Platformers on the Original Xbox

[@Palendrome]

I feel so blessed that while most of my friends were on PS2, a few on Gamecube, I had Xbox. What a unique and special console. To me, graphics have not yet exceeded the original Xbox in terms of beauty. All the games, the lighting, everything, look AMAZING

[@StanleyManIX]

I remember having the PS2 and Xbox and playing them both extensively. I also remember the Xbox being the most powerful console at the time. There was nothing like play Halo, in fact, there's still nothing like it.

[@IsaacCosmic]

3D platformers have to be my favorite genre of games. This is pure dopamine

[@ThommyofThenn]

Yea i was subbed for a while now, but this video in particular was really nice. It also clued me in on a few games i haven't tried. As such, the bell is now on.

[@ThommyofThenn]

4:00 I was mesmerised by this game. It is indeed an "odd world." The aesthetics of classical early 2000s platformers are extra meaningful in this game. Many of platformers of this era have the giant curved pipes, neon green goo, giant fans for no reason and creepy looking water. In Oddworld though, these classical elements are PART of the game's macabre setting. nature is under attack, being twisted and subjugated by the forces of greed and ignorance. The game makes a frankly quite bold statement in this way, while many of its peers were content with minor edge and farting jokes. It's one thing to have "comic mischief" just for fun but when it's used to create a meaningful game world that is thoughtful, that can give the game real staying power. I'm glad I played Oddworld as a young adult and I hope those of us who played it as children enjoyed it enough to revist it when they were a little older!

[@naryo_]

Blinx is such a gem, gotta find a way to replay it again

[@eric199479]

Its on gamepass!!

[@ThommyofThenn]

It's one of those games where I had been seeing the character in a few pieces of fan art. It was nice seeing exactly what game it was actually from

[@fcukwithit]

Aged so nice, I just played it for the first time today

[@TheGrizzledAncient]

The OG Xbox had such an amazing and diverse game catalog. Losing Ed Fries really hurt Xbox.

[@tgdm]

Don Mattrick really did immeasurable damage to the brand.

[@3dmarth]

Have you ever played Vexx? It's not an exclusive, but it plays best on Xbox, and it's one of my favourite 3D platformers. Very reminiscent of Super Mario 64 in the gameplay department, but the darker audiovisual presentation and tone are more in line with an RPG or Metroidvania. Regarding that Xbox aesthetic you mentioned, I think I know what you mean! It's hard to describe exactly, but I think it's largely the combination of fancy texturing and lighting effects with otherwise unrealistic graphics. A lot of games these days try to be either fully realistic or very pastel/flat/cartoony, but the Xbox era had more semi-cartoony stuff, enhanced by crisp textures, vivid lighting, and cutting-edge tech.

[@campxbox]

That's a really great way to put the Xbox aesthetic. I have played Vexx and it's a lot of fun. The depth of the levels in that game is surprising. That's actually one of my most requested games.

[@EmbraceSweetRelease]

Had no idea about some of these platformers. time to go to the game store

[@ICARUS_I]

Voodoo Vince does not get enough exposure or appreciation. I remember playing the demo on Xbox and loving it, however I’m glad I got to pick up the remaster on Xbox One. Would really love a sequel someday.

[@ahsanvirk130]

Was it a physical release or digital only...?

[@ICARUS_I]

@@ahsanvirk130 The remaster is digital only, unfortunately.

[@ahsanvirk130]

​@@ICARUS_IDamn it....I really didn't want to make an Xbox account but might have to, I guess

[@sirturtlelot]

Great list! A lot of games I’m planning on trying out. While it definitely marketed itself more as a third person shooter, Conker Live & Reloaded is still one of my all time favorite platformers on the OG Xbox.

[@destronlaserwave9566]

I just found this channel, as someone whose favorite system is the OG Xbox and I love the brand in general, this channel is a treat. If there's a video I think you should make, is videos definitely focused on Star Wars games, cause they are amazing.

[@campxbox]

Glad you enjoy the channel! I think a Star Wars list would be fun. There's some gems in there for sure!

[@PsychoJXS1]

3D platformers are also my favorite but they are aggravatly annoying especially when you die and you got to start again from your last checkpoint. Voodoo Vince is one of my favorite video games, I completed the remastered version on Xbox one.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Those Oddworld games are so slept on. I got into them a few years ago when I was very sick and only had an original Xbox. Was able to rent a few of them from the library and loved its wacky atmosphere and actually fun jumping. A platformer shouldn't make you hate jumping, it needs to be fun. I felt that the Oddworld games made platforming enjoyable

[@LordsOfSalem666]

Liked and subbed for showing off Blinx. Huge part of my childhood

[@campxbox]

Thanks for the sub. I'm glad I can bring back some memories!

[@danielreynolds2913]

I use to love Blinx the time sweeper growing up playing it with my brothers.

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

I could never get into Blinx - I'll get, like, 3 worlds in every time and then quit due to frustration. It's SO flawed. The time limit and the limited power-ups are SUCH a game killer, and I'm happy to see that the sequel AXED both elements that drag it down. It sucks so bad that only the first game is backwards compatible, but I definitely would recommend Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space over The Time Sweeper any day. I remember having a buddy who bought it in college and told me it was a huge improvement and a genuinely great game, but I just never got around to it until LAST year when I got a modded Xbox, and boy he was right :) Definitely get to playing it some time! Speaking of my modded Xbox, I gotta say I actually enjoy Malice quite a bit. It is absolutely insane and a real mess, lol, but it feels good to play and looks cool - that "hard to describe Xbox aesthetic" you mentioned is on full display (even though it got a really watered-down PS2 port eventually). I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did... really have to get back to it though. Glad to see this video, and glad to see you talk about all of these even if I dig different games in some cases. I genuinely don't think enough credit goes to Xbox's original platformers, and now that they're a 3D platformer *powerhouse* being the new home to Banjo-Kazooie, Psychonauts, Spyro the Dragon, Skylanders *and* Crash Bandicoot thanks to mergers, I'm fairly certain they'll _NEVER_ even consider bringing back Blinx or Voodoo Vince or whatever in any capacity (heck, I'm pretty sure they sold the Voodoo Vince IP back to the original creators since that HD version was developed AND published by Beep themselves). That's a shame. Definitely highlight more of these because, while objectively they can't stand up to Sly Cooper or Jak & Daxter or whatever, there's a lot of interesting weird nonsense going on in the world of Xbox platformers, lol. Stuff that definitely shouldn't be forgotten

