What are the MUST HAVE XBox games?
 

Christmas is coming, so if I want 3-4 games, what are the MUST HAVES that I should put on my list?

From what I have played so far:

Halo
Dead or Alive 3
Amped
NFL Fever (if you like football)
SSX Tricky (based off how good the PS2 version is)

If you're at all any kind of sports fan, NHL 2002 is an absolute must. By far it's the best hockey game on any console I've ever played. Other great games I've played include:

Halo (amazing, my second fav. after NHL 2002).
Dave Mirra 2 (basically same as PS2 with 2 extra levels).
NFL Fever 2002 (much more arcade-ish than Madden, but I think it's more fun)
Fuzion Frenzy (great party game, not bad stand alone)

Avoid:

NBA Live 2002 (just absolutely sucks, one of the worst basketball games I've played)
Kabuki Warriors (played at a friends room, probably the worst game of all time)

Dying to play Dead or Alive 3, have only heard great things about it. Also looking forward to Max Payne and WWF Raw.

According to the two people I know that have Xboxes its:

Halo

There are some other good games that are PS2 ports like Madden 2002, Dave Mira 2, SSX Tricky, and Silent Hill 2.

Halo is the only must have right now. However, I thought Amped was pretty decent and Raw looks awesome when it comes out.

Halo is a must have, DOA 3 is very impressive as well, the game I spend the most time playing though is Nascar Thunder:D

If you're into combat games, Halo can't be beat.

If you're into fighting games, Dead or Alive 3 is the best (for now).

Sports games: NFL Fever or Madden 2002 (you make the choice based on what you're into).

I needed a basketball game so I got NBA Live 2002. I should have waited for NBA 2K2.

http://www.adclan.de/stuff/smilies/smilies/lurk.gif

I have had this thing since it came out and the only game I can stress as "must-own" is Halo. I have Dead or Alive 3, and that can get old quickly with the shallow gameplay, not to mention only one hidden character to be unlocked. The has some of the best graphics ever in a game, but you'll probably get past that and realize you want more - you want Soul Calibur 2, Tekken 4 or Virtua Fighter 4. Something with more substance. Don't get me wrong: Dead or Alive 3 may be the best fighting game ever made for some people; I don't think its a "must own title."

I also have Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, a very fun little game. It is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Very puzzle oriented, very funny. The humor may fall flat on some and the game will probably be too slow for many. Fans of the first Oddworld games for the Playstation should definitely look to this game if you purchase an Xbox.

One of the gems that looks to be going under the radar is Fuzion Frenzy, the epitome of a party game. It has 45 mini-games and almost all of them are extremely fun and addictive. This is just one of those games that doesn't delve, but will suck you in for hours. Certainly seems to be the best multiplayer experience on the Xbox aside from Halo.

If you like racing, definitely check out Project Gotham Racing. The graphics look great and the gameplay is there - just don't go in expecting it to unseat Gran Turismo 3. If you don't have a PS2, then by all means treat yourself to SSX Tricky. I personally prefer the PS2 version of the three available but this game will fail to disappoint on any platform.

As far as sports games go, you can't go too wrong with [b]NHL 2002[b] or Madden 2002. I imagine NHL's gameplay is much like the PS2 version. After hours of playing it, the A.I. just seems a little off - but for a hockey fan, there's no alternative to NHL 2002. Madden is solid as always but NFL 2k2 should hit shelves by the Holidays and there is much argument as to which is a better football game. Both are great, no matter how much you argue.

Well let me try to wrap this up.
The absolute must-buy: Halo
I would rank SSX Tricky next.
A grade-A racing game Project Gotham Racing
Sports games: NHL 2002, Madden 2002, NFL 2k2 Really can't wrong with any of these 3
For a great 4 player experience this side Halo and Super Smash Bros: Melee - Fuzion Frenzy

Halo- A-figgin'-mazing. I love this game. Probably my favorite FPS of all time. The enemy A.I. is so good that nearly everytime you play will be different. I thought Half-Life was great, but after Halo I can't go back.

Amped- A nice change of pace after SSX Tricky. May not be everyone's favorite snowboarding game(which seems to be Tricky), but I prefer this one. Not a racing game, but it's gameplay system is based on making you better yourself and improving your technique.

Max Payne- Just picked it up today and it's fantastic. Only played for a couple of hours but so far I'm hooked.

Halo
Amped
Doa3
Max Payne

then maybe a new set of thumbs.

It appears that the general consensus on "must-have game" is Halo.

I bought an XBox today & I got 3 games. Halo, NBA Live 2002, & Simpsons Road Rage.

I have not had a ton of time to play with them yet but Halo has been by far the most impressive game I have ever played. I am no game connoisseur by any means but I have enjoyed them all in the limited time I have played them.

p.s. The 5.1 sound on Halo is by far of the coolest things I have enjoyed in my gaming history.

Halo is the only exclusive X-box game, released or announced, that I'm interested in, which is why I don't plan on buying an X-box in the near future.

Madden, NHL, and Tony Hawk are all awesome, but you can play these on other systems, so you shouldn't use them to decide what system to get.

Oddworld is ok, but not really my cup of tea, and DOA isn't in the same ball park as Tekken or Soul Calibur IMO, but some people prefer it so if you like fighters you should probably check it out.

>If you don't have a PS2, then by all means treat yourself to SSX Tricky. I personally prefer the PS2 version of the three available but this game will fail to disappoint on any platform. <

Hey Cornfed, how does the X-box version of tricky compares to the PS2? Is the sound improved being 5.1 and are the graphics any better? From movies I have downloaded it seems like the snow is more detailed (bump mapped) but I'm not sure how large the differences are.

Halo is most definitly a must have. Also a must have that isn't out yet is GTA3, which is coming to XBOX soon I think.

I say that Project Gotham is nice, Amped is damn fun and very smooth, Halo and DOA3 are system sellers, and in the multi-system range- NHL 2002 is INCREDIBLE.

Amped for sure.

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee is amazing!!! My friend kept bugging me to buy it or even rent it. Hell i thought it look stupid. So the other day he surprised me and gave me the game. I was like ok, ok I'll play it now. So it turns out.....I LOVE THIS GAME. It's alot of fun! The puzzle are not to hard either. It's a simple fun game! Dif. a must have for any XBOX owner.

I bought this game for real cheap many months ago but I haven't even touched it yet. :D

My friend plays it on Fridays and it's pretty damn hilarious.

the games i like so far:

Rallisport
Halo
Amped
Jet Set Radio Future (JSRF)


haven't really tried out sega GT2002 but it looks ok. i can't stand games like Abe's Oddysee. DOA3 looks like all style... to be honest, that's it. i can't see buying any other games for the Xbox right now. if there is a decent Soccer game, yes.

here's ign's 9.0+ scores:

Halo First-Person Shooter Buy Now 9.7
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Extreme Sports 9.5
Dead or Alive 3 Fighting Buy Now 9.4
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind RPG Buy Now 9.4
Deathrow Sports Buy Now 9.3
RalliSport Challenge Racing Buy Now 9.2
Aggressive Inline Extreme Sports Buy Now 9.1
Jet Set Radio Future Action 9.1
NFL 2K3 Sports Buy Now 9.1
TimeSplitters 2 Action Buy Now 9.1
WWF Raw Wrestling Buy Now 9.1
GUNVALKYRIE Third-Person Action Buy Now 9.0
NHL 2002 Sports 9.0
SSX Tricky Sports 9.0
World Series Baseball Sports Buy Now 9.0
Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions Action 9.0

games out right now, Halo- allready explained
amped- best snowboarding game. Is very unique
Project Gotham Racing or Ralisport for racing are great as is sega gt2002
all of the above except Halo can be found under $30

of games out now or soon to be released
Buffy- wicked fun with a great hidden arena mode for fighting friends
Deathrow- futuristic sport game that is highly addictive
Splinter Cell- enough Hype on this game
Unreal Xhampionship- take UT2K3 and add different races with different abilities
and last but not least is MechAssault witch lookjs amazing and has some really strong buzz surronding it

Can't believe Buffy and Morrowind have only been mentioned once so far. Those are defenitely two of the must own titles on the xbox. In fact, I bought my xbox because of the former of the two :)

~Scheherazade

Just to throw in my two cents, I saw some posts about WWF Raw earlier, and while some people tore it apart, I enjoyed it. It had some serious downsides (especially the lack of season mode and the inability to save in the championship modes), but I'd hold off until Raw 2 comes out (not sure when). It should fix what was wrong with the first edition and I bet it turns out pretty good.

I really liked Buffy too but thought it was way too short for a purchase and ended up beating it and exchanging it within a week from Electronics Boutique.

I'll throw in another vote for Halo, especially playing co-op on legendary (as I am now) it's the greatest game I've ever played. Almost sad we've almost beat it, but Halo 2 will be coming out soon enough.

A few overlooked games, World Series Baseball is awesome, but also had a new version coming out in a while (I believe February, or somewhere around there). I think Madden 2003 is represented by far and away the best on XBox, and exporting draft classes from NCAA 2003 on the hard drive is awesome. I said it in another thread, but NHL Hitz is unbelievably addictive and fun, great multiplayer game that's easy to play for all skill levels.

If you like light gun games, go for House of the Dead 3. It also include House of the Dead 2 when you finish House of the Dead 3.

What brought this thread back from the crypt?

The most notable thing, to me, was the description of NHL 2002 as a great game last year. And when it was released, it was.

But 5 months later, NHL 2k2 came along and completely rewrote expectations of what a hockey game should be.

I'm pretty sure that the entire Grand Theft Auto series is a PS2 exclusive...

Panzer Dragoon Orta will destroy all other games.