Original Xbox....

Gaming has always been a hobby for me, something that the Atari 2600 Jr started and the C64c progressed. The later half of the 90's was when gaming exploded for me, with my first PC and then the release of the original Xbox.

Xbox gaming has always been the background to my PC gaming. It might not have been if not nudged along by Halo. Back in '97/8-ish I'd been interested to see what Halo would be like, games like Half life were the games in the late 90's, Halo promised to be so much more.
Then Bungie was bought out by Microsoft and the Halo release was no longer for PC. I was miffed about that; But if the game was as good as it promised to be then I'd be looking into getting an Xbox.
I have two very vivid memories of those times. The silver coloured X Xbox prototype and the E3 'sniper' trailer for Halo.

This Spartan always talked:

Halo Combat Evolved: E3 2000 Trailer

What impressed me most about the trailer were the physics, the jeep(warthog) and the general sound effect clutter noise's(soldiers with the terrain and their armour). I'd say I was hyped. A new console and a release title that was exclusive. It was a great time because of it. I've not been really in the same situation since. So the nostalgia is high there.

My Playstation experience came in the form of visits to my cousins, PS 1 and 2. While I thought Metal Gear was the business and Gran Tourismo was graphically great; I was turned off getting any PS console due to the controllers, weather they shook or not. For me they were awkward and uncomfortable. Looking back now on the OG Xbox, I'm really surprised at how bulky the old Duke controllers were/are. Yet they clicked with me more than the PS controllers ever did. To each their own. All duke all the time for me. I'd get one of the smaller S controllers from a friend but that was around the "getting a 360" so it didn't get use.

I don't think I really realised how much of a game changer the original Xbox was. PS2 may have sold 5 times as many consoles(250Million v 20Million?!), but the Xbox made it's mark. I think a lot of the originals thunder was transferred over onto the 360. The originals lifespan late 2002 to 2007, was such a short time in comparison to the 360. The 360 was live from 2005(Dec) to 2016! No wonder the originals thunder was absorbed into the 360. The backwards compatibility helped it cover a lot of ground(genres/franchises).

Looking at the lists of original games I'm even more surprised by the games that were even brought out. In an almost "oh wow yea" the xbox really did have X,Y and Z games. But more akin to me scratching my head and not even remembering that a franchise even exist and had a game out on the system. That GTA San Andreas or the bulk of the Splinter Cell games were original Xbox titles first rather than on 360. Console Mandela effect maybe.....

Hardware revision wasn't an Xbox thing till the 360. There were special versions of the original, like the green or clear crystal cases, but those were more aesthetic than any 'real' upgraded hardware version(not talking about DVD driver versions!). The 360 had more hardware iterations than anything, Core, Arcade, Elite, Premium, Super Elite, 360 S, 360 E. And the Xbox One is fast catching up on that score. Not that I've owned many versions. Original XBox on release, original 360 Pro(20GB) on release(which red ringed in 2010, got fixed and lasted until fatal red ring last January. Knowing my original 360 should have been out to pasture as it was being fixed I picked up a 250GB Super Elite Modern Warfare 2 360 to replace it, still working today. Then lastly my Xbox One Elite which I have today.

Game wise I've no massive list of original titles. My list (release year/month):

Xbox release March 2002
Halo
Project Gotham Racing
Dead or Alive 3

2002
The Thing (Sept)
Splinter Cell (Nov)
Mechassault (Nov)
Medal of Honour Frontline (Dec)

2003
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (March)
Soulcalibur 2 (Sept)
Fifa Football 2004 (Oct)
True Crime Streets of LA (Nov)
Mission Impossible: Operation Surma (Dec)

2004
GTA Double pack(GTA 3/Vice City) (Jan)
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (March)
Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow (Aug)
Rocky Legends (Oct)
Ghost Recon 2 (Nov)
Halo 2 (Nov)

2005
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (April)
GTA San Andreas (June)
Operation Flashpoint Elite (Oct)
Dead of Alive Ultimate (Feb)

There were a large amount of games released on the Xbox that were also a available on PC. For me PC overruled an Xbox version buy even today. Comparing the list of Xbox games v what was out on PC I can see where my interests were divided. While my waffle and nostalgic retrospective here tell me to be more even with purchasing considerations I can see I've become more PC biased in practice. My original and 360 games round out to be about the same disc count(Mid 20's). Games with gold obviously gives inflated stats to the 360 not to mention the Xbox One. But on the XBone I've only 4 games on disc..... I think my Xbox days are over. I don't see the next console versions offering more than the PC can. Then again maybe I'm already using my XBone as a web based console already.....

Having said that, my last game was Red Dead Redemption. Maybe there do need to be more console specific/exclusive games.

Anyway getting back to being retro; I think I'll be doing some original Xbox game searches to see if I can get them. The list of games I'll be looking for:

Otogi, a game that I played the heck out of but only as a demo. I'm unsure why I never got the game at the time. I'd also like to give the second game a whirl as well as get the first but both are super rare.

While not a game I thought I'd be into I have an interest in getting a look at The Hobbit

Under-rated at the time I recall it being a squad switch shooter of some hype, which didn't live up to it; But now in retrospect.....

Being a Battletech fan I did own and play the first Mechassault but the second game had off-putting reviews; Now in retrospect I'd like to try.

I was always a Robotech fan and this was another game I missed out on Battlecry, so it'd be nice to get.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent was a different game on xbox and 360. I've played the 360 version and I'd like to see the original for myself(Double agent Sixth console generation, Seventh console generation).

Worth seeing the full video from Critical Nobody's Reviewing EVERY Splinter Cell: