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The end of back compat updates may be nigh
Kotaku spoke to Xbox 360 group marketing manager Albert Penello this week at CES and uncovered some unfortunate news regarding backwards compatible Xbox games on the Xbox 360. In short, Penello said that Microsoft is more or less done with releasing back compat updates. Penello told Kotaku "I don't know if we have plans to do any more releases," adding, "It feels like we kind of hit the point of diminishing returns there." He further noted that he felt that the best titles for the Xbox had essentially been "crossed off" and that exceptions are inevitable. Finally, Penello said that Xbox titles that have yet to make the list would require individual attention. As you may have guessed, it looks like Microsoft isn't planning to devote such attention to each of the hundreds of titles that haven't made it.The question we have to ask is, will any of these titles eventually find their way onto Xbox Originals?
Back compat games showing up on Gamercards
It seems that the Fall Update brought with it more than we realized. A befuddled Knuckles Dawson IMed us the other day, noting that backwards compatible Xbox games are now showing up on Xbox 360 Gamercards. We checked our own console, and sure enough, a recently played Xbox game (Ninja Gaiden) was displayed. The games do not appear on Xbox.com Gamercards, only on the 360 itself (under the Games Played tab in the Games blade). Also, only games you've played since the Fall Update will show up. In other words, our jaunt with the Halo 2 maps released earlier this year isn't recorded. The most curious bit of all is that the games are listed with the notice "0 of 0 Achievements."There are a few possibilities here. The most likely is that Microsoft thought it was a good idea for all games to show up on the list, especially given the arrival of the Xbox Originals service. Much less likely is that Microsoft is looking for some way to implement achievements in old Xbox games, which Major Nelson has stated isn't the case. No, we imagine it's there simply for convenience (or inconvenience, depending on whom you ask).
Xbox 360 gets new backwards compatibility update
Updates to the 360's compatibility are always kind of a mixed bag, but this new update is, perhaps, more mixed than usual. Sure, there are plenty of games, but there aren't too many standouts. Freedom Fighters and Breakdown are nice, but the decent game to stinkeroo average is not so hot.That said, there are now over 300 465 backwards compatible games, and we can't think of a lot of marquee titles left to be brought up from the minor leagues. [Update: The 84 new games bring the list to 465. Sorry, Major Nelson is behind the times.] Check out the list after the jump and let us know which games you'd still like to see added to the list.
Back compat update brings sports, dungeon crawlers
Seemingly out of nowhere, a backwards compatibility update has been unleashed for the Xbox 360. While there are over 80 new games on the list, the ones that catch our eyes are the numerous sports titles and a few of the Xbox's better dungeon crawlers. These include Dungeon & Dragons Heroes, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Hunter: The Reckoning, and The Bard's Tale. Honestly, we could recommend any of those titles for hours of excellent hack and slash action. You can even find quite a few laughs in The Bard's Tale, which stars Cary Elwes and is narrated by the late, great Tony Jay. Another title that has finally made the list is Breakdown, Namco's bold first person experiment. Check out the full list of new titles after the break.
Back compat update: Panzer Dragoon Orta! [update 1]
Update: As many have pointed out, the list has been official updated with lots of new games including Soul Calibur II, Spider-Man 2, Mechassault 2, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, and much more. Follow this link for the fully updated list.Xbox backwards compatibility updates are few and far between these days. Hell, the last update was in December. In fact, many feared that the coming of Physchonauts meant the end of new updates. Rejoice, true believers, for a new back compat update is upon us! Unfortunately, we don't know how many games have been added. In fact, right now the only way to get the update is to download the update, burn it to a disc, and install in manually (we assume it will be available on Live soon). However, we do have confirmation of at least two new titles, including SEGA's Panzer Dragoon Orta and Phantom Dust. If you've got the itch for these games, get to downloading. In the meantime, keep your eye on the official backwards compatibility page for the updated list. You can be sure we'll post it when it goes live.[Via Deeko News]
Back compat update: Conker, Psychonauts!
The backwards compatibility update we reported about yesterday has now come to fruition, Psychonauts intact. There are some other notable games on the list including Conker (lots of you were looking for that one yesterday), Soul Calibur II, Shenmue II, and Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit. We're curious to test out Soul Calibur II, as it supported 720p even on the original Xbox. See the complete list after the break.
