The Best Exclusives On The Original Xbox, Ranked

The original Xbox launched in the United States on November 15, 2001. This was right off the heels of SEGA throwing in the towel in the console market, thus making room for a new competitor for Sony and Nintendo's sixth-generation systems. It was a bold move and one that raised quite a few eyebrows, but also one with real value.

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The results of Microsoft's decision ultimately speak for themselves. While the system did not sell as many units as the PS2, primarily due to having fewer games and a lack of established franchises; the titles that it did get were pretty impressive. The best Xbox exclusives have had a huge impact on the industry, spawning multi-million dollar franchises that are still popular to this day.

Updated February 22, 2024, by Tom Bowen: When Microsoft made the decision to enter the home console market in the late nineties, the company faced a monumental task. The competition was strong and the margins were tight, as Sega would learn just a few short years later. Armed with some creative thinkers and a ridiculous amount of cash, the company quickly realized that it needed more than just powerful hardware to stand a chance against Nintendo and Sony and so set about securing a strong library of Xbox-exclusive titles. Not all of the original Xbox exclusives found their mark, but many did and would go on to become hugely successful, often selling millions of units and spawning multiple sequels in the process.

20 Fuzion Frenzy

Metacritic Rating: 70 (Xbox)

Originally released in 2001, Fuzion Frenzy may not have been the most complex game on the market, but it provided hours of simplistic and over-the-top antics akin to Nintendo's Mario Party series. It may not have had the iconic characters, but it arguably provided just as much fun.

As would perhaps be expected from a fledgling party game, it didn't score too highly with critics, exemplified by its 70 Metascore. However, the game sold extremely well; amassing nearly 700,000 sales in the United States, which is very impressive considering the original Xbox's fairly limited sales.

19 Blinx: The Time Sweeper

Metacritic Rating: 71 (Xbox)

Given the huge success of series like Mario, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot, it's easy to see why Microsoft was so keen to secure a platforming franchise of its own. As it happens, Blinx ended up being a little more Bubsy than Banjo, but it still had plenty of redeeming qualities that made it worth playing.

The game performed reasonably well with critics and sales were strong enough for Microsoft to greenlight a sequel. Unfortunately, however, the response to Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space was fairly lackluster, which led to the franchise being kicked to the curb. It wasn't the last Xbox exclusive title that Artoon would work on though, with the studio later going on to co-develop Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360.

18 Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Metacritic Rating: 73 (Xbox)

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball caught a lot of flack when it was first released, though its strong sales suggest that not all of this was fully justified. It was definitely a game of its era and, though certainly a little risqué, was still a well-put-together volleyball game.

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Of all the fighting game spinoffs that exist, Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is right up there with the best of them and is certainly one of the most unique. At the end of the day, if there is a market for this type of game, then there should be nothing wrong with developers answering that demand.

17 Ultimate Fighting Championship: Tapout

Metacritic Rating: 74 (Xbox)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship brand was far smaller in 2002 than it is today, but that didn't stop a tie-in game from releasing for the original Xbox. It featured some of the sport's biggest stars like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and Frank Shamrock; as well as, for some reason, 80s rapper Ice T.

Considering the year it was released, Ultimate Fighting Championship: Tapout developer DreamFactory did a solid job of implementing the vast range of mixed martial arts styles into balanced gameplay mechanics. They did so well, in fact, that a sequel was released the following year.

16 Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon

Metacritic Rating: 77 (Xbox)

Though arguably the worst entry in the classic point-and-click franchise, Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is still a very good game. It brings George Stobart and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Nico into the third dimension and features an elaborate story that's full of epic twists and turns.

Interestingly, Microsoft only went as far as securing exclusivity for the title in North America, meaning that those in Europe were able to play the game on the PlayStation 2 a month earlier than Xbox owners in the States. It was definitely worth the wait though, as the Xbox port looks and controls far better than its PS2 counterpart.

15 Steel Battalion

Metacritic Rating: 83 (Xbox)

Steel Battalion was a costly investment back in the early 2000s and not a lot of copies of the game exist in the wild anymore as a result. A lot of people chose to focus on cost at the time of its release, but, looking back, it's perhaps Capcom's ambition that deserved to be the main talking point.

Technology is getting close to offering some visceral VR experiences, but the feeling of having physical controls just isn’t the same. What made Steel Battalion so great was its elaborate controller that mirrored that of the player’s cockpit. The dang thing even had an eject button! It was hard, but it felt good when victory was clenched at the last second.

14 Conker: Live & Reloaded

Metacritic Rating: 78 (Xbox)

A remake of the cult classic N64 title Conker's Bad Fur Day, 2005's Conker: Live & Reloaded was released exclusively on Xbox following Microsoft's acquisition of Rare in 2002. This didn't sit too well with Nintendo fans, but certainly helped raise awareness of the Xbox brand.

Among the game's changes was the implementation of Xbox Live to the multiplayer mode, as well as significant graphical and sound improvements. As a result, many consider it to be the definitive version of the game and one of the few great games released by Rare since being acquired by Microsoft.

13 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

Metacritic Rating: 89 (Xbox)

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay had a lot going for it in 2004. Not only was it a tie-in to the popular media franchise, but Vin Diesel also reprised his role in the game. As a result, it scored an impressive 89 on Metacritic, though the game struggled to perform commercially.

Thankfully, the game's developer Starbreeze Studios was at least rewarded for its efforts, picking up awards for Best Game Based on a Movie and Unsung Hero Game of the Year. The franchise has since faded away into obscurity, but the game remains one of the original Xbox's very best.

12 Project Gotham Racing 2

Metacritic Rating: 90 (Xbox)

With a whopping Metascore of 90, Bizzare Creations' Project Gotham Racing 2 is not just one of the best racing games on the original Xbox, but also one of the best racing games of all time. It looked and played like a dream when it was released in late 2003 and still holds up pretty well to this day.

Much like with its predecessors, Metropolis Street Racer and Project Gotham Racing, the gameplay is centered around the franchise's fantastic Kudos mechanic. Much like a modern-day in-game currency, Kudos is amassed through skillful driving and can be used to purchase new and improved cars.

11 Jet Set Radio Future

Metacritic Rating: 88 (Xbox)

After Sega failed with the Saturn and the Dreamcast back to back, the company decided to call it quits on consoles and instead focus on being a 3rd party publisher. After the quick turnaround, a lot of their properties planned for the Dreamcast made their way onto the Xbox as exclusives.

Along with stuff like Crazy Taxi and Panzer Dragoon, the stylish Jet Set Radio Future also made its way into Microsoft's grateful hands. Unlike the first game, however, it has sadly never been re-released with an HD upgrade, meaning that players will have to settle for an upscaled experience on the Series X or S.