Xbox

"Life is short. Play more."

The original behemoth. The most powerful system of the 6th generation. It lead the way in console design by basically being a PC in a box. Helped pioneer online gaming with Xbox Live and its built-in Ethernet port. Since the system was very similar to PCs of the time, it received a bunch of direct ports to/from the platform that are missing on competing systems. Most multiplatform games of the 6th generation tended to have their best versions here since the system was very powerful. They also sometimes included some extras not on other systems. It's also hueg.

Due to the deal Microsoft made with Nvidia over the system's GPU, they would never make a profit off the system. Due to this, MS unceremoniously stopped production and rushed its successor out the door after only 4 years on the market. It didn't dethrone its main competitor (the PS2), but did help establish the ground for the 360's domination in the 7th gen.

Unlike the PS2 and GameCube, emulating the Xbox on PCs is not ready for primetime. There are a few emulators in development that can run some of the more popular games decently, but if you want the best experience, you'll want to get a system. There are other options for playing its games though.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Most Xbox systems (v1.0-1.5) have a bad capacitor that will eventually leak. When it does, it could kill your system by having battery acid eat away at the board traces. If you have an Xbox or get one, you should remove the capacitor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! Desoldering it is the best method but just wiggling it until the legs break works as well. Do note that the latter method could leak battery acid. You can replace it, but it's not necessary. All it does it keeps the time of the system clock. If you have a softmodded system, XBMC4XBOX and other custom dashboards can update the system time at launch if you have it connected to the internet. The last revision of the system (1.6) doesn't have this issue but its not as common as the previous revisions. You'll want to look up where the capacitor is since it differs per Xbox revision.

Concerning Xbox Live: On April 15, 2010, MS suspended Xbox LIVE support for all Original Xbox titles. You can't play online games or download downloadable content packs. If you're looking for an online game to play on your Original Xbox, The author of the PC emulator Cxbx-Reloaded reversed engineered Xbox Live 1.0 and created Insignia. Not all games are available yet, but they currently have 130 games working. If your favorite game isn't on Insignia, try Xlink Kai. Spoiler: Its mostly Halo 2 players.

Backwards Compatibility

The Xbox 360's backwards compatibility with original Xbox games is an absolute mess. The games are emulated, so many suffer from technical hiccups. Not all games are even supported! If you're planning on playing these games on your Xbox 360 rather than the original Xbox, check this list to make sure it plays fine, if at all. In most cases, playing on an original Xbox will give you a far better experience overall. Games often have shorter load times on 360 due to the faster disc drive and hard drive, but worse performance in every other way.

For a time, Microsoft indicated there wasn't going to be OG Xbox support for the Xbox One. In fall of 2017, they started rolling out backward compatibility for original Xbox games. MS only released 41 compatible titles before putting on the breaks to focus on backwards compatibility for the Xbox Series X. All titles released up to that point were compatible with the 360 as well, but some added later aren't. Unlike the 360, all titles thus far seem to run as good as playing on original hardware, sometimes even better. The graphics are usually slightly better than they would be on stock hardware. On the Xbox One S and Series S, they run at four times the resolution (1280x960), while on the Xbox One X and Series X they run at sixteen times the resolution (2560x1920) and with 16x anisotropic filtering.

This icon indicates that a game is Xbox One compatible.

Hacking

If you own a system now of days, you'll probably want to hack it. It's pretty easy to hack and there's a ton of advantages to do so.

• Upgrading your HDD
• Backing up your games to the HDD and running them from it (or pirating games)
• Run Emulators (everything through 5th Gen (minus Saturn) runs pretty well, arcade games) and Homebrew (AvP2000, Doom, Quake I & II, Half-Life, Stepmania, Super Mario War)
• Custom Dashboards (XBMC4XBOX, Unleashed X)
• Add more RAM or replace the CPU for double clock speeds. Not supper common, but these mods do improve emulation and homebrew performance. You might need to patch your retail games to have them run. The extra ram does allow you to run Sega Chihiro arcade games like Virtua Cop 3.

There's a wide variety of methods to mod your system. The most common (and easiest) is a softmod. Follow this video or visit here and you should be good to go.