Back compat update tomfoolery, Psychonauts
Working in close, yet uncomfortable collusion with Joystiq last night, we unearthed a newly updated backwards compatibility list on Xbox.com. The list has subsequently been zapped back into the nether realm, where it will undergo further transmogrifications. For the brief and precious moment that the new list was alive, we had the presence of mind to both copy and paste the entire list. Of course, the big question with every back compat update is, "is Psychonauts on there?" The answer is was "yes." Other notable titles on the list included Shenmue II, Indigo Prophesy, DOA Ultimate, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Don't jump for joy just yet, though. When contacted by Joystiq, Microsoft told them that the list is not final and may yet change. That won't stop us from poring over the list and dreaming, though. Take a gander at the list after the break.
Japanese PS3 back compat problems? [update 1]
Reuters has just posted an article saying the Japanese PS3 has problems running roughly 200 games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 catalogs. Their source is the Japanese Sankei Shimbun newspaper, and a bad Google translation of the original article does indeed say a "portion of the game software of PS and PS2 of the expectation which is compatibility not to operate just."The short, translated article doesn't detail which of the thousands of PS and PS2 games aren't working or how many were tested, but it does quote someone from Sony as saying ""when system renewal of the substance and you improve with the software individual correction software, there is," which we can only assume means that future system updates will fix this problem (we've signed up for Japanese classes).For reference, our backward compatibility tests with various PlayStation and PlayStation 2 software on the U.S. retail console turned up no problems. Then again, we only tested a handful of discs as we don't have the time or resources to test every PlayStation game ever made. If we hear about any similar problems with the American version of the system, you'll be the first to know.[Update: fixed link to the Japanese translation.]
Circuit City back compat rip-off
For the bargain price of $28.99, the smiling crooks at Circuit City will help some gullible soccer mom install "backwards compatibility" on a newly purchased Xbox 360, despite the fact back compat updates are free via Xbox Live (or by mail for those without an internet connection). On a more positive note, a call to my local store confirmed that Circuit City does not charge Downes Syndrome kids double for all Xbox 360 related purchases. At least not yet.
Back compat update: finally, Aquaman!
Thank God. See, I gave my old Xbox to my brother and I was just about to fall into a deep, deep depression because I couldn't play Aquaman on my 360. Lucky for me, the fine folks in Redmond decided it was about time for a new backwards compatibility update. I thought to myself, "could it be?" My eyes furiously scanned the page and my heart leapt at the sight: Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is finally BC.But seriously, folks, the update adds quite a few titles to the 360 roster, including one of my favorites, Fatal Frame II (still no Psychonauts, though). See the full list of new or updated games after the break. And a special thanks to Scott, the tipster who made the first of many Aquaman jokes.
Mortal Kompat: Petition
Several Mortal Kombat fansites have banded together and started a petition to get Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon added (or in MK:D's case, re-added) to the ever-growing library of backwards compatible games. I'm pretty cynical about online petitions, but Microsoft actually responds to earnest pleading when it comes to their back compat efforts. By all means sign it if you want to see some fatalities down the road.[Thanks Patrick]
The Incredibles is back compat in Japan only
Some strange news about backwards compatibility today. Apparently The Incredibles (or Mr. Incredible as it's known in Japan) was added to Japan's backwards compatibility in the recent update. Yet for some reason The Incredibles is not on America's list. Is backwards compatible Incredibles goodness only available to the Japanese? For that matter, does anybody even care? What about Psychonauts? Please? [Via Siliconera]
Moore backs off back compat comments
A suddenly compatible Peter Moore issued what you might call a major mea culpa on Major Nelson's latest podcast, wisely backing away from his poorly worded remark that "Nobody is concerned anymore about backwards compatibility. We under-promised and over-delivered on that." Sounding a bit like a prison convert, Moore apologized for the "trauma" his dismissive comments caused gamers and offered this rosy revision:"Boy, do we care about backward compat[ibility]."..."We're going to get darn close to that stated goal of every title done."Fortunately, the Xbox boss had some facts to back up his newfound enthusiasm: 20 new back compat titles in the next update, instead of the previously announced 12, including Doom 3 and Lego Star Wars.[Thanks TxdoHawk]
Back compat sound of music
The hills are alive with the sound of reader Josh's musical discovery (unless you already knew about it) concerning old Xbox games:Because of the "Music volume level persists between game / reboots" fix in the Spring Dashboard update, I found out purely by accident that you can now listen to music while playing XBOX 1 games on the XBOX 360.Just start up any ol' playlist or a ripped CD and fire up Halo 2 or any other XBOX 1 game that suits your fancy. While the controls won't be there when you hit the guide button, you can still control the action with your 360 remote (if you have one).Who wouldn't enjoy playing Halo 2 with "Climb Every Mountain" playing in the background?
