Top 10 Lists Most Popular Xbox Original Games. top 10 is based on Reviews from around the Internet.
1. Halo: Combat Evolved 
More often than not, when a game is in development for more than three years, it does not live up to the hype. Bungie's Halo is the exception. Not only does it meet expectations, it greatly exceeds them. This sci-fi first-person shooter is a nearly perfect blend of gameplay, graphics, and sound. The story revolves around the conflict between humans and an alien race known as the Covenant. The aliens have discovered a powerful artifact--on the ring-shaped planet called Halo--that will shift the balance of power, and it's up to the player to stop them. In addition to several first-person-shooter levels, the game offers numerous opportunities to engage in vehicular combat. Both the enemy and allied artificial intelligence are extremely impressive. Enemies will use the terrain and layout to put you in tight spots. Allies will know when to cover and aid you. For instance, if you hop into a jeep, an ally will know to jump in and man the turret on the back of it. The graphics are exquisitely detailed, but only move at 30 frames per second rather than 60. The sound effects and voice acting are superb. The level design is among the best ever; most of the game is engaging and challenging without being frustrating. There's also high replay value thanks to the built-in single-player, cooperative, and deathmatch modes. Much like the outstanding GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64, Halo raises the bar for console first-person shooters. All console action games will be measured against Halo for years to come.
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2. Grand Theft Auto Double Pack Praised for brilliant scripts and open-ended gameplay, vilified for unapologetic violence and mature themes, Grand Theft Auto has deservedly become one of the most popular game franchises in history. This double pack contains the full versions of both Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto III: Vice City, enhanced for Xbox. Xbox gamers can rejoice that the grand king of video games--The Sopranos with a gamepad--is finally available on the big black box. With Grand Theft Auto III Rockstar proves that not all developers are concerned with toning down the violence in their games. This sequel is even more bloody, violent, and sadistic than its popular predecessors, offering up an enormous 3-D city in which nearly any criminal act is possible. Players are free to steal cars, beat up the local population for their money (or weapons), make time with prostitutes, or simply roam to their heart's content. Those seeking more structure can embark on dozens of missions driven by a genuinely interesting crime-story plot or steal cars that let them play minigames. Nab a cop car and you can go on vigilante missions. Grab a cab and you can play a deadly version of Crazy Taxi. Take a fire truck and you can earn money putting out fires. The minigames are a good way to unwind after a particularly difficult mission. With so much to do, the game just never gets boring. How big is this game? Even publicists for other games end up talking about Vice City when they call our office, babbling in the same helplessly intoxicated way that afflicts everyone who plays it. The achievement of Vice City (which, as everyone knows by now, is set in the 1980s and offers an all-new, Miami Vice-inspired story) is not only that it manages to live up to an absurd level of expectation, but that it takes the game places that fans of its predecessor Grand Theft Auto III never dreamed of, and that it achieves this astonishing level of innovation without losing anything that made GTA3 the bestselling PS2 game of all time. Read more...
3. Burnout 3: Takedown Drive more than 70 cars from 12 different classes -- from European exotics to American muscle cars, mid-size sports sedans, sports cars, compacts, buses, even semi trucks. Experience new racing conditions and environments, as you race on 40 different tracks across 3 continents. Spectacular crash technology recreates high speed crashes with extreme detail -- you'll even be rewarded for creating the most massive pileups. Use your car as a weapon and take out rivals, controlling the car even after crashing. Online action in seven different modes, with up to 6 participants -- racing through oncoming traffic in Crash Mode, Single Race, Road Rage. Read more...
4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 The living legend of skateboarding, Tony Hawk, brings you into his world in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Skate through eight Massive Living levels plus one designed exclusively for the Xbox. With upgraded graphics and the ability to skate to your own music, this is the best Hawk yet. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for Xbox delivers realistic, sparkling graphics, action-packed gameplay, seamless video cinematic sequences and stunning special effects. The game takes you way over the edge of the traditional skateboarding genre by setting players in living environments that evolve as you play. Choose to rip sick tricks through realistic urban settings complete with pedestrians, cars, traffic accidents, natural disasters and changing weather conditions. Fly high through some of the hottest skating locales in the world, including Skater's Island in Middleton, Rhode Island, Rio, Los Angeles, Canada, Tokyo and Paris. Fluid animations let you execute tons of combo moves and tricks, including nollies, manuals and lip tricks using the franchise's signature solid control scheme. Get stoked! You're gonna spin, flip, grind and sky your way to the top with more control and realism than ever before in this third full version of the explosively popular series of Tony Hawk skateboarding games. Read more...
