Well, we're now officially less than a month away from Xbox Live Gold going away for good. That's right, come September 14th the service is being folded into a new tier of Xbox Game Pass, meaning we'll all be saying goodbye to Xbox Live next month.
Of course, the main function of Xbox Live will still be a thing - online gaming is absolutely huge these days and we can't see that focus shifting anytime soon. Yet, the branding around 'Xbox Live' and all the memories attached to that will be affected by the transition.
And that's got us thinking about our top Xbox Live memories. This writer wasn't introduced to the service until the Xbox 360 days, but I still have memories of unwrapping that shiny copy of Gears of War and hopping online for the first time.
Also, just navigating the dashboard of that era is so nostalgic to us. It was an alien concept at the time to have this broad online platform where all of our mates just hung out, socialised and played games together. Remember, this was before most people touched social media in any meaningful way, so Xbox Live really was an introduction to connecting with friends over the internet for millions of us.
Another lasting memory I have is playing Project Gotham Racing 4 online with my friends back then - particularly the 'Bulldog' game mode that felt so different for a track racer. Bulldog was effectively a big game of car tag, and many, many weeknights were spent chasing my pals around the virtual streets of PGR4's city tracks.
Having ranted and raved about all of that, what are some of your lasting Xbox Live memories? Were you there on day one with the original Xbox, or do you have a more modern XBL memory that stands out?
Drop your top Xbox Live memories down in the comments below as we wave goodbye to XBL Gold!
Comments 41
Definitely first signing up in Jan 2006 for me. Unlocking the live “Blade” and getting into my first game of Perfect Dark Zero. Incidentally that is where my Gamertag and username come from.
The first Gears must have also been a great game to start with.
It was either racing with friends on Forza 2, checking out the decals we'd all made and bumper car-ing about the place; or joining the same people in a game of Cops and Robbers on Halo 3, cheap headset on, last Uni exam done, and a steaming hot pizza next to me.
I also have quite fond memories of signing into 1v100 in the evening between rounds of Battlefield 1943 a few years later!
Halo 3 for sure. When I got my 360, I just started highschool and my mom moved us out to nowhere Missouri where I didn't get to see my friends from the city often. We all bonded over Halo 3, whether it was sweaty(ish) competitive matches or sharing our goofy forge creations or findings.
Also shout-out to whoever made the "Hurricane Katrina" map. You gave us countless laughs 😆
When COD4 Modern Warfare came out and my pals and I played it almost every day for 6 months.
Friday nights me and a few mates would all set up our 360s and TVs in someone’s living room and just drink and play Gears online till the early hours. We fondly called it Beers of War.
Rainbow Six co-op was a chuckle - not so much elite SWAT team, more like Keystone Cops.
1 VS 100 without a doubt. They had a real winner here. Too bad it went away,
My 18th birthday, 2005. I was first amongst my friends to get Xbox live. 8 of us in my bedroom with a mountain of beer playing Halo 2, 4 player split screen on a 14" TV. Played non stop for around 14 hours.
@XboxTheBestBox Boom Boom Rocket was fantastic! Rave New World was my song of choice 😆
The MotoGP XBL demo. I played that A LOT. It was during a time when people would speak on voice chat and actually have conversations and great times.
We discovered an area near the garage that would teleport you to near the end of the lap, but then people were watching us, and eventually everyone was doing it and it caused major pileups lol hilarious stuff.
I even took apart my controller and sanded around the left thumbstick so I can lean slightly more forward and go way faster than everyone else.
Killing Major Nelson and some MS exec on Halo3 Beta Duos with some rando.
I had Xbox Live before I had an Xbox. Playing Halo with the homies is, was, and forever will be the best memory of Live.
@XboxTheBestBox parts of High Fi Rush remind me of Boom Boom Rocket/Elite Beat Agents - another reason I enjoy the game immensely.
Street Fighter IV - wish I knew the tag of the guy I went Sagat vs Zangief double health round 3, empty bars final hit but that was great and wether I won or lost I didnt encounter many, or at least any memorable jerks.
UFC Undisputed 1-2 - lots of great competition and making one dude in particular rage like ive rarely ever seen, simply for winning.
UFC Undisputed 3 - being the Jiu-Jitsu coach through TrueAchievements to help other players from around the world to unlock the position achievement in the Dojo
Transformers Cybertron games - I dont care much for big group multiplayer but grinding or legit this is my favorite multiplayer game ever.
Arkham Origins - this was pure grinding through TrueAchievements but man, what a great time we had over 5 weekends. Those Saturday Mornings were a lot of laughs.
@bababooey12 1 vs 100 was ridiculously fun
Probably Halo 2 BTB on Headlong. What a game.
I smashed up my knee playing football (torn ACL and medial) and I was none weight bearing for about 2 months. First day on the settee I put Lost Planet multiplayer on and I met a group of lads and we then played nearly every day for hours for the next 8 weeks. Fantastic times, and 16 years later most of them are still on my friends list.
OG Xbox playing PGR2 Cat and Mouse on Nordschleife. It wasn't even an official game mode, just something the community invented but was so successful that Bizarre made it into an actual mode in PGR3. Happy days!
Mine is definitely being a beta tester for Xbox live playing Whacked, NFL Fever, etc, and just amazed at how cool it was to have such an incredible gaming and social experience on console that we simply take for granted today.
It was a blast. Honestly I'd probably even say it's my favorite and best time I've ever had in Xbox.
