The original Xbox was released in 2001. It was the first American-produced gaming console since the Atari Jaguar. Atari’s machine folded in just three years on the market, unable to compete with the likes of Nintendo, Sega, and the newly released PlayStation. Therefore, the Xbox was a huge risk for Microsoft, but after Sega’s Dreamcast failed to make an impact there was a gap in the market for the new machine.
To stand apart from its rivals the Xbox was significantly more powerful than its competitors, the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It was also the first machine to have a built-in hard drive to install games and saves.
The better hardware on the Xbox meant that gamers had access to some incredible looking games that were not possible on its rivals. Unfortunately, there were also some developers that didn’t take advantage of the machine’s hardware and released some truly abysmal looking games. Let’s take a look at 5 of the best and 5 of the worst looking games on the Xbox.
10 Doesn't: The Grand Theft Auto Series
The Grand Theft Auto series took some time to reach the Xbox after their initial exclusivity on the PlayStation 2. The Grand Theft Auto Double Pack featuring GTA III and GTA Vice City in one package arrived in 2003 and GTA: San Andreas arrived on the system in 2005.
Make no mistake the GTA series is fantastic and the benchmark for open-world gaming and crime sims. The worlds were massive playgrounds for gamers to explore and cause mayhem in for hours of fun. Unfortunately, being ports of PS2 games, the trade-off for their huge worlds was functional if slightly dated-looking visuals even for 2005.
9 Looks Good: Half-Life 2
There was a time when Half-Life 2 was thought to be an impossible feat in porting over to consoles that were current at the time – the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the Xbox. It was eventually released on the Xbox in 2005 and is by far one of the best looking games on the system.
The animation, graphics and sound design are all on another level, and Half-Life 2 became a real showcase title for the system. It was only let down by the frame rate which could occasionally slow down to a crawl. Aside from that, this was the best alternative for players that didn’t have access to an expensive high-end PC.
8 Doesn't: Batman: Dark Tomorrow
It’s hard to imagine getting bad Batman game now after the excellent Batman: Arkham Knight series. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Batman: Dark Tomorrow is, a complete mess of a game on every level with exception to the voice work and score.
Sadly, the developer’s vision for Dark Tomorrow was far more ambitious than the finished product. Developers Kemco wanted to give gamers a faithful recreation of DC's Dark Knight. Many of the original ideas for the game were scrapped in order to meet its release schedule and the end result was a rushed mess with some of the worst visuals of the generation.
7 Looks Good: Far Cry: Instincts
Far Cry: Instincts was released on the Xbox in 2005. It was a remake of the original Far Cry that used to be the standard for graphical performance at the time. Just like Half-Life 2, many thought it was impossible to port the visually impressive shooter on console, yet Ubisoft managed to get the best out of the machine.
Instincts’ environments are absolutely stunning and the water effects are the best in a generation. The picturesque jungle is an absolute joy to explore and it pushed the aging Xbox to its absolute limits.
6 Doesn't: Fight Club
Fight Club the videogame was released on the Xbox in 2004, five years after the movie it is based on. If there was ever videogame that completely missed the point of its source material both the film and the novel, it is this catastrophic cheap money grab.
Visually, while better than its PlayStation 2 counterpart and featuring some acceptable weather effects, the character models were terrible. If looking nothing like the actors from the movie wasn’t bad enough, the character model's proportions look ridiculous. The arms look way too long for their bodies and the hands look massive compared to everything else.
5 Looks Good: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was released on all systems in 2005. However, it was the Xbox version that stood well above its console rivals in graphics and performance. Not only was the third entry in the series the best game in the series with a fantastic espionage story but visually it looked like a next-gen game.
The realistic-looking light and shadows in Chaos Theory appear to work even more dynamically by reacting with the environment. Sam Fisher looks phenomenal in the suit which reacts to everything from light and rain. There’s just so much going on in these beautifully rendered levels it’s impossible not to stop playing just to take it all in.
4 Doesn't: Bruce Lee: Quest Of The Dragon
Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon was released exclusively for the Xbox in 2002. Bruce Lee is widely considered a pioneer for martial arts and one of the greatest action performers on screen. Unfortunately, Quest of the Dragon doesn’t do the man any justice.
In addition to its horrible controls and incomprehensible combat progression, the graphics are a mess, there are clipping issues and the animation is atrocious. Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend on the GBA and Jet Li: Rise To Honor on the Ps2 were far superior martial arts games.
3 Looks Good: Doom 3
Released in 2005 on the Xbox, Doom 3 is a survival horror first-person shooter developed by id Software. Players are placed in the shoes of a space marine working in a scientific research factory on Mars experimenting with portals. Unfortunately, they inadvertently open a gateway to hell unleashing the monster and demons familiar to the Doom universe.
The focus on a slower and more methodical horror game, as opposed to the run and gun mechanics of its predecessor, didn’t go down well everyone. However, there’s no denying that it’s one of the most visually impressive games of its generation. The monster designs were equal parts incredible and disgusting. The atmospheric use of lighting and shadows only added to the game's horror dynamic.
2 Doesn’t: Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis
Released in 2003, Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis was developed by Lucky Chicken Games and TDK Mediactive. TDK already had a reputation for putting their stamp on very low-budget licensed games like Masters of the Universe: He-Man – Power of Grayskull and Aquaman was no different.
It’s very clear that the developers didn’t have the capabilities or the budget to create a game befitting of the character. The graphics are possibly the worst seen in a generation, it’s impossible to see underwater due to the draw distance and murky and often dark water environments.
1 Looks Good: The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was released on the Xbox in 2004. It’s based on the Riddick films starring Vin Diesel and takes place before the events of Pitch Black. It’s a single-player first-person shooter and stealth game featuring Diesel himself as Riddick is looking break out of a maximum-security prison.
In terms of graphics, Escape from Butcher Bay was on another level at the time of its release when it comes to character models, lighting, shadows, and animation. The environments react to light through the clever use of a technique called ‘normal mapping’. Unique at the time, it gave the illusion of dynamic light and shadows that reacts with Riddick’s movements. The game was remastered for the Xbox 360 and still looks superb to this day. It's also worth mentioning that Riddick has by far the best hand-to-hand combat to feature in a first-person shooter.