10 Games You’ll Miss for First-Gen Xbox Live
By Jared Newman | Friday, February 5, 2010 at 4:52 pm
On April 15, Microsoft will kill online play for original Xbox games. Even if you own an Xbox 360, you’ll no longer be able to play original Xbox games online, including backwards-compatible discs and downloadable Xbox Originals. While it’s probably for the best — Microsoft is promising new, yet-unspecified features that weren’t possible while still supporting the old Xbox — some games are just irreplaceable. Here are 10 original Xbox games that have no equal on the Xbox 360 (which means no Halo 2 or Call of Duty 3):
Star Wars Battlefront II: Jedi, Stormtroopers and Rebel soldiers did battle with blaster rifles and lightsabers in big, chaotic arenas. Free Radical Design was reportedly developing a third game, but the studio went into administration and was then acquired by Crytek. The fate of the game is unknown, but could return as Battlefront Online.
Counter-Strike: The classic soldiers vs. terrorists first-person shooter could live forever on the PC, but the Xbox version’s days are numbered. There’s no word on a sequel for any platform, but there is a petition for it.
Conker: Live Reloaded: Squirrels and teddy bears with flamethrowers and rocket launchers. This remake of the Nintendo 64 game Conker’s Bad Fur Day has yet to be revived for the current console generation.
Phantom Dust: It’s hard to find anyone playing this cult classic online anymore, but I have a feeling that’ll change as fans come back for one last fling. The game is like a live action Magic: The Gathering, letting you build a “deck” of skills to use in a large battle arena.
Doom 3: This re-make of id Software’s classic was no Halo, but its emphasis on fast action in online play brought back memories of LAN matches and rocket launchers. At least original Doom is available for download on the Xbox 360, with online multiplayer.
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge: Aerial dogfighting is stripped down to its bare essentials. Crimson Skies even brought a first-person shooter mentality to the game with multiplayer modes like Capture the Flag and Keep Away.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection: Sure, the Xbox 360 has Street Fighter IV, but fighting game aficionados have particular tastes. This collection, which includes Street Fighter III Third Strike, will be missed.
Steel Battalion: Line of Contact: Mech simulators are a dime a dozen, but Steel Battalion was unique in that it supported this ridiculous $200 controller. It’s also an online-only game, which means that controller will make a nice mantle piece after April 15 if you’ve already beaten the original Steel Battalion.
Mortal Kombat: Armegeddon: The Mortal Kombat series is not a critical darling, but this was the last game in which you could deliver a gory fatality to some newbie over Xbox Live. The teen-rated Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, for current-generation consoles, just doesn’t cut it.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect: I’m cheating on this last one, because Microsoft already discontinued support for the game a couple years ago. I still miss this first-person shooter, not for its frantic pacing, but for the ability to play as an alien squid, a monkey or a gingerbread man. Another casualty of Free Radical’s demise, the fate of another Timesplitters game is also in flux.
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Time to Play Some Original Xbox Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 4:43 pm[…] all: News As promised, Microsoft will shut down Xbox Live support for the original Xbox at midnight Pacific time, so this […]
February 7th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Dammit! I forgot about Counterstrike. I’m not into it enough to get into the PC fray. Man, I had some good times on that one…
February 7th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I think it was EA, not Microsoft, who discontinued support for Timesplitters. EA has a unique arrangement with Microsoft in that they run all servers and take care of online support for titles they publish. They’re the ones who make the call on when to pull one of their games, not Microsoft.
February 7th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
this is what you pay for when you buy a system controlled completely by microsoft, PC players have no trouble… people are STILL running old UO versions from the 90s that imitate the same experience… Sure it isn’t what it once was, but you get the idea.
October 12th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Why should they continue to support old games forever?
February 8th, 2010 at 7:02 am
Hey Jared,
I think you’re a little off on your understanding of Steel Battalion.
There is Steel Battalion, the game that is bundled with the controller.
Then there is Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, as mentioned in your article.
You are correct that Line of Contact is online only and that will be pretty useless, but the original game still has a campaign one can play through.
I could be mistaken, but in this article it sounds to me like you think Steel Battalion: Line of Contact is the only one.
If you’re aware of this, then my mistake. =] The controller will be a nice mantle piece as far as LoC is concerned. Owners can still play the original though, which is the only way to get the controller (outside of eBay and janx).
February 8th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Hey Pheria,
Yes, I’m aware of the first game. For this article I wanted to focus on games that won’t be playable online any more, and that only applies to the second game. But I can see how the mantle piece comment might interpreted the wrong way, so I’ve made a slight edit for clarification.
September 28th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
This is a huge mistake! Halo 2 is one of my all time faves. Very dissapointed
September 29th, 2010 at 3:44 am
Hey, this is a really great article…. Good work.
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