[@cormaclindberg]

Yoooo toejam and earl was my shit glad to see someone talking bout all the classic xbox games from my childhood

[@awesomeferret]

I love how in games like Voodoo Vince, there are rarely straight lines. The graphics have aged so well because the level design is all twisty-turny, and it looks VERY good with small amount of polygons. Modern 3d platformers don't seem to ever have worlds as physically twisted and warped as older ones, and I can't help but wonder if that's directly correlated with technical limitations.

[@campxbox]

That's a good question and I wish I knew more about game development to really know, but I'm sure it did. I do think working with restrictions allows you to be more creative by finding ways to work around it.

[@fatbikearcticnomad2122]

Love these games! I have all of them. Huge XBOX fan. My favorite gaming console. Great video bro…🎮❎🎮

[@GameFactsSpecial]

Really enjoying your content. The RPG episode was great. :)

[@campxbox]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@NEPHALEM4751]

Dudeee hearing enchanted arms soundtrack when you were talking about oddworld such an good rpg game at its time for some people

[@aaronskuse2207]

I owned Blinx 1 and 2 when I was younger, but neither ever caught my attention.

[@shannonbateswillis5022]

Cool, didn’t know you had played Tak! I LOVE that game series; at least the first 3! Would you like a sequel to Voodoo Vince? I would!

[@campxbox]

Yeah, I had the first Tak when I was younger on the GameCube and I loved it. Surprisingly only 2 and 3 made it to Xbox. I would love to see Voodoo Vince get a sequel! It had so much potential to be a great series.

[@shannonbateswillis5022]

@@campxbox cool; thanks for your opinion on this matter: (I doubt it, but I sincerely hope that Mr. Spencer has SOMEONE working on a sequel!), and thanks for responding to my question so quickly! Between you and me, I would LOVE for THQNordic to make a complete remake of the first 3 Tak Games! How about you?

[@campxbox]

Oh yeah that would be awesome!

[@shannonbateswillis5022]

@@campxbox glad to hear it! On a personal note, I recently found my old OG Xbox and have been buying non- backwards compatible games for it! So thanks for recommending Blood Wake and others! Also, I agree that more people should play Voodoo Vince! Remastered or original!

[@moonlitkaiser]

Wow getting to the munch chapter and hearing enchanted arms school theme 😢 good taste

[@Schraiber]

Really wish Toe Jam and Earl 3 were BC. They added a few Sega games and I don't think this one has any licensing issues like JSRF, so idk what's up

[@ilovemaging7]

Just found the channel and you are doing a awesome job!

[@campxbox]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoy it!

[@43DRS]

Great video. I’m new to the channel and really enjoy the content

[@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn]

It was probably conker: bfd for me. Solid list bud. 👌🏿

[@Teizhcial]

I'd love to see you do a video on the fps game Darkwatch, the xbox version has superior graphics and framerate compared to the ps2 release and it's one of my favorite fps game from back then

[@campxbox]

I’ll add it to the list. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@LucasNovaes2023]

Will you review Crazy Taxi 3 one day?

[@campxbox]

Yeah definitely, I love Crazy Taxi!

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodtr106]

I used to play voodoo Vince all of the time as a kid

[@mjdf122]

Toe Jam and Earl 1991-Forever

[@davidlambert5255]

I tried to play Blinx recently on my series x but the camera drove me nuts. I think I would have liked it went it came out I'm just spoiled with modern camera controls

[@lutfimakarim8258]

Wow. If you do make a part 2, may I suggest Whiplash? The concept alone is insane.

[@campxbox]

Oh yeah 100% that game is super underrated.

[@GoldenFenrir]

This is awesome! How did you get these games to look so clear and crisp?

[@campxbox]

For this video Blinx and Oddworld were recorded on the Series X. The others were recorded from my original Xbox using a pound hdmi converter to a capture card.

[@GoldenFenrir]

ahhh thanks,man. I use the Levelhike xbox cable and i love it. There's a new external hdmi adaptor going around called xbox2hdmi by electron shepard. THat's supposed to be the best quality you can get without opening the xbox. and im just like "is it really gonna be much of an upgrade if i already have a levelhike"@@campxbox

[@GoldenFenrir]

ahhh thanks,man. I use the Levelhike xbox cable and i love it. There's a new external hdmi adaptor going around called xbox2hdmi by electron shepard. THat's supposed to be the best quality you can get without opening the xbox. and im just like "is it really gonna be much of an upgrade if i already have a levelhike"@@campxbox

[@lil_thang]

i hear "Twerk" every time you meant to say "Tork" 👀

[@campxbox]

Lmao I just said it out loud and I heard it

[@nonpersonhuman]

Dino Crisis 3???

[@knuclear200x]

Platformers are my favorite, but man, none of these really had the same visual appeal the other 2 consoles had. I AM missing out though, and XBox emulation still remains unfinished