Microsoft’s Xbox series of consoles has been at the forefront of gaming since the original Xbox released back in the sixth console generation. Whether it was for the console’s processing power or the disastrous Xbox One reveal, the family of consoles has sat within the minds of gamers for the last two decades.
With a new generation of consoles around the corner, many are reminiscing about the older days of gaming and how many good titles used to release. While yes, the original Xbox has dozens of phenomenal titles that pushed the industry forward, it had just as many generic titles developed. Here are 5 Xbox titles that were way ahead of their time along with 5 games that were just too generic for gamers to remember.
10 Ahead Of Their Time: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Open-world titles wouldn’t be the same without the massive impact Grand Theft Auto III had on the genre. With that said, GTA III suffered from a dull setting and a forgettable story.
All of those issues were addressed in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Rockstar’s version of Miami during the 1980s is filled with memorable missions and one of the most unique settings in the genre. Vice City might not have the number of systems San Andreas included, but its improvements to its open world and storytelling set the bar for future titles.
9 Generic: Test Drive Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed
Most Test Drive games were exclusive to the PlayStation 2 or PCs for most of the Xbox’s lifespan. With that said, a few titles from the series were brought to the console including Test Drive Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed.
Unlike previous entries, Test Drive Overdrive included a campaign with a complete story alongside its classic gameplay. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to differentiate it from the likes of Forza Motorsport or Project Gotham Racing at the time. Besides the franchise’s difficulty, there is little separating it from other racing titles available on the Xbox.
8 Ahead Of Their Time: Burnout 3: Takedown
Many arcade racing titles are available on the original Xbox, but few can compare to what Burnout 3: Takedown offered. Unlike most racing titles, players are encouraged to crash into each other.
But Burnout 3 isn’t a demolition derby. Players still need to race across city streets and mountainous roads to make it across the finish line, drifting across corners while dodging oncoming traffic at blazing speeds. It might not have done anything revolutionary with technology, but the overall fun factor of Burnout 3 is so perfect that many games have tried to replicate it with little success. Burnout 3: Takedown is as fun to play today as it was back when it released in 2004.
7 Generic: Medal Of Honor: Rising Sun
Medal of Honor was a household EA franchise back during the Xbox’s heyday. The likes of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault were major successes that set the bar high for future games.
Unfortunately, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun fell flat. After a fantastic opening act during the events of Pearl Harbour, the game begins to devolve into a mediocre shooter that seemed to offer less than what Call of Duty delivered earlier that year, a game that was developed by much of the talent behind Allied Assault. Many wonder if Rising Sun’s mediocre later levels were a result of a forced deadline by EA. Regardless, its one of the most generic shooters available on the Xbox that most would be better off avoiding.
6 Ahead Of Their Time: Halo: Combat Evolved
Shooters wouldn’t be the same if not for Halo: Combat Evolved. Common tropes such as a two-weapon limit, regenerating health or shields, and the use of aim assist mainly spawned from this game’s success. Firing a weapon in Halo feels much more impactful than in most shooters of the time. Halo’s fantastic control scheme and gameplay feedback make it a blast to play today despite its age.
5 Generic: Project Snowblind
Deus Ex fans might have heard of a sequel to Deus Ex: Invisible War that was canceled after that game’s lukewarm reception amongst fans. It was never canceled.
Project: Snowblind is that game, rebranded to prevent further backlash from the fanbase. Unlike both titles, Project: Snowblind is strictly a shooter with few immersive sim or RPG qualities. Players get to use a wide range of augments and weapons to take on hordes of generic enemies in dull-looking levels. It plays like any other shooter at the time only with more combat-heavy augments from the first two Deus Ex titles. Project: Snowblind is by no means a bad game, but the game is so mediocre that few gamers know it even exists.
4 Ahead Of Their Time: Red Faction II
Destructible environments and Red Faction are inseparable from each other. Many know of the fantastic Red Faction: Guerilla, but few know of the previous titles that started this underrated series.
Red Faction II is one of the weaker entries in the series, but its usage of destructible environments is something to behold. Nearly every building can be destroyed with explosive weaponry. It might lack the ability to blow holes into mountains and terrain as with the first entry, but the fact that Red Faction II even runs on the Xbox is an achievement in and of itself.
3 Generic: Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
What should have been a fantastic movie-licensed game is instead known as one of the worst Terminator games ever made. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines tries to do a lot with the Xbox’s hardware but fails to deliver.
Gunplay feels mediocre when compared to other FPS titles of the time, the visuals are muddy and dated, and the main story omits much of the third movie’s plot. As a result, Rise of the Machines is a game that excels at nothing besides boring the player. It’s a game that was dated well before it was shipped onto store shelves, which is a massive waste of the potential that this franchise is capable of.
2 Ahead Of Their Time: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is one of the best stealth games ever made. Critics and fans alike adore the game’s use of dynamic lighting and phenomenal level design. Few games on the Xbox look as good or play as well as Chaos Theory. Each level allows for players to experiment with different playstyles that range from guns-blazing to ghosting targets entirely. Combined with the game’s great cooperative mode and the return of Pandora Tomorrow’s Spies Vs. Mercs mode, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is easily one of the best games on the original Xbox that more than holds up today.
1 Generic: Classified: The Sentinel Crisis
Take everything that makes a first-person shooter good and take those positives away. What’s left is Classified: The Sentinel Crisis, one of the worst and most generic shooters ever made for the original Xbox.
Players spend most of the game battling the clunky controls as they shoot at braindead opponents. Levels have a dull color palette that shooters were known for with linear pathways. Not even the weapon sandbox could save this game, as the player uses one weapon with unlockable fire modes for the entire game! Even the most diehard of FPS fans will have a hard time remembering this game mere hours after playing it.
NEXT: Xbox Series X: 10 Remakes Most Likely For The Next-Gen Console
