Our Ten Best- Episode 21: Underrated and Overlooked X-Box Games

420px-Voodoo_vince_coverDespite never being able to measure up to the Playstation 2, Microsoft’s X-Box was a one of a kind system that paved the way for the industry by offering great online features and the ability to do more than just play games.

Here, we list 10 games you may have missed out on during the system’s original run.

Honorable Mention:
“Shenmue II,” “Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse,” “UFC Tapout,” “Battlestar Galactica”

10- Bruce Lee Quest of the Dragon: Yes, this is a terrible game, but it is so bad that it’s fun. The story makes no sense and the graphics aren’t up to the system’s capabilities. However, it is the best Bruce Lee game ever made and with a cool leveling-up system that allows you to learn new moves as you go through the game, this is at least worth a few hours of your time.

9- Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2X:
Tony Hawk overlooked? In this case, yes. When this game was released everyone was playing “Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3,” forgetting that this is easily the best game in the series. With updated graphics and gameplay, this is arguably the greatest skating game ever made. Plus, you can play as Spider-Man. What else do you need?

8- Breakdown: On a system that was flooded with first-person shooters, “Breakdown” was a different type of game that had an interesting story. It’s not quite “Chronicles of Riddick,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great game in its own right.

7- WWF Raw 2: It’s nowhere near the level of any PS2 grappler, but this is easily the best wrestling game on the system. Add in the ability to use your own music and you have an immersible experience that isn’t hampered by sloppy controls. It’s a great looking as well.

6- The Suffering:
Easily one of the best action games of the generation and one that got “Midway” back in the spotlight, albeit for a little while. A great story and great graphics alone are enough to give this a whirl, but a boatload of thrills are more than enough to give this game a permanent place in your collection.

5- Links 2004: Best golf game on the system. A true shame considering Microsoft’s sports games never really hit the ground running.

4- Dungeon & Dragons Heroes:
Many were steamed when this game was canceled on the PS2. Luckily it was still released on the X-Box. Not as solid as “Baldur’s Gate” or “Champions of Norrath,” it’s still an amazing action/rpg that will eat hours of your time.

3- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Many see this game and never give it a chance. Not only is it one of the best games on the system, it’s also one of the best licensed games of all time.

2- Panzer Dragoon Orta:
A classic on the Sega Saturn, this game never quite achieved the same status on the X-Box. A true shame.

1- Voodoo Vince: At first look, “Voodoo Vince” doesn’t seem like too enthralling an offering, but make no mistake, it’s a platformer with staying power. A tribute to classic side-scrollers, while possessing the elements of a great 3D adventure, “Voodoo Vince” is a hidden gem.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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