Microsoft Splashes Cash on Xbox 360 BC List
Range cobbled together – few stings in tail.
Is it somewhat spoilt of gamers today to demand free and seamless backwards compatibility from one games console to another? Arguably it is, though Microsoft has made itself aware of the demand, releasing the first official list of compatible Xbox games for the 360.
The full published list at time of press reads:
The list is not a complete software library, with Project Gotham Racing, Outrun 2, Splinter Cell, Jet Set Radio Future, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Shenmue 2, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Far Cry: Instincts all high-profile titles, all absent.
In a Q&A published by Microsoft on the subject, Todd Holmdahl, the Corporate Vice President of the Xbox Product Group, explains the firm’s claims at E3 that 'top-selling' games would be available. “We've been working hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible. This process is a detailed procedure that we're committed to, but it means that not every game is going to be ready on day one. Naturally we started with the games that have sold the best and the ones with a large Xbox Live following. We also worked on games we knew were important titles for this holiday, and we're proud to have made games like Half-Life 2, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland and Pro Evolution Soccer 5 backward compatible. As we focused on the top sellers, we discovered that many other games worked due to similarities in their technology. As an added benefit, games that share engines and technology have been in some cases easier to certify for backward compatibility and have made the launch line-up as a result.”
Of course, what we want to know is how the system works. “We’ll give gamers a choice—you can get the latest software updates from Xbox Live, burn a CD from xbox.com or sign up on Xbox.com for a CD that can be delivered to your home at a nominal shipping and handling fee”, outlined Holmdahl. “Once you get the CD, put it in your Xbox 360 and you’re ready to go.
Holmdahl also confirmed that you will need to use the hard-drive for all backwards compatible game-use. The real kicker is that no existing game save data of downloadable content will be available. Your game saves will not be transferable and any premium content will have to be re-bought – a costly sting in the tail of this story, both financially and in terms of lifetime available to playing games. “Content will not be transferable from Xbox to Xbox 360, including saved data and downloadable content,” confirmed Holmdahl. “On the current-generation Xbox, downloadable content can't be transferred from console to console. For example, if you have two original Xbox consoles and want to have a specific content download on each one, you need to download it twice, and that means paying for it twice if it’s premium content. This also holds true from Xbox to Xbox 360.”
Microsoft also confirmed that bug-fixes with all software making the BC list would be delivered in updates to the emulator software as explained above. It was also confirmed that Live accounts would remain untouched. Region-coding for existing Xbox software would also remain, it was outlined.
The full published list at time of press reads:
AirForce Delta Storm
Alias
Aliens Versus Predator Extinction
All-Star Baseball 2003
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Army Men: Sarge's War
Atari Anthology
ATV: Quad Power Racing 2
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Barbarian
Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
Batman Begins
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica
BMX XXX
Brute Force
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts
Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 06
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Casino
Catwoman
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Codename: Kids Next Door
Colin McRae Rally 4
Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Conflict: Desert Storm
Constantine
Crash Twinsanity
Crash Nitro Kart
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse: The Eye of Isis
Dark Angel
Darkwatch
Dead or Alive 3
Deathrow
Digimon Rumble Arena
Dinotopia
Drake
Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
Euro 2004
F1 2001
Fable
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
FIFA Soccer 2003
FIFA Soccer 2004
FIFA STREET
Fight Night 2004
Fight Night Round 2
Ford Mustang
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport
Freedom Fighters
Frogger Beyond
Futurama
Fuzion Frenzy
Genma Onimusha
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
Half-Life 2
Halo
Halo 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts
House of the Dead 3
IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005
Jade Empire
James Bond 007: NightFire
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Kabuki Warriors
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
kill.switch
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
LOONS—The Fight for Fame
Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Max Payne
Max Payne 2
Medal of Honor European Assault
Medal of Honor Frontline
Medal of Honor Rising Sun
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Monster Garage
Mortal Kombat: Deception
MTV Music Generator 3
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
MX World Tour: Featuring Jamie Little
Namco Museum
NBA LIVE 2003
NBA LIVE 2004
Need For Speed Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 2003
NFL Blitz 2004
NHL 2004
NHL Hitz 2003
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden Black
Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Volleyball
Pariah
Phantom Crash
Pinball Hall of Fame
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Predator Concrete Jungle
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver
Pump It Up: Exceed
Pure Pinball
Puyo Pop Fever
Quantum Redshift
Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction II
RedCard 2003
Robotech: Battlecry
Rocky Legends
Rogue Ops
Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors
Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SEGA GT 2002
Shadow The Hedgehog
Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
ShellShock: Nam '67
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Sneakers
Sniper Elite
