Original Xbox Games That Were Never Ported

The Xbox is one of the most popular gaming consoles out there at the moment and it is the premier console from Microsoft. It has gone through several incarnations since the original release from the Xbox to the Xbox 360 to the current Xbox One. Odds are, we will see another version of it in the future.

At present, it is on the sixth generation of gaming consoles but the original Xbox is still thought of fondly by many players. It had some great games released on it. Unfortunately, some of the best Xbox games are forever stuck in Xbox exclusivity.

Updated November 21st 2024 by Hilton Webster: The original Xbox tends to fade into the background in the conversation around modern consoles. It was up against the PS2 and the prevailing popularity of Nintendo, yet it still managed to lay a fantastic foundation to build up the Xbox ecosystem. Many of the games have now entered the Backwards Compatibility library, though a small few games still slipped through the cracks.

10

Superman: The Man of Steel

Superman fans who want to play every single game with their favorite superhero might be out of luck with Superman: The Man of Steel. The game is an action-adventure one released specifically for Xbox in 2002. It was based explicitly on the comic book mythos which was different than many of the other Superman games that adapted from different mediums.

The storyline follows the events of Superman: Y2K with Brainiac 13 injected into Metropolis via a virus. Superman has to help stop the virus from spreading. Other villains included in the game include Lux Luthor, Cyborg Superman, Metallo, and Mongul.

9

Jet Set Radio Future

Jet Set Radio is a rare breed of game. While counter-culture games that focused on things like skateboarding weren’t a rare breed in the early 2000’s, so few of them harnessed their own setting like Jet Set Radio did. As part of a deal with Xbox, they got their own version of Jet Set Radio.

Jet Set Radio Future is a pseudo-remake of the original, bringing in new characters, gameplay, story and plenty more, but keeping that bombastic colour and soundtrack. It’s the peak for the era in terms of this style of game, a real icon, and it’s sad that despite attempts, it’s locked away on the original Xbox.

8

Project Gotham Racing 2

Project Gotham Racing 2 is a racing game released exclusively for Xbox in 2003. The series received universal acclaim upon its release. Despite how the name sounds, this game has nothing to do with DC or Batman. There are three main parts to the game when in single-player mode: Kudos World Series, Arcade Racing, and Time Attack.

Additionally, you can play online and there was extra downloadable content released for the game too that included eight new cars and new tracks in different places around the world. While in the garage, you could access a cult-favorite minigame known as Geometry Wars.

7

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Were you a fan of the popular series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer created by Joss Whedon and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar? If so, you were probably one of the many who picked up the game when it was initially released.

However, sadly, you won’t be able to get the game now unless you have one of the original Xbox consoles. This game was actually the second Buffy game to be released. It was positively received and critics praised it for the writing and story which felt right at home within the Buffy universe. It probably helped that accomplished writers, Christopher Golden, and Thomas Sniegoski wrote most of the game’s dialogue.

6

Forza Motorsport

If you’re a big fan of racing simulation games then you’re likely very familiar with Forza. The game series has more than ten different games in the series but the original game, Forza Motorsport, released in 2005, is stuck in Xbox exclusivity. Obviously, it was incredibly well-received upon release as it has gone on to become one of the most popular racing game franchises of all time.

Players compete in racing events around the world using cars based on their real-life counterparts. You could play with quickplay for short-term, arcade mode, and career mode if you wanted to play for longevity and build your reputation.

5

Blinx: The Time Sweeper

Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a platforming game where you play an adorable cat named Blinx equipped with a special TS-1000 Vacuum Cleaner which he can use to take control of time via the “Time Controls.” Blinx’s goal is to rescue a princess from the Tom-Tom Gang. Blinx is a Time Sweeper who works at the Time Factory.

You will have to find and take care of glitches in the dimension before the Time Monsters can wreak havoc. All the while, you are trying to track down the evil gang that has been stealing Time Crystals. For a time, Blinx was going to become the Xbox mascot but it never came to pass.

4

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike

While the original Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 is available on multiple consoles, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike was an expansion of the original game made exclusively for the Xbox and it was considered much more difficult than its predecessor.

For the most part, the two games are identical except Summit Strike has a notably higher difficulty and it includes new multiplayer modes. The game was met with positive reception from critics. It is a singleplayer game and considered a tactical shooter. While this was one of the early incarnations, there are many other Tom Clancy games that have come out since.

3

MechAssault

If you’re familiar with BattleTech then you might have played the MechAssault games in the past. A sequel, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf came out in 2004 but the original action shooter game was only available on Xbox and it was released in 2002. The game follows battles between human-piloted machines known as BattleMechs.

For people who are fans of mecha anime and games involving robotics, this would probably be of great interest to you. The story takes place on planet Helios where feuding factions are fighting for control of land and space. Your ship is hired to investigate the sudden cease of communications from Helios.

2

Dino Crisis 3

People have begged, over and over, for Dino Crisis to come back. We got spiritual successors, subscription-only access, and barebones ports. Nothing new, no proper re-releases. Not even a backwards compatible version of the one Xbox Exclusive entry, Dino Crisis 3.

Dino Crisis 3 didn’t have an easy run, having to rapidly change development after 9/11, cancel PS1 development to exist solely on the Xbox, and some rather drastic changes to what defined earlier entries. It had a spark in there all the same, but not one you can witness legally.

1

Panzer Dragoon Orta

As the fourth game in the Panzer Dragoon series, this rail shooting game was published by Sega and exclusively released on the Xbox in 2002. The popular franchise is getting a facelift and re-release with the original game in the series set to come out on Nintendo Switch before the end of the year.

But Panzer Dragoon Orta is, for now at least, an Xbox exclusive. In the game, the Empire is at full power and creating bio-engineered weapons known as dragonmares. It will be your job to destroy them and save the world to end the war for good.