XBox Recommendations

90X Double Side

This is our list of recommended games for the XBox, for those with too much money to spend, looking at which console to buy next, or otherwise unable to make their own decisions. Please comment on games to be added; I will add new recommendations to the "Please comment on" list so that everyone can give their opinion of whether it should be a recommended purchase, rental, or not a recommendation at all. Since these threads are still new, comments as to moving games off the existing lists (down to rentals or removed altogether) are also welcome until things get more settled.

Recommended exclusive games:

Amped 2
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Dead or Alive: Ultimate
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Fable
Gunvalkyrie
Halo
Halo 2
Jet Set Radio Future
MechAssault
Ninja Gaiden
Otogi: Myth of Demons
Otogi 2: Eternal Warriors
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Project Gotham Racing
Project Gotham Racing 2
Rallisport Challenge
Rallisport Challenge 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Steel Battalion
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tom Clancey’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow

Recommended exlcusive rentals:

Recommended multi-platform games:

Beyond Good & Evil
Burnout 3: Takedown
Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly—Director’s Cut
Full Spectrum Warrior
Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack
Guilty Gear X2#Reload
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Slug 3
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Soul Calibur 2
SSX 3
TimeSplitters 2
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Recommended multi-platform rentals:

Please comment on:

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

DarkDisciple

Soul Calibur 2

edit: woops, need to read the first line, it's not console exclusive but a great game none the less.

Recoil42

:^: to the thread.



Exclusive:
- Amped/Amped 2
- Rallisport Challenge / RSC 2


Non-exclusive:
- Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
- Tom Clancy's Ranbow Six 3 / Tom Clancy's Ranbow Six 3: Black Arrow

Lawnboy360

Maybe there should be a thread for multi-platform games?

In any case, Viewtiful Joe isn't mentioned in any of the 3 threads, so something is wrong.

90X Double Side

Lawnboy360 wrote:

Maybe there should be a thread for multi-platform games?

In any case, Viewtiful Joe isn't mentioned in any of the 3 threads, so something is wrong.

I thought about it, but there are a lot of titles on only two platforms, like Viewtiful Joe, so it will probably work better to keep them specific. However, once this one is done, it can be mostly cut-and-pasted.

Backlash

Thief: Deadly Shadows, which I guess would be considered exclusive, since KOTOR and Morrowind are.

As for multiplatform, my recommendation would be Mortal Kombat: Deception.

TDL

I recommend Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

Evander

Should Metal Slug 3 really be considered multi-platform?

Regardless, I would nominate Red Dead Revolver to the multi=platform list.

slash000

These are not Xbox-exclusive games:

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Halo
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Thief: Deadly Shadows

Just throwin' that out there.

-SPI-

I recommend Phantom Crash.

Cherrn

Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders has to be listed under the exclusives.

Rohaq

slash000 wrote:

These are not Xbox-exclusive games:

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Halo
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Thief: Deadly Shadows

Just throwin' that out there.

They are on consoles, PC doesn't count as a platform here.

Cruzn15

It's almost the holidays, so what about what's coming up? I'm going to recommend:

-Knights of the Old Republic 2 (early Dec)
-Ghost Recon 2 (just came out)
-Halo 2 (just came out)

And Splinter Cell 3 comes out in a little while.

Rohaq

Cruzn15 wrote:

And Splinter Cell 3 comes out in a little while.

Next spring, isn't it?

Jonman

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System.

It's a decent third person blaster. Solid gameplay, decent looks, some genuinely funny dialogue, and some neat ideas. Nothing revolutionary, but one of the better examples of it's genre. Downsides? Has the occasional difficulty spike, weapon choice can be slightly uninspired at times.

Rohaq

Jonman wrote:

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System.

It's a decent third person blaster. Solid gameplay, decent looks, some genuinely funny dialogue, and some neat ideas. Nothing revolutionary, but one of the better examples of it's genre. Downsides? Has the occasional difficulty spike, weapon choice can be slightly uninspired at times.

I loved the dialogue

EggyToast

Rohaq wrote:

Jonman wrote:

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System.

It's a decent third person blaster. Solid gameplay, decent looks, some genuinely funny dialogue, and some neat ideas. Nothing revolutionary, but one of the better examples of it's genre. Downsides? Has the occasional difficulty spike, weapon choice can be slightly uninspired at times.