5. Ninja Gaiden Black Ninja Gaiden the commercial and critically acclaimed cut and slashaction game took the action genre by storm with its unique and innovative game play killer story and mind-blowing graphics. Now gamers can experience even more of Ryu Hayabusa s deadly artistry in Ninja Gaiden BLACK the newest installment in the Ninja Gaiden series slashing its way to the Xbox video game console this September 2005 as it ships to retailers nationwide. Boasting new difficulty levels including Ninja Dog level and Master Ninja levelthe new Mission Mode with a massive number of new action-packed missions to complete and colossal amounts of special bonus features including content from both Hurricane Packs 1&2 the new Ninja Gaiden: BLACK is the must have game for all action lovers from casual to hardcore.* Compatible with Xbox Live: Karma scores can be uploaded to the online leader boards via Xbox Live * Increased Levels of Difficulty: Five levels of difficulty for all kinds of gamers including Ninja Dog to Very Difficult Master Ninja * Increased Action-Packed Missions: Play in Story mode or Mission Mode with a massive number of missions to complete including traditional enemy battles time challenges boss battles and more! * Challenging Hurricane Packs Content: Content such as new enemies and big bad bosses from Hurricane Packs 1&2 included as special bonus for an extra ninja challenge. * Never-Before-Seen Content: New cinematic cut scenes that reveal secrets from the world of Ninja Gaiden. * Jaw-dropping Sounds and Graphics: Stunning graphics and incredible sounds as you would expect from Tecmo s esteemed development team Team NINJA * Colossal Amounts of Bonus Content: Hidden unlockables including the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden Ninja Ryukenden available for the first time on a video game console in Ninja Gaiden: BLACK Read more...
Bestsellers Xbox orignal Games
6. Halo 2 is one of those rare video games that garnishes attention from regular folk who wouldn't know which direction to point a game controller. With more than 1.5 million pre-orders and a massive release party in Times Square, the game enjoys the sort of buzz, and sales, generally reserved for boy wizards. But does it merit the hype? Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that's you) created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do for his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, and polished voice talent for both this and other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows to shame. In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating and is not meant for kids. Gameplay is constant and intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical to the first game so those familiar with it will be up and blasting in no time. And the sound and graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available. Read more...
7. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay Chronicles of Riddick acts as a prequel to "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles Of Riddick". The enigmatic antihero named Riddick escaped from one of the universe's most violent prisons, Butcher Bay. This game presents the story of how he escaped triple-max security. Read more...
8. Rallisport Challenge 2 gives you more than just rally racing, and this helps open the game up to the player. You can compete against other cars simultaneously in Ice Racing or Rallycross, and the Hill Climb courses offer a change of pace that can be particularly grueling. Apart from this, it is the Career structure that I appreciate the most. Here you can switch between the different difficulties and rack up points to unlock both cars and tracks throughout the game in a great non-linear fashion. With this excellent framework in place, however, I'm not as happy with the game once my wheels hit the dirt. Cars feel like they pivot on a central point too much. The result is that I could veer from side to side on the road and not feel like I was losing control of the car, even at full throttle. I'm not saying that you won't spin out – there are many opportunities to do that. However, I do think that your feel of the cars is lessened, and it also takes some of the skill and danger out of the races. I suggest that semi-experienced drivers tackle the Champion level first. Read more...
9. Freedom Fighters In a world where the Soviet Union won the Cold War a fierce conflict is beginning to unfold in the streets of America. Red Army troops are pouring across the borders of Mexico and Canada shortly after a nuclear missile is unleashed on Washington D.C. Chaos sets in when breaking news informs Americans that their President has been killed and the Russians have invaded the country. You take on the role of Christopher Walker a man who evolves into a charismatic and fearless freedom fighter obsessed with finding and freeing his brother in the streets of occupied New York City. * Turn-based strategy element enables players to pick their own mission each with a multitude of strategies and different outcomes. * Intense in-your-face urban guerilla warfare scenarios ranging from small sabotage missions to large battles where the player has to conquer enemy installations. Read more...
10. ESPN NFL Football 2K4 takes you deep into the action for incredibly real sports playing. This is first-person football gaming where you'll see everything through the eyes of a real NFL player. This is football action you don't just see -- you feel it, too. Go online for head-to-head play against another person - plus get downloadable rosters, chat with football fans and more Get your friends together & play your dream team against theirs, with the multiplayer Franchise Mode. Read more...
