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OG Xbox Appreciation and Lack of Emulation Thread of the big black box of doom

Cday

Banned
I use that exact one on my secondary Xbox, which is hooked up to a 1080p monitor for system link use. Works like you'd hope. Only bad thing is you have to unplug it to turn it off.
 

shanafan

Member
I use that exact one on my secondary Xbox, which is hooked up to a 1080p monitor for system link use. Works like you'd hope. Only bad thing is you have to unplug it to turn it off.

Nice, thanks.

Speaking of system link play, are Xbox players still using services like XBConnect to play Halo 2, etc?
 
I picked this up today for a few bucks. Nothing crazy but it is cool do have these demo collections. I suppose they will get harder and harder to find a s the years go on.

WX53QtA.jpg
 
They sold demo discs back in the day? That's kinda scummy imo. They're promotional items, lmao.

There was also the PlayStation Underground Jampack demos disc for the PlayStation 1 and 2. There were tons of those. $5 for the PS1, $8 for PS2.

And of course, the official magazines for consoles came with their own demo discs, too.

The PlayStation and Xbox stuff usually also came with stuff like save files. The Xbox demo discs also have the Dead or Alive 3 booster pack.
 

Cday

Banned
There was also the PlayStation Underground Jampack demos disc for the PlayStation 1 and 2. There were tons of those. $5 for the PS1, $8 for PS2.

And of course, the official magazines for consoles came with their own demo discs, too.

The PlayStation and Xbox stuff usually also came with stuff like save files. The Xbox demo discs also have the Dead or Alive 3 booster pack.

I have OXM discs 0-58, which is about when 360 stuff fully took over and I stop caring. It's a section called "Download Center". Usually cheat save files like "start at the last boss with a billion monies!", which is a dumb concept to be honest. Some months you actually got bonus missions or multiplayer maps though, which blows my mind that you would get that sort of content from a demo disc. I know there are at least a couple demos of unreleased games too. They often had dev diary type videos on them, which I always enjoyed a lot more than trailers. I think they're a nice complement to any Xbox collection as they give a timeless perspective on these games as they were coming out.

I'll dig through them and list some stuff that jumps out at me.

Disc 1 seems to be all trailers.
Disc 2 reminded me that there was an Xbox port of Tony Hawk 2 called "Tony Hawk 2x" and that I should get it.
Disc 3 has the first sighting of the features "Strategies of the Month" and "Top 10 Plays of the Month". I'm sure that's good for a laugh.
Disc 9 a feature simply labeled "P.O.D." oh boy. Repeated in Disc 11.
Disc 10 start seeing a section called "Review Verdict". Must be some sort of supplemental review videos.
Disc 15 & 16 Shenmue seems to have 2 demos. Disc 15 labeled "Shenmue II" and Disc 16 labeled "Shenmue II: Chapter 2". That seems unique.
Many discs are just the demos, which are often recycled from disc to disc, but not ridiculously so and sections called "Extra Content", "Video Content", "Features", "Special Features", "Video Showcase", it goes on. Seems like they come up with a new way to say "videos" every month.
Disc 23(Oct 2003) Download Center makes its first appearance. Seems to be all saves.
Disc 24 Download Center - "Morrowind Treasure Hunt", Bonus quest?
Disc 25 Download Center - Ghost Recon: Island Thunder - 2 new levels!
Disc 27 True Fantasy Live Online trailer. It's like you have hope again and then you realize you're watching a trailer for a cancelled game 10 years after the fact.
Disc 28(Feb 2004) Download Center - Splinter Cell Vselka Infiltration / Xbox Live Playable Demos makes its first appearance. Wolfenstein & Crimson Skies. There's more. This disc was hype as fuck.
Disc 29 Download Center - Splinter Cell Vselka Submarine
Disc 30 Download Center - P.O.D., Finally. We have the technology.
Disc 32 Live Enabled Demos - Rainbow Six 3 / Video Showcase - Starcraft: Ghost
Disc 34 Download Center - "Secret Weapons over Normandy" This was constantly in the download center offering new planes and stuff.
Disc 35 Demo - "The Red Star" The Xbox version was never released though the full version is ~out there~. / Download Center - Thief: Auldale & South Quarter
Disc 36 Download Center - Rainbow Six 3 maps: Scharins and Close Quarter
Disc 38 Demo - "Super-special secret Easter Egg playable demo you can't miss"
Starcraft: Ghost ;)
Disc 39 Demo - "A mind-blowing hidden demo!"
Disc 40(Jan 2005) Live Enabled Demo - Burnout 3 / Video Showcase - Gamefly / Download Center - Full Spectrum Warrior Epilogue #1
Disc 41 - Live Enabled Demos - MechAssualt 2, Iron Pheonix, Fifa 2005, "A bouncy Easter Egg from the Stone Age". The easter egg demo seems to be running theme, but I'm going to cut it off here.
Disc 42 Xbox Live Arcade makes its first appearance with 13 games.
Disc 46 "Ghost Recon 2 Downloads" / First sighting of an Xbox 360 section: "Ghost Recon 3, Dark Sector"