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Speed Kings
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
SpyHunter 2
Spyro A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake
Star Trek: Shattered Universe
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Street Racing Syndicate
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
SX Superstar
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds
The Great Escape
The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Simpsons Hit and Run
The Simpsons Road Rage
The Terminator Dawn of Fate
The Thing
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tork: Prehistoric Punk
Toxic Grind
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Vexx
Volvo: Drive for Life
World Series Baseball 2K3
Worms 4 Mayhem
Worms Forts: Under Siege
WWE Raw 2
XIII
Alias
Aliens Versus Predator Extinction
All-Star Baseball 2003
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Army Men: Sarge's War
Atari Anthology
ATV: Quad Power Racing 2
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Barbarian
Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
Batman Begins
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica
BMX XXX
Brute Force
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts
Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 06
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Casino
Catwoman
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Codename: Kids Next Door
Colin McRae Rally 4
Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Conflict: Desert Storm
Constantine
Crash Twinsanity
Crash Nitro Kart
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse: The Eye of Isis
Dark Angel
Darkwatch
Dead or Alive 3
Deathrow
Digimon Rumble Arena
Dinotopia
Drake
Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
Euro 2004
F1 2001
Fable
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
FIFA Soccer 2003
FIFA Soccer 2004
FIFA STREET
Fight Night 2004
Fight Night Round 2
Ford Mustang
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport
Freedom Fighters
Frogger Beyond
Futurama
Fuzion Frenzy
Genma Onimusha
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
Half-Life 2
Halo
Halo 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts
House of the Dead 3
IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005
Jade Empire
James Bond 007: NightFire
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Kabuki Warriors
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
kill.switch
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
LOONS—The Fight for Fame
Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Max Payne
Max Payne 2
Medal of Honor European Assault
Medal of Honor Frontline
Medal of Honor Rising Sun
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Monster Garage
Mortal Kombat: Deception
MTV Music Generator 3
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
MX World Tour: Featuring Jamie Little
Namco Museum
NBA LIVE 2003
NBA LIVE 2004
Need For Speed Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 2003
NFL Blitz 2004
NHL 2004
NHL Hitz 2003
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden Black
Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Volleyball
Pariah
Phantom Crash
Pinball Hall of Fame
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Predator Concrete Jungle
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver
Pump It Up: Exceed
Pure Pinball
Puyo Pop Fever
Quantum Redshift
Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction II
RedCard 2003
Robotech: Battlecry
Rocky Legends
Rogue Ops
Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors
Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SEGA GT 2002
Shadow The Hedgehog
Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
ShellShock: Nam '67
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Sneakers
Sniper Elite
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Speed Kings
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
SpyHunter 2
Spyro A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake
Star Trek: Shattered Universe
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Street Racing Syndicate
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
SX Superstar
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds
The Great Escape
The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Simpsons Hit and Run
The Simpsons Road Rage
The Terminator Dawn of Fate
The Thing
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tork: Prehistoric Punk
Toxic Grind
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Vexx
Volvo: Drive for Life
World Series Baseball 2K3
Worms 4 Mayhem
Worms Forts: Under Siege
WWE Raw 2
XIII
The list is not a complete software library, with Project Gotham Racing, Outrun 2, Splinter Cell, Jet Set Radio Future, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Shenmue 2, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Far Cry: Instincts all high-profile titles, all absent.
In a Q&A published by Microsoft on the subject, Todd Holmdahl, the Corporate Vice President of the Xbox Product Group, explains the firm’s claims at E3 that 'top-selling' games would be available. “We've been working hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible. This process is a detailed procedure that we're committed to, but it means that not every game is going to be ready on day one. Naturally we started with the games that have sold the best and the ones with a large Xbox Live following. We also worked on games we knew were important titles for this holiday, and we're proud to have made games like Half-Life 2, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland and Pro Evolution Soccer 5 backward compatible. As we focused on the top sellers, we discovered that many other games worked due to similarities in their technology. As an added benefit, games that share engines and technology have been in some cases easier to certify for backward compatibility and have made the launch line-up as a result.”
Of course, what we want to know is how the system works. “We’ll give gamers a choice—you can get the latest software updates from Xbox Live, burn a CD from xbox.com or sign up on Xbox.com for a CD that can be delivered to your home at a nominal shipping and handling fee”, outlined Holmdahl. “Once you get the CD, put it in your Xbox 360 and you’re ready to go.
