The 20 Best Xbox Games You Never Bought

With a library of over 800 titles, the original Xbox had its definite share of monster hits. But what about the other 798 games not starting with “H” and ending with “o” that graced our beloved black box? And what about those that didn’t get the attention they deserved? And what if we told you that most of these overlooked, underappreciated treasures are still just as kickin’ at a fraction of the price they originally sold for? Got your attention now? Welcome to our Best of the Overlooked Gems for Xbox!

Note: We pulled our sales figures from leading videogame-industry sales tracker The NPD Group. Figures are through February 2006 – right about when momentum started to shift to Xbox 360 – and the number cited excludes Wal-Mart sales.

Steel Battalion
Developer: Capcom • Publisher: Capcom
OXM Rating: 8.9, January 2003
Copies Sold (as of Feb 2006): 42,600

What It Was: The hardest-core mech game in history. It required a light-up, build-it-yourself, 40-button controller, and it cost $250.
Why It Didn’t Sell: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or even an OXM editor) to realize that a game costing more than the system itself isn’t likely to sell zillions.
Why It Still Rocks: You have to flip a bunch of toggle switches and man your gear levers just to get the ignition sequence right so you don’t stall out your mech. That’s how dedicated a sim Steel Battalion is.
Backward-Compatible With Xbox 360?: Sadly, Steel Battalion’s proprietary controller likely means it’ll never be compatible with Xbox 360.

Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath
Developer: Oddworld Inhabitants • Publisher: EA
OXM Rating: 8.6, February 2005
Copies Sold (as of Feb 2006): 138,500

What It Was: Oddworld Inhabitants’ trademark brand of delightfully morose humor pervades the entirety of an eco-conscious tale masquerading as a really inventive FPS.
Why You Didn’t Buy It: Was it because neither Abe nor Munch was the hero of this particular adventure? Or was it just too damn wacky for its own good? We don’t know — but we’d guess that some gamers didn’t know what to make of the shaggy Stranger at first blush. He, and the game he stars in, takes a bit of getting used to.
Why It Still Rocks: A dozen or so types of “live ammo,” along with a bounty system (to buy upgrades for your gun and character), still make Stranger’s’ gameplay hum along in a refreshingly new way.
Backward-Compatible With Xbox 360?: No

Psychonauts
Developer: Double Fine • Publisher: Majesco
OXM Rating: 9.5, May 2005
Copies Sold (as of Feb 2006): 57,500

What It Was: One of 2005’s best games, the best Xbox platformer yet, and one of the funniest games on any system in the last five years. And if you’ve got a problem with that, take it up with our friend the Lungfish!
Why You Didn’t Buy It: Frankly, we’re confused. We did our part: we offered a playable demo and championed the game vigorously. Loyal readers who listened wrote in to express their jovial satisfaction. But it came down to shelf space: for whatever reason, few copies were available at retail. Bad Majesco! Bad!
Why It Still Rocks: Our hero Raz is likable and smart, and for the ladies, he’s even a cutiepie. And traversing deranged minds, soaking up imagination figments, and attending psychic summer camp is as endearing and memorable as ever.
Backward-Compatible With Xbox 360?: Yes

Panzer Dragoon Orta
Developer: Smilebit • Publisher: Sega
OXM Rating: 9.0, November 2002
Copies Sold (as of Feb 2006): 129,800

What It Was: A gorgeous on-rails shooter (the arcade kind) that might possibly conclude the seminal Panzer Dragoon series that launched a decade ago.
Why You Didn’t Buy It: Let’s face it — this franchise fared competently on its native platform, the Sega Saturn, but hadn’t surfaced again until Orta. Hardcore gamers like us may love it, but it just didn’t carry over to the broader Xbox audience.
Why It Still Rocks: PDO is Sega at its finest — doing irreverent, arcade-themed gameplay against a gorgeously imaginative backdrop.
Backward-Compatible With Xbox 360?: Yes

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