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GamerSpeak:
Underrated Xbox Games
I recently asked Xbox® gamers what they think are the best Xbox games that kinda slipped under the radar. I'm cleaning out the Xbox prize closet, so all these guys get an Amped® 2 or Need For Speed™ Underground 2 T-shirt! Here are some hidden treasures discovered by your fellow gamers in the Xbox community:
Pro Fishing™ Challenge.
—Godspeed
One of the best games that got under the radar that brought back some memories from the beta days was Room Zoom: Race for Impact™. This game is the same concept as the beta game for Xbox Live®called Re-Volt (RIP). What better fun than racing in a messy kid's room or in the middle of the kitchen and shooting missiles at your opponent's remote control car while racing for the finish line or scoring a goal on a soccer field. If you've been looking for an RC game, this is it, and be ready to have fun. I may have to throw this in my Xbox tonight!
—PIMCO (Raytown, Missouri)
Best Underrated Games:
Deus Ex: INVISIBLE WAR™ —The graphics are akin to Halo® 2 with great weapons, including an energy sword. You'll find many similarities to Halo 2's gameplay, however the reverse should be said as this game was released well before Halo 2. It also has alternate endings, great rag-doll effects, and a great sci-fi terrorist story.
Raze's Hell™—A definite sleeper, absolutely no one plays this game. Rated M, you have to rid the world of all the cutsie little teddie bear creatures who are trying to take over the world. This game is easy to pick up and play online, as the controls are very simple. The graphics are reasonably good for a low-budget title as well. More people should play this, especially if you can't afford Conker™: Live and Reloaded.
—Masterkilla (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Most underrated Xbox game: Beyond Good & Evil™
Most underrated Xbox Live game: Phantom Dust™
—notrust (Salinas, California)
I think the most underrated game in the Xbox arsenal is Goblin Commander™: Unleash the Horde. This game was perfectly balanced, fun to play, easy to control, and even has multiplayer! Its overall design was so superb, that you can play for a few minutes at a time and feel a mighty burst of satisfaction as you bash the enemy defenses as your Ogre. It's a great strategy fix to counter all of the shooting games in my library.
—ROBOGriff (Warner Robins, Georgia)
The Chronicles of Riddick™: Escape from Butcher Bay
Freedom Fighters™
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
Shenmue II
—JPtheBigTicket (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The most underrated game? By far the most fun, most destructive, bloodiest (did I mention fun?), competitive game overlooked is Deathrow. What made Deathrow so great? In what other sport do you have the option of either scoring the most goals to win, or beating the other team senseless to the point of no return? None. Deathrow is that sport.
If you're unable to find this game today, I suggest looking even harder. This is one experience you don't want to pass up.
—Mordeux (Monroe, Indiana)
Hello TriXie, I think one of the most underrated Xbox Live game is Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™. This was my very first Xbox Live game, and it is still one of my favorites. Even after three or four years it has great graphics, as even water can be seen on the screen in Sea Haven. I feel that this game is often over looked by more mainstream titles, namely many FPS games. This game also offered great game controls. It's no secret that some games just do not feel right the way the controls are set up; this game, on the other hand, is dead on the money.
Besides great graphics and very good gameplay, I believe this game showed off what download content was all about. They released a ton of content for this game, which showed the world just how much games can change and evolve through Xbox Live. Once again, I believe that Crimson Skies is one of the most over looked games in the Xbox Live arsenal.
—Garmer (Mendon, Illinois)
The best game that was slipped under the radar was Soldier of Fortune II. This game was absolutely a blast on Xbox Live when it first came out. Sadly though, not enough people played it … so it slowly died.
Name another game on Xbox Live where you can run up to your opponent and blast his head off with a shotgun, then stand over his body and taunt him! The grenades were perfect in that game, and the voice chat was awesome too. The use of channels was great. If you are looking for a great and original FPS to play on live then look no further; SOF2 is where it's at!
—East Side Boys (Durham, North Carolina)
Metal Arms™: Glitch in the System—This game was challenging and fun. It had great graphics, cool weapons and feeling of strategy like I feel when playing Halo®: Combat Evolved. This is robotic version of Halo and even a bit funnier at times. The thing I like the most about this game was the multiplayer. It had vehicles, robots you could control, lots of maps. The problem with the multiplayer was that it was only supported four players, no system link, no Xbox Live. If this game included support for Xbox Live this game would have been in the top ten. Yeah, four player is nice, but it doesn't beat a big online fragfest.