Holmdahl also confirmed that you will need to use the hard-drive for all backwards compatible game-use. The real kicker is that no existing game save data of downloadable content will be available. Your game saves will not be transferable and any premium content will have to be re-bought – a costly sting in the tail of this story, both financially and in terms of lifetime available to playing games. “Content will not be transferable from Xbox to Xbox 360, including saved data and downloadable content,” confirmed Holmdahl. “On the current-generation Xbox, downloadable content can't be transferred from console to console. For example, if you have two original Xbox consoles and want to have a specific content download on each one, you need to download it twice, and that means paying for it twice if it’s premium content. This also holds true from Xbox to Xbox 360.”
Microsoft also confirmed that bug-fixes with all software making the BC list would be delivered in updates to the emulator software as explained above. It was also confirmed that Live accounts would remain untouched. Region-coding for existing Xbox software would also remain, it was outlined.
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Comments
Greg2k 14 Nov 2005 13:46
1/6
That's great news. No doubt there are TONNES of games that haven't made it to that list, but I think it's already impressive to see all those games working perfectly. One could argue about how poorly backwards compatible the 360 is, but the fact is that the transition from x86 + nvidia to ppc + ati is a pretty big thing, and not everything's bound to work. Great thing they're going to improve it, and it would be fantastic if every new XBOX game had an emulator with which to run the game on an XBOX 360.
king skins 14 Nov 2005 14:45
2/6
All I have to say is
Its the real reason I'm buy a 360, so I can play this in glorious 720p
Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
Its the real reason I'm buy a 360, so I can play this in glorious 720p
more comments below our sponsor's message
marmaduke 14 Nov 2005 14:58
3/6
"Army Men: Sarge's War" but no Outrun 2 or Jet Set Radio? For shame, Microsoft, for shame.
TwoADay 14 Nov 2005 22:23
4/6
Right on, I can finally play Kabuki Warriors in all its intended glory.
If I could find a copy. <sigh>
But seriously, it's not a bad list, but not great, either. after a quick glance, I see at least 3 games that I own that won't work on it. And I only have like 15 games.
but at least they spent the time to make sure Kabuki Warriors will work. Whatever.
If I could find a copy. <sigh>
But seriously, it's not a bad list, but not great, either. after a quick glance, I see at least 3 games that I own that won't work on it. And I only have like 15 games.
but at least they spent the time to make sure Kabuki Warriors will work. Whatever.
realvictory 15 Nov 2005 02:35
5/6
king skins wrote:
All I have to say is
Its the real reason I'm buy a 360, so I can play this in glorious 720p
Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
Its the real reason I'm buy a 360, so I can play this in glorious 720p
Exactly! Seriously, it's a s**te list - it's all games with famous titles, as opposed to simply good games. Halo, Sonic, GTA, EA Sports games...
However, it's a start. Playing it safe, really. The disappointing thing is, I know most of these games/intellectual properties will have sequels, (a) not much better, and (b) with XBox 360 enhanced graphics. If you own any of the games on this list, might as well sell it as soon as you can and buy the "next-generation" sequel.
You never know - trade in FIFA 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, and you might be able to get the "next-generation" FIFA for half price! See what I mean? On the other hand, Only ever buy one version of FIFA, and you have no need to buy an XBox 360, and therefore twice the lack-of-need for B.C.
It's a money-driven industry still! Why are we encouraging and praising it?
realvictory 15 Nov 2005 02:49
6/6
I'm not saying backwards compatibility is a bad thing, nor am I trying to say people didn't work hard to get these games working. Surely you can see, though, a lot of good games aren't on there, whereas many games and their sequels are on there, even though the XBox 360 has FIFA, for example. And hopefully Halo 3 soon enough.
So the list as it is, seems badly decided on, to me. Either people are going to buy the better XB360 sequel, making B.C. redundant, or they don't need to buy a sequel if they already enjoy the game they've got. And these people own an XBox anyway. They should have focused purely on the unique games that people are likely to keep hold of IMHO.
So the list as it is, seems badly decided on, to me. Either people are going to buy the better XB360 sequel, making B.C. redundant, or they don't need to buy a sequel if they already enjoy the game they've got. And these people own an XBox anyway. They should have focused purely on the unique games that people are likely to keep hold of IMHO.