Nick, Julian, and Esteban explore the notable games and lasting impact of the Xbox.

Notable Japanese Games
 

When people talk about the Xbox (and, let’s be fair, the Xbox 360), something that always comes up is how spectacularly the system failed to catch on in Japan. It’s easy to understand; besides the trend of Japanese gamers towards portable gaming, the Xbox was built on Western-developed RPGs and first person shooters, which just don’t resonate with the Japanese audience. That shouldn’t suggest that the Xbox was lacking in Japanese games, however. Far from it — the Xbox was home to some really unique and in some cases groundbreaking games from major Japanese talent.

Shenmue II

I loved the Dreamcast. I loved Shenmue. It was one of those moments in gaming that, for me at least, signaled a change in the way games would be made going forward. When I first started reading about Grand Theft Auto III, my first thought was “oh, it’s like Shenmue.” Sadly, Sega didn’t love me as much I loved the Dreamcast, and the system was dead before it began. When I found out that Shenmue II wasn’t coming to the U.S., it was the final straw. I sold my Dreamcast and all the games, just before we learned that the European version of the game would be playable on the American Dreamcasts with little trouble. It was surprising, then, for the Xbox to get a port of Shenmue II above the PS2, but not surprising was how badly the game sold. Shenmue just didn’t click with gamers here, but Shenmue II was one of those big Japanese-made games on the Xbox. It’s backwards compatible, and well-worth seeking out.

Otogi 1&2

Before Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, From Software was known pretty much for the Armored Core series and not much else. They experimented a bit with Frame Gride on the Dreamcast and Otogi on the Xbox. I’m not surprised if you’ve never heard of Otogi, but it did character action better than many of the popular PS2 games of the time, and took aerial combat to the next level. The game had great graphics and some pretty cool level destruction elements. Otogi had pathetic sales (trust me, I couldn’t get people interested in it, no matter how hard I tried to sell it), but somehow From Software was able to release a sequel. I didn’t get a chance to play Otogi 2, but it looked to uphold the high level of polish and action that grabbed me with the first game. Unfortunately, these games aren’t on the backwards compatibility list, but are wonderful additions to any original Xbox library.

Breakdown

The 2008 release of Mirror’s Edge was interesting for a plethora of reasons, but one of the major ones was how well DICE managed to implement traversal and melee combat into a first person perspective. While I loved that game, there were many times when I wished that there were more elements of Namco’s Breakdown for the Xbox. As with Mirror’s Edge, Breakdown went for total immersion into first person. From that memorable vomiting scene from your character’s point of view you know you’re in for a very different type of game. This wasn’t a first person shooter where you just controlled a disembodied hand holding a gun; Breakdown put you in the shoes of a fully-rendered character. Look down and you’d see your feet. Look to the left or right and you’d see your shoulders. It seems silly, but it gave you a sense of place in the world that FPS games still struggle to execute properly today. The core mechanics of the combat were actually melee-focused, and this is what made Breakdown stand out. Even though you were fighting from first person, you still had a host of moves, from uppercuts to kicks, and could dodge and even backflip out of the way. It didn’t always work without a hitch, but in an industry of cookie-cutter gameplay and also-rans, Breakdown was a breath of fresh air. It works on the 360, too!

Metal Wolf Chaos

Now, this is one of those rare, Japan-only games for the Xbox. Also developed by From Software, the premise of this game has reached almost legendary status. You play as Michael Wilson, a descendant of Woodrow Wilson. Oh, and he’s the President of the United States. When his Vice President attempts to take over the presidency by force, Wilson escapes in his powered suit of armor. Yes, you read that correctly: the President pilots a mech suit. After escaping, Wilson goes on a mission to liberate cites from the West Coast to the East Coast and take America back from the Vice President. Metal Wolf Chaos is your standard third-person mech shooter, but the premise makes it worth a look. The game is in English, and probably would have been localized if the Xbox hadn’t had its plug pulled so early (this was a 2004 release), and if you have a modded system you shouldn’t have any problems playing this one. Metal Wolf Chaos is one of those crazy games from Japan that rarely gets made anymore. The closest thing to this that we’ve had in recent years may be Platinum Games’ Vanquish.