The extras have been lacking in the past 4 or so discs. They start having sections with ambiguous titles like "Halo 2 Maps" and "Ghost Recon 2 Downloads" with nothing above or underneath them to explain what they actually are. The end is nigh. Still some really good demos coming out. Yep this is it. 360 stuff is pouring in. Still some really good Xbox demos, but they clearly stopped giving a shit to put fun and interesting stuff on the disc for the original Xbox and the Download Center has been MIA since Disc 41. I believe they brought it back for the 360, but it usually had gamerpics and themes. They start to have locked content on discs where you need to accrue a certain amount of "OXM Points" to unlock. I don't know what this entails. Probably just watching the stuff on it.

I only have a few of the larger plastic cased ones. Most are the cardboard sleeves. I think the deal was if you picked up a single issue at retail they would come with the big plastic cases. They were more expensive to buy piecemeal than a subscription. I want to say $12-15 per.

So that's what I did for the past hour. Look at old Xbox demo disc sleeves. Oh yeah.
 

REDSLATE

Member
Not 100% true. Later Thompson drives were built a bit better and did pretty decently. Later Samsung drives were actually a bit worse. The Hitachi drive is pretty good too.

It's pretty much true. I wouldn't trust any of the Thompsons (even later revisions); they're prone to failure. I've read accounts that the later revision Samsung was of lesser quality than the earlier version, though by all accounts it's still leaps and bounds ahead of the Thompson.

I have several 605 A and B myself, and they're by far the most reliable. I have a couple Hitachis as well, but have much less faith in the build quality of LG. Philips are pretty standard; bit slow on the read, but much better than Thompson.
 
I've just managed to buy 145 for £40, man all these games bring back memories. Just need to find an OG Xbox to play them on now! Gumtree is cool.

CJyggmNWUAEeBGG.jpg

CJyggmFWEAAESac.jpg

CJyggmFWgAAHeLu.jpg

CJyggnVW8AAivdo.jpg
 
There's games in there I've never even heard of before, so I'm looking forward to going through them (eventually). I'm surprised how cheaply you can get boxed OG XBox Consoles for, I've seen them go between £30-£50 (some are way more).
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Original Xbox pretty much the best way to play the first 3 games?

On consoles? Yes. If PC is an option, definitely not. Splinter Cell 1 and Chaos Theory are worlds better on PC. The first game only let you save at checkpoints on the Xbox, while the PC version let you save anywhere, which was a godsend. Both games also looked dramatically better, and ran smoother.

Pandora Tomorrow was better on PC, but it's busted on modern computers. If Ubi gets their head out of their ass and fixes that, the PC version could be better again, but as it stands, it's probably best to play that on Xbox.
 

shanafan

Member
Finally scored a green box copy of GTA: San Andreas for a complete collection! In my area, the Platinum Hits gray boxes of SA are easy to find, green not so much.

b95ZL48.jpg


I love the cover artwork of the GTA games, so I very happy to have these in my collection, not the plain cover artwork for the Xbox Collection series of GTA, like seen in the top right of this image:

mRhYXfTFiIQjJkzEDOeTUng.jpg


But here's the strange thing, and I can't seem to find anything different on this. Even though my cover artwork is the original art (not the plain art from the collection games), my discs still look like this:

IeDkd6s.jpg


Only the San Andreas disc has a different look, in relation more to the cover artwork somewhat.

