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The Bluffer's Guide to Xbox Cult Classics Comments by Kristan Reed

16 November, 2006

Top of the Flops, if you like. [updated!]

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Comments: 1-50 of 139 in total | next 50 »

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boabg
15/11/06 @ 11:54
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:'(
spongebob
15/11/06 @ 11:56
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Great article!
Kami
15/11/06 @ 11:57
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I'm all with the Project Zero things. Makes anyone who has played the game cry a little inside... they deserve no sympathy for the mess that was #3, but the first two are simply above and beyond the competition...

Great list. Wonderful to see Beyond Good And Evil get a mention as well... most of these games really badly need to be backwards compatible. Who knows, a few years down the road gamers might actually find out what they were missing...
morriss
15/11/06 @ 11:59
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Well Psychonauts 'will' be BC, MS have said so. And as soon as it is I'm buying it, and playing it again on my 37".
Edited 1 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 12:00
Machiavel
15/11/06 @ 12:00
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Quantum Redshift better than F-Zero? Fat chance! (If it's the Gamecube version we're talking about)
polar
15/11/06 @ 12:01
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"The developer, like so many of the teams behind the games on this list, went out of business not long after. Cruel, considering the quality of its game."

Didn't Swinging Ape get bought by Blizzard after being signed up to work on their console version of Starcraft?

Metal Arms is a great game that was sadly overlooked. The Xbox version was by far the best.


Edit: Blizzard aquires Swinging Ape
Edited 1 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 12:07
itamae
15/11/06 @ 12:01
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Glad to see that you included GunValkyrie despite Tom's *ahem* debatable review. Personally I'd add the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, it bundles two of the finest 2D fighters ever made and makes the recent SFII Live Arcade release on the 360 look like the overpriced rip-off that it is.
HSH25
15/11/06 @ 12:04
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A couple more that are 'missing' from that list.

OutRun 2 and Toejam and Earl 3
TriodeBliss
15/11/06 @ 12:05
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Are there any Sega games except HotD III that Microsoft has bothered making backwards compatible?
Tomo
15/11/06 @ 12:05
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Good list and shows some corkers I've missed out on not owning an Xboxen.
lambtron
15/11/06 @ 12:05
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You gave Jet Set Radio future a SIX!

You are dead to me!
Dr.Haggard
15/11/06 @ 12:07
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There I was, fingertips poised to declare my indignation at the omission of Enclave, and there it is. Yay etc \o/

Great article. Otogi 2 is also rather good.

Saw a copy of Deathrow in Gamestation a couple of weeks ago, and wandered around clutching it for a few mins before putting it back on the shelf, thinking it probably wasn't actually as good as people told me it was years ago. Doh.
Ceatlan
15/11/06 @ 12:08
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I bought quite a few of these games and the problem I had with a lot of them, was that they nearly all had some flaw that annoyed me enough to give up on them. The other games on the list all had either such mixed reviews or demos that gave a bad impression that I never bought them.

The only game I haven't bought but want to is Psychonauts, I played the demo on the PC and loved it but don't really like playing games my PC (stuffed in the corner of my office, small screen etc) and don't have an XBox anymore, so I'm waiting for it to be backwards compatible on the 360.
Kiigan
15/11/06 @ 12:08
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No Breakdown?

Also, personally, I think the list should include only Xbox exclusives, not multi-format titles.
Blerk
15/11/06 @ 12:10
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Happy Birthday, Xbox!

I'd love to see updated versions of the PS2 and Cube lists, btw.
Yossarian
15/11/06 @ 12:11
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man now I wanna play Beyond Good & Evil again. one of the few Xbox games I didn't sell when I picked up my 360.
Dr.Haggard
15/11/06 @ 12:14
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No Breakdown?

Good call. Though I never finished it I really enjoyed it for a while. Quite atmospheric, some nice set pieces and the combat is satisfying and fun. Might go back to it on a rainy day sometime.
Spanky
15/11/06 @ 12:14
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How come you're recommending Gun Valkyrie if you only gave it a 4? Surely Crimson Seas or something would be a better recommendation?
Mordum
15/11/06 @ 12:14
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Could'nt agree more about "Kung Fu Chaos"!! One of the funniest and most entertaining games I've ever played, loved it to bits, easily one of the best games released on the Xbox (bought it twice). Shame it never sold well, a sequel playable over Live would have been really something.

"XIII" was excellent too, and "Fusion Frenzy" was a great game to play with a bunch of mates (which is why I'm looking forward to its sequel witrh full Live support this time!)... this is where I'd normally start hurling abuse at people for not buying them, but, I never picked up the apparent gems such as "Beyond Good & Evil", "Panzer Dragoon Orta", "Fahrenheit", etc... so I have no right to moan at other people.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 12:20
repairmanjack
15/11/06 @ 12:16
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This list needs Sniper Elite, imho.

The BC is borked on it... but rumours of a next-gen sequel fill me with hope.
krudster [mod]
15/11/06 @ 12:19
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We've added Breakdown and OutRun 2.
Garulon
15/11/06 @ 12:20
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"You gave Jet Set Radio future a SIX!

You are dead to me!"

