Numerous Xbox games have been backward compatible for several years now—filling many a gamer’s heart with joy. Backward compatibility is a welcome relief to those who fell in love with a favorite game, but were forced to eventually abandon it after completion, console upgrade, or system failure.
Before backward compatibility came along, gamers either played their games on their older system (hoping it would never die) or eventually moved on to the next generation console (leaving their non-compatible faves behind)—that is, until Xbox One was created.
The Xbox One
Xbox One really is “The One”
Microsoft introduced the Xbox One to consumer and critical acclaim back in November 2013. The One replaced the aging Xbox 360, which needed a severe upgrade to handle the more advanced games that developers were creating. Their biggest competition, the Playstation, also got a makeover at the same time. Hardcore PlayStation fans argued that the new and improved PS4 was a superior gaming system. However, the Xbox One was being touted as an entire entertainment system. And it is. Xbox One can be used to watch movies, access YouTube and social media, and to watch 4K Blu-Ray DVDs—and it costs far less than most 4k players alone.
The newest oldest additions
Microsoft began offering backward compatible games on the One in 2015—a move that caused some to scoff. Those who criticized the backward compatibility said Microsoft was just throwing money and effort away in order to make themselves stand out from the crowd. Fanboys don’t care. They just want to play their favorite games. That’s why Microsoft is finally releasing backward compatible versions of several original Xbox games for Xbox One. Just go to the “Games in Demand” section of Xbox’s Marketplace to find such fan favorites as Prince of Persia, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BloodRayne 2, Dead to Rights, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Red Faction II, Black, Crimson Skies, Pirates!, Fuzion Frenzy, Ninja Gaiden Black, Psychonauts, and The King of Fighters Neowave. Prices start at $9.99.
The library continues to grow
30 of the most beloved backward compatible games (in alphabetical order):
- Alan Wake
- Assassin’s Creed (pretty much all of them)
- Batman: Arkham Origins
- Battlefield: 2, 3, and Bad Company
- Bioshock: 1, 2, and Infinite
- Borderlands 1 and 2
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Black Ops II, and Ghosts
- Dark Souls
- Dead Space
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Doom 1-3
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Fallout 3
- Far Cry 3
- Forza Horizon
- Gears of War 1-3
- Halo: 4 and Reach
- Injustice: Gods Among Us
- Just Cause 2
- Left 4 Dead: 1 and 2
- Lego: Batman, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars TCS
- Mass Effect 2
- Mirror’s Edge
- Portal 2
- Red Dead Redemption
- Sonic the Hedgehog: 1-4
- Tomb Raider Underworld
- The Walking Dead
- The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown
There are still plenty of games that aren’t available for backward compatibility, but they’re not worth crying over. With the way that companies like Electronic Arts (EA), DICE, Rockstar, Sledgehammer, Respawn, Ubisoft, etc. keep churning out hit after hit, it’s incredibly difficult for even the biggest couch potato to fit in enough playing time for new games, much less old ones.