So my question to GAF is, are there other disc art for the first two games and I just got a random disc at the store, or is that how they came?
 

shanafan

Member
Have you guys seen different size torx screws with later Xbox models?

I can unscrew the bottom screws in a late 2002 model, but the same screwdriver doesn't work with a late 2004 model.
 

shanafan

Member
My 2002 & 2004 both use the same. I just opened them up 2 weeks ago. Not sure why yours would be different.

Yeah, not sure either. I had to use a thicker torx tool to undo the screws. The screws were also black in the 2004 model, different from the silver ones from the 2002.
 

REDSLATE

Member
Have you guys seen different size torx screws with later Xbox models?

I can unscrew the bottom screws in a late 2002 model, but the same screwdriver doesn't work with a late 2004 model.

The screws are all the same size. The only difference is whether they're subdued or not. Maybe someone opened your console previously.

I've just managed to buy 145 for £40, man all these games bring back memories. Just need to find an OG Xbox to play them on now! Gumtree is cool.

That's one hell of a score.
 

shanafan

Member
The screws are all the same size. The only difference is whether they're subdued or not. Maybe someone opened your console previously.

The 2004 console appeared to have never been opened. I didn't notice anything that would have stood out to indicate. Maybe my screws from the 2002 model just had some more wear and tear on them, and that was why they were easier to get out.

Regardless, I was able to swap the DVD drives and all is good! The 2004 model had a Philips that I swapped with a Samsung.
 

REDSLATE

Member
The 2004 console appeared to have never been opened. I didn't notice anything that would have stood out to indicate. Maybe my screws from the 2002 model just had some more wear and tear on them, and that was why they were easier to get out.

Regardless, I was able to swap the DVD drives and all is good! The 2004 model had a Philips that I swapped with a Samsung.

Even so, worn screws would be indicative of having been previously removed. They're one of the last things to go on during assembly (aside from the stickers). If you didn't buy it new, it may be a refurb.

Good choice with the optical drive. Samsungs are the best.
 

Hubbl3

Unconfirmed Member
Pretty happy to finally add these 2 to the collection! I had originally planned on playing Metal Wolf Chaos this weekend, but I never got around to it because I was having so much fun with Jurassic Park, haha

 

REDSLATE

Member
Pretty happy to finally add these 2 to the collection! I had originally planned on playing Metal Wolf Chaos this weekend, but I never got around to it because I was having so much fun with Jurassic Park, haha

Nice, man. I remember picking up OG years ago on a whim having heard nothing about it. Great game, and an awesome JP entry.
 

Hubbl3

Unconfirmed Member
Nice, man. I remember picking up OG years ago on a whim having heard nothing about it. Great game, and an awesome JP entry.

Agreed! I kind of wish I had paid attention to it when it released, haha. I think it's my favorite console JP game now, but the arcade games still trump it!
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
there are 3 terminator games on XB: rise of the machines, dawn of fate, and redemption. any of them good?
 
Hey guys, first time posting here. I fancied diving back into some Gen 6 gaming and was going to pick up a PS2, but then I saw how cheap Xbox games and consoles are so I figured 'why not?', especially as they tend to run better anyhow. It's a really awesome system to collect for; the games are cheap, it looks great on a HDTV, and I had no idea how many awesome exclusives there were!

Got 9 games for it so far and I'm looking forward to getting some more. Definitely gonna softmod it too to play some imports. Can't wait to pick up Phantom Dust, Murakumo and The Wild Rings :D
 

REDSLATE

Member
Hey guys, first time posting here. I fancied diving back into some Gen 6 gaming and was going to pick up a PS2, but then I saw how cheap Xbox games and consoles are so I figured 'why not?', especially as they tend to run better anyhow. It's a really awesome system to collect for; the games are cheap, it looks great on a HDTV, and I had no idea how many awesome exclusives there were!

