My Top 10 Original Xbox Games

 I want to do a series where I rank the Top 10 games on each console I own or have played, mainly the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo 64, and maybe a PC or Xbox One.  I have played video games since I was a little lad, and I have developed some favorites over the years.  

First up, is the original Xbox.  I have put so many hours into my Xbox.  I still have the same one my family got in 2001, although I did replace the disc drive a few years ago since it got to a point where it wouldn't open on its own anymore.  Anyway, I'm going to rank my Top 10 Original Xbox games.  These are my opinion, and are mostly based on how much I enjoyed playing each game and how many hours I put into each.  Also, if there are multiple games from the same franchise, I will consider that as a single entry.  Here are my Top 10!

Honorable Mention: The Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers and Return of the King)
I had to technically include an 11th with The Lord of the Rings here.  I've never been the biggest fan of button mashers, which made this a bit difficult for me as a kid.  But eventually, I did get the hang of it enough to put in plenty of hours.  I loved playing battles from the films, most notably Helm's Deep.  They even had a few battles not seen in the films.  And I enjoyed the special features from the films they added for completing certain levels.  I would definitely consider going back to this someday.

10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Harry Potter franchise had a total of four games from the films (plus Quidditch World Cup) come out on the original Xbox, but the only one I really played on the Xbox was Chamber of Secrets.  It's still to this day one of my favorite Harry Potter video games.  I've beaten it several times.  The high amount of loading screens sucks, and dueling in the game is somewhat broken, but it's still enjoyable.  I especially love the open-world aspect and flying around Hogwarts and exchanging beans for items at Fred and George's shop.

9. Grand Theft Auto Series (III, Vice City, and San Andreas)
I have still not played GTA III much, but I put in plenty of hours into Vice City and San Andreas soon after I got them.  I remember when the games first came out on Playstation and hearing about how violent and bad for kids they were.  It just made me want to play it that much more.  When III and Vice City finally came to Xbox, I had to get my hands on them.  I have not played them much in the years since, because the newer GTA's have made these look old and obsolete, but perhaps someday. 

8. Star Wars: Obi-Wan
As a huge Star Wars fan, I've played my fair share of Star Wars video games, including Star Wars: Obi-Wan.  This was one of the first games my family got for the Xbox.  I remember struggling in the game at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing.  I've only beaten the game two times (or so), but I thoroughly enjoyed it each time.  I thought the combat elements and gameplay were better than what critics said.  

7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (And Ghost Recon Island Thunder)
Ghost Recon became my favorite military-style FPS growing up.  I would play this over Call of Duty or anything else.  I loved having two teams and telling the other what to do.  I loved being the sniper and picking guys off from a distance.  The "expansion" Island Thunder was just as good, albeit a bit shorter.  I distinctly remember saving myself into a corner a few times.  That's when you save your game a split second before you die.  There was nothing I could do about it.  And that resulted in me having to restart the level.  Anyway, I definitely want to give Ghost Recon another playthrough someday.  Also, I never played the sequel Ghost Recon 2.  I saw my dad play it and realized it was too different from the original.

6. MLB 2K5
This might be my favorite baseball video game of all time.  I love the ESPN presentation and having Jon Miller and Joe Morgan as announcers.  The gameplay is solid and just about difficult enough.  I especially love constructing teams (trading players, signing and releasing players).  Sometimes I would construct a team and sim them for years to see if I could ever win a championship.  

5. Star Wars: Battlefront (and Battlefront II)
The original Battlefront games are maybe one of my favorite third-person shooters ever.  I love playing in basically every battle from the films and as either side AND as any unit on that side.  It still holds up well to this day.  I did play the remake, but it doesn't compare well to the simplicity of the original.  I loved playing as a Jedi or Sith in the second one, especially the "All Jedi/Sith" mode set on Mos Eisley.  

4. NBA Inside Drive 2003
This is, without a doubt, my favorite basketball video game of all time.  I have played through dozens of entire seasons where I created a team of players from scratch.  The player progression system in this game is one of my favorites of all time, where players earn points for doing well in games, and you can spend those points on certain attributes to make them better.  The created players all kind of look robotic, but there are plenty of customization options.  Plus, the gameplay is superb and I can't knock it.  

3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (and KOTOR II: The Sith Lords)
I have beaten the first game close to a dozen times, each of which takes me 20-24 hours to do.  So, do the math.  I've beaten the sequel close to half as many times.  It's just one of those games with immense replay value, because of all the different choices you can make.  Of course, the customization options make you want to play as someone completely different each time.  And the story... don't even get me started!  How has no one adapted this into a film or series yet?  The sequel's gameplay might even be a step up, although I think the story lacks.  I just put so many hours into these games, and they might still to this day be my favorite Star Wars video games of all time.

2. Halo: Combat Evolved (And Halo 2)
I'd wager this would be on and likely near the top of most people's favorite original Xbox games.  How could it not be?  When you think of OG Xbox, you think of Halo.  I don't know if I've put the absolute most hours into the first two games (I put in a ton to the third, though), but I have to say my enjoyment each time I play through the campaign hardly ever wavers.  There was simply nothing like playing through the campaign of either of these games in the early 2000s.  

