked in my family room I saw that there was an Xbox plugged into the TV. I had thought that my mom had rented one from the Blockbuster for the party (even though I had asked her not to) but she instead revealed that she had purchased one earlier in the day while I was at school. Unlike when I got a N64, I was the first of any of my friends to have a Xbox (tons of people had PS2s and Gamecubes, but no one had a Xbox) and I was pretty pumped about it. Though I eventually bought both a Gamecube and a PS2, the Xbox was my console of choice between for almost five years (and even then it was replaced with a 360).
I figure this has been enough of a preamble, so let's start the list already. And by start the list I mean look at the honorable mentions
Honorable Mentions
Jet Set Radio Future - One of the two games that came with my Xbox, JSRF was strange to say the least. A game about a group of rollerblading teens that fight cops by spray painting everything in sight couldn't really be ordinary though. Featuring really cool cell-shaded graphics, tons of areas and stuff to do, and all the weird Japanese music you could handle, JSRF suprised me and ended up being a great game. And if it hadn't come with my Xbox, I probably wouldn't have played it.
Jade Empire - Whenever Bioware comes out with a new RPG, I know I'm going to play it. This isn't the only time they will appear on this list (and if I were to do a top 360 list, they would appear there too). Jade Empire was just a great game - too bad it was held back by what seemed like never ending loading screens.
The Splinter Cell Trilogy (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory) - there's no doubt that these games are great - many consider Chaos Theory to be the best game on the original Xbox - but I don't think I ever finished any of them. I did play all three, and they were great, but none of them crack my top 7.
7. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
I used to get the Xbox magazine (at one point I got two magazines) every month, and one of the main reasons why is because they came with a demo disc. I remember playing the demo for Sands of Time, and instantly thinking "I have to get this game". And the game didn't disappoint me in the slightest (can not say the same thing about the sequels). The graphics were sick at the time, the puzzles were cool, and the ability to rewind time just seemed like such a cool ability - it was something I had never seen before in a game. That they threw in the classic Prince of Persia games as well (but kept them hidden) was a great bonus.
Coolest Part - the start of the game - climbing through the castle and running up walls for the first time was sick. Also jumping over a guys back in a battle was pretty cool too.
6. Halo
I really don't think I have to tell you what Halo is about. The game most closly linked to the Original Xbox, Halo changed the perception of first person shooters on consoles. Halo was one of the most popular games the system had, and four player multiplayer was a blast. The campaign wasn't bad either, and Halo still stands up against most modern FPS games (something that can't be said of earlier games like Goldeneye or Perfect Dark).
Coolest Part - Getting a Banshee in the Campaign and then flying anywhere you want.
5. Fable
Fable may not have lived up to it's hype, but it was still a great game. Tons of quests, cool magic powers, and a solid story made Fable one of the best RPGs available. Not to mention it was one of the best looking games on the original xbox. If only it managed to do everything it wanted to do, it could have been the number one game on this list.
Coolest Part - Unlocking demon doors, fighting trolls or defeating assassins - all awesome
4. GTA San Andreas
GTA San Andreas may have featured the largest game world ever. It included three full cities, as well as seemingly endless countryside. And there was plenty to do everywhere. In terms of sheer singleplayer gameplay, no game on the Xbox could claim as many things to do as San Andreas did. It compares with games like Fallout 3 and Oblivion, games that were released several years later and on a more powerful system. The fact that the game boiled down to running around causing mayhem was the icing on the cake.
Coolest Part - Getting into gang wars, and just causing general mayhem
3. Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden Black is probably the hardest game that I have ever beaten. And I only beat it on a difficulty that the game regularly chirped you for playing on. The first boss was harder than most game's final bosses are, and things only got harder from there. But none of that changed the fact that this was probably the best looking game on the original xbox, and you're character, as often as he got his ass handed to him, was a definite badass. It also featured one of the coolest weapons (the dragon flails, otherwise as the super-death nunchuks)
Coolest Part - Running up a wall, doing a backflip and then decapitating a guy - all in one fluid motion
2. Halo 2
One of the biggest video game releases of all time, Halo 2 got a lot of hype before it came out, and I would argue it lived up to it's hype. When it was released, Halo 2 was the best console FPS of all time. No console FPS that came before it, or for a few years after, managed to top Halo 2. You could argue Halo 3 wasn't able to do it (I wouldn't, but the argument could be made). It helped turn Xbox Live into what it is today, and managed to be the most played game on the service until Gears of War came out (and even then it was still #2). The campaign may not have been perfect, but I don't believe thats what the game was about. I must have logged at least 300 hours in multiplayer, so I must have enjoyed it to spend that much time with it.
Coolest Part - Hijacking a Banshee in the air, and kicking the driver out to his death
1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic is easily the best RPG on the original Xbox, and one of the top 5 in the last ten years. The fact that it had light sabers only made it better. Tons of sidequests, huge planets to explore, tons of force powers and HK-47 (easily one of the best sidekicks in any game ever). The sequel may have been great as well (though buggy, and the ending was clearly not finished), but the original was amazing. The fact that Bioware arguably made an even better space RPG on the 360 (and then made an even better one after that) just proves that they know what they're doing when it comes to console RPGs.
Coolest Part - Duel wielding light sabers like a boss
So there's the top 7 - I don't plan on doing another video game top 7 for a while, and if you got any ideas for future top 7s than comment and maybe I'll do it. Maybe.
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