I remember playing it on XBL split screen with a buddy, I had that headset and loved using those silly voices that changes your voice to a robot or whatever else. Ah, the good ol’ days on Xbox Live. The community felt better then, people were typically a lot kinder and less antagonistic like they are today. Which is why I don’t play a lot online anymore, toxic communities.
Completely agree, the community was generally pretty chill and friendly, and it was easier to connect because the mic was included and pretty much everyone used it.
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I miss games like Splinter Cell that have the thesis of “You know stealth games? We’re going to REDEFINE them”. Of course it was easier back then, but true innovation is few and far between nowadays.
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OK so PAL side, We didnt get Unreal until November, so My October choice would have been
“The Thing”
3rd Person Action horror, lots from John Carpenters film was incorporated, Blood test kits, flamethrowers etc, but of course the story being “The spec Ops returning after the events” guns too. Had a trust system where NPC would or wouldnt interact with you based on the level of trust, and could be infected at any time after fighting a “Thing”. It wasnt great looking and the trust system wasn’t brilliantly done, but as a fan of the film I enjoyed it.
October 2002, “Timesplitters 2” for all the same reasons as @anon98342452
November 2002, “Morrowind” Took six months, but we got it and played it! 
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I love these posts from people who lived in different regions at the time. Still insane global releases weren’t a thing always, you know? Wish we had a Japanese perspective for the thread, they didn’t get a lot period it seems. Living overseas now, I have access to every game day one, same as I used to in the U.S. so it’s just odd and fun to read about.
Was hard growing up PAL
Trying to get movies was a pain too, hence all the bother getting region free DVD players or having a region 1 and 2 one side by side
That really stinks, I guess we were really lucky and privileged in the U.S. wrt the game market.
Damn I absolutely loved Unreal Championship. It felt like I was playing some Perfect Dark-style multiplayer on the Xbox.
Cool weapons and characters, enormous maps (especially remember the egyptian maps and the map that was like a giant corridor with volcanoes or something red), huge number of bots (I didn’t have Xbox Live), fast-paced gameplay/movements and good atmosphere. And that satellite weapon with the big explosion… I loved it !
This game was 9.5/10 for me.
December 2002 was a barren month following the madness that was November here in the NA region. Not only did few titles release, but there wasn’t a lot of what I’d call quality on display. That said, there was one title I sunk some hours into, a licensed IP that was near the height of its popularity at the time.
December 2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
I like this game, I’ll just say that up front. There’s something that’s so refreshing about playing a hack-n-slash game set in the LOTR universe that really does it for me. I love the Peter Jackson movies, and naturally that was the reason I wanted to play the game. I went in blind, not expecting anything one way or the other, and came away impressed and surprised at just how decent and fun this game was (and still is).
It looked great for the time, there were tons of orca on screen to pound my way through with my choice of legendary hero (I’m an Aragorn guy myself…take your Legolas nonsense somewhere else 
). It was fast, fluid, fun gameplay that required just enough attention and skill to keep me engaged. Another example of a solid licensed IP. You see where I’m going here…a good game is a good game!
Nothing worth shouting out for the month in my opinion. Did anything stand out as worthwhile to any of you?
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December for PAL was very weak, our November had been likewise very busy.
By way of a small tangent, I very much believe that Aragorn is the much more pleasing to the eye than Legolas. Woof!
Anyway, from what I see on Wikipedia, there is some conflicting info, the general page says this was released in 2002, where the individual page claims 2003. Regardless, the month, for me was weak so the only game I have any memories of at all was SEGA’s NFL 2K3. They are good memories though.
I don’t like sport much, I like Rugby (short shorts) and I used to enjoy watching golf with my father, but I dislike most sports, especially football. Now American football (apologies in advance I refuse to use the global terminology, I am English and stubborn) for some reason I always rather enjoyed, I liked to watch the superbowl every year and I enjoyed a great deal of the NFL games of around this time, don’t know why particularly, lets say whimsy.
2K3 I remember as being particularly good and being a staple in our house as something to relax to.
January 2003, a fresh year and fresh games. January also saw few releases, but of those includes one of the better loved games of the original Xbox platform (and a weird, new series I’ll note below).
January 2003
Panzer Dragoon Orta
An Xbox exclusive, Panzer Dragoon Orta was another Sega joint (a pattern has formed here) and a really fun, solid title. PDO was an on-rails shooter similar in nature to Star Fox, except you’re flying on the back of a dragon instead of an Arwing. It was a beautiful game (still is!), I remember this one was a stunner. It wasn’t a day one purchase, but after reading reviews and hearing the hype from people playing on XBL, I had to get it. FOMO right? More importantly, it played quite well, gameplay was challenging, and the music/sound was fitting for the title. This is one that holds up, definitely check it out on your modern Xbox console through BC.
If I had one knock, it’s the length. It’s on the shorter side, but to be honest if it was much longer it might feel long in the tooth. I have no idea what the story is about or any character, but it really didn’t matter much to me. I don’t recall a MP component, and honestly, it’s not something I would have spent time in given the sheer amount of amazing MP games on the Xbox at the time.
My shout out for the month is just for its nature as an oddity…Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. I don’t like this game much at all for some pretty clear reasons in character design and “gameplay”. Always felt a bit weird and gross. That said, I remember being at a MS employee party and all the guys there were losing their minds at some mini game that had you leaping across floats or something in a pool. Okie dokie…I guess the positive take is that devs were experimenting with ideas, and Japanese devs were still on-board with Xbox. Did you have a favorite game in January 2003?
Ah, Panzer Dragoon Orta. This game is great. Visuals still hold up and it looks great via BC. A new, proper installment in the series will always be welcome to me.