1. ESPN NFL 2K5
My favorite sports video game ever.  It's just perfect.  The ESPN presentation, the gameplay, the roster-building, and the customization options, are all that make ESPN NFL 2K5 my favorite Xbox game ever.  The announcers they used could maybe be better, but they are still super solid.  There's a reason people keep modding this game and adding the current day's rosters to it.  Because it's that good!  And it was $20 at release!  Imagine what 2K sports could have accomplished if they were allowed to compete with EA/Madden to make NFL video games.  Imagine what we could have now, instead of the garbage EA churns out every year.  Such a shame.  Anyway, I still replay this game almost every year during football season because it's simply that much fun.  I love it.

Well, those were my top 10 original Xbox games of all time.  I may soon do a Top 10 for 360 and/or Nintendo 64.  

Ranking my Top 10 Favorite NFL Broadcasters

Watching NFL Football is one of my favorite things to do, it's one of the reasons I love the fall and winter seasons.  With that comes the broadcasters who call the games.  Here I will rank my Top 10 NFL Broadcasters, including analysts.  These guys are all currently on air and I will explain why I like them.

10. Joe Buck, play-by-play, FOX
Most people hate Joe Buck and dread getting him for their team's game.  I don't exactly feel that way, because that means Fox's #1 team is covering us.  My only real problem with Buck is how much Fox overuses him, from their NFL and MLB broadcasts.  But he knows when to get excited (usually) and knows the NFL game very well and knows the players just as well as any broadcaster.  Another thing I don't like is how often he concludes a big play with "No flags," especially the DeSean Jackson punt return TD in the Miracle at the Meadowlands.  Totally killed the vibe of that play. 

9. Chris Collinsworth, analyst, NBC
Another one that most fans don't like but I kind of do is Chris Collinsworth.  I love how much he knows the game and I almost always agree with his viewpoint on certain things like rules and calls by the officials.  His call of the Odell Beckham Jr. catch certainly made it better.  The one thing I don't like too much is the sound of his voice.  It's nasally and can get annoying over time. 

8. Greg Gumbel, play-by-play, CBS
He and Dan Dierdorf made just the perfect pairing and were one of my favorites to call a game.  Now that Dierdorf has retired it's just not the same.  But Gumbel's experience and smooth-sounding voice are always a pleasure.  But he seems to be a bit better fit for CBS's college basketball games now.

7. Daryl Johnston, analyst, FOX
Kenny, Moose & Goose were quite the trio on FOX for a few years.  Now that "Goose" (Tony Siragusa) is gone, it's not the same, but Daryl "Moose" Johnston is doing a good job basically doing both roles now.  He has a voice made for TV broadcasts and it really is quite the contrast from Kenny Albert's nasally sounding one. 

6. Kevin Burkhardt, play-by-play, FOX
Kevin hasn't been in the NFL business for that long but he's done a great job, rising to FOX's #2 team with John Lynch.  He has a very good sounding voice and knows when the situation calls for excitement.  The Seahawks get him a lot, which I am totally fine with. 

5. Ian Eagle, play-by-play, CBS
Ian and his partner Dan Fouts work well together on CBS and have for years.  Ian does a good job calling NBA games as well.  He knows the game well and his calls of big plays are some of my favorite.  Whenever I see a game of his on TV I always have to watch at least part of it. 

4. Jim Nantz, play-by-play, CBS
Jim has been a CBS mainstay for years, moving from studio to broadcast booth not too long ago.  He always works with Phil Simms, who he works well with but at times brings down the level of energy generated by Nantz.  But whenever CBS does the Super Bowl, Jim always does a great job.

3. Jon Gruden, analyst, ESPN
I loved Jon Gruden as a coach and I love him even more as an analyst for Monday Night Football.  He knows the game and knows plays, formations, you name it, being a former coach.  He picks his Gruden Grinder and that always tends to be someone overlooked.  Not sure I like the pairing of Gruden and McDonough (He and Tirico  did such a great job together), but perhaps with time it'll make more sense.  After all, I wasn't a huge fan of Tirico/Gruden at first.

2. Kevin Harlan, play-by-play, CBS, Westwood One
Kevin Harlan simply put is one of the best in the business.  Not only does he excel at calling NFL games on TV AND radio (doing the radio broadcast for every Monday Night Football game), but he excels at calling College Basketball for CBS during March Madness time.  Recently Kevin made a radio call for a Rams/49ers MNF game about a maniac running on the field and it was totally epic. 

1. Al Michaels, play-by-play, NBC
He is the best in the business and has been for years.  There's a reason NBC is hanging on tight to him (and even got him to do two games a week for a bit).  It'll be a sad day for me when he decides to retire.  I will go out of my way to watch Sunday Night Football games on NFL GamePass just to hear him call a game.  For someone 70+ years old he sure knows the game and its players well.