I loved the dialogue

Yeah, entertaining game overall, I enjoyed it and the multiplayer is fun. Would've kicked ass if it was online on at least one console, since most of the maps were large to begin with. Vehicles were overpowered, though ;D

The campaign itself is pretty fun. I didn't like those junk monsters, though -- they're a bitch to kill, they rush right at you and can kill you easily, and the weapons that work best against them have the least amount of ammo on that level. Which sucked because that was right when the weapons available started to get interesting.

Unfortunately, there are better FPS-style games on the 'box, despite looking prettiest on the 'box. I'd say it's almost more recommended on the GC, where the number of FPS-style games are limited.

Rohaq

EggyToast wrote:

Rohaq wrote:

Jonman wrote:

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System.

It's a decent third person blaster. Solid gameplay, decent looks, some genuinely funny dialogue, and some neat ideas. Nothing revolutionary, but one of the better examples of it's genre. Downsides? Has the occasional difficulty spike, weapon choice can be slightly uninspired at times.

I loved the dialogue

Yeah, entertaining game overall, I enjoyed it and the multiplayer is fun. Would've kicked ass if it was online on at least one console, since most of the maps were large to begin with. Vehicles were overpowered, though ;D

The campaign itself is pretty fun. I didn't like those junk monsters, though -- they're a bitch to kill, they rush right at you and can kill you easily, and the weapons that work best against them have the least amount of ammo on that level. Which sucked because that was right when the weapons available started to get interesting.

Agreed, those junk monsters were bastards, however...

'Let's not break out the joy lube yet' is pretty much the only line in a game that has ever made me immediately laugh out loud, and for that, Metal Arms holds a special place in my heart

Santa Claustrophobia

Armed and Dangerous
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the first one, the second was meh)
Freedom Fighters (though it's too damn short)
And I know DOA:U is on the list, but what about DOA3?

Dareth Ram

KoTOR isn't exclusive. It's on PC.

F_disk

90X Double Side wrote:

Please comment on:

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Metal Arms is multi-platform, but the game has noticable performance issues on the weaker systems. That being said, it is an excellent title with great humor and a fun plot. The gameplay is very tight, sort of like a third-person Halo. It also has 4 player split-screen deathmatch so it doubles as a fun party game (sort of like Conker's BFD on the N64). Worth buying.

The Riddick game is beautiful, fun, and well-executed. However, it's short and has no replay value or multiplayer mode. Well worth a rental or purchase at drastically reduced price.

Rohaq

DarthMat wrote:

KoTOR isn't exclusive. It's on PC.

Rohaq wrote:

slash000 wrote:

These are not Xbox-exclusive games:

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Halo
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Thief: Deadly Shadows

Just throwin' that out there.

They are on consoles, PC doesn't count as a platform here.

Jesus, READ THE THREAD.

Pheezer

TOCA: Race Driver 2 is a really good racing sim. It's not arcadey at all, and it's pretty fucking hard, but if you like simulation style racing, it's really good.

Rohaq

Pheezer wrote:

TOCA: Race Driver 2 is a really good racing sim. It's not arcadey at all, and it's pretty fucking hard, but if you like simulation style racing, it's really good.

Truth, it's pretty realistic, it must be; I hated it

Yes, I hate totally realistic racing games; PGR2 is about as much realism as I can take

Barnolde

Exclusive, all are quite cheap ironically:
Shenmue II - Godlike.
Deathrow - Buy or die, this game fucking rocks.
Serious Sam - Cheap, both PC games in one, co-op and system link
Breakdown - Awesome story, great action, very unique, also very cheap
Crimson Sea - Kinda, but not really similar to Dynasty Warriors, really great game


Multiplatform:
Battle Engine Aquila - Did anyone else play this game? Really cool sci-fi shooter set in a Waterworld type universe only without the Kevin Coster suckage
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb - If you liked Buffy, you'll like this, great Indy game
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy - You can use your mind to throw people, nuff said

Fallout

Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders is a quite excellent and unique game that I recommend to everyone with even a passing interest in games like Medival: Total War and/or Dynasty Warriors (an odd combination, but that's what this game is. :rotate:)

Aoi

Gotta add Toe Jam and Earl 3 to the list. Great multiplayer exclusive game.