@RealBroosh Halo 3 is kind of disappointing thing for me. The game and multiplayer was ok. But what really upset me that Halo 3 came out about a month after Shadowrun did and had many not play it as often.
Not joking when say Shadowrun is by far the most balanced, most cerebral, most fun, best well thought out first person shooter ever made. They did things in that game that should be used today. If a remaster of Shadowrun, or a sequel would ever come out, and did the game justice, I would pre-order the moment it was available.
And I NEVER pre-order games.
Playing Gears Of War with my brother..
@Feffster Rainbow Six Black Arrow for me on the OG Xbox. I no-lifed that game in college constantly. Such memories blowing people up with C4 on Cafe'.
My favourite memory was when a bunch of us were trying to get some of the multi-player achievements in Red Dead Redemption. I can't remember how many of us were in the session. Seemed like about 8 or 12.
Anyhow, one person got hold of a horse and carriage. We all managed to jump on somehow... Then going around a bend on a hillside he drove the carriage over and we all went flying. Not sure anyone stopped laughing for about 5 mins while we were all trying to re-roundup and do our achievements.
@GuyinPA75 Shadowrun was incredible. The verticality and the ridiculously luck based achievements 👌 and the classes! So good.
Playing PGR 3, doing Buccaneer Loop in reverse in D class cars. Great laughs with a great bunch of people. Would do it for ages until we changed to the library level on Rainbow 6: Vegas. Ring the bell, bring the terrorists out.
Getting banned in a mass ban wave after buying an Xbox elite second hand from gamestation, after about half an hour of playing.
Seriously Left 4 dead 2. Possibly the most fun I've had on Live. Co-op at its best.
Must be MechAssault IIRC. Others are Midtown Madness 3 & Topspin (had some good conversations during those matches).
Xbox Live in the beginning was kinda “special”.
Like a lot of people I still have my gamertag and account from getting my first 360 in 2006. The xbox 360 memories will be with me for as long as I keep my xbox account and gamertag. I can still view my games backwards on my account to the first one I ever played in 2006 which was Saints Row.
If you told me in 06 that my gamertag and account would with me for the next 18 years I probably wouldn't have believed you. It feels like a lifetime ago and I'm only 32.
My most cherished memories would be Forge in Halo 3,
Cod4 campaign and multiplayer suprising the whole world with how good it was compared to 3.
The addictive all nighters with mates on search and destroy for the first time.
The lobbies of halo and cod in general were so much fun.
Rainbow six Vegas 2 online, where we all had our own faces mapped on our characters.
EA Skate 1 online. Gears of War online. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1+2 Online. My first ever Fifa pro clubs game online (Fifa 10).
The xbox live blades, avatars and gamer pics.
Using a headset for the first time 😂
Being able to play ripped music over the games with the hardrive.
It was the glory days of online gaming for me and I don't think it will ever get better than that first taste of mainstream console online gaming.
Xbox live changed the game. Pardon the pun.
RIP
@Kaloudz you mean you never heard so many incel basement dwellers.
I started dating this girl in 2004, and she moved across the country to do an internship. Every night, while playing Ghost Recon 2 with my buddies, I'd maintain radio silence while I talked with her on the phone. All my buddies understood, and I still did my part in the squad. They never gave me grief about it, and I did it every night until she came back home.
Next February will be our 20th Anniversary.
Playing Halo 2 online and Left 4 Dead. Great times and a lot of fun.
I’m not really an online person, but aside from one year when I moved to another country, I’ve always kept my subscription alive. From the original Xbox Live, to Game Pass Ultimate.
One of my earliest memories of actually playing Xbox online multiplayer was probably Midtown Madness 3. Loved that game and the multiplayer was great fun.
Where is the sequel?
I don’t have a favorite, but instead 5 equal great memories!
1.) Playing Gears 1 co-op with my friend
2.) Getting Pimp Slapped on Saints Row and knocked across the map
3.) Racing around Project Gotham and drifting for Kudos
4.) Playin Chromehounds religiously to get all the parts and becoming a master sniper and artillery expert.
5.) Downloading my first Xbox Arcade title, Outpost Koloki X
Sunday Night Perfect Dark recreating with my friends how we all did so badly at college.
Day one on Xbox live using the voice changer to freak out all the sh_it talking little kids. A few friends and I ganged up on those little b_astards.
I think the game we were playing with Mech Assault because I played a lot of that. I'm pretty sure that was the first game I played on Xbox Live. I know I played a lot of Unreal Tournament also and Phantasy Star Online towards the beginning. I don't remember if it was at the very beginning though. Oh and Crimson Skies. I have also had the same gamertag since day one, it's the same as my username on here.
Just people actually talking. Having conversations and very little toxicity. And yeah 1 vs 100 was incredible! PGR 2,racing around Edinburgh with my mates, actually really knowing the streets was awesome!
@XboxTheBestBox Thanks! If only we could go back and experience it all for the first time again!
Removed - inappropriate; user is banned
Halo 2 for me! I remember buying Live when it came with a year subscription and a headset, and being on constantly with my friends. Made a lot of friends too from all over the world, it was never hard to find a game full of people I knew. Not to mention eeeeeveryone was on the headset and chatting, and while of course there were a-holes on there it seemed like a much more "kind" community of people at that time.
@ST-CC Get Insignia!
Played online once on the Xbox Live service. Got slaughtered immediately, and have since then switched to Nintendo online gaming. Can't remember the name of the game. It was a beautiful setting on an ice planet full of monsters and a good story. I had finished as singleplayer, and wanted to get some friends online. Never happened.
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