It’s always best to get off on the right foot and that’s true for new video game consoles too. In the case of consoles that are the very first attempt into the console market, like the original Xbox and Microsoft making their first at a video game console.
Without a strong line-up to get people in the door early and start building hype, the console and Microsoft’s video game desire might have died out completely. Luckily for everyone, the original Xbox launched with a few great games on it.
10 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x (78)
An enhanced version of a fantastic game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x combined levels from both the original game and the first Pro Skater game. The main issue with this being a launch title is that on other systems Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 launched a month before the original Xbox’s launch, making the inclusion of this title feel antiquated, even if it is a good game. While a great game for people to be able to play, Xbox was late to the party with this release.
9 NASCAR Heat 2002 (78)
It might seem crazy now but back in the day, the way to get the best racing games was to get some big-name license like NASCAR. The Xbox version of NASCAR Heat 2002 featured 43 racers, some fictional some real, and 19 official tracks, meaning you can turn left in a variety of environments. It doesn’t seem like much of a big hitter in the current space but having a solid racing game, even if it’s NASCAR, let’s people have something to play on launch day that is guaranteed to be good but not great.
8 NHL Hitz 2002 (79)
Sports games are going to be a running theme here since there are always new ones every year just waiting to be ported onto all the consoles out at the time. NHL Hitz 2002 falls into the category of arcade-style sports games, NBA Jam style.
The game is 3v3 with increased attributes for all the players and an “on-fire” bonus for anyone making three goals in a row. Hockey is a sport that lends well to arcade-style gameplay, encouraging hits and fighting taking the sport to it’s extreme.
7 NFL Fever 2002 (79)
There was a time when Madden wasn’t the only NFL licensed game on the market and anybody could take a crack at it if they wanted to. NFL Fever 2002 was Microsoft’s attempt at making an arcade-style football game and it was a decent first attempt. The game focused on making “big plays” which sounds cool but most of the time turned routine passes into amazing catches made by covered in defensive. The issue with that is the game takes some of the skill away in favor of the chance to make big plays. It was fine at the time but there were better football games on the market and on the Xbox at launch.
6 Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee (80)
The third game in the Oddworld series, Munch’s Oddysee is a puzzle game with some platforming in it. Puzzles are solved through communication and mind control. Explaining the plot of any of the Oddworld games is a pointless exercise but the game does feature very different and interesting game mechanics that haven’t been implemented in many other games. It’s got a wild art style and crazy character design, matching the strange 3D games of the era, something that doesn’t get made anymore.
5 NASCAR Thunder 2002 (82)
This might look like a Pokémon situation with both NASCAR Thunder 2002 and NASCAR Heat 2002 both releasing in the same year and being Xbox launch titles but just like the NFL license in the early 2000s, the NASCAR license was available for pretty much anyone to make a game about turning left.
NASCAR Thunder 2002 is EA’s attempt at making a racing game and they did a pretty good job with well-designed modes and enjoyable but semi-realistic racing that both purists and not can all enjoy. Imagine a world where every sport still got multiple games, that would be insane.
4 Project Gotham Racing (85)
Considered one of the best racing games on the Xbox and the second best-selling game on the system, Project Gotham Racing was a Microsoft published street racing game. The game features four great cities, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, and New York City. It has plenty of cars and customizations and requires more than just winning to advance to the next round. You earn Kudos points for driving fast, power-sliding, and passing non-player controlled cars. Without enough Kudos points, even a win won’t help you become a champion.
3 Dead or Alive 3 (87)
Before anyone gets too carried away, its important to point out that this is the actual fighting game and not one of the beach volleyball spinoffs. Dead or Alive 3 is a 3D full axis fighting game with a stronger focus on counters instead of the heavy focus on juggling that Dead or Alive 2 had. The game had four additional characters of the roster of the previous game. It took advantage of the Xbox’s power to have enhanced graphics and larger stages showcasing the system from day one.
2 Madden NFL 2002 (90)
Sports baby! The majority of the games that were good that came out on launch day for the Xbox are sports games because they typically review good almost always and the people that like them really like them.
Madden NFL 2002 was a very good year for the series including the Houston Texans for the first time in the series, prior to them actually playing for the first time. Players could have also created a 32nd team of their own and added them to the league.
1 Halo: Combat Evolved (97)
We all knew where this list was going from the very start. Without Halo, there is no Xbox as we know it today. Revolutionizing the console FPS genre and giving the brand a mascot, Halo is a fantastic sci-fi shooter that truly makes you feel like a super-soldier. Master Chief manages the strong silent type routine with the occasional one-liners that would be cheesy if delivered by anyone else. Cortana is the original Siri and far better than most A.I. companions in games and media. Let’s hope that Halo Infinite has the same effect for the Xbox Series X when it launches.
NEXT: The 10 Best Exclusives On The Original Xbox, Ranked