The List

Cover	Title	Genre	Description	Screenshot
	007: Agent Under Fire	First Person Espionage	Awesome Bond FPS. Great multiplayer. Also available on the Gamecube and the PlayStation 2.
	007: Nightfire	First Person Espionage	Fuck yeah Nightfire. Bitchin' story, Bondan with Brosnan, and fucking amazing multiplayer. Sequel to Agent Under Fire. Also available on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PC, Mac and Gameboy Advance.
	007: Everything or Nothing	Third Person Espionage	The best Bond game with two analog sticks. Also home of one of the best motorcycle sequences in gaming. Also available on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and Gameboy Advance.
	Arx Fatalis	RPG	Arx Fatalis is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing the above-ground creatures to take refuge in subterranean caverns.The action in Arx takes place in one of these large caves, where individuals from such races as trolls, goblins, Dwarves, Humans &c. have made their homes on various levels of the cave.Has a ton of possible player builds and in-depth crafting/cooking/magic/&c. Drawing runes for spells is pretty awesome. Very much inspired by the first Ultima Underworld. Also released for PC. That version's source code was released years ago and can be played on pretty much any OS.
	Auto Modellista	Racing	A slick, cel-shaded racer from Capcom. Pretty neat game with a lot of cars and tracks. Also available on the Gamecube and PlayStation 2.
	Beyond Good & Evil	Action/Adventure	An absolute cult classic, to say the least, from the creators of Rayman. This game, an action/adventure with stealth elements, had a good style, solid gameplay, and, the major selling point, a surprisingly deep story involving a government conspiracy and the photographer bent on exposing it. Was supposed to be part of a trilogy, but the game sold very poorly. Cross your fingers that BG&E2 really is being made. Also available on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and PC. HD versions on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
	Black	FPS	A single-player-only FPS by the guys responsible for the Burnout series. The primary focus in this game is taking gunplay and making it aesthetically pleasing with brilliant sound design and fun-feeling guns (shotgun can blow straight through doors, bazooka will send glass flying everywhere, etc)). Graphics are also nice and really the game's only real flaws are the awful unskippable live-action cutscenes before each mission, enemies that are little bit too much like bullet-sponges and a lack of multiplayer. Also available on the PlayStation 2.
	Blinx: The Time Sweeper Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space	Platformer	An awesome and forgotten platformer where you collect items that allow you to control the flow of time to clear stages of enemies within a time limit. Sequel is more of the same with a few new bells and whistles.
	Breakdown	Action	Japanese FPS. Although not much of an FPS seeing the gameplay is based around using your fists and feet more than guns. It sounds odd but it is one of the Xbox's hidden gems and paved the way for unique first-person games like Mirror's Edge. The story is surprisingly well done and is the main draw for the game besides the fighting.
	Burnout 3	Racing	Pretty much any of the Burnout series games are recommended if you come across them, but this one was by far the best. It has everything the series is known for, a high sense of speed, fun arcade racing, and the best fucking crash physics ever. Also, crash mode is the most fun you will ever have playing a car-related game, ever. Sweet soundtrack. Also available on the PlayStation 2.
	Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth	FPS/Survival Horror	A fucking scary as fuck FPS game that takes place in the Lovecraftian universe. You better rely on logic and sanity to get through this game, because you're going to be doing a lot more detective work and running than shooting (you don't even get a gun till' around the second half of the game). The story is almost entirely based on Shadow Over Innsmouth, but takes inspiration and story-bits from many of Lovecraft's works. If you don't play this in total darkness with the video settings set to recommended, you are a casual. Having a few bros with you is alright though. Also available on PC.
	Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO	2D Fighting	Very awesome fighting game with a fuckton of characters from both universes. If you want to play another good game like this go get Marvel vs Capcom 2, also on Xbox. Note: This version is not arcade perfect. If you want roll cancels and don't want EO, get the DC/PS2 version instead. Also available on arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Gamecube.
	Conker Live & Reloaded	Platformer/3rd Person Shooter	Remake of the great N64 platforman game with better graphics and censored language. The graphics (for the character models anyway) are god-tier and still look amazing today. The original's multiplayer has been taken out and replaced with a generic (but fun) class-based shootan multiplayer mode, but since Xbox Live has been shut down playing online isn't much of an option without a 3rd party solution. Still has split screen, system link and bots though, so all is not lost. The game transforms into a third person shooter midway through, and as you can probably guess, these sections are much better with dualstick controls then with the N64 controller. Rare Replay on the Xbox One has the original available to play too.
	Cold Fear	Survival Horror	You get inside a ship in the middle of the ocean and must investigate the mysterious happenings aboard. Things are kind of normal at the beginning but soon get serious. Also on the PlayStation 2 and PC.
	Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller	Arcade Racing	A solid ending to the series with both arcade towns from 1 & 2 and a bitchin' Vegas stage, along with the traditional Offspring/Bad Religion soundtrack. All the fun you know and love, now with Nitrous! Some European Versions have a sound glitch! Also available on arcade and PC.
	Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge	Action/Arcade Flight	Sequel to 2000's Crimson Skies for PC, Crimsons Skies: High Road to Revenge offers a more arcade-like take on gameplay while keeping the likeable characters and setting. You take the place of Nathan Zachary (think Nathan Drake from Uncharted, but with an airplane) who is the leader of a band of sky pirates. It's set during an alternate history 1930's in places such as Chicago and New Mexico. The game looked good then, and it looks good now. The controls are spot on, and the story isn't DEEP, but it is very enjoyable. If you miss playing this online, check out Snoopy Flying Ace on the Xbox 360's Live Arcade. It's very similar and really fun.
	Dead Man's Hand	FPS	Underrated Western-styled FPS which is nice and refreshing. Shoot the hell out of outlaws, blow their asses with dynamite and play some poker between missions.
	Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball	TITS / Sports	DAT ASS DEM TITS HURR anyway it's just a game about beach volleyballs... And tits. But besides that, you're a man... Woman? Who likes Dead or Alive's fanservice fighting or just want a game about volleyball with women. Go pick this up... TITTIES!!
	Dead or Alive Ultimate	Fighting	Packs the first and the second Dead or Alive games into one sweet, sweet package. DOA1 is a port of the Saturn version while DOA2 is built from the ground up using the DOA3 engine. The Dead or Alive series is, admittedly, under-appreciated though, regardless of how much sex appeal it tries to have, they're all still solid 3D fighting games.
	Dead or Alive 3	Fighting	Exclusive sequel for the Xbox. Two words : Boob Physics and the counter system is fun in its sheer simplicity - not that DoA3 lacks any depth in gameplay. Graphics are absolutely stunning but nonetheless the package does suffer, as do most DoA games, from SNK Boss Syndrome.
	Deathrow	Sports (Futuristic Action)	Coming from the same sporting game tradition as the Bitmap Brother's Speedball and EA's Mutant League Football, Deathrow brings us the futuristic sport of Blitz (of no relation to Blitzball), which is basically a brutal version of Ultimate Frisbee with vertically hanging basketball hoops, mechanically (and god knows what else)-enhanced players and more fighting than a minor ice hockey league. It's a lot of fun (particularly in multiplayer) and has a nice futuristic atmosphere, with gloriously early 2000s electronic music and a coat of that "mature-but-immature" paint characteristic of the original Xbox's marketing approach. The only real issue the game has is some slightly weird joystick controls.