Got 9 games for it so far and I'm looking forward to getting some more. Definitely gonna softmod it too to play some imports. Can't wait to pick up Phantom Dust, Murakumo and The Wild Rings :D

Brother! Lol.
Excellent decision.

Don't set your expectations too high with Murakumo. It's not great. Luckily, there are plenty of other great 'mech games exclusive to the Xbox.
 
Hey guys, first time posting here. I fancied diving back into some Gen 6 gaming and was going to pick up a PS2, but then I saw how cheap Xbox games and consoles are so I figured 'why not?', especially as they tend to run better anyhow. It's a really awesome system to collect for; the games are cheap, it looks great on a HDTV, and I had no idea how many awesome exclusives there were!

Got 9 games for it so far and I'm looking forward to getting some more. Definitely gonna softmod it too to play some imports. Can't wait to pick up Phantom Dust, Murakumo and The Wild Rings :D

Congrats on getting the best Gen 6 console. Tons of awesome games.
 
Brother! Lol.
Excellent decision.

Don't set your expectations too high with Murakumo. It's not great. Luckily, there are plenty of other great 'mech games exclusive to the Xbox.
I'm not expecting for it to set the world on fire but looks pretty fun. I know about Mechassault, Phantom Crash etc :D
 
Hey everyone!

Just picked one up the other day, along with a few games:

Marc Ecko's Getting Up
Godfather
Amped 2
PGR2
Crimson Skies
Wreckless
JSRF/Sega GT

And man, the system has aged pretty damn well. I had an xbox while it was out and really enjoyed it, but never really re-visited it after the next gen began. Even with the standard VGA cables, it seems to look a little better than my PS2. Can't wait to pick the components up this weekend. And JSRF. Man that game still looks amazing.

My question though, what are some good cross platform games that play better on Xbox? I know it has the better version on Max Payne 2, but I was wondering what others I should grab.
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
Hey everyone!

Just picked one up the other day, along with a few games:

Marc Ecko's Getting Up
Godfather
Amped 2
PGR2
Crimson Skies
Wreckless
JSRF/Sega GT

And man, the system has aged pretty damn well. I had an xbox while it was out and really enjoyed it, but never really re-visited it after the next gen began. Even with the standard VGA cables, it seems to look a little better than my PS2. Can't wait to pick the components up this weekend. And JSRF. Man that game still looks amazing.

My question though, what are some good cross platform games that play better on Xbox? I know it has the better version on Max Payne 2, but I was wondering what others I should grab.
there are few multiplats that aren't better on Xbox.
 

Mzo

Member
Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, The Punisher, all those platformers like Vexx, I-Ninja, etc.

Quite a lot of games.
 
Black
Metal Arms Glitch in the System
Tomb Raider Legend
Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction
Psi Ops Mid Gate Conspiracy
Star Wars Battlefront Games

Too many to list
 
So what are some good FPS games on the OG? I've got Timesplitters 2 and Black already and I'm gonna pick up Future Perfect, Riddick and Darkwatch, anything else I should go ahead and get? Are any of the MoH games any good?
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
So what are some good FPS games on the OG? I've got Timesplitters 2 and Black already and I'm gonna pick up Future Perfect, Riddick and Darkwatch, anything else I should go ahead and get? Are any of the MoH games any good?

Halo
 

REDSLATE

Member
I'm not expecting for it to set the world on fire but looks pretty fun. I know about Mechassault, Phantom Crash etc :D
MechAssault, Metal Wolf, and Steel Battalion are where it's at, man.

Aside from Halo of course :p I've got the MCC on Xbox One so I don't need to pick up Halo or Halo 2
Not true.

The original versions are far better in my opinion. A lot of the aesthetics were lost when converted, and the gameplay is far more functional on Xbox. They're also future proof. When the MCPO Collection loses its servers, its multiplayer goes with it.
 
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