The Essential Xbox Games

[samifan24]

I recently purchased an Xbox and am looking to buy a couple of good games in the next few months. I'm primarily a sports and action gamer, but enjoy any games as long as they're well done. I already know about Halo, and I already own NCAA and Top Spin. What do you consider to be essential purchases for the Xbox? Any cheaper, older games which still pack a lot of bang for your buck? What games have you purchased and been pleasantly surprised by?

[MizzouRah]

ESPN NHL 2k5
MVP Baseball 2005
Halo 2
NCAA Football 2004
ESPN College Basketball 2k5


Todd

[sterlingice]

I think most people would say KotOR. I know when I get around to getting the other systems from this generation, that's the first X-Box one I'll get.

SI

[kingnebwsu]

KOTOR for sure, and now KOTOR 2. Halo 1&2 obviously. Splinter Cell 2 is fantastic, with part 3 due out in Q2. ESPN College Hoops is well worth $20 also. That should get you started :)

[Eaglesfan27]

KOTOR is a great value. The 2nd one is obviously more expensive, but I can't wait to play it (hopefully getting it for Christmas.)

ESPN College Hoops (even with the bugs, it is well worth 20 bucks, and I've been lucky to avoid the bugs so far.)

If you like Stealth games, Splinter Cell.

[Scoobz0202]

Ghost Recon 2 is a great game, too.

[panerd]

Does liking Front Office Football have a strong corrolation with Sci Fi and fantasy movie lovers? Not that that is a bad thing or that Star Wars is a bad game, but I know a lot of people outside of this community who have gaming systems and most of their essential collections would be excluslivly sports with maybe Grand Theft Auto thrown in. It seems though like a lot of this board is pretty into the Lord of the Rings/Superhero factions instead of the sports games you would think.

[sterlingice]

Does liking Front Office Football have a strong corrolation with Sci Fi and fantasy movie lovers? Not that that is a bad thing or that Star Wars is a bad game, but I know a lot of people outside of this community who have gaming systems and most of their essential collections would be excluslivly sports with maybe Grand Theft Auto thrown in. It seems though like a lot of this board is pretty into the Lord of the Rings/Superhero factions instead of the sports games you would think.
You would spend a decent chunk of money on a gaming system just to play the same 4 games over and over again?

SI

[hoosierdude]

Well this one isn't cheap yet.. but I am SO addicted to Fable if you are into RPG's, that one is a real fun time.. lots to see and do. So many side quests you can play for a while.. then play as an opposite .. first evil then good, the game plays differently for either .

[Yellow5]

Burnout 3
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack
KotOR

[SackAttack]

ESPN College Hoops 2k5
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (Warrior Within is worth playing, but maybe not for $50)
Burnout 3
Halo 2
Rainbow Six 3 + Black Arrow
X-Men Legends
Ninja Gaiden
Metal Slug 3
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Crimson Skies

Those're several of my favorites of my favorites.

[gstelmack]

Ghost Recon 2 is a great game, too.
Ahh, some lovin'. Thanks!

(and like I how I got a repeat reference by quoting someone else without having to be an obvious pimp and post it myself?)

For my list of games by others:

My #1 must-have Xbox game: Kung Fu Chaos. Not a lot of publicity for this one, but I think it is the best Xbox game hands-down. Good gameplay, and a terrific sense of humor. Should be dirt-cheap now, too. If you can find this one, grab it.

Crimson Skies
ESPN NFL 2k5
ESPN NHL 2k5
Baldur's Gate (1&2)
Gauntlet

[WussGawd]

10 Games I'd consider essentials:

Since you mention Halo & NCAA, won't go there. Great games though. I'll try to stick mostly to bargain titles (which are underlined).

