Best Xbox Game For Each Year Of The 2000s

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 19, 2025 19 Views 13 Min Read
Best Xbox Game For Each Year Of The 2000s



Summary

  • Halo: Combat Evolved revolutionized console FPS gaming with dual-stick controls and competitive play.
  • TimeSplitters 2 set the bar for FPS games with a great campaign and innovative level editor.
  • Beyond Good & Evil’s timelessness, charming elements, and unique gameplay make it a standout title.

After Sega exited the hardware business in 2001, the space was empty for a new challenger to come in, and that company was Microsoft. At CES 2001, Bill Gates and the Final Boss, The Rock, unveiled the Xbox, a brand that would dominate much of the 2000s in gaming culture.

Best Xbox 360 Games Every Year Featured Split Image Of Screenshots of Assassin's Creed 2, Halo 3, and Grand Theft Auto 5

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When the President of the United States himself mentions Xbox in a political speech, you know you’ve taken the world by storm. The original Xbox and Xbox 360 not only delivered incredible games during the 2000s, but many of the titles significantly impacted the video game industry as a whole.

9

2001 – Halo: Combat Evolved

Changed The FPS Genre Forever

It’s not an exaggeration that the FPS genre would be completely different today without Halo. This game was when FPS titles finally nailed the console space when it was primarily associated with PC gaming for the longest time.

Not only did it control extremely well due to the now-standard dual-stick controls, but it played so well that there was a competitive scene for it, which was unheard of for a console FPS. Halo was a complete revolution, and for that, it has to be the best Xbox launch year game.

8

2002 – TimeSplitters 2

A Classic FPS Game

While the first TimeSplitters was a PS2 exclusive, the second game launched on all three platforms. The spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, made by many of the same developers, TimeSplitters 2 was an awesome FPS game.

With great guns, solid levels, and a good challenge, TimeSplitters 2 already had an amazing single-player campaign, but it also offered something else: a level editor. While a level editor was present in TimeSplitters, the second game fully fleshed it out. It became the first incredible FPS level editor on a console, paving the way for stuff like Forge in Halo 3.

7

2003 – Beyond Good & Evil

One Of The Greatest Ubisoft Games Of All Time

2003 had plenty of incredible games to pick from, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, but the game of the year has to go to Beyond Good & Evil. Out of all of them, Beyond Good & Evil is the most timeless with its art style, writing, and gameplay.

multiple characters on the box art for Shin Megami Tensei Nine, a dinosaur from dinosaur hunting, and a character from tenerezza, left to right.

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The characters are just as likable as ever, and besides a few dragging stealth sections, the pacing is phenomenal. The use of photography to snap pictures of animals and characters also proves to be a lot of fun and helps with the open world exploration.

6

2004 – Halo 2

A Sequel That’ll Blow You Away

The three most anticipated games of 2004 were Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, and Halo 2. All of them delivered, with Halo 2 being a top-five game on the original Xbox. Everything about the first Halo was made better in Halo 2. The levels were far better and more diverse and combat was improved with the introduction of dual-wielding and more enemy types. It also had a better story switching between two protagonists, a better soundtrack, and, most of all, better multiplayer.

Unlike Halo, Halo 2 had Xbox Live multiplayer, revolutionizing online play for console gaming. It was so fun and meaningful to players that some kept their Xbox on for days to keep playing when the OG Xbox servers shut down in 2010.

5

2005 – Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

The Stealth Game GOAT

A top contender for the best stealth game ever made is Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. One of the best-looking games on the system with a fantastic lighting engine years ahead of everything else coming out, Chaos Theory played just as well as it looked. There are so many things you can do throughout the ten levels available.

Helping with experimentation is the new save anywhere system, a mechanic that, on its own, makes Chaos Theory leaps and bounds above the prior two games on Xbox. The ten-level campaign in Chaos Theory is the best collection of master-crafted stealth missions in the series; plus, it has arguably the best iteration of the Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer mode. Sure, Xbox Live is down for the OG Xbox, but you can still play via Insignia if you want.

Not Selecting Oblivion As GOTY Is Violating The Law. Your Stolen Goods Are Now Forfeit.

2006 had some stiff competition. Dead Rising remains one of the best zombie games ever, and the original Prey is a classic FPS from the early 360 era. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 comes close, but the title of the best has to go to Oblivion. The fourth Elder Scrolls and the fan-favorite of the series, Oblivion, brought the series to HD, creating an immersive fantasy world that hooked countless players.

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Unlike the Xbox port of Morrowind, which is rough by today’s standards, the controls are more what you’d expect from recent Bethesda games. This made the game age far better, and even the many dated elements make Oblivion more charming as a result. The stellar quests, RPG mechanics, and mesmerizing exploration all made Oblivion GOTY by most outlets.

3

2007 – Halo 3

The Last Truly Great Halo Game

Capping off the best FPS trilogy of all time, Halo 3 is many people’s favorite in the series, a strong feat, considering the greatness of the first two Halo games. The campaign was incredible, being akin to Return of the Jedi, with its satisfying conclusion to all the core conflicts.

The multiplayer remains the best in the series, with its balance, maps, and awesome starting weapon that leads to fun encounters right away. That last one’s a big deal as it makes Halo 3 a pickup-and-play game, an important factor present in most popular shooters now. Halo 3 also saw the debut of Forge, a level editor that allowed many incredible custom games to be made.

2

2008 – Ninja Gaiden 2

An Action Game GOAT

Yes, 2008 had Grand Theft Auto 4, Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, and countless others. However, there’s only one incredible game that year that’s truly a one-of-a-kind: Ninja Gaiden 2. The final game by the original staff at Team Ninja before departing the company over bonus pay, NG2 is a hardcore action game done right.

There’s still no other melee-focused action title like it, with its wild number of enemies on screen and fast-paced action. It has an incredible 14-chapter campaign with eight awesome weapons that all feel good, and mechanically, NG2 might have the best combat system in any game. Everything is fine-tuned to give you the best action-game experience possible, and it’s unfortunate every other version is missing countless features.

1

2009 – Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The Final Fantasy 7 For FPS Games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the next big thing in gaming, and so popular that, like Final Fantasy 7, MW2 became many’s first FPS or possibly even one of the first video games they’ve played. Instead of skill-based matchmaking or unknowingly playing against bots for the first couple of matches, MW2 used the game itself to hook players in.

Tactics like the grenade launcher attachment, which were overpowered but not competitively viable, were great for beginners to jump in, and the ever-growing killstreak system made getting good an exciting goal. Beginners wanted to naturally get better to use all these awesome killstreaks, and it’s amazing that MW2 shaped an entire generation just by making a fun game without all these tactics that modern FPS titles use.

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