	Def Jam: Fight for NY	Arcade Wrestling	A bunch of stupid rappers, and Danny Trejo and Henry Rollins, beating the crap out of each other. Made by Aki Corportation, the guys behind those amazing N64 wrestling games. So you know you're in good hands. Also Snoop Dogg's the final boss so it's all good. Sadly really fucking expensive despite selling a shitload of copies. Also available on Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	Destroy All Humans!	Third Person Shooter/Sci-Fi	Be an alien in 6 large environments. Blow up people and vehicles with advanced alien weaponry, throw them around with your psychic powers, fly around in a flying saucer to blow up buildings, and play through several dozen missions to take over the human race. Oh, and you can anally probe people to make them shit out their brains. Also available on PlayStation 2
	Doom 3: Limited Collector's Edition	FPS	The Doom series made a great transition to modern gaming. Actually scary at moments, with plenty of oh shit scenes. Great controls and atmosphere, music is pretty good. The Limited Collector's Edition comes with the original Doom and Doom II. Also available on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.
	Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil	FPS	An expansion to the Doom 3 story with a new, even angrier protagonist. Plenty of fun to be had. Also includes Doom 1, 2, and Master Levels for Doom 2. Also available on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.
	Dynasty Warriors 5	Hack 'n Slash / Being a Badass	Arguably the pinnacle of the DW series, which are very much a love-it-or-hate-it series. Play any one of 50-odd fighters in ancient China, wreak havoc in massive-scale battles, with killcounts in the thousands. It is advised that you do not pursue Lu Bu. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.
	Fable: The Lost Chapters	RPG	Play through the life of a hero, from idyllic childhood, to heroic youth, to heroic not-as-much-youth. A less-than-serious action RPG where your appearance changes according to your morality and your skills. Hyped to all hell, but still fun. Also available for Mac and PC.
	Far Cry Instincts	FPS/First-Person Action	A more linear re-imagining of Far Cry with the twist of "Feral Abilities" that allow you to fuck shit up with your fists and send people flying down cliff faces instead of just shooting among other abilities, as well as traps so you can go all Vietcong on some mercenary ass. The plots pretty decent, it has an awesome map editor for multiplayer and it's only real flaw is some horrible sound glitches on certain versions of the game that arise if you don't watch the intro movie at the start all the way through to the menu for some stupid reason. HD remake for Xbox 360.
	Fatal Frame	Survival Horror	A surprisingly frightening survival horror game where you play as a young Japanese girl trapped in a mansion, searching for her brother, full of unhappy spirits. The only way to save yourself is to use the Camera Obscura, a mystical camera that can damage and capture the roaming life-force of the dead. The Xbox version has improved visuals and extras over the PS2, and is thus recommended.
	Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly	Survival Horror	Same good gameplay as the first, new character and scarier story. The Xbox version has improved visuals and extras, such as an even scarier first person mode, over the PS2, and is thus recommended. Arguably the best of the series, and arguably up there with Silent Hill 2 as one of the scariest games ever made. Remake on Wii.
	Fight Night: Round 2	Sport	Don't let the EA Sports on the cover push you away, this is one of the best boxing games of all time with some surprisingly strategic gameplay, a myriad of gameplay modes, decent graphics, and a really nice control scheme with some of the best usage of the analog sticks this side of Ape Escape. Its sequel on the Xbox, Fight Night Round 3, adds upon this solid base, though Round 2 is arguably the better starting point for beginners and Round 3 doesn't have the same level of HAYMAKERS, HAYMAKERS EVERYWHERE, which honestly is half the fun - especially in multiplayer. If you don't know what Haymakers actually are, you will. Oh, how you will. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	Forza Motorsport	Sim Racing	Microsoft's answer to Gran Turismo, except with damage physics. Spawned many, many sequels and a spin-off series (Forza Horizon). Those are on the 360 (2-4, Horizon 1-2), XBone (5-current, Horizon 2-current), and PC (6-current, Horizon 3-current).
	Freedom Fighters	Third-person Shooting/Action	Underrated shooter with a similar plot to the Patrick Swayze movie Red Dawn. Noted for its fantastic squad system. Made by the same team behind the Hitman series as well as Kane and Lynch, its spiritual sequel. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Gamecube.
	Full Spectrum Warrior	Squad-Based Strategy	Awesome modern war based strategy game where you lead multiple squads across missions against terrorists using a chess-like command system. It's kind of like a deeper futuristic Brothers in Arms. It was made by Pandemic back when they were rolling in money from the Star Wars Battlefront games. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2.
	Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers	Squad-Based Strategy	More of what made the first game good, but with some slight control tweaks. The sequel seems easier to find than the original nowadays. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2.
	Genma Onimusha	Action/ Resident Evil with samurai	An enhanced port of the PS2/PC original. Pretty good graphics, with a fun story as well as cool gameplay. Even if you already have Warlords this is recommended, as it sports updated graphics and audio, new equipment, areas, and a new boss.
	Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike	Tactical Shooter	An Xbox-exclusive "stand-alone expansion"/same engine sequel to Ghost Recon 2 centered around Kazakhstan. Takes the easier, slightly more action-based approach of Ghost Recon 2 and brings back a little bit more of the difficulty from the original Ghost Recon whilst coupled with some nicely expansive levels and a more interesting overall atmosphere.
	Gladius	Turn-Based RPG	Awesome turn-based fantasy RPG set in Roman times. Made by LucasArts back before they sucked. The premise of the game is to recruit and train a school of gladiators in order to compete in gladiator arenas and stuff. There are 16 different classes to choose from, 15 different landscapes, and a fuck ton of different gladiator arenas. Sold like shit and hard to find now, but since it hasn't caught anyone's attention that it is a good game (despite getting really good reviews), if you can find a copy, it is most likely an inexpensive purchase. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	Grabbed by the Ghoulies	Beat 'em Up	Spooky themed Beat 'em Up by Rare, you must explore a haunted mansion to rescue your girlfriend who gets into all sorts of shit and beat the crap of lots of creepy creatures along the way. Was ported to the Xbox One for Rare Replay. If you own the original disc, you can still use it to get the port.
	Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy	Sandbox	All the 6th gen GTA games. The series that popularized Open World Sandbox games and pissed off moral guardians. III and VC were originally released in a double pack while SA had an individual release. The trilogy pack is the hardest to come by. Has the added benefit of easy custom soundtracks on the Xbox ports and less flaky graphics, although it's missing some minor graphical effects that the PS2 had. San Andreas is "backwards compatible" with Xbox One, though in reality, Rockstar is just giving you the 360 port, which is based on the somewhat crappy mobile version. III and VC aren't. Also on PC, PlayStation 2, iOS, and Android.
	Guilty Gear X2 #Reload	Fighting	It's Guilty Gear, c'mon, you know what this is. Overly complicated but infinitely deep 2D fighter mechanics, colorful and varied characters, mostly balanced combat, and more. This Xbox addition to the series sports Live multiplayer fights and a cool beat-em-up mode. Also available on arcade, PC, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	GunValkyrie	Third-person Shooter	Amazing third-person shooter from Smilebit, of Jet Set Radio fame. The controls are pretty difficult to learn, but once you do learn them, you'll be rewarded with a level of control unmatched in any other TPS to date. The point of the game is to stay in the air as long as possible by delicately managing your jetpack and manuvering yourself through hordes of enemies.
	Halo: Combat Evolved	FPS	One of the most highly-acclaimed games of the last gen and a solid FPS overall. The campaign is very enjoyable and the maps are usually well designed, although the small selection of enemies might make it feel repetitive. A must buy for this system (if you like FPS). You will probably hate the Library level which has to be the most repetitive level in a FPS in ages. Hard and Legendary difficulty should not be taken lightly, as the game isn't afraid of being cheap when it comes down to increasing the challenge. Also available on Mac and PC. HD remake on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
	Halo 2	FPS	While people are divided as to if the campaign is a step down or an improvement from CE, Halo 2 is widely considered to have a better story that fleshes out the Covenant as a faction. Halo 2s multiplayer is where the true heart of this game is. However due to Microsoft's decision to no longer support online play for original Xbox games, playing multiplayer can get a bit lonely even with four bros, so if you have plenty of bros and 2-3 ECKBOCKSZ, consider a LAN party! Also available on PC. HD remake on Xbox One and PC.
	Hitman - Blood Money	Stealth/Action	Fourth in the Hitman series, Hitman - Blood Money is almost as much of a puzzle game as an action/stealth, as there are tons of ways to accomplish your goals in each mission. If you have a small attention span, look elsewhere; this game is for perfectionists. Blood Money introduces a payment system, where the amount of money you make from a mission is dependent on how well you do on your objectives. This money is then used to upgrade your weapons and equipment in different ways. Also has multiple difficulties that actually change the AI, change the difficulty, and reduce how many quicksaves you get, which allows for tons of replayability. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
	Indigo Prophecy / Fahrenheit	Adventure	Choose Your Own Adventure-ish game which is awesome up until the rather disappointing ending part where the protagonist becomes Neo from The Matrix and you and a group of homeless people fight an embodiment of the Internet. The game starts off amazing and you won't want to put the controller down for the first hour of playing it. There are times when it gets slow (any flashback scenes and the entire level with the fortune teller). There are multiple endings which rely on your actions throughout the game. One of the more unique experiences out of this generation. Highly recommended. Be aware that the NTSC version is censored. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360. HD remaster on Mac, PC, Linux, and iOS.
	Jade Empire	RPG	One of Bioware's lesser-talked about games, but more than up to snuff with the likes of Mass Effect and KotOR. It plays like a kung-fu action game, with special skills, fighting styles, weaponry, and party members. The story progresses much like other WPRGs, branching off towards the Path of the Open Palm or the Path of the Closed Fist, depending on your choices and actions. Highly recommended. Qui the Promoter is fucking Captain K'nuckles. Also on available on Mac and PC.
	Jet Set Radio Future	Action/Racing	Done in a cel-shaded style, you play a gang of rebellious teenage skaters in Neo-Tokyo, racing around the streets, fighting the police, making graffiti on the walls, fighting rival gangs, and listening to some of the catchiest music this side of Gitaroo Man. UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND. Note: there is also a 2-in-1 disc with JSRF and Sega GT 2002, which is pretty awesome. This pack came as a pack-in with some Xbox consoles, and thus isn't too rare, despite what people may tell you.
	Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis	Tycoon/Sim	The best Jurassic Park game out there. You're in control of John Hammond's organization and you have to build a theme park - with dinosaurs. Loads of attractions and tons of details which make up for an awesome and fun experience. Rare and Expensive. PROTIP: Always check the weather forecast. If there's a tornado coming the next month, activate emergency mode immediately and hope that the tourists run out fast enough. Yes, they're that slow and if a tornado catches them it'll wreck your entire economy. Also available on PlayStation 2 and PC. The console versions have surprisingly good controls!
	Just Cause	Sandbox/TPS/Sky-diving Sim	One of those in-between gen games that still look amazing even on the older console. In reality this is actually a parachuting/paragliding/sky diving sim masquerading as a GTA-style sandbox game in a South American country. Fun as shit - especially if you can't get the sequel. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.
	Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders	RTS	Awesome Medieval RTS. Combines huge Total War-style battles with the ability to control your commander directly to get up close and personal with the enemy. Deep and varied unit costomization system allows plenty of options on the battlefield. Has a partner game on the same system known as Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes, which plays like the other half of a game too big for one disc. While Heroes has more campaigns and a random skirmish mode, it assumes you already played The Crusaders in terms of difficulty and gives only broad reminders of the controls.
	Kill·Switch	Third-person Shooter	You play as a soldier which is mind controlled by the bad guy while you go through some missions. Also, your memory has been erased and your wife is now dead, so you're seeking for revenge. Yeah, the story is shallow and forgettable, but that's not the point of the game. The thing is this game is that it's the precursor (along with WinBack) of the "cover system" used in pretty much all TPSs of the next generation. Of course, "Gears of War invented cover systems". The gameplay is based on taking cover on corners, boxes and other objects to avoid getting shot and then try to flank them. It has a nice arsenal of sub-machineguns and assault rifles, decent enemy AI, but it's linear as fuck and somewhat repetitive. Anyway, if you're looking for something like Gears of War but a little older, this is your best shot. Also available on PS2 and PC.
	Marvel Vs Capcom 2	Fighting	A chaotic fighting game featuring tons of characters from both Capcom games and Marvel comics. There are some balance issues(coughCablecough), but that doesn't stop this game from being one of the most fun fighting games ever made. Seriously, you should already know about this game. Also available on arcade, PC, iOS, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
	MechAssault	Mech Fighting	One of the best online mech sims in gaming. Sadly, with OG Xbox Live's demise, only half of it can be played now.
	Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction	Sandbox/TPS	Basically Grand Theft Auto in North Korea with destructible buildings and some early not as gay brown and bloom on a sixth-gen console. A lot of fun, even despite the rather floaty car mechanics and occasional repetition. If you do not play as the guy with a mohawk you are no fun at all. Also for the love of god look up the cheat for buying anything that uses the flare to retrieve for free - this way you can save money for blowing the shit out of things with cruise missiles and whatnot. A largely disappointing sequel, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was released in 2008 for the 360/PS3/PC. Also available on PlayStation 2.
	Metal Arms: Glitch in the System	Platformer/TPS	Basically Ratchet & Clank without any squishy non-robots. The story's pretty basic, a bad guy has taken over, and you are part of the resistance, but the gameplay is really solid, the guns are awesome, and the game can be pretty challenging at times. Also, hacking into bigger robots is pretty awesome. Multiplayer is pretty awesome, too. Also available on PS2 and Gamecube.
	Metal Slug 3	Run n' Gun/Shoot 'em Up	This is the only standalone retail version of the game released stateside. It's Metal Slug, you run, shoot, and desperately try not to die. This version also comes with some bonus missions not seen in the original arcade version. Also available on arcade, Mac, PC, Linux, iOS, Android, Neo Geo, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
