7 Best FPS Games That Started As Original Xbox Exclusives, Ranked

FPS games have been around for a very long time, and throughout the years, many wonderful titles have been released. While the 1990s had some of the greatest FPS games to date, the early 2000s also had a great selection of them, giving players amazing experiences that are lasting memories for many of them today.

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Although games from this period did not have the best graphics or the most realistic bullet physics, they were still great fun to play. Some of these titles were released first as an exclusive to some platforms and then made available for many more players. Here are some of the best FPS games that started out as original Xbox exclusives.

7 Shadow Ops: Red Mercury

A Game That Raises The Stakes In Many Ways

• Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Xbox
• Released: June 15, 2004
• Developer(s): Zombie Studios
• Genre(s): FPS
• A race against time to recover some nuclear bomb codes
• Originally released for the Xbox and then for Windows

Taking on the role of Captain Frank Hayden, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury focuses on a race against time to recover a briefcase containing a nuclear bomb code. The premise makes this title really interesting, not only because it's something that could happen in real life, but also because it raises the stakes and makes everything feel a lot more serious.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury was first released for the original Xbox in June 2004 and later released for Windows operating systems in September and October of the same year for North America and other regions respectively. While this game was not reviewed favorably by critics, it still delivers a satisfying FPS experience.

6 Breakdown

A Classic Title With An Interesting Story

• Derrick Cole is injected with a serum to make supersoldiers
• Site Zero is linked to increased earthquake activity

Breakdown is one of those games on this list that not only started out as an original Xbox exclusive, but stayed that way, as it was never released for other platforms. The game focuses on the discovery of a place called Site Zero, which is believed to be directly linked to increased earthquake activity in the vicinity.

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Players will take on the role of player character Derrick Cole, who is suffering from amnesia after being injected with a mysterious substance used to create supersoldiers with amazing abilities.

5 Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth

A Survival Horror Title That Many Players Remember Fondly

• A survival horror FPS that players can still enjoy through Steam
• Players will have to avoid unnecessary fights to keep their resources intact

Although some players would argue that Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a survival horror game first and an FPS second, this title does feature a lot of action from a first-person perspective, making it a great addition to this list.

As it happens with other survival games, players will have to manage their resources carefully and avoid fights whenever they're not necessary to make sure they keep their provisions as well stocked as possible. Since Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is an older game, it runs very well on low-end PCs.

4 Far Cry Instincts

A Great Remake That Allowed Console Owners To Join The Far Cry Universe

• A remake of the original Far Cry, which was a PC exclusive until 2014
• Solid game mechanics, even when the experience was more linear than that of the original

Far Cry Instincts is a remake of the original Far Cry, which was released for PC in 2004 and would not be available for consoles until 2014. As opposed to the original title, Far Cry Instincts did come out on console, exclusively for the original Xbox in 2005.

And while this remake was pretty good, it was also somewhat limited by the original Xbox's hardware, which forced developers to make the gameplay experience more linear than that of the original title. Luckily, this didn’t affect the game too much, and players who wanted to join the Far Cry universe but didn’t have a PC got to join in, and they were happy about it. Far Cry Instincts offers a more modern FPS experience, but if players are looking for something that focuses more on historical events, there are plenty of titles with muskets out there that history buffs will love.

3 Unreal Championship

A Fun FPS That Helped Make Epic Games What It Is Today

• Platform(s): Xbox, Xbox One
• Released: September 24, 2002
• Developer(s): Epic Games, Digital Extremes
• Genre(s): FPS
• One of the titles responsible for putting Epic Games on the map
• Six different game modes available

Along with other titles in the same universe, Unreal Championship was one of the first games to put Epic Games on the map, and it arguably helped this developer become the behemoth it is today. Moreover, this title is known for being the first console game to ever receive a downloadable patch, something that’s quite normal these days, but not as much back in the early 2000s.

Although Unreal Championship is not one of the hardest FPS games ever made, it featured six different game modes, including “Deathmatch”, “Capture the Flag”, and “Bombing Run”, which offered an outstanding experience for players.

2 Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

An Installment In The Unreal Franchise That Implemented Many New Elements

• Platform(s): Xbox, Xbox One
• Released: April 18, 2005
• Developer(s): Epic Games
• Genre(s): FPS
• 14 different playable characters
• The game introduced melee combat

As opposed to other games on this list, Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict allows players to combine combat from both a first and a third-person perspective, which makes for a more complete experience.

The game features 14 different playable characters from the Unreal universe and also introduces melee combat, which was very refreshing for most players as it allowed them to fight in many different ways. This title was made with Unreal Engine 2.5 and was released on April 18, 2005, for North America and on April 22, 2005, for Europe. Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict was an Xbox exclusive, and will likely always remain so.

1 The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

An Interesting Title Set In The Chronicles Of Riddick Universe

• The game focuses on the famous anti-hero from the Chronicles of Riddick franchise
• Riddick must escape a maximum-security prison

While many younger gamers probably know Vin Diesel from the Fast and Furious franchise, older players will likely remember him from his role in the Chronicles of Riddick universe. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay follows the beloved anti-hero, as he tries to escape a maximum-security prison.

This title was first released for the original Xbox in the middle of 2004 and later came out for Windows in December of the same year. Although The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay can be played with a mouse and keyboard, it's arguably one of those titles that are much more comfortable to complete with a controller.

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