PixlBit

I kinda can't wait to do this sort of overview for DS games when I get there in a few weeks. 

Before all this, I should mention Xbox Live Arcade, which launched on OG Xbox in 2004, and which I was super excited about. The 28 games released were sort of what you'd expect: classic arcade games, PopCap casuals, and a couple indies inspired by those. I probably had a half dozen of them on my old gamertag that I changed in 2007. I'm pretty sure it's been deactivated at this point, so I can't really play them on my OG Xbox anymore. Anyway, on to the list. 

31 – Hunter the Reckoning (#214) 

It is based on a table-top RPG of the same name. High Voltage Software made three games in the series, this being the first one for NGC and Xbox (second, Wayward, was for PS2 and the third, Redeemer, for Xbox). High Voltage has a long history and has made many licensed games and ports but also some original properties. Most notable to me are: the Conduit series for Wii (a rare FPS series on that system), and Saint’s Row IV and Gat Out of Hell, my favorite Saint's Row games. I originally got Hunter TR because I was into games with the campaign co-op feature.  

32 – Gun (#217, not owned) 

An action game by Neversoft that MK and I played a lot on Xbox 360 where it launched at the same time as on OG Xbox. It seems to be one of Neversoft’s rare adventure games. They mostly made Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero games. Well, it was a good one – a third person, open world adventure shooter. . . and scalping. . . kind of grim, that. 

33 – Armed & Dangerous (#225) 

A third-person shooter developed by Planet Moon Studios. Owners of this company had previously created the MDK series. As Planet Moon they made Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Armed & Dangerous, and after that, mostly ports and edutainment titles. I always loved the humor of A&D consisting of shark guns, heavy British accents, and ridiculous situations. It was a good shooter as well.  

34 – Project Snowblind (#228) 

Initially intended as a Deus Ex game, this became its own thing under Crystal Dynamics. Before this their notable title was Legacy of Kain, and after this they worked on many Tomb Raider games. It was a solid shooter MK and I had to play, since we played all those sorts of games back then.  

35 – Far Cry Instincts Evolution (#239) 

This is actually the first game, but it's very similar to Evolution and highlights the Feral powers which are so fun in both. 

A sequel to Far Cry Instincts made exclusively for Xbox. Both Instincts games were based on the first Far Cry on PC. Both games are bundled in FCI Predator for Xbox 360, and a remake of Evolution was made for Wii called FC Vengeance. The first Far Cry on PC was by Crytek, but all subsequent games were by Ubisoft Montreal using a modified version of the Crytek engine. I remember the first PC game was celebrated as a milestone in game graphics in 2004. I played it on PC just as I was transitioning to all console gaming. With the release of Xbox 360 in 2005 (I got one Summer, 2006), I was fully done with PC gaming.

36 – Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (#249) 

And here we see the first Treyarch/Infinity Ward split in making Call of Duty games, which, eventually, included even more developers. Infinity Ward did COD2, which was a launch exclusive for Xbox 360 in 2005; and Treyarch did COD2: Big Red One, an additional side story of COD2 that released that same year for previous gen systems. I was always partial to the Treyarch developed COD games. Something about their style was a little bit more run-and-gun and less tactical than the Infinity Ward ones. I distinctly remember MK and I convening and giving the thumbs down to 2007’s COD4: Modern Warfare. But we played the heck out of the Treyarch games, Big Red One, COD3 and COD World at War. I’m only now realizing I should’ve played the Black Ops series by Treyarch and will do soon.  

37 – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (#252) 

2005 was a really great year for OG Xbox, and PS2 for that matter. What is it with great games in the last year of a console’s life? Midway Studios L.A. did this spin-off Mortal Kombat game. That this game had campaign co-op made it an immediate seller to me. What you get is a fast-fighting style with fatalities and some light platforming. You can also use your environment to dispatch foes. Super fun, super crazy. Plus, plus, double plus.  

38 – Star Wars: Republic Commando (#255, not owned) 

This is by LucasArts and a great squad-based FPS in the Star Wars Universe. Just like KotOR, it seems perfect for a film adaptation. I don’t have it physically anymore, but it’s still available digitally.  

39 – Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance II (#272, not owned) 

Weirdly, I don’t remember playing this back in the day even though I was a huge fan of the first one. It’s available digitally again but no online co-op, just local. Bah! It’s mostly more of the same as the first in gameplay but with a new story and locations near Baldur’s Gate city instead of the wilderness.  

40 – Ultimate Spider-Man (#275) 

This showcases the web swinging I had some trouble getting used to this time around.

“Ultimate” was a popular word for Marvel comics of the 2000s trying to modernize their main series titles. I got the comics bug around 2006 starting with the Halo: Graphic Novel. I was mostly a Dr. Strange fan but there was a great crossover issue with Spider-man I wish I still had. Treyarch developed the Spider-Man console games. I always liked cell-shaded graphics as an aesthetic. That's why I like Wind Waker best of the Zelda games. 

And that's up to 40. I'll go until I finish what I have physically on Xbox - could be getting to 60 before I'm done.