	Mega Man Anniversary Collection	Platformer/Collection	An amazing collection of Mega Man games 1-8 plus the 2 arcade Power Battle titles. Same as the Gamecube/PS2 versions just with an unlockable epsiode of Mega Man NT Warrior instead of the Ruby Spears Mega Man cartoon episode on the PS2 or the G4 Icons Mega Man history episode on the Gamecube. A great game for any Mega Man fan, young or old.
	Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance	Tactical Espionage Action	Metal Gear Solid 2 on the Xbox. Not as good as the PS2 version, but still a proper port for those who never owned a Sony console. There's a number of issues: Textures have color banding issues, there's slowdowns in areas weren't there originally (see outside the Tanker), missing effects from the ps2, and controls have minor issues (FP mode is left stick toggle). It does have in game surround sound, though restricted to 4.0 instead of 5.1. Has all the Substance extras, but missing the Evolution Skateboarding mini game. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Vita, and Xbox 360.
	Medal of Honor: Frontline	WWII FPS	Remember when World War II games weren't overdone? Remember when the Medal of Honor series mattered? Remember that opening scene in Saving Private Ryan on the Normandy Beach during D-Day? There's a reason why there were 20 different MoH games last gen, and this game is that reason. Also available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Gamecube.
	Metal Wolf Chaos	Mech Combat, Awesome	America has been kidnapped by RICHAAAAAAARRD! Are you a bad enough President to rescue America? Warning: This game contains hilarious Engrish, American voice actors, shit blowing up, and BURNING AMERICAN FREEDOM. Remastered in 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
	Ninja Gaiden Black	Action-Adventure/Hack n' Slash	Ninja Gaiden Black is regarded as the best iteration of 2004's Ninja Gaiden. This game may put your balls in a blender with its difficulty, but its extremely good gameplay and features are the tools you'll need to take another step forward and put some hair on your chest. Tomonobu Itagaki, the game's creator, bumped up the difficulty (and added a very easy mode that literally ridicules you for playing it), added new modes, and other things to make this truly meet the vision he wanted. The graphics hold up today, and it's still worth playing. "Updated" on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
	Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee	Platformer	It's a 3D Oddworld, and one of the oldest Xbox titles. It has that Oddworld charm that everyone loves, but it kind of loses its vibe near the end. Still a worthy entry to the Oddworld series. Don't try playing it on the 360 though, the sound and visuals are fucked up. Also available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android. HD remake on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
	Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath	First/Third Person Shooter	Although this game is a far cry from its predecessors in terms of gameplay, it still retains the uniqueness that the Oddworld series has always had. You play as Stranger, a bounty hunter that is saving his money in order to have a mysterious operation preformed on himself. The gameplay is a blend of first and third person shooting, and adventure. Stranger has to hunt down various enemies using his cross bow that has ammunition that is literally living, with each type of ammo having a different set of abilities. Think Sadistic, first person, bounty hunting pikmin. The objective is to capture the main enemy alive, you can go all out and kill them, but you will receive less cash. This makes for a pretty original style of gameplay. Also available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android. HD remake on PC, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
	Otogi: Myth of Demons / Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors	Hack and Slash	Two extremely stylish action games where you play as some gay warrior who fights all sorts of demonic enemies in a very atmospheric Japanese setting. They're both fun and the story doesn't matter too much, so if you can find a copy of either you'll be set.
	Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast	Racing (Arcade)	The definitive port from the arcade (seeing as they shared similar hardware) this game is one of the premier arcade racers, features great graphics, some of the greatest music in a racing game not to mention a nice selection of Ferrari's to drive. Includes a conversion of OutRun 2 SP (with OutRun 2 tracks) not to mention some new modes in the Coast 2 Coast. One of the most relaxing games ever. Shame its one of the more expensive Xbox games out there. Also available on arcade, PC, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	Panzer Dragoon Orta	Rail shooter	The sequel to an already great franchise, this rail shooter's slick controls make it easy to pick up and start playing, but offers brutal difficulty to any player wishing to try the harder settings. It was a beautiful game when it released, and it still holds up today. (Also has an unlockable version of the original Panzer Dragoon)
	Peter Jackson's King Kong	Action-Adventure/FPS	That's right, a good movie tie-in! Made by Rayman/Beyond Good and Evil creator Michel Ancel. Apparently Peter Jackson liked BG&E so much he chose Michel's team to create the game! Play in first person as Jack, or in third person as Kong himself. Really fun, really atmospheric and very faithful to the movie, with some great voice acting from the movie's cast. One of the first games to throw away the HUD and rely on visual/audio cues to let you know what's up. While it's short (4–6 hours) and could use a few more Kong levels it's a great game and worth checking out. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, Gamecube, and Xbox 360.
	Phantom Crash	Mech Combat	Nice unique mech sim with a Japanese flavour. Good times will be had customising. Sequel available on PS2 under the title S.L.A.I..
	Phantom Dust	Action/TCG	Set in a dystopian future; you awake in a run down medical bay underground, with amnesia, only to find out that a group of Espers want to use you to rid the surface world of enemies that have succumbed to a cloud of dust that blankets the earth. The gameplay is third person action, after learning the basics of using different types of spells, you gain the ability to choose the spells you want with cards. Your attack style and abilities depend on what deck you have. With a cool style, and solid gameplay, this original game is sure to please. Remaster available for Xbox One and PC, and it's free too!
	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Platformer / Action	The same game that's also on the PS2, Gamecube and PC. Enjoy acrobatic moves and rewinding time, all while dealing with a battle system that will leave you FUUUU-ing. Has some great storytelling that I won't spoil for you, but you'll notice it, don't worry. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and GameCube.
	Prince of Persia: Warrior Within	Platformer / Action	The OMG GRIMDARK sequel, the fighting improved but the platforming took a bit of hit, but overall, still worth playing. The storyline is more interesting, however. Also available on PC, iOS, PlayStation 2, and GameCube.
	Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones	Platformer / Action	The third game in the series. This time around, both the platforming and fighting gameplay are on par, but the storyline is just confusing and dumb. Still, a nice end to the trilogy overall. Had later side-stories on other systems revolving around similar concepts, though your mileage may vary on those. Also available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, and Wii.
	Project Gotham Racing / Project Gotham Racing 2	Racing	Arguably the other killer app at launch besides Halo, Project Gotham Racing gives us a decent balance of arcade and simulation style car racing and a spiritual sequel to the sublime Dreamcast title Metropolis Street Racer, also by Bizarre Creations. Race high-end supercars and the like around the streets of Tokyo, New York and London to some really cool music, earning "Kudos" to spend on new cars by winning races and powersliding like a motherfucker - among other things.The second game improves upon the balance of gameplay with a bit more of a simulation bent tbat tweaks it just enough to be feel better and more responsive. You also get to race in Sydney, Hong Kong, Stockholm and even the motherfucking Nürburgring.
	Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy	Action/Throwin' Muthafuckers Across The Room	Pick soldiers up, smack them into walls and then throw them across the room, WITH YOUR MIND! You control your telekinesis (one of four mind powers) with the analog sticks. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2.
	Psychonauts	Platformer	You HAVE played Super Mario 64, right? Of course you did. Well, you know how in Mario 64 you jumped into paintings, and those were the levels? Well imagine that, but instead of jumping into paintings you're jumping into the heads of camp counselors, certifiably insane mental patients, and maybe even a giant fish. That is Psychonauts in a nut shell. The game's idea came from Tim Schafer, the guy behind some of the best graphic adventure games of all time, and it shows. Originality oozes out of every pore of this game, whether it's the fantastic story, level design and style, or the characters. You play as Raz (short for Rasputin) who runs away from the Circus in order to attend the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp so that he can tune his psychic abilities to perfection. The game isn't strictly a platformer, and there are some adventure aspects, but they work well together. You'll be earning merit badges to get new abilities, exploring the camp, and more. This is truly a unique game, and one of the best games of last generation. Also available on Mac, PC, Linux, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 4.
	Psyvariar 2	Shmup	One of the few shmups on the Xbox, Psyvariar 2 is still completely awesome despite being a big fish in a small pond. This vertical shooter has a unique "buzz" system where grazing bullets actually powers you up, has beautiful graphics and music that make Psyvariar 2 one of the more relaxing shooters despite being in the manic tradition. Well worth a play. Also available on arcade, Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2.
	Rallisport Challenge 2	Rally Racing	One of the best off-road/rally racers in history. Stupid fun driving and a ton of tracks to race on.
	Raze's Hell	Third Person Shooter	A peculiar third person shooter in which you play as an alien. Your people are being oppressed and slaughtered by a race of little cute things in colorful costumes, all because you're not cute enough, so Raze rises up to stop them. As non threatening as the enemies may look, the game can become surprisingly difficult at times. You pick up ammo from glowing plants, and regain health by sucking up the bloody chunks of fallen enemies.
	Second Sight	TPS/Psychic shit	From those neat Brits at Free Radical comes Second Sight, a game in which you, John Vattic can pick up shit and toss shit with cool psychic powaz! This one probably won't cost you much. Also try Psi-Op's The Mindgate Conspiracy (PC/PS2/Xbox) if you like more psychic throwan and shit. Also on PC, PlayStation 2, Gamecube.
	Sentō Yōsei Yukikaze (戦闘妖精・雪風)	Flight-Sim	Japanese-only Xbox exclusive (turns out this actually got a PC release, surprisingly enough) based on a Japanese science-fiction novel/Anime series. It's basically the Xbox's equivalent of Ace Combat or the Wii's Sky Crawlers with a language barrier that's pretty easy to get past. Has a really nice atmosphere and decent music to boot. Note: due to everybody using different romanization (ō=ou) it's really just easier to look up further info about the game with just Yukikaze.
	Serious Sam	FPS/Being a badass	Are you some kind of nancy boy or something? This is Serious motherfucking Sam! It doesn't matter what the fuck you're shooting, it's gonna die one way or another. The story can get odd at times but honestly by the last level you truly feel like you've become a total indestructible killing machine. Recommended if you like the Doom series. Cut down a bit in the porting process. Also available on PC. HD remake on PC and Xbox 360.
	Shenmue II	Adventure/Beat 'Em Up/Sim	Shenmue II is Shenmue in Hong Kong. Weeaboo adventuring, long winded tedious jobs to do, shitloads of figurines, zippos, etc. to collect, arcade games to play, a quite decent 3d fighting engine, all wrapped in a nice looking package and a decent story. However, it ends on a cliffhanger. A sequel was announced at E3 2015, got funded on Kickstarter, and released on PC and PS4 in 2019. Its a love it or hate it type of game. This version is still good, but the 2018 re-release is the definitive version of the game, kind of. Lacks the blur filter in fights and finally has the Japanese soundtrack, but the caveat is the frickin' black borders. Also available on Dreamcast, PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
	Sid Meier's Pirates!	Strategy	Avast ye, salty dogs! The guy who made the Civilization games decided to make a strategy game involving mutherfucking pirates! Full of action and making you feel badass. One of the manliest games ever. Also available on Mac, PC, Windows Phone, iOS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.
	Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams	Survival Horror	Arguably one of the greatest survival horror games of all time, Silent Hill 2 concerns the exploits of one James Sunderland who travels to the mysterious rural town of Silent Hill after he receives a letter from his dead wife. Lots of brick-shitting moments and has multiple endings. Play it - lest somebody spoils it. Comes with new Born from a Wish sub-mission. The Xbox version has some minor performance issues and is missing some minor graphical effects. The FMVs were also re-encoded, look worse, and only run at 30fps compared to 60fps on the PS2. The sound is also lower quality and have some looping issues. It does have in game surround sound, though restricted to 4.0 instead of 5.1. Still better than the HD Collection. Was included in the Silent Hill HD Collection for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Most people don't like it since it was ported using beta code. PS3 version is a bit better since it was patched. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2
	Sniper Elite	Third-Person Shooter	Realistic sniping sim. Interesting take on WWII and the dawn of the Cold War and bullet-cam is just so very satisfying. Definitely one of the hidden gems of this generation. Also available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 2, and Wii.
	Sonic Mega Collection Plus	Platformer/Collection	A great update of the GCN collection of all of Sonic's Game Gear/Genesis games with a few special guests. Better than the PS2 version because it doesn't slow down at times. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2.
	Spikeout: Battle Street	Beat 'em Up	Nice and simple Beat 'em Up by Sega.
	Splinter Cell	Stealth	First in the series of third-person stealth games where you play as Sam Fisher, a black ops agent who's almost more motherfucking stealthy than Solid Snake, almost. The second-best game in the series, but well worth playing through as an introduction. Be careful saving though, it could mean having to restart the entire mission. Also the best option for softmodding your xbox through a save-game exploit. Also available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. HD remake on PlayStation 3.
	Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow	Stealth	Somewhat of a black sheep in the Splinter Cell family but still brilliant in its own right. When the game was online the multiplayer was godly and overshadowed the campaign. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Gamecube. HD remake on PlayStation 3.
	Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory	Stealth	Third-game in the Splinter Cell series, and essentially the best one out of the lot. One should play the games in order though just to savour the little game play improvements though. Also, try doing the co-op missions with a bro by LAN-ing, they're quite fun and usually overlooked. Oh and get used to seeing the into cinematic over and over, you can't skip that shit until the explosions begin to go off. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, Gamecube, and 3DS. HD remake on PlayStation 3.
	Splinter Cell: Double Agent	Stealth	The fourth game in the series also released on next-gen consoles. Unlike most end of life cross-gen ports this is actually regarded by many as the superior version, precisely because of its similarity to its predecessors and its brilliant campaign and co-op mode. Also available on PlayStation 2, Gamecube, and Wii. 7th-gen version on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