Sony made them do it!
Rambaldi
15/11/06 @ 12:21
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I hope they do a Crystal 360!
WooHoo!!!
15/11/06 @ 12:27
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Great article. Missed a few especially Rallisport Challenge, one of the best racers ever. Pure fun.
Furbs
15/11/06 @ 12:27
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Superb article. I've only played four of these, despite the Xbox being my console of choice this gen :P

Where are the EA games?
Mox
15/11/06 @ 12:33
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I loved the style of Otogi. Japanese mythology and symbols made the game feel so arcane. "Were you watching me from afar, master?"
Dark_Stranger
15/11/06 @ 12:37
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So only a small percentage of the xbox games Eurogamer says a cult classics actually work on the 360. Shows what they know then!
The_Programmer
15/11/06 @ 12:39
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"Get Rallisport Challenge 2 in there quick Kristan, no one has noticed it's missing :) "

I agree with you there. It's a great game.
barnard666
15/11/06 @ 12:40
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Links 2004, I still play it, I finally gave in though and purchased tiger woods 07 on 360, sadly I cant stand it...I'd kill for another links game...
cromson skies I guess deserved a mention (or did I miss it?) and outrun 2 without doubt did. Even though it seems a little redundant some of those tom clancy games were and are still are astounding, although with their 360 couterparts does anyone really care? GR 1 was the best in the series gameplay wise, shame its one of the ugliest things ever made....

Me and some friends still get together and lan up these old games even though our 360's sit there, those games are still great. amd yes quantum redshift was better than f zero.....jesus I sound like a fan boy now...Nooooooo!
Gulag
15/11/06 @ 12:41
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Mad. You've listed nearly every Xbox game I currently own, and a few I did. (Still kicking myself for trading in XIII.) Currently playing through Beyond Good & Evil. It's a real beaut. Even the people watching me play are enjoying it. It'd be good to see some of these released again in budget or compilation format, unlikely as that is.
krudster [mod]
15/11/06 @ 12:41
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Also adding Sniper Elite and ToeJam, good calls both.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 12:43
krudster [mod]
15/11/06 @ 12:43
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For those wondering about Rallisport...there's a good reason it's not on this list, which will become apparent shortly...
guest informant
15/11/06 @ 12:47
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Rallisport Challenge 2 is the best racing game ever, especially the hill climb bits.
Only ever met decent people on Live as well. It's criminal that there won't be a 3rd version.
HSH25
15/11/06 @ 12:49
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OutRun 2. Not OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast.

2 is the better game...
bad
15/11/06 @ 12:50
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I bought 8 of those, but took Racing Evoluzione back because the car handling was all over the place. I seem to remember I exchanged it for Colin McRae 4, but was sufficently disappointed by that too that I exchanged it for PGR2, which is still great.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 12:51
chemicalcaveman
15/11/06 @ 12:57
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I have seven of these, must make a list and see can I pick up the rest cheap as the xbox fades into retirement..........
gelf
15/11/06 @ 13:00
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Aside from Halo and Ninja Gaiden which are obviously too popular to make such a list, that list contains within it every game I like on the Xbox.

If I like a game you can almost guarantee it wont sell.

Also this illustrates why next gen hasn't enthused me yet, seems to be all by the numbers games with better graphics and nothing(to my knowledge) with the character of many of the games of this list.

Edited 2 times, most recently on 15/11/06 @ 13:07
Carpathian
15/11/06 @ 13:08
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Just grabbed Quantum Redshift for £2.18 on Amazon.... I figure I might just get at least my moneys worth !

;o)
Markusdragon
15/11/06 @ 13:08
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Armed and Dangerous and Galleon? Ehttp://www...
Reapergold
15/11/06 @ 13:08
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Many memorys in that list that made me smile :)
Royal Fool
15/11/06 @ 13:09
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Wow, fantastic article. Outlines so many of those cult games that nobody ever played... many of them are sitting on my shelf. It's atrocious that these games aren't playable on the 360, although I can understand it's silly for Microsoft to emulate them when they never sold to begin with. But that's really Microsoft's fault for doing backwards-compatability via software, isn't it?

Also, you forgot Blinx! Yes, I'll be damned, it's not really that good a game, but the time manipulation was unique enough - and was also one of the few MS-published titles that actually got a marketing campaign, oddly enough.
krudster [mod]
15/11/06 @ 13:10
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Yeah, Blinx just missed out because, bleh, it really really annoyed me at the time. Looks nice though.
johnboy_johsnon
15/11/06 @ 13:11
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JSR got a 6/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How is this possible.
Bad Devotions
15/11/06 @ 13:16
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*ahem* black...? Top game IMO. backward compatible too.
spookyzombie
15/11/06 @ 13:17
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Making the same mistake I did. Black was a hit, not a ignored title.
Bad Devotions
15/11/06 @ 13:18
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I knew that....

/gets coat.
SirStanley
15/11/06 @ 13:18
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Ah yes, Freedom Fighters. Very much enjoyed that game, and surprisingly found myself sticking with it all the way to the end.

And, perhaps worth noting, all this excellence was in glorious 720p as well.
GrandpaUlrira
15/11/06 @ 13:19
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Quantum Redshift is NOT better than F-Zero GX. And certainly not better than F-Zero X.
NemesisZero
15/11/06 @ 13:20
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You know, this might be a bit of a fluff piece (and I'm fine with that), but still, by which criteria did you decide a game was unsuccessful?
Fahrenheit had two weeks as the top-selling XBox title in North America before it dropped rather abruptly (dare I say because word of mouth on that ending spread?).
Crimson Skies actually carried a good deal of the Box' sales in those days. It certainly never reached Halo status, but that does not mean it was a failure.
I just find it strange to bemoan games that spawned sequels or scored its developers prestigious contracts (BG&E and King Kong, anyone) as disasters. Sure, none of those games were blockbusters, but logically, there should be some space between the Mt. Olympus and Hades of sales.
prettyboytim
15/11/06 @ 13:25
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What!? No Steel Battalion?

Bunch of my favourite games on there, though...

Comments: 1-50 of 139 in total | next 50 »

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