As the console generations have progressed, the concept of backwards compatibility has taken more of a backseat. Sure, Xbox and Nintendo allow fans to access some previous console games on their respective storefronts, and you can enjoy a somewhat temperamental stream of some PS3 games on your PS5 (if you’re really desperate), but gone are the days of inserting old discs into your current generation hardware, and it just working. 

With this abandonment of older titles comes the many fan favourites that are firmly stuck in the console generations of the past. Our only option, at least on consoles, is to simply wait in hope for more of those nostalgic gems to hit modern hardware. 

While we wait, we prepared a second list in celebration of those classics that we’re dying to play on our latest generation of hardware. Here are 20 More Cult Classics Trapped On Old Consoles.

The early 2000s were awash with creativity and style, and the beloved Jet Set Radio Future was definitely one of the cornerstones of this confident time for gaming. 

Released in 2002 on the Xbox, it built upon the foundations seen in its previous entry, Jet Set Radio, bringing a freer, more fluid playground for players to get stuck into and cause mischief. Like the previous entry, players take on the role of a gang member, skating the streets of a cel-shaded Tokyo while spraying graffiti and avoiding rival gangs, as well as the police. 

The secret to the affinity that players have for this one lies in its free-flowing movement and memorable cel-shaded aesthetic, representing a more playful version of trick-based roaming compared to similar titles of the time, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It fully captured the growing counterculture of the early 2000s too, and encapsulates the nostalgia that many people of a certain age feel for that time period. 

It's a shame then that it’s trapped on the original Xbox, which basically nobody owns anymore. 

While there’s no news of a port to newer consoles, a new game in the series was announced in 2023, although we haven’t heard much since. A spiritual successor was released in 2024 named Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and while it doesn’t quite match up to the Jet Set Radio titles, its streamlined tagging system and sprawling city design will surely scratch an itch for fans of the series. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s one way to experience this early 2000s slice of nostalgia, while we wait for news of the series’ jump from the original Xbox hardware.

Matt Shore

Contributor

Matt has been gaming since he was young, and enjoys exploring obscure indie games in between the latest AAA releases. The train sequence from Uncharted 2 still blows his mind.

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