	SSX 3	Sport	Snowboardan gaem with an incredible soundtrack. Has a bit of an open world field to it, looked amazing for its time. Check it out if you have the chance. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	Star Wars: Battlefront II	FPS/TPS/Action/Flight-Sim	Fight in huge battles from the movies in either the Clone Wars or the Galactic Civil War. A surprisingly good shooter, with multiple classes who each have their own specialty. BF2 introduces new units (like the clone commander) and heroes, such as Boba Fett and Mace Windu. The heroes control great and can sway a match. Not to mention there's an added space combat mode which is fucking awesome. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy	Action/Adventure/FPS	The final game in the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight series. In this game you don't play as Kyle Katarn, instead, you play as your own character with a few species to choose from, which is pretty cool. Otherwise, it plays like Jedi Knight II. Also, don't worry, Kyle's still in it. Also available on Mac, PC, and Gamecube.
	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	RPG	A top 20 Star Wars game at best, largely overshadowed by its sequel, definitely not the best RPG of all time, not even close, unless it's the only RPG you ever played. KotOR is a somewhat engaging, arguably fun, and somewhat short WRPG with both classic and modern sensibilities set in the Star Wars universe 3,956 years before the original trilogy. This game set the way for games with the motif of good vs evil, light and black and no gray in-between unlike its vastly superior sequel made by a way better developer. Made by BioWare. Also available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android.
	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords	RPG	The sequel to BioWare's KotOR, The Sith Lords eclipses the original (probably because it was developed by Obisidan instead which was founded by ex-Interplay employees). Gameplay is vastly improved in all areas, and the story is not your cookie-cutter Star Wars story. Contains some of the best-written characters with infinitely more depth than the original. One of the best RPGs of all time. A must play and a classic that will be remembered for all time. Also available on Mac, PC, and Linux.
	Star Wars: Republic Commando	FPS	One of, if not THE, manliest Star Wars game out there. As a member of an elite squad of clone commandos, your orders are to fuck shit up. Very well-made, polished, and has an awesome squad-control system where you use your CPU-buddies to carry out specific commands. The only downside is the sub-par multiplayer. The game's main theme is fucking fantastic; did you know they're actually chanting in Mando'a, the fictional language of the Mandalorians from the Star Wars universe? That's pretty cool. Also available on PC.
	Steel Battalion	Mech FPS	The definitive mech piloting game in the history of man. MechWarrior is small time compared to this, short of Virtual World's arcade motion cockpit pods. See that controller? Yeah, only real manly mech pilots need apply. The expansion, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, focuses on Multiplayer (and is still playable on Xlink Kai). Get it. The sequel on the Xbox 360, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, uses the Kinect instead of a special controller. It is nearly unplayable, stay away.
	Street Fighter Anniversary Collection	Fighter	Includes the definitive and final iteration of Street Fighter 2 and Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Also comes with the Street Fighter II animated movie. DELICIOUS! But seriously its a great collection for any Xbox owner, so buy it if you love (or even just like) Street Fighter. You can't go wrong with this. Best if one does not want to muck around with Arcade emulators (which are worth it for you modded guys who haven't done it already, but anon digresses). Also available on PlayStation 2.
	Stubbs the Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse	TPS/ Adventure/ Being A Dickhead	A game made with the Halo engine, Stubbs the Zombie is a game where you are the demons zombie. The game has awesome third-person gameplay, a great sense of humor, and an interesting story to keep you munchin' on humans long after your first playthrough. Some of the neat things include explosive organs, which are chucked like grenades, beating people with their own arms, using your disembodied hand to control people and crawl on walls, and of course, eating BRRRRAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNSSSSS. Also, a dance off with the chief of police. Soundtrack is amazing as well. Probably within the Xbox's top ten console exclusives. It just feels amazing to command an entire wave of zombies. Also available on Mac and PC.
	Super Monkey Ball Deluxe	Puzzle	Ports of Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 with some extra levels. You control a monkey in a transparent ball on elevated stages and you need to get to a goal. It's Marble Madness 3D with monkeys and monkey-related minigames. Did I mention there's monkeys? 'cos there's some motherfucking monkeys. Motherfucking monkeys... .....in balls I mean goddamn. Also available on PlayStation 2. Original games on Gamecube.
	Tenchu: Return from Darkness	Stealth	Basically an expanded port of Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven on the PS2, the third game in the series of Ninja stealth assassination series. Has extra missions, better graphics and a few other extras. You can stab people to death with acupuncture needles. Enough said. Also available on PlayStation Portable.
	Tetris Worlds	Puzzle	A Tetris game with a story-line (!?). Ignoring that odder than odd tid-bit, Tetris Worlds is classic Tetris you've come to expect, with many extra modes, nice backgrounds and visuals, online support, and enough extra shit to warrant whatever cheap price it is these days. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube.
	The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay	Sci-Fi FPS	Play as Vin Diesel and go around shooting and stealthing shit up in one of the few truly good Hollywood-based games. Also available on PC. HD remake on Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
	The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind	RPG	The Elder Scrolls series' first foray onto the console market. Morrowind works a lot better on the PC than on the Xbox; however, if you can't get it on PC, this is just fine. A crapload of things to do in an inventive fantasy world, all in a hybrid FPS/tabletop RPG style. There's also supposed to be a way to load the ever-popular mods onto the Xbox. If you have the option, get the Game of the Year (no, not the Platinum Hits GOTY version) that includes the expansions. Worth it if you don't have a PC capable of running this.
	The House Of The Dead III	Light Gun	Its a great light gun type of game that is really fun if you love zombies and shit like Time Crisis or the gun-based Resident Evil Survivor games. Also comes with House of the Dead 2, but you have to beat III first and trust me it isn't that hard. Also available for PC, PlayStation 3, and Wii. HOTD2 also on Dreamcast, PC, and Wii.
	The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction	Fucking shit up	Fight everybody and jump from one edge of the huge city to the other in one leap. Along the way bust all the shit up you can for the betterment of humanity. Had a spiritual successor in the form of Prototype but that game sucked because you played as some emo amnesiac instead of the muthafuckan Hulk. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	The King of Fighters 2002/2003	2D Fighter	Decent ports of both KOF 2002 and 2003. Contrary to what Microsoft's website will tell you, neither of them work on the 360. 2002 has a bunch of graphical glitches that make it unplayable, and 2003 simply won't work. Also available on arcade, PC, Neo Geo, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3.
	The King of Fighters Neowave	2D Fighter	A pretty decent game with some ugly ass menus. One of the weirder KOF's, that's for sure. Also available on arcade and PlayStation 2.
