The original Xbox was a great console that marked Microsoft's entry into the home console market. Of course, this first outing did have its fair share of rough edges, but it served as an important milestone for the company and paved the way for its future success, with the Xbox 360 having one of the most successful launches of all time. It helped that the Xbox had its fair share of great games that have become quite legendary in their own right.
Most people would assume that the majority of games on the original Xbox have aged pretty poorly and simply can't compete with modern graphics. The latter is obviously true, but there's no denying that some titles on the original Xbox have actually aged pretty well and are quite pleasant to look at even now. A strong art style and direction are key to this, with the following games personifying this to a T.
10 Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth
Call of Cthulhu is one of the most well-known stories penned by the late great H.P. Lovecraft. This game serves as a direct adaptation of the story while also taking some liberties of its own.
There's no denying that this adaptation pales in comparison to the novel, but there's still something that can be enjoyed from the overall experience. The horror vibe of the title is immaculate, in no small part due to an amazing art style that evokes a palpable sense of dread.
9 Fable: The Lost Chapters
Fable is one of Microsoft's most popular exclusives, with the announcement of a fourth title being met with strong praise across the board. The first game was a revolutionary title that received an expanded release called Fable: The Lost Chapters.
The game still looks gorgeous and colorful to this day, with a mix of realistic and cartoonish art styles helping the longevity of the game's visuals. Fans of great action RPGs should definitely give Fable: The Lost Chapters a shot.
8 Burnout 3: Takedown
The Burnout series features some of the most satisfying arcade racers that players can get their hands on. The games are full to the brim with rampant destruction and incredible bursts of speed.
The third game in the series, Burnout 3: Takedown, is considered by many to be one of the best arcade racers of all time. Pulling off amazing tricks to gain more speed and take out more opponents makes for a great gameplay loop, with the graphics being quite pleasing to this day.
7 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
It's a testament to the strong art style present in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time that it arguably looks better than the two sequels that came after. The sheer style oozing out of every pore in this game is quite beautiful indeed.
It's a shame that Ubisoft messed up their first attempt to remaster this title for a new generation. Hopefully, a renewed effort will ensure that the game gets the visual upgrade it deserves, instead of looking inferior to the original title.
6 Psychonauts
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Psychonauts is one of the most beloved action platformers of all time, with its sequel being just as beloved. The imaginative levels coupled with a heap of great platforming challenges make this game a blast to play through in every way.
It helps that Psychonauts is absolutely brimming with character and its visuals are extremely pleasant to look at. Everything that the game is trying to convey is done so visually in a brilliant fashion.
5 Halo: Combat Evolved
It was clear that Halo needed to come out swinging, especially since it was poised to be one of Microsoft's biggest exclusives. Suffice it to say, Halo: Combat Evolved succeeded in this goal and kickstarted a legendary franchise that is still going strong to this day.
The first game introduced players to many key components of its universe, with its single-player campaign being a treat to behold. It helped that the visuals were truly amazing and still hold up to this day.
4 Half-Life 2
There's something about games with great art direction that makes them truly timeless. No title personifies this more than Half-Life 2, which somehow manages to be a good-looking title despite the bleak nature of its visuals.
However, there's a strong sense of identity in the graphics of Half-Life 2 that make them so striking despite them seeming pretty uninteresting at first glance. If anything, it's the muted nature of most of the game's levels that make its latter stages pop out so much.
3 Doom 3
Speaking of games with great art direction, another title worth a mention is Doom 3. The game has its fair share of detractors, with most people feeling that the title lost its identity with a more horror-centric approach.
However, it's when people get past this hurdle that they realize just how incredible an experience Doom 3 really is. The dark and dim hallways of the UAC's Mars base are nerve-wracking to explore, with any sudden bursts of light being terrifying and really showing how well the game's graphics serve the gameplay.
2 Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
There's something about games with more cartoonish art styles that help their visuals to age well. Games that strove for realism aged quite poorly, while others that focused on other aspects of the game's art style haven't fared the same fate.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is a great example, with the game being an especially impressive achievement in terms of graphical longevity. After all, the game aggressively uses more boring and drab color palettes, yet the graphical style is clean, communicates information well to the player, and doesn't really need to be all that detailed anyway.
1 Jet Set Radio Future
Cel shading is one of the best ways to ensure that a game's visuals are timeless, with this graphical style being quite prevalent across the Jet Set Radio games. With this in mind, it's easy to see why the graphics in Jet Set Radio Future have aged so well.
It's a shame that this game is the last mainline console entry to release in the series. The striking art style and fun gameplay haven't aged a day and the title is still a blast to play through even now.