XBox review
In this retrogaming article, I offer you my review of the Xbox!
Xbox: the beginning of the adventure!
« Life is short play more» impossible to forget this completely crazy ad spot. A baby was expelled like a rocket from a woman’s womb and this baby grew at great speed to then end up as an adult/senior in a coffin thrown into a grave haha. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was March 14, 2002, the Xbox arrived in France
When it was released, the Xbox was sold for €479! It was a big budget at the time! I bought this console on the big day following the wise advice of a very good friend who will recognize himself when reading this article! I let myself be tempted, even though I was convinced that it would drop in price quickly given its exorbitant price! What had to happen! arrived 🙂! A few weeks later the price of the Xbox dropped sharply! But hey Microsoft, in order to thank the first buyers, offered 2 games and 1 controller as compensation.
Xbox Overview
The Xbox appeared as an imposing rectangular black box, with a neon green circle stamped Xbox on the top of the machine. It was clearly, neither more nor less, that a (large) PC integrated into a large video game console box
The configuration of this very first Xbox was muscular. Its central processor was based on an Intel Pentium III but above all it had a fast Nvidia graphics chip. A big fundamental novelty for a game console, this Xbox had a hard drive! This quickly became indispensable. Obviously we could save our games, but this also (and above all) allowed us to run more ambitious games, with reduced loading times. Clearly the Xbox was much more powerful than the PS2. Then finally, like the Playstation 2, the very first Xbox was equipped with a DVD player that could be unlocked with the purchase of the remote control.
The Xbox had 4 controller ports like the N64 and the Sega Dreamcast. It also offered an RJ45 port in order to be able to play in a local network but above all in order to connect the console 1 year later to Xbox live! Xbox was already thinking about online console gaming in 2002! Finally, we could connect our Xbox to the cathode TV via the RCA or RGB scart cable, but also to a modern television with a Yuv cable (especially in the USA where HD TVs were emerging)! And yes some XBox games could run natively in 720p or even 1080i, it was crazy for the time.
Now let's talk about the Xbox controller! There is a lot to say! It was massive at the time. He was nicknamed Duke ^^. Obviously with my girlish hands I had trouble adapting at first :p Clearly this controller was designed for the American market. That being said, this pad was still not bad when playing FPS, I'm obviously thinking of Halo! Faced with complaints from many players, Xbox redesigned its controller and offered a new smaller and more ergonomic pad which would later inspire our current Xbox controllers.
The Xbox catalog
The career of the first Xbox was short 2002-2005, however it had a good quality game catalog. This Xbox has especially democratized PC FPS on console! Halo has clearly changed the game! If there's one game that launched the fashion for first-person shooters on console, it's this one (there was also Goldeneye on N64). The Xbox Pad with its 2 analog sticks and triggers was the perfect ally for FPS!
Halo Combat Evolved was the must-have game on that first console. PC gamers were drooling over this futuristic FPS exclusive to Xbox. The solo was awesome. Even more, the split-screen multiplayer was very user-friendly, and the highlight for me was connecting the Xboxes of my 2 best friends in a local network with several TVs! It was absolutely brilliant! I really have unforgettable memories with my best friends during these Halo network sessions.
The arrival of Xbox Live also marked a big change in the way I played. I discovered the game online with my friends and spent too many sleepless nights having fun playing Midtown Madness 3! RATP Bus races in the heart of Paris couldn't be refused 🙂 . Obviously Halo 2 arrived quickly and truly launched Xbox Live! It was crazy to be able to play online with your friends on consoles at the time! It may have been classic on PC but on console, online gaming didn't exist or it was marginal.
Let's go back to the Xbox game catalog. We could count on a very, very good game from Ubisoft, namely Splinter Cell, which was a very good (temporary) exclusive for the console. Other games have marked my gaming memory, such as Fable, Amped, Jet Set Radio Future, Shenmue 2, Dead Or Alive 3, Psychonauts, Ninja Gaiden, Top Spin, Forza Motorsport, Crazy Taxi 3, Soul Calibur 2, Beyond Good And Evil, Prince Of Persia, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Midtown Madness 3,…
Xbox today
Microsoft's first Xbox is still perfectly functional in 2023! And yes this console could already be connected to an HD TV thanks to the Yuv cable! You will get a correct image! There are obviously today HDMi cables for this first Xbox which work quite well. In order to obtain the sharpest image possible, you will simply need to switch your Xbox to NTSC in order to benefit from 720p 1080i. Frankly this console has some very nice games, it is today a very good retrogaming console! Who knows, maybe one day Microsoft will offer an Xbox Mini, but hey I think we can always dream :p
Here are the top 10 games to play on the Original Xbox, don’t hesitate!
1 Halo Combat Evolved / Halo 2
2 Splinter Cell
3 Fable
4 Ninja Gaiden
5 Top Spin
6 Dead Or Alive 3
7 Soul Calibur 2
8 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
9 Forza Motorport
10 Jet Set Radio Future
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