Dog

Let us not forget about Dance Dance Revolution
And a dance pad is helpful

Werespaz

Would it be possible to add some stats for the games, something like number of players, Live compatible, etc.?

90X Double Side

Werespaz wrote:

Would it be possible to add some stats for the games, something like number of players, Live compatible, etc.?

That's a good idea. I'll be updating all the lists next week once finals are over

Dog

Very, very long-time PA reader; first time poster, have pity

I'm looking for an XBox game in the vein of WarioWare Mega Party, the old Pokemon Stadium, or Katamari Damacy- simple but fun games that my non-gamer dad and step-mom can play with my much younger (semi-gamer) step-brother and step-sister. From everything I've found so far, they are on the wrong platform, but.... I'm hoping someone here can point me to something similar. Thanks.

Renzo

LV4 wrote:

Very, very long-time PA reader; first time poster, have pity

I'm looking for an XBox game in the vein of WarioWare Mega Party, the old Pokemon Stadium, or Katamari Damacy- simple but fun games that my non-gamer dad and step-mom can play with my much younger (semi-gamer) step-brother and step-sister. From everything I've found so far, they are on the wrong platform, but.... I'm hoping someone here can point me to something similar. Thanks.

Um, Fusion Frenzy? 4-player party game comprised entirely of minigames. Supports custom soundtracks. Worth it for the game Twisted System alone.

graizur

I recently picked up Ghost Recon 2 and Mech Assault 2, along with the CE Halo 2. I also picked up a DS with Mario 64DS

I just wanted to say that while these are all Quality Games, the remind me how much I really like some other games, namely


Beyond Good and Evil
Vexx
Phantom Crash
Splinter Cell
Galleon
Rayman Hoodlum Havok
Voodoo Vince


I thought maybe because of the quality of Ghost Recon I would be able to enjoy it even though Military Shooters hold no apeal for me but I was wrong.

Suffice to say if you come into money my advice is to spend a stupid amount of it renting games. This will help remind you of your own tastes which are crucial to finding enjoyment in just about anything (dating working gaming materbating whatever)

Learning about what is outside is good but never forget the importance of what's inside. Namely your own tastes.


TEAM SHORT BUS YAY!

EddieDean

Shouldn't KOTOR be in the multiplatform list, in that it's out for PC as well?

Or am I completely wrong, and we're ignoring PC as multiplatform, for the reasons given at the top of the page?

Cheesechick

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath should definitely be on the must-have exclusives.

darthmix

Cheesechick wrote:

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath should definitely be on the must-have exclusives.

Darlan

In response to the query about Chronicles of Riddick, I must say I loved it. However, I know that it's not a game for everyone; just ask youself: Did I like Doom 3? You'll have your answer as to wether or not to buy it. (I feel that Riddicks' presence of al plot and characters nullify Doom 3's presence of Demons. They're cool, admit it. Otherwise, they are similar games: beatuiful, simple-but-fun gameplay, and mature. More kudos to Riddick for including the F word here and there.

Dog

riddick was fun for it's doom-esque grapics and aliens like sci fi direction. The wrestler testosterone was pretty thick though. and it choked me to the point of going brain dead about 1/2 way through.

doom just seemed dumb and was sumed up in the pa comic about amazing pant-based achevements.




my game for 100% recomendation is Foroza Motorsport. It's seriously incredible. The physics is astounding. you can review the traction of each tire indipendantly in the replay. you can make any design on the car. cars once created can be bought and sold on live.

word of warning - don't expect grand theft auto handling. you really do have to account for the weight of your car. i can't play the game without the lil guide yet. it's teaching me though.

clsCorwin

Jonnydark wrote:

my game for 100% recomendation is Foroza Motorsport. It's seriously incredible. The physics is astounding.

word of warning - don't expect grand theft auto handling. you really do have to account for the weight of your car. i can't play the game without the lil guide yet. it's teaching me though.

Agreed, this game rocks my socks. You do need to pay close attention to your power to weight ratio... too much power and not enough weight = no traction. Fishtailing all the way up to 5th gear is not fun.