Steel Battallion—This game is awesome but it definitely needs an overhaul. The biggest problem I had was the gritty graphics, they seemed okay but at times the game looked like it was in black a white. I'm hoping for an Xbox 360™ version of this game, with a major graphics overhaul. People paid 200 smackers for this game controller which Capcom barely supports. I know the controller can be easily moved to the Xbox 360 because the controller ports on the Xbox are USB 1.1 and the Xbox 360's are 2.0. I can clearly say that the controller for this game is its shining point. It is built with durability in mind. This controller cannot just fall out of existence; get the rights to this game from Capcom, and give this 40-button very well built controller a breath of fresh air.
—MEGA MAGE (Wappingers Falls)
I've got one for you—Re-Volt! It was a classic game from the beta period of Xbox Live, and I want it back for the Xbox 360, could y'all make it Re-Volt 2? I mean, I probably spent hours playing it on Xbox Live back in the day.
—King s0l0m0n (Dalton, Georgia)
Hi—I know you're going to get this a lot, but Beyond Good & Evil was one of the most underrated games ever released on any platform. There are some games like Riddick where sparks literally come out of your bottom while playing, but about 30 minutes after completion you couldn't describe any of it to anyone ever. BG&E however was like soaking into a bath of gooood. The story whispered where other games shouted, the visual style was breathtaking, not in the normal "number of polygons thrown around the screen" (who cares about such things anyway) but in the sheer consistent richness of the world. The story was a proper grown-up story about truth and lies, not the standard revenge-killer-save-the-princess junk that infests so much of videogame entertainment. After completing the game, I had a lovely warm glow as to the future of my favorite medium, which was then immediately dashed by playing Juiced™. Ah, well.
—Garulon (South Wales, England)
The best Xbox game to slip under the radar in my opinion is Raze's Hell. This game has a fun but difficult single player mode that adds an inventive twist to the everyday third person shooter. Graphics are top notch and the online play is amazing (if you can find people to play with). No lag online that I have ever noticed, no frame rate drops, and some great game modes. Soccer is probably one of the best game modes ever to appear in a shooter. On top of that it was a budget title to start with selling for only 20 dollars. Definitely a great game that got passed over by the bulk of the community.
—Eternal Shogun (Rochester, New York)
Hi TriXie, I just wanted to add my own input in the "Underrated Xbox Games" subject you posted. I believe Metal Arms™: Glitch In The System is one of the most underrated games for the Xbox. It's one of the best experiences I've had in a single player game.
—HowlingPhoenix (Hot Springs, Arkansas)
Hi there, a few underrated games:
Psychonauts™
Shenmue II
Riddick
Panzer Dragon ORTA™
Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe
Jet Set Radio Future
Yes, I like SEGA®.
—DreamVsPs2 (Phoenix, Arizona)
I think some of the games people are overlooking are Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, SoulCalibur® II, and Airforce Delta Storm. Oddworld was a great launch game and I still play it, SCII is one of the best fighting games out there, and Delta Storm is a great game.
—Skate Zilla (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
TriXie, there have been several games that have not gotten their props in the community. Of those I know of, let me list two ... why two? Because I want to list one I played and one I plan on getting soon. First up, Brute Force™ is really good for team strategy and managing multiple members of your team. Getting people to play with you properly and with strategy is tough, but the single player experience was great from my perspective. I have not finished the game yet, because every time I thought I was getting close to the end, another mission would appear. Then more games came out and I had to split time between them.
The other that I am planning on getting is Advent Rising. It sounds great and I just have not heard a lot of community buzz around it yet. It looks like the community is giving it a reception similar to Beyond Good & Evil (which I also want to try). I think most people are looking to the horizon with Xbox 360 coming and skipping over some of these summer greats that are coming out. The story looks engaging and really ups the cool factor in the latest batch of games.
—Jazzy NUPE (Fresno, California)
I think an underrated game is Psychonauts. Raz is an extremely fresh character who has physic abilities as powers. It was really unique as when it came to taking over their minds with all the puzzles and whatnot. I loved the storyline and the game was actually given to me by a friend who received the wrong game. He wanted Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, but his parents got him this game so we traded. If you want a game fresh with ideas that has a refreshing story and a good splash of humor get Psychonauts.