Would love to see a true successor. Crimson Dragon was fair enough and a good callback, but just isn’t at the same level as Orta. I’ve been curious about The Falconeer, if it’s anything like PDO. Hopefully, a future GP game…and Orta the same month so we can compare 
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I only discovered this game recently thanks to BC and Game Pass and I absolutely loved it. The universe is very interesting and the soundtracks are great. Short game but memorable.
It’s a shame it’s a dead IP, I would love a reboot.
Yikes,that’s some choice.
February 2003 wasn’t much better in terms of overall releases and there wasn’t anything on the level of PDO. There were a few titles that were of interest to me, including one of this February’s Games With Gold.
February 2003
Indiana Jones & the Emperor’s Tomb
I love Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors and his portrayal of Indy has always been one of my favorite roles. The video game history of the Indiana Jones has had a few hits and misses, and I’d say that Emperor’s Tomb is one of the better titles. It felt like an Indy game (not indie game ) with a bombastic, silly-serious story, and of course whipping action and combat.
ET is a third person action game, much in the vein of the stuff you’d think nowadays such as Tomb Raider or Uncharted. Of course, it’s not as smooth or slick as those games, but we’re talking nearly 20 years ago. It looked pretty good, especially on Xbox, and most importantly it played well and matched the IP. It made you feel like Indy, even if Ford isn’t voice acting. It also had a good sized campaign and no multiplayer that I can remember. The story is throwaway, but that’s Indy right? You’re there for the action, puzzles, characters, and set pieces and ET felt in place with the movies in that way. The best thing is you can play this next month on your modern console through GWG if you sub to that, or GPU. Definitely give it a shot if you have the time, and perhaps this is an early glance at what we’ll be getting with Machine Games’ new Indiana Jones title…one can hope!
Shout out for the month is Capcom vs. SNK NEO. I really enjoy the Vs. series or fighters, and while not as good as MvC2, NEO is a solid fighter and one that I remember playing at an “otaku” friend’s house often. He’d kick my butt, but sometimes my button mashing would net a K.O. Did you have a favorite or memorable game from February 2003?
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As much as I like some of the games released in March 2003, there’s one that I consider an all time great, one of my favorite games ever, and one that unfortunately doesn’t play best on Xbox due to the wonky controller/d-pad and some other issues that only a MvC2 nerd like me would even see or care about. Otherwise, it’s a stellar game and I wish it was more readily available on modern storefronts, or didn’t cost and arm and a leg for a disc copy.
March 2003
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
MvC2 was one of those games that I loved playing in the local arcade (and now I’m sad 
). The cabinet was huge and colorful, always with a line of players and quarters stacked on the machine. The game was loud, flashy, and fast. The cast of characters epic in scope and quality. I mean, a team of Ryu + Spider-Man + Shuma-Gorath vs. Captain America + Dr. Doom + Chun-Ali? What’s better?
It was everything a hit arcade could and should be, and luckily we were blessed with console ports. The Dreamcast version reigns supreme in my mind, but the Xbox port was definitely serviceable for those with only access to the big black box. While the majority of my time with the game was spent in arcades or on Dreamcast, I did play this on Xbox with an Xbox-only friend quite often. The matches were always intense, and it’s the only fighting game I can say I sunk considerable time into and absolutely adore. Am I good at it? No. Do I have a heck of a lot of fun playing? Yep! This game holds up, and if you can find a way to play it - on Xbox or elsewhere - do yourself a favor and do it! I know I own the XBLA port, which is great, but I’m not sure it’s available on the marketplace to download anymore which is a shame.
Shoutouts to Rayman 3 and Red Faction II. Both are enjoyable games and sequels in their respective series, but nothing holds a candle to the greatness of MvC2. What’s your fav from March 2003?
If anyone’s still reading or following the thread, apologies for the delayed update. April 2003, we’re moving into a great stretch of games for the original Xbox. This month, there’s two absolutely amazing games that I consider some of the best in their respective genres, and are among my all-time favorites. The “rules” state I can only choose one, so I went with a coin flip.
April 2003
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II
I just want to start by saying it’s crazy that we’re still able to play a PSO game on modern consoles today, and not through backwards compatibility! I can’t say that it’s ever captured the magic of the old days in PSO in Dreamcast and later, Xbox, but it’s awesome to see the series still around, and potentially thriving with the upcoming PSO 2 New Genesis.
Ok, that aside, PSO was an absolutely amazing game on Dreamcast when it launched, it was one of the first console games that I played that truly showed that a console was capable of housing a game that could compete with the “big boys” on PC. I spent copious hours on the Dreamcast version, but later moved on to the Xbox version after the Dreamcast was shelved by Sega. It’s essentially the same experience, and I would say it’s an essential game to experience. It’s so darn fun, even now, which is why you see fan community servers to keep the games alive.
PSO was a different take on the Phantasy Star series, which was more traditional JRPG. You’d log in to the PSO servers and hook up with your friends or randoms and tackle different missions, increasing in difficulty and awesome loot. I can’t say there was a ton of mission variety, but the core gameplay loop was a lot of fun. Slashing, casting magic, tech to destroy enemies felt great, Sega nailed that here. The aesthetic was also exciting, a futuristic sci-fi instead of the typical fantasy you’d see in an online RPG such as Diablo, Ultimate, or Everquest. I never really followed the story, but still dumped hundreds of hours playing this game, maxing out the level cap many, many times. It’s just that good. If you’re the type who likes to tinker, you can try to find a fan server to play the game. You should!
A shout-out to NBA Street Vol. 2. I think this is legitimately one of the best sports games out there, it’s certainly the best alternative to NBA Jam TE if you’re into arcade sports titles. The characters, music, and flow of the game is amazing. It’s still ridiculous fun. Play it!
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I’m still reading, but whenever I think to have a look to join in, I get distracted by kids!
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