PS3's rumored backcompat solution: a PS2 inside
"Sony guts!"IGN has a story up citing Ultra One, a Japanese monthly tech magazine whose July issue reports that the PS3 will include the unified Emotion Engine/Graphic Synthesizer combo chip that currently resides in the slim-PS2 model, thus ensuring a high level of backwards compatibility. This is a change from their claim that the PS3 would use software to emulate older games, similar to the solution the Xbox 360 (still) employs. The key points of such a decision: It will increase the price of each unit; as the software solution approaches 100% compatibility, they will have the option of removing the hardware to cut costs. The PS3 could use a software / hardware combination to have even greater backwards compatibility than the PS2 slim currently enjoys. Will the system handle graphical upgrades -- similar to the 360's upsampling of older games -- if they use a hardware solution? The good news is the system will support an incredible number of titles right out of the box; the bad news is this is just another component that may prohibit them from lowering the console's retail price quickly. Sony was awfully mum on the topic at E3, so this could explain why. Without a working emulator for launch, Sony may be presented with the unpalatable prospect of putting PlayStation 2s in their PlayStation 3s.See also:PlayStation 3 not 100% backwards compatible?So will or won't the Sony PlayStation 3 be backwards compatible?[Thanks, Canadian Geese and David]
360 BC update "in the next few weeks"
Thanks to the folks at the Gamerscore Blog, we've learned that the next Xbox back compat update "should be out in the next few weeks." In his earlier blast against BC, Peter Moore proclaimed that nobody is concerned about it anymore, but thankfully the gentler Gamerscore peeps have set the record straight, stating: "We know for a fact that there are lots of people who continue to care about backwards compatibility, including the 'Emulation Ninjas' who are working full time on the updates. And those of us posting on this blog. And, of course, many of you." We suppose quarterly updates to the BC list aren't TOO bad (hey, they sure beat semiannual dashboard updates), but getting more than a dozen titles to work each time would definitely help a lot more for those with original Xbox favorites they'd prefer to play on their new machines. Personally, this blogger would like to see the following titles added to the list: Dead or Alive Ultimate, Doom 3, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Project Gotham Racing 2, LEGO Star Wars, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Soul Calibur II, and Capcom Classics Collection. It may not be realistic to expect Street Fighter support when Hyper Fighting is set to hit Live Arcade sometime in the near future, but one can (vainly) hope. [Via Major Nelson's blog] See also: Xbox BC not a priority, says Moore No Black on 360 till MS makes it so... or a sequel comes out US 360 backward-compatibility list shrinks A video tour of the Xbox Live Spring update SFII on Xbox Live: what's taking so long?
Black in back (compatibility update)
The list of backwards compatible games has been updated today (that last one was a false alarm). The back-compat list had last been updated way back in December, after which we heard rumblings that another update wouldn't be released until March. Microsoft's Cesar Menendez (who I just met at the blogger's breakfast; hey Cesar!) wrote in January, "The Backwards Compatibility team is still working on adding your title to the list. Just because David Reid said (back in December?!) that they were going on vacation, doesn’t mean that all BC efforts have been halted." I guess they might not have been halted but here we are at the tail end of March getting our first backwards compatibility update in nearly four months. The good news is: BLACK, Star Wars Battlefront II, and World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 have all been updated to work on the Xbox 360. I guess someone at Microsoft was listening when Alex Ward said he asked them "four or five times" himself to make BLACK back-compat. I would really love to see new Xbox games being developed to be backwards compatible right out of the box. Couldn't developers test their games on the Xbox 360 emulator before shipping? Once Dreamfall comes out I'm gonna have to hook up the old Xbox again. [Thanks, Matt and Brian]UPDATE: These previously backwards compatible (and ostensibly buggy) titles have been updated in this release: Darkwatch Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Half-Life 2 Fable Fable: The Lost Chapters Forza Motorsport Ninja Gaiden Ninja Gaiden Black SSX 3 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory kill.switch World Series Baseball 2K3 Does this fix the Half-Life 2 physics bug?
Right back compat ya!
The list of backward compatible titles may be growing (ooh...Spongebob) but that doesn't mean that every title is worth a trip down memory lane. Reader PJ writes:There are many of us who purchased Half-Life 2 in hopes of playing it on our 360. How ever this proved to be impossible with the physics engine wacking out on many gamers. I cannot even pretend to play because on Highway 17 my character fall directly through the floor. If you want a video i will post it for you without hesitation. We are all being crapped on by steam and xbox. IGN touched on various emulation issues back in January and assured everyone that Microsoft was issuing the necessary patches, so it's a shame to hear that Half-Life 2 is still half-assed. I don't think most people buy a 360 to play old games, but I understand why people are pissed. I'm sure MS will remind us that Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom works fine.How much do you care about backwards compatibility and what kind of bugs have you run into?[Thanks PJ & DJphatjive]
