7 Xbox Exclusives That Need To Come Back

We are going to look at various Xbox exclusives that deserve more attention for the Series console era. Some people consider Halo, Gears of War, and Forza the only Xbox exclusives but, in reality, Xbox has spawned a lot of exclusives since 2001. We have a wide range of them to show you. There are going to be games you’ve probably never heard of, and if you have, you get some props from us. So let’s jump in.

#7 Shadowrun 2007 Sequel/Successor

Yes…That Shadowrun. The game didn’t get the best reception among long-time Shadowrun fans and critics alike when it was first released in 2007, but it was an extremely misunderstood game. It had an interesting take on Counter-Strike fused with Halo gameplay and fantasy-style spells. There wasn’t anything like it at the time. Valorant, which seemed like it took some inspiration from Shadowrun 2007, still doesn’t play the same as Shadowrun at its core. Shadowrun 2007 deserves another chance in the spotlight, especially since its master servers got completely shut down. Currently, it can only be played over LAN parties or against bots. But this game is best played with actual players, and those who were avid fans of it back in 2007, would probably share many nostalgic stories from Shadowrun’s prime years.

Multiplayer-only games are more accepted today, and there are plenty of big multiplayer games that have gone the free-to-play route like Apex Legends and Fortnite. A sequel or successor to Shadowrun 2007 can easily adapt, and it’ll be better recieved than in 2007 when the standards and expectations were different. Also, teleporting in first-person shooters is still a very cool thing.

#6 Fuzion Frenzy

Fuzion Frenzy was one of the launch titles for the original Xbox, and its demo was playable on the original Halo disc. It’s time for Fuzion Frenzy to have another chance in the spotlight since it was Microsoft’s attempt at making their own Mario Party back in Xbox’s early life span. While the game wasn’t anything groundbreaking, it still had its charm, and it was one of the best local co-op games you could play back then. Thanks to its four-player co-op support and a large selection of mini-games, Fuzion Frenzy was a blast to play with your family members or dear friends. The game also had some eye-catching futuristic-styled environments at the time, but thanks to the Series console’s backward compatibility, it’ll look even better than you remembered!

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout proved there is still an audience for Party games, and we don’t see why Microsoft shouldn’t bring it back. Maybe, the four-player local co-op experience will return sometime soon.

#5 Panzer Dragoon

Panzer Dragoon Orta was regarded as one of the best Original Xbox exclusives of all time, and believe it or not, there hasn’t been a sequel to the beloved rail shooter series in two decades outside of its remake of the first game. Microsoft could easily make a sequel that’ll continue Orta’s journey to appeal to its Japanese audience. There is room for those that want a rail shooter emphasized on large and beautiful environments while being mounted on a dragon. Sometimes, you have to dial things back. Not every game needs to be an expansive RPG or an adrenaline rush first-person shooter.

#4 Otogi

The Otogi series is one of those Xbox-only titles that might have gotten lost with time, but it did maintain its fan base due to its immersive and fantastical setting, engaging action, and being a challenging hack-and-slash title. If you’ve never seen this game before and you’re
getting Dark Souls vibes, well, this game is made by the same developers that developed the Dark Souls series. Otogi walked so Dark Souls could run. If Microsoft needs an Xbox-exclusive title that’s more focused on appealing to the hack and slash crowd, they could easily reboot this game. It deserves it, and Dark Souls has proven that there is an audience that enjoys challenging single-player-centric action games. It’s time to pay credit where credit is due, Otogo deserves some attention from Dark Souls fanatics because it may be a different game, but the spirit is still there.

#3 Bullet Witch

Here’s a weird game title, and if you aren’t too familiar with this game, there’s no shame about it. Bullet Witch was released back in 2006, and it’s a third-person shooter with Witchcraft that has you fighting demon-like monsters. The game wasn’t well-received during its inception, but there’s no denying that it had an interesting concept. There wasn’t a shooter that played like Bullet Witch at the time and even to this day, there hasn’t been anything that felt like a spiritual successor.

Sure, there was Bayonetta back in 2009, which kind of did something similar to Bullet Witch, and got more critical and commercial success but it’s not quite the same game at its core. Despite not being one of the more memorable Xbox 360 exclusive titles, it has developed a cult following and some gamers wish they can continue Alicia’s journey once again. Also, who doesn’t enjoy the idea of playing an attractive-looking woman wielding a giant gun that has different forms? A PC version was released out of nowhere in 2018 and is currently the definitive version to play if you’re interested in getting your hands on it.

#2 Steel Battalion

Here’s a series that’s perhaps one of the most iconic Xbox titles ever. It’s not in the same vein as Halo or Gears of War for being a system seller or being the game that your mom or your little sister might have heard of, but it’s iconic for being the ultimate mech simulator, largely due to the huge controller that came with the game. This game required you to use that controller and it retailed for US$200. You know you’re getting yourself into something crazy if a game is offering you a controller at that price and size. Steel Battalion would eventually spawn some sequels, and one of them was included on the Kinect, but it did not allow gamers to use the controller. This was already the wrong move at first glance, and Steel Battalion simply deserves more respect than that.

The level of detail and graphics have improved throughout the years since the original Xbox days, and we believe making a Steel Battalion game for the Series consoles would make mech-based games exciting while pleasing the die-hard Steel Battalion fans. Nowadays, Steel Battalion is a valuable collector’s item, which makes its price unsettling for average consumers. Releasing a brand new Steel Battalion game that’s still compatible with the old controller could bring the price down for the original games. Steel Battalion deserves some love, and it will forever be the ultimate mech simulator for what it did back in the Original Xbox’s heyday.

#1 Scalebound

The last game is the most unique of all the games we picked. All the games we mentioned had at least one game in their series released, but Scalebound never got to see its light of day after impressing gamers with its ambitious action-adventure concept. There’s nothing more painful than seeing a game you look forward to through trailers and gameplay videos only to know you can never play it. What seems to be an exciting action adventure made by the folks who gave us Bayonetta was completely gone by 2017. As of right now, Microsoft still owns the IP, and who knows, maybe we might see another developer tackling Scalebound and give it another go during the Series console’s lifespan. All we want to know is if Microsoft still has an interest in the Scalebound universe, and maybe someday, we’ll be able to ride dragons and take down some cool-looking enemies. Please, Phil Spencer, make our dreams come true.

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