From the experience they'd acquired through their collaborations with companies such as Sega, Microsoft threw their hat into the gaming console market with the original Xbox. It'd been a long time since a Western-based company managed to successfully compete with their Japanese rivals; for example, companies such as Atari and 3DO floundered in previous generations.
The Xbox brand managed to make a compelling case for continuation with classics such as Psychonauts, Panzer Dragoon Saga Orta, and Halo. However, not every title has held up as well. While the following Xbox titles may have been well-regarded in their initial release, it's harder now to "jump in."
10 Peter Molyneux's Tall Tales Hurt Fable's Reputation
Peter Molyneux has become infamous in the gaming industry for his tendency to overpromise and under deliver with his titles. Despite his lofty promises going largely unfulfilled, the original Fable trilogy still found a following and were well-regarded in the time of their initial release. However, as the years have passed, Fable's mechanics and ambition in presenting tough ethical dilemmas have become largely eclipsed by RPGs with more nuanced gameplay and morally complex storytelling; for example, the efforts from Bioware and Obsidian. All the choices essentially boil down to: "Save a kitten from a tree or burn it down and laugh at its corpse."
9 Brute Force Was Outgunned On The Xbox
Touted as a potential successor to Bungie's franchise, Brute Force wasn't exactly the Halo-Killer outlets were expecting. Brute Force's shooting was done from a third-person perspective and utilized a squad command system in which players could order other soldiers or control them. While this emphasis on strategy was heavily promoted in previews, there are only a few moments where these skills are really necessary. Additionally, the game's single player campaign lacked the lasting appeal of Master Chief's skirmishes. The Xbox certainly wasn't wanting when it came to shooters, and in a competition that steep, Brute Force was just outgunned.
8 Grand Theft Auto III Is Showing Its Age
Of all the entries that take place in what Dan Houser calls "the 3D universe," GTA III holds up the worst. The game was a technological achievement whose contributions cannot be disputed, but that doesn't make its clunky gunplay, frustrating missions, and lack of checkpoints any more palatable. Fans used to the fully characterized protagonists of later Rockstar titles might be put off by Claude's silent player surrogate approach. Furthermore, the narrative is more derivative of other crime films and shows than later numerical GTA entries such as IV and V.
7 Voodoo Vince Needed Some More Juju
Adam Sessler of G4TV speculated that Microsoft's support for Psychonauts was dropped in favor of focusing attention and resources towards Voodoo Vince. While the game was a looker and featured a superb live jazz band soundtrack, it didn't really provide a meaningful evolution on the platforming formula like Tim Schafer's effort or other games on the market such as Ratchet & Clank. The idea of using Vince's voodoo powers to inflict harm on enemies sounds like a unique idea, but it's just a special move used when players tire of the same spinning and butt stomps they've seen in other games.
6 Fuzion Frenzy's Multiplayer Antics Were Outshone
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One of the earliest multiplayer games for the system, Fuzion Frenzy, was essentially the Xbox's answer to Mario Party. It was a collection of mini-games which eschewed the board game structure found in Nintendo's efforts or a hubworld from Crash Bash. While the game boasts 45 mini-games, many of them are just variations of each other. The game didn't do terribly well review-wise, but there's no denying that players wishing to have some multiplayer fun were better off blowing each other apart in Halo or Timeplitters 2. There are certainly worse Xbox multiplayer titles such as Whacked, but Fusion Frenzy isn't really worth an RSVP.
5 Oddworld Munch's Oddysee Is Pretty Repetitive
Like many franchises before it, Oddworld's transition to the third dimension was pretty rough. For the first few levels, Munch's Oddysey's gameplay of collecting and puzzle solving makes for a decent time. However, this formula becomes very tedious as players in the later stages are still tasked with picking up mudokins, tossing them to switches, carrying Munch through minefields, and listening to the same repetitive voice lines from the enemy sligs. The camera and needless filler do little to help. Still, Munch makes for an interesting character, and it would be nice to see him front and center in a title that truly does him justice.
4 Castlevania Curse Of Darkness Aped Devil May Cry
In yet another attempt to bring the series into 3D, Castlevania Lament of Innocence tried aping the hack and slash formula from Capcom's Devil May Cry. While the reception was still somewhat mixed, Lament was regarded as an improvement over the much maligned N64 entries. The follow-up, Curse of Darkness, shifted the timeline from the beginning of Dracula to shortly after the events of Trevor Belmont's adventure. Despite some improvements, it still couldn't hold a whip struck candle to competing titles such as Devil May Cry 3 and God of War. Still, some characters and plot lines found their way into the highly successful Netflix series.
3 Sonic Heroes Fail To Save The Day
Sonic Heroes represented both a step-forward and backwards from the Adventure tiles. On the one hand, it finally eschewed the intrusive gameplay sections – such as the shooting and treasure hunting – to focus more on the platforming. For example, the levels were more in line with the whimsical and imaginative locales of the Genesis games, and the tone was more suitably lighthearted. However, lingering problems such as the uncooperative camera and terrible voice acting were either left unaddressed or exacerbated. The higher emphasis on combat and bottomless pits mixed with an outdated lives system makes this particular outing hard to go back to.
2 Blinx The Time Sweeper Sucks In More Ways Than One
Created and conceived by former members of Sonic Team such as Naoto Oshima, Artoon's Blinx the Time Sweeper was pushed by Microsoft to be the Xbox's platforming mascot, just like Crash Bandicoot and the aforementioned hedgehog. Unfortunately, maddening design choices make this cat a bad omen. Only through a specific combination of crystals can players harness the time manipulation powers to clear the game's levels, and this proves to be much harder in practice. Blinx also can't take more than one hit, turning an already needlessly esoteric system into a frustrating exercise of trial and error.
1 Shenmue 2 Failed To Make A Case For Continuation
The original Shenmue may have been a landmark title, but it wasn't nearly enough to save Sega's fledgling Dreamcast. Its sequel was one of the console's swan songs in Japanese and European territories, and an Xbox exclusive in North America. While it did make some smart changes, such as the option to fast-forward the in-game clock or ask a passerby for directions, its visuals and gameplay fell short when compared to competing sandbox titles such as the Grand Theft Auto series. In contrast, Sega's Yakuza games are superior in every way and serve as the ultimate realization of Yu Suzuki's ambitions.