	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Hack 'n Slash	Based on the second film of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Ring's adaptation, as well as parts of the first film - The Two Towers is probably one of the best movie-to-game adaptations of all time. Basically you shit up as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (with Prince Isildur unlockable) with upgradeable weaponry whilst following the movie's plot with little deviations here and there. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Hack 'n Slash	Based on the third film this time. Basically improves upon the gameplay of the first movie-based game* with the utterly brilliant addition of co-op. *The Fellowship of the Ring game released in this generation is actually based directly on the book, as the rights to make video games based on the books and the right to make video games of the movies based on the books were in fact separate, and owned by different companies up until Battle for Middle Earth II. Said game is also pretty shit. Also available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	The Red Star	Run 'N Gun	Set in an alternate history Soviet Union, with industrialized magic running rampant. Gameplay consists mostly of beating up grunts in melee and memorizing bullet patterns to dodge for bosses, saving up points for character upgrades. Oh, and some side-scrolling shmup thrown in to stir things up a little. Good old arcade fun, on the whole. Also, it is based on a comic book of the same name, but doesn't actually spoil it in any way if you were concerned. Actually only available for the Xbox as a complete leaked pre-cancellation beta, so some searching (online) may be necessary. Also available on iOS, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	The Simpsons: Hit & Run	Sandbox	A Simpsonized version of GTA. Catches the feel of the show very well and is great fun. Lots of fan service with references to various episodes. The best Simpsons title since Konami's original Simpsons Arcade game, and way better than EA's 2007 offering. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, and Gamecube.
	The Simpsons: Road Rage	Arcade Racing/Crazy Taxi Clone	A complete rip-off of Sega's Crazy Taxi series. Sega apparently agreed and sued Fox over it! While not great it's still a fun little game and well worth playing, especially if you're a fan of the show. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	The Warriors	Beat-'Em-Up	Awesome take on the events during and surrounding the cult classic gang movie from the 70's. Beat the shit out of anyone who crosses you, steal car stereos for money, and escape gangs that chase you as you make your way back to Coney Island after being framed for killing the leader of New York's largest gang. Also available on PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable.
	Thief: Deadly Shadows	Stealth	Run around in the shadows sneaking past guards and stealing loot. Some mystical shit kicks in later in the story that depending on how easily you may scared may cause you to "NOPE" a lot. Also available on PC.
	TimeSplitters 2	FPS	Spiritual successor to Goldeneye/Perfect Dark, but faster and with tons of content, challenges and game modes. One of the best FPS of the generation. Has a great single player and co-op campaign, incredible amount of challenge and arcade missions, tons and tons of levels and characters to unlock, a mapmaker mode, GOOD BOTS for multiplayer, and some great humor. You have no excuse to have never played this classic.Don't forget you can change the controls. The default scheme may feel a little odd. Oh and have fun finding dem easter eggs the devs put in. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	TimeSplitters: Future Perfect	FPS	Although EA published this, it's still faithful to its predecessor. Once again, tons to do and unlock. You still can't jump. Campaign and mapmaker are more robust, and more weapons with more variety. Overall the game feels more polished than TS2 although loses a little of the atmosphere of its predecessor. Probably best to play TS2 before this in order to fully appreciate the little subtleties and the continued story… Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	TOCA / V8 Supercars / DTM Race Driver 3	Sport	Arguably the best touring car sim series of its time - Race Driver 3 builds upon that base with even more varied types of racing, from open-wheelers to auto-cross, hot-rods. Some would say the series lost focus as a result but arguably the engine improvements in this incarnation make up for it immensely. Also available on Mac, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube.
	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X	Sport	One of the greatest extreme sports games, if not THE greatest, known for its easy to learn but hard to master gameplay and making a bunch of obese neckbeards try to take up skateboarding. This port has upgraded graphics, custom soundtracks (which you'll only use to put in Pro Skater 1's soundtrack if anything) not to mention the levels from Pro Skater 1 and some from Pro Skater 3 as unlockables as well.
	Top Spin	Sport	Part of Microsoft's push into the sports game market under the XSN Sports banner, this game is arguably one of the best tennis sims of all time and ridiculously competitive in multiplayer. Once you've mastered "risk shots" this shit becomes incredible. Also available on PC and PlayStation 2.
	Unreal Championship	FPS	This game is so manly, it's like grinding testies and wolfs pelt into a sort of drink mix combined with shit dreams are made of... Or something like that. It's basically the same as Unreal Tournament 2003 on PC. Anyway, a real good multiplayer FPS in general. But since LIVE is shut down, play it with friends or some shit. You'll love it if you're into those deathmatch type of FPS's. You'll have a blast.
	Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict	FPS/TPS Hero Shooter	An Xbox exclusive Unreal game (started development as a port of UT3, but became its own thing) that emphasizes a focus on switching between first person and third person aiming modes and deadly melee combat. Each character has different stats and you can double jump, wall jump and use melee attacks to fly across the map along with a adrenaline meter that allows you to use the characters special abilities that increases based on the amount of opponents you kill. Features the Unreal Tournament announcer as well.
	Voodoo Vince	Platformer	An overlooked Xbox exclusive platformer where you play as an ugly ass Voodoo doll. During the game you must hurt yourself to solve puzzles and beat bosses. If you like platformers and you like causing others pain, pick this one up. Remaster available for Xbox One and PC
	Whiplash	Platformer	You play as a weasel handcuffed to a bunny trying to escape the product testing lab where they were forced to have chemicals tested on them. What it lacks in innovative gameplay it makes up for tenfold in hilarious humor and pure fun. Also available on PlayStation 2.
	X-Men Legends	Action RPG	Command the X-Men in an awesome squad-based real-time rpg. Everyone is unique, with tons of powers and abilities to upgrade and equipment to find. Tons of team combos. Also available on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
	X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse	Action RPG	Same deal as the first game, but now you team up with the Brotherhood, which essentially doubles the roster of characters. Also available on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Gamecube.
	XIII	First-person Shooter	Awesome James Bond style story where you play as a secret agent framed for murdering the president. It's presented with comic-book-style graphics and presentation. Team up with Adam West (yes, THAT Adam West), who actually played a big role in this game, as you try to regain your memory and clear your name. Each different level is super intense and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. Really fun multiplayer with bros (or bots for you ronery virgins). Also available on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PC, Mac and Cell Phone. '(Some multiplayer gametypes are exclusive to each system.)
	Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn Of Destiny	Card Games	Pretty hefty Yu-Gi-Oh! game for the Xbox, has a nice amount of cards, and like every Yu-Gi-oh! game, you build your shit up until it's good enough to wreck opponents left and right through dueling prizes and such. If you like Yu-Gi-Oh! and have an Xbox, get this shit.

Recommendation copypasta

• 

  Recommended Xbox games, October 2015

• 

  Recommended Xbox games by 8kun (formerly known as 8chan or Infinitychan)