In November 2001, Microsoft made the plunge into the gaming industry with their first Xbox console. The original Xbox had stiff competition with the PlayStation 2 and GameCube both releasing around the same time, though the green brand got off to a fantastic start with their launch titleHalo: Combat Evolved.Along with RPGs, third and first-person shooters would become a major part of the original Xbox’s success.
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Although most people associate the original Xbox with first-person shooters due totheHalogames, the console also had a handful offantastic third-person shooters. As one would expect on a console that, believe it or not, was released over two decades ago, some of these shooters have aged far better than others. These are a few that still hold up today.
7James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
In the world of entertainment, it can almost be a curse for a film franchise, musician, or game series to have a beloved hit early-on if numerous other releases are planned. Subsequent releases will always be held to an unfairly high standard. TheJames Bondgaming series is a good example of this, asevery007releasehas to deal with comparisons to the classicGoldenEye 007.
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothingis one of the few games in the franchise that has been able to shrug off the comparisons and stand on its own merit. The game implements everything that players loved about007,from over-the-top action sequences to futuristic gadgets and fast cars to drive. Although the game wasn’t as well-received as some other Xbox third-person shooters upon release, it still deserves its spot on this list as it holds up extremely well.
6Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Mercenaries: Playground of Destructionwas developed by Pandemic Studios, a former studio that is best remembered forDestroy All Humans!and the originalStar Wars: Battlefront II.Mercenaries: Playground of Destructiondifferentiated itself from most other shooters in the mid-2000s with its open world andsandbox elements.
The game lets players freely pick and choose their missions, find and acquire a wide range of weapons and vehicles, and even destroy any of the game’s buildings. Many of these features were ahead of their time, and make today’s gamers feel right at home.
5Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
WhenGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasfirst hit stores, there were some who claimed that it was the greatest game ever released up until that point. It’s easy to see why asSan Andreas' open-world was incredibly impressive for 2004, and the game is still one of the most enjoyableGTAtitles to play today.
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Unfortunately, the game doesn’t rank higher on this list for how poorly it has aged. The game still provides good fun; however, blocky visuals, lackluster gameplay, and fact that the open world is no longer impressive by today’s standards, have taken away some of its charm.
4Max Payne
Max Paynewas first released on PC in July 2001 before coming to PlayStation 2 and Xbox later the same year. The game was developed by Remedy Entertainment, a Finnish company best known today forAlan Wake,Control,andQuantum Break.
Max Payneemphasizes over-the-top action. Players can dual-wield handguns and even dive in slow-motion, creating memorable cinematic gunfights that made players feel like they were truly experiencing the next generation of gaming in the early 2000s.
3Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrowwas developed by Ubisoft and was the second release in theSplinter Cellseries. Like its predecessor, the third-person shooter has many similarities to theMetal Gear Solidgames, particularly with itsemphasis on stealth.
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Pandora Tomorrowwas extremely well-received by fans and critics upon release,exemplified by its 93 Metascore, though the game doesn’t feature higher on this list as (spoiler alert) it was overshadowed by its sequel,Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
2Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substancewas released on Xbox in November 2002 and is an expanded edition ofMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty,which was released on the PlayStation 2 a year prior. New features inSubstanceincluded a plethora of new VR and alternative missions that players can take on with either Solid Snake or Raiden, and “Snake Tails,” which featured fivestory-driven missionsas Snake.
The game’s campaign is one of the strongest in the entire series, and its story is surprisingly relevant today. Issues like fake news and echo chambers are central to the game’s narrative.
1Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
As mentioned before,Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theoryis the sequel to the critically acclaimedSplinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow.2005’sChaosTheoryscored just one point higher thanPandoraTomorrowon Metacritic, though many people today consider it to comfortably be the best game in the series, and one ofthe best stealth games of all time.
Chaos Theorytops this list because its stealth gameplay is still some of the best available in gaming today. The game finds an excellent balance in making the stealth feel both fun and realistic — a balance that few other stealth games have accomplished.
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