The guys over at OXM have gone to all the effort of checking out the Xbox 360's older games to see if you can still get a game online. Check out the list below for the full info.
The most popular games online are Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that.
So what happens to the lesser known games as time marches on and the smaller games are squeezed off the shelves? Do the communities live on? Do the hardcore refuse to let go? Do newcomers to Xbox Live wander into empty lobbies and try to figure out why nothing is working?
We take a handful of older games in the office and give them a whirl online, to see what's left of the original communities...
1. SMACKDOWN VS RAW
RELEASED: November 2006
TIME PLAYED: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL PLAYERS: 14
Despite the recent announcement of upcoming downloadable original Xbox games for Xbox 360, Microsoft has released another free backward-compatibility update for its console.
On December 4, Microsoft will begin charging $15 a pop for original Xbox game downloads such as Crimson Skies, Halo, Fable and Burnout 3 as part of its upcoming Xbox Live Originals offerings. But apparently the firm isn’t letting the opportunity to make more cash on old games get in the way of continuing to provide free back-compat support.
Xbox Live figurehead Larry Hryb said in his blog that over 80 games would be added to the list of backward-compatible Xbox games, including Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Breakdown, Freedom Fighters, Future Tactics: The Uprising, High Heat MLB 2004, Playboy: The Mansion, Thrillville and The Bard’s Tale.
The compatibility update is available for free over Xbox Live.
Following the recent announcement of Xbox Originals, Next-Gen contacted a Microsoft rep to find out if the company would continue back-compat support, but the rep was unable to dig up an official comment. For now back-compat updates appear to be ongoing, although the timing of the next update is unknown.
Activision's Soldier of Fortune: Payback has become the second game this year to be refused classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
The game was to be released in early 2008 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
The ban comes at a time when the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia is stepping up is campaign for the introduction of an R18+ classification as the country heads towards next month's federal election.
The IEAA says Australia is the only developed democracy in the world without a R18+ classification for games, ensuring titles which exceed the limits of the MA15+ category are refused classification and banned from sale.
Earlier in the year, Blitz the League was banned because the classification board argued that it feature drugs used as incentives or rewards.
Other games refused classification in recent years include Reservoir Dogs, 50 Cent Bulletproof, Postal 2 Share the Pain, Narc, The Punisher, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life, Manhunt, Shellshock Nam 67, and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
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Xbox Live figurehead Larry Hryb said in his blog that over 80 games would be added to the list of backward-compatible Xbox games, including Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Breakdown, Freedom Fighters, Future Tactics: The Uprising, High Heat MLB 2004, Playboy: The Mansion, Thrillville and The Bard’s Tale.