Knights of the Old Republic (It's a better story than Anything George Lucas has written since Empire Strikes Back, and the gameplay is even better).
Splinter Cell (Yes, I know, it's out there for just about every platform, but frankly, the lighting effects on the XBox make the game better than the PS2 conversion, and on a par with the PC version).
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack If you haven't already played GTA3 & GTA: Vice City on another platform, these are quite reasonable together,
ESPN NFL 2K5 Not quite as good as Madden 2005, but a great game for $20.
ESPN NHL 2K5 I've always consider the Sega Hockey games to be superior to EA. Puck movement becomes more vital, the goalies aren't sieves, and the AI plays better. The fact that the ESPN game is $30 cheaper than EA's makes it a screaming deal.
Ghost Recon & Ghost Recon: Island Thunder Aging, but a great game. A kick butt experience on XBox Live as well.
Project Gotham Racing 2 Best Racing game for the XBox, and a kick butt experience on XBox Live. I don't like racing games and I enjoy this one. :)
Morrowind (Game of the Year Edition: Don't confuse this with Morrowind,. The Game of the Year Edition has pretty much everything but the editing tools from the PC version of Morrowind and the its two expansions. A huge, first person perspective RPG on a massive world. Both this and the basic Morrowind are pretty cheap by now.
Madden 2005 Good title gets better.

Technically, that's 11, so I better stop:

A couple of older under the radar titles worth looking for:

Jet Set Radio Future I haven't played this one much, but frankly, I watched my children play this one to the point I'd have to kick them off the XBox. Addictive, big world, very original title.
Kung Fu Chaos Funniest title I've seen, a great platform scroller.

My 9 year old son Grant recommends (some of these aren't bargain titles):
Fable
Halo 2
Knights of the Old Republic
Jet Set Radio Future
Project Gotham Racing 2

My 11 year old son Alex recommends:
Morrowind (Game of the Year Edition)
Splinter Cell
Dungeon and Dragons Heroes
Knights of the Old Republic
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Academy

[Calis]

Anyone played Deathrow?

Completely missed it when it came out, but see it has good reviews and sounds like it could be a pretty fun Speedball type of game.

And it's only 10 bucks, so I'm tempted.

[Noop]

WussGawdYou play video games with your kids? Wow your a great parent... and you must have a very understanding wife.

[WussGawd]

WussGawdYou play video games with your kids? Wow your a great parent... and you must have a very understanding wife.

Yep. We're a family of geeks. Wife often spends time with them on at least one evening a weekend playing Diablo II Multiplayer alongside a few of her friends. I've been known to plug in a controller on Halo and play it with the kids on the Plasma TV in the living room. :)

[WussGawd]

Ghost Recon 2 is a great game, too.

Rumor I heard said they dumbed down the damage, to make it more like the usual click fest FPS's (where you can survive multiple wounds, etc). Is this true?

I thought Ghost Recon was great because it was much about stealth as action. If you didn't plan right, and use your cover, the AI would waste you immediately with one or two well placed shots. I'd be very disappointed if they did this.

[Yellow5]

Anyone played Deathrow?

Completely missed it when it came out, but see it has good reviews and sounds like it could be a pretty fun Speedball type of game.

And it's only 10 bucks, so I'm tempted.

I have this and it's a complete ripoff of Speedball.... and I love it. :) If it's down to 10 bucks what are you waiting for? The single player is fun but it's much better as a two player game.

[Calis]

I have this and it's a complete ripoff of Speedball.... and I love it. :) If it's down to 10 bucks what are you waiting for? The single player is fun but it's much better as a two player game.

Ok, went ahead and bought it, and a buddy of mine ended up playing it for about 6 hours straight tonight to beat the normal season mode.

What a blast.

Played in the Sports Mode view though, not the Action..which sucks because we missed out on all the cool arenas and those challenges. The controls are atrocious in that mode though, very poorly done.

The Sports mode though? Good times, highly recommended to anyone who has 10 bucks and an X-Box.

[sabotai]

I've owned an XBox for awhile and all this thread was tell me I don't own enough XBox games. :)

But then again, a lot are suggesting FPS games and I can't play those on a console. ESPN NHL 2k5 is a GREAT game. I think I played that th emost out of any XBox game I own. Fable was also great. EA Fight Night 2004 was probably the best boxing game (action wise) ever. Tony Hawk's Underground (1 and 2) are great too. You could probably pick up the first one for cheap now that the sequal is out.

But all in all, I got the most out of ESPN NHL 2k5...and it's only $20.

[samifan24]

I've heard many people suggest NHL2K5. I've played and enjoyed NFL2K5 with a friend, but I've never been able to get into a console hockey game. My brother has an older copy of the 2K series back from when Sega was at the helm, and I didn't like it at all. I'm still hesitant to touch 2K5 even though it's had both good reviews and good word-of-mouth as well.

[Axxon]

I'd add in Gladius, mainly because I'm replaying it now and remembering how much fun it is.