Many consider the sixth generation of consoles to be one of the best in all of gaming. Fans of the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft's Xbox all have great titles to choose from during this period. It was also a time where graphics made massive leaps towards realism, with many remembering the awe-striking visuals of Shadow of the Colossus or the revolutionary lighting of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
The Xbox pushed to have some of the most visually impressive and technically impressive titles on the market. The graphical fidelity of the console's titles was hard to beat, but nearly all games are better how fans remember them than how they really are.
10 Holds Up:Â Forza Motorsport
As the Xbox's lifespan was coming to a close, developers found ways to push the console to its limit. Forza Motorsport is one such game.
Released in 2005, Forza Motorsport is a racing title exclusive to the Xbox that is more focused on career growth than reaching par times in courses. Turn 10 Studios focused more on making the models and the textures on the cars as realistic as possible, and it really shows. The models in this game hold up with modern racing titles alongside its great use of skylights.
9 Looks Terrible:Â Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Do not get the wrong impression: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the best games Rockstar has ever made. It took the fantastic open-world design of GTA 3 and Vice City and ramped it up to 11. With that said, the older Grand Theft Auto titles have not aged well visually.
Textures are the largest offender. Nearly everything looks muddy when you get close with little to compensate. Models are surprisingly well-done, but the game won't be winning awards for its great lighting or texture work. Rather, it won over people's hearts with its fantastic story and unparalleled freedom.
8 Holds Up: Oddworld: Stranger's Wraith
There aren't many games like Oddworld: Strangers Wraith. No other game allows players to fire hordes of wasps like a machine gun at enemies. This cult classic is loved by many for its unique western art style and innovations with using insects as ammo.
It's aged remarkably well, too! Characters have a surprising amount of detail, particularly The Stranger. Stranger's Wraith makes great use of particle effects and lighting to enhance the feel of combat.
7 Looks Terrible: Robocop
Robocop for the original Xbox looks like a rejected N64 or Dreamcast title, and that's an insult to both of those consoles. The flat lighting and poor texture work make this game feel a generation older than it is.
Combat hasn't faired much better with Robocop handling like a poor imitation of Perfect Dark without the innate aim assist, and the terrible audio design will make you want to shut the game off for good. Robocop fans deserve better.
6 Holds Up:Â Doom 3
Screenshots don't do this port justice. What Vicarious Visions pulled off with the original Xbox port of Doom 3 is nothing short of magic. It certainly looks worse than the PC version, but it still has the game's iconic lighting system and claustrophobic levels.
Textures took a massive hit to get this game functional on the Xbox, but the fact that a title that brought most PCs to their knees at launch is working on a home console can't be understated. It runs as a solid framerate for all but the most intense of encounters, and Doom 3's gorgeous dynamic lighting system is still at full swing here. Even if you've played Doom 3 to death, the original Xbox port of Doom 3 is worth checking out.
5 Looks Terrible: Sneakers
Sneakers is one of the worst titles to release on the original Xbox, critically panned for its simplistic gameplay and terrible visuals. Players control a group of rats and face off against other rats in each level.
Controls are rather clunky, but nothing is worse in this game than the visuals. Rats look like chubby children running on pixelated rugs and floors. No dynamic lights or great texture work can save this eyesore of a game.
4 Holds Up:Â Jet Set Radio Future
Games don't need to have crystal-clear textures or amazing lighting to be visually impressive. Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future make brilliant use of cell-shaded graphics to set it apart from its competition.
Its gameplay might seem like a downgrade when compared to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, but its visual style, great use of particle effects, and fantastic soundtrack easily make it one of the best titles on the original Xbox.
3 Looks Terrible: Drake of the 99 Dragons
Just look at it. Drake of the 99 Dragons is one of the most confused video games ever made. Created when The Matrix was the current craze, the game tries its hardest to replicate the movie's action scenes into gameplay with disastrous results.
It has a clunky control scheme that makes levels much harder to traverse than it should be. As a result, you'll spend more time looking at the game's flatly-textured walls and character models that are generations behind the industry standard. This game is supposed to be cell-shaded, but only the main character's trench coat uses the effect properly. Don't play this game.
2 Holds Up:Â The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Yes, that is a screenshot of a 2004 video game running on the original Xbox. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is the best thing to come out of Chronicles of Riddick franchise.
As the name implies, players take control of Riddick to find a way to escape the Butcher Bay maximum-security prison. Its gameplay might feel clunky by today's standards, but the storytelling and visuals are on par with modern titles. Most of the game takes place indoors, allowing the game to truly show off its impressive lighting and solid texture work. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better-looking game than this on the original Xbox.
1 Looks Terrible: Pulse Racer
Nothing looks worse on the original Xbox than Jaleco's Pulse Racer. Meant to bring the cart-racing genre to the Xbox, Pulse Racer instead brought disgust amongst gamers for its terrible graphics and mundane gameplay.
Players are attached to their vehicles in the most literal way possible. If you push yourself too far, the car will stop working for a short time. You can't blame your character for having a heart attack after seeing the game's visuals. Textures have no depth or variation, only shades of basic colors. Models look ripped out of an N64 title. It tries to replicate the charm of the Mario Kart franchise without an ounce of understanding as to why those games are enjoyable.