Microsoft’s Xbox family of consoles is one of the three console titans that has managed to keep a foothold in the market for going on four generations now.
Even though it’s the youngest of the three, Xbox has given its players a plethora of console exclusives to be proud of in one way or another. It’s also given players a good amount of trash. Lately, consoles have been looking to expand their reach to the PC market more, porting exclusives to the platform. This list will explore some Xbox exclusive games that haven’t received the PC treatment yet but definitely should, as well as games that can stay right where they’re at.
10 Fine Where It Is: Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360)
One of the major 3rd-party exclusives the 360 received, Sonic Free Riders is a Kinect-only game that was released as a launch title for the Kinect in 2010.
As a launch title, Sonic Free Riders was supposed to show off the capabilities of the Kinect hardware. Unfortunately, all it really did was just show how wonky that piece of hardware can be. The first two Sonic Riders games were already treading the line between alright and terrible. The third game pretty much guaranteed there will be no more Riders titles. At this point, PC players can be happy they only received a port of the first game, which is at least a decent cart racer.
9 Needs A Port: Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox)
After the Dreamcast’s untimely demise, the sequel to Jet Set Radio was released as an Xbox exclusive in 2002. Featuring the always timeless-looking cel-shaded graphical style, Jet Set Radio Future takes place in the now not so distant future of 2024.
The player controls a member of a Tokyo street inline skating gang. The gameplay is a nice mix of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series and Skate where the player has objectives to meet in an interconnected map complete with arcade-like skating action. A game like this would be a nice addition to any player’s library on PC if they’re into skating titles.
8 Fine Where It Is: Kabuki Warriors (Xbox)
Widely regarded as one of the worst fighting games ever made, Kabuki Warriors released in 2001 for the Xbox.
Critically panned for its simplistic AI and incredibly easy difficulty, Kabuki Warriors wasn’t even the best fighting game exclusive you could get on the original Xbox at the time. That title confidently goes to Dead or Alive 3. It also doesn’t help that DOA 3 was released only four days before Kabuki Warriors. Considering how well DOA 3 sold on the Xbox, it’s safe to assume that most players back then knew which fighter they wanted.
7 Needs A Port: Otogi: Myth of Demons (Xbox)
Ideally, it’d be great if both Otogi and its sequel, Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors, were ported together in a package. If only one had to be chosen then it should be the original game.
Otogi: Myth of Demons is an Xbox exclusive by FromSoftware released in 2002. A unique title, considering that the Xbox wasn’t known for having a strong lineup of Japanese games like the PlayStation 2. That fact only gives this game a stronger reason to be preserved on PC though. It’s one of FromSoftware’s better hack-and-slash action games before the rise of the Souls series. It’d be criminal if Souls fans on PC never get the chance to play this.
6 Fine Where It Is: Dragon Ball Z: For Kinect (Xbox 360)
A first-person Dragon Ball Z fighting game released in 2012 for the Xbox 360’s Kinect hardware.
Another Kinect game that was not only brought down by the hardware but also by the execution of its concept: to put players in the shoes of the various Z warriors from the anime. This game might work better with the more sophisticated VR setups that are available today, but it still wouldn’t help the overall repetitive and simplistic nature of the game itself. There are also much better alternatives to DBZ games out right now on PC like FighterZ and Kakarot.
5 Needs A Port: Crackdown (Xbox 360)
After the poor reception of Crackdown 3, it’d only be fair to give PC players a good Crackdown game. The original Crackdown game is an Xbox 360 exclusive released in 2007.
Taking place in a crime-ridden city, Crackdown puts the player in control of a super agent and is tasked with taking down crime kingpins in any way they wish. 3rd-person shooter mechanics and a crazy sense of power are the game’s main features. It’d just be plain wrong for this game to never be preserved properly on PC. A good port would very much be appreciated, and might as well do Crackdown 2 too.
4 Fine Where It Is: Dino Crisis 3 (Xbox)
This is an unfortunate one for the Xbox. Dino Crisis 3 ended up being an Xbox exclusive in 2003 simply because it was the more powerful piece of hardware at the time.
Dino Crisis 3 basically proves that better hardware doesn’t exactly correlate to a better game. Dino Crisis 3 was panned for its camera, bland action, and repetitive gameplay, effectively ruining the franchise’s legacy. It seems as though the game just bit off more than it could chew, trying to explore too many new concepts as well as try to take advantage of the hardware power. Sometimes working with limitations can galvanize better creativity than working with no limits.
3 Needs A Port: Fable II (Xbox 360)
Released in 2008 for the Xbox 360, Fable II is the follow-up to the first Fable game. Strangely, the original Fable and Fable III both got PC releases, yet Fable II didn’t.
As divisive as the second game might be, it doesn’t make much sense to leave the second part of a trilogy out of the mix. It could just be ported and bundled together with the other two games on Steam. Of course, Fable II did have its fair share of technical problems on Xbox 360 when it was released. Now, who knows what a PC port might do to the game. It’s still worth a shot if done right.
2 Fine Where It Is: Fighter Within (Xbox One)
The Xbox One had a pretty rough life cycle when it came to exclusives. As if it didn’t already learn its lesson with the 360 Kinect, here’s Fighter Within. A pretty generic fighting game that uses the Xbox One’s Kinect as the controller released in 2012 and published by none other than Ubisoft.
It’s honestly amazing that this game is actually a sequel to the 360’s Fighters Uncaged, which also required the 360’s Kinect sensor. VR-like fighters have gotten much better since 2012, but Fighter Within is an example of not being able to see an actual game behind the fancy technology but trying to force it anyway. That kind of mindset can stay exactly where it is.
1 Needs A Port: Gears Of War 3 (Xbox 360)
While Gears 1, 4, and 5 have all received PC ports, there’s something to be said about the refinement that the Gears of War series received over its first three entries. The third entry is widely seen as when the franchised peaked.
Behind Halo, the Gears series is Xbox’s most recognizable franchise. Gears of War 2 has an equal case of being here as well. Either way, it’s absolutely criminal that the two arguably best games out of the entire Gears series have not received any PC love yet. All of Halo’s games are slowly getting PC ports. It’s only right if all of Gears gets them as well.