4. Jade Empire

Price: $12.99
IGN 9.9
Gamespot 8.4

Although the rabid fans of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic were baffled (and a little pissed) by BioWare’s decision to forego work on KOTOR II and release an original title instead, they were treated with perhaps the most amazing RPG to be released on the Xbox. The story, which is grounded in Chinese mythology, immersed gamers in a gorgeous world with a unique story. If you loved KOTOR for more than just the lightsabers, you might love Jade Empire even more. Hell, even if you hate RPGs, this title is worth picking up from the bargain bin. Everything that made KOTOR great was improved in Jade Empire. The title boasted an expanded morality system with different philosophical paths the gamer could pursue. What further elevated Jade Empire above KOTOR was its real-time action-oriented system that was immensely deep but immediately engaging. Jade Empire managed to accomplish all of this without making the characters look creepily pre-pubescent and deeply androgynous (we’re looking at you Final Fantasy). Jade Empire has everything even the most hardcore RPG fan’s geeky little heart could desire. Deeply engaging storyline? Check. Beautifully rendered world? Check. Excellent combat system? Check and mate.

5. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Price: $4.99
Rating:
IGN 8.5
Gamespot 9.3

If you have ever played this game, you must have felt that you landed in some sort of bizarro universe where up is down, left is right, and movie games are actually better then their Hollywood counterparts. While the movie was mediocre to horrible, Butcher Bay, which was released exclusively on the Xbox, was great to incredible. The title managed to set itself apart from the genre that was mired with average FPS games (thanks for inspiring that Halo). Butcher Bay was able to incorporate FPS shooting, RPG elements, and an engaging storyline with tremendous success. Riddick’s unique eyeshine ability provided an added element that further increased the depth of gameplay in this post-apocalyptic shooter. If the fact that Butcher Bay dramatically outshines its movie partner wasn’t strange enough, Vin Diesel’s voice work on the title was top-notch (turns out having to move and talk is Diesel’s downfall). If you are craving  some FPS action but only have enough cash in your pocket for a value meal (not even super-sized), the Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is just your game to get a cheap fix.

The grand total for all five of these games is a whopping $46.95! Not bad for well over 50 hours of gameplay on some of the best games the Xbox had to offer. Being a gamer isn’t just about preordering new titles and standing in lines waiting for the launch of new consoles. It is about recognizing quality games even though they might be a few years old. Now is the perfect time to fully stock your gaming library for mere pennies compared to their cost a few years ago. Whether you love platforming, action, first-person shooters, or RPGs, these are just a few of the great games for that dusty old Xbox that you might have missed.

Contact this writer at jeremy@myarcadeplanet.com

*All prices quoted from www.gamestop.com