—Tyeman64 (Atlanta, Georgia)
Overall, many people would think that for a title like Carve, "you get what you paid for." But I beg to differ. Anyone who buys and plays Carve is getting a lot more than what they paid for, which could range from zero to 20 dollars (because Carve has been released for a good while now). Carve is a must-have title for every Xbox Live user, especially for those who have enjoyed other titles in the jet-ski racing genre and are looking for a racing game to play with friends online.
—Soufizzy (Arlington, Texas)
I think the game that was under the radar, or actually I think fell victim to the Halo 2 and Ubisoft avalanche of games, is Rainbow Studio's MX vs. ATV Unleashed. I really enjoyed the online racing and in fact it set me up to really enjoy Forza Motorsport™ when it came out.
The fact that this was released at the same time as the Xbox history-making games caused it to get pushed out of the way too quickly. With the X-Games coming August 4, MX vs. ATV Unleashed is a great game to prep for the live event.
—Rainmaker2112 (Bellingham, Washington)
This may not be a completely unknown game, but I thought that it was definitely underrated: Full Spectrum Warrior™. The game was very different from anything I've ever played, and since Xbox is cluttered with various first person shooters, a game where you actually had to think between two squads in "real time" was a breath of fresh air for me. I enjoyed playing through the first two difficulty levels and am working on unlocking the elite mode (forgot what they called it, maybe authentic mode), but even without authentic mode, the game seems realistic enough to me. The problem with the game that I believe led to its downfall was the lack of adversarial play (although, how are you supposed to turn this type of game into a versus mode?) and the two-person game limit. Also, because the game was so short, and the downloadable content was not online-enabled, the replay ability of the game was limited. But I am looking forward to its sequel.
—RiceCubeBio (Castroville, California)
I feel that Phantom Dust™ was a great underrated game this year. It features a wonderful story about Earth being a barren wasteland due to mysterious cloud (the phantom dust) that caused people to lose their long-term memories if they stayed on the surface for a long period of time, forcing them to live in the sewers deep underground.
People who were given "special abilities" as a side effect of the dust are known as Espers, who use their abilities to travel the surface and rid it of the evil creatures, while searching for clues that will lead them to the ruins.
Taking the game online stepped it up, with the ability to master such a variety of skills. It's interesting to see what different combos, and strategies people use. Majesco Games built this game just right, and added everything anyone would want. With a 20 dollar starting price tag, it's very hard to find a better deal for such a well made game.
—Drifter85 (Oakland, Maine)
Breakdown™. Very underrated game.
—LiquidX
I think the most underrated Xbox game is Panzer Dragoon: ORTA. This game was one of the first released Xbox titles and has been overlooked by many gamers. This game has some of the best graphics on Xbox, and the controls are just as great. The game contains a huge variety of unlockables which adds to the replay value. Considering that you can buy this game for around 10 dollars for a used copy, it definitely pays for itself. This game is one of the reasons I bought Xbox (the other being Halo). I will never trade this game in, and I hope SEGA will make another Panzer Dragoon game for Xbox 360.
—A0S PYR0 (Minnesota)
I think that one of the most underrated games on Xbox is XIII. It has a classic single player story, and the multiplayer is like Goldeneye. To boot, it has David Duchovney as a character's voice!
—Aj6627 (Ravenna, Ohio)
A good title that sort of slipped under the radar was Raze's Hell, a value title game that actually came with Xbox Live! You don't see those a lot. Plus, the game was just fun. It was sort of surprising to see this game not get the recognition it deserves.
—Pipes26 (Grand Forks, North Dakota)
The most underrated Xbox game is NHL Rivals™ 2004. This was Microsoft's attempt at a hockey game. The gameplay was decent, the graphics were pretty good, but what makes this game the most underrated is the fact that is the only sports game to support more than one-on-one. You could play this game with up to five against five human players. But most of the time is was just three-on-three, because it only allowed six Xbox consoles to be connected. The best mode of the game was pickup, with pretty much no rules. My buddies and I stayed up plenty of nights past three in the morning, even when most of us had to work early. And most of the people that played that game are the friends that I still play with on Xbox Live. It had a great community for being a game that nobody really played.
—Derdrom (Chicago, Illinois)
I know the perfect example of a game that has been underrated and underplayed. This game is one of my favorite games to play on Xbox Live: Phantom Dust. With nearly 400 skills, millions of arsenal possibilities, free-for-all, team battles, destructible environments, great graphics, and exciting, nonstop action … who wouldn't love this game?
—Kingman 73 (Kansas City, Missouri)
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