Xbox games that won't play on the Xbox 360
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Nov 14th 2005 at 6:15PM }
If you take
the list of backwards compatible Xbox games that'll play
on the Xbox 360 and then subtract them from every single Xbox game released, you have a list of all your old games that
won't work on your Xbox 360. That's the philosophy behind
Planet Xbox 360's list of incompatible Xbox
games, which gives a good (and slightly depressing) idea of the amount of gaming action you'll be missing out on if you
sell your old Xbox.
Whilst the incompatiblity list has some inaccuracies (contrary to the list, Jedi Academy is backwards compatible) it still makes you wonder about the logic behind some of the choices for backwards compatibility. As the article points out, why is an unknown title called Yourself! Fitness compatible, when popular titles like The Chronicles of Riddick, Burnout 3 and Star Wars: Battlefront 2 are missing out on a high definition makeover? Hopefully Microsoft's list of compatible games will be updated to accommodate these and other gaming gems as soon as possible.
[Thanks, Matt]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Dammit, you KNOW more games will be added! Why do you post this crap when in the interview WHICH YOU POSTED stated that they're still working on more, and are trying to get the WHOLE LIBRARY backwards compatible??
"Xbox.com: By what date do you plan to have all original Xbox games backward compatible?
Todd: We're continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible; we'll be adding to the list regularly."
Stupid post, just to cause people to fret...
ZildjianKX @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The list is hardly complete, I noticed right away that Rainbow Six: Black Arrow wasn't on the list...
Also, some crappy games are compatible since the emulation profile of some of the popular games work on the other games.
Dustin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
WOW!
Talk about plain old stupidity!
MSFT already explained why some games are back compatible and why other games of popularity are not.
MSFT also announced that every game will become back compatible in time.
Check something called "Official Press Releases", morons!
Neil @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The reason behind some of the weird choices is that they use the same method of doing things as other games, so they don't require any work to emulate.
licious @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Man, this incompatible list is HUGE. Hope sony does better with their BC. The shitty thing is you have to buy the premium bundle otherwise you have ZERO backward compatibility. SUcks.
klink-o @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The issue of whether or not to make a patch to make a game backwards compatible is most likely up to the developers and producers who made the game, which would account for the spotty list. Also, making an Xbox game run on the 360 is somewhat like trying to run Mac software on a PC, in some cases it may just not be possible without a complete rebuild.
martin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Erm. If you take a few minutes to read any of the official info from Microsoft about why some titles are available and some arent, it's the fact that some titles are easier to emulate. We all know it wasn't a 'choice' to include Fitness Whatever over Splinter Cell, etc. Those games are much more complex to emulate so this will take time.
This is a concept even a 13 year old can grasp. Why are Joystiq trying to stir the fanbois into action on this one? Need more hits on your page? How dissapointing.
The1 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
This is not true because MS will constantly update the list. Humm, some games are left off because the developers wants you to buy the X360 version.....LIKE MADDEN for the original X will not play on the X360. Humm...I wonder why.....
Jerund @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Yeah I noticed Mercenaries isn't on either list, compatible or not.
DOWN @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Why did you monkeys post this?
Jeez- I'll 'splain AGAIN.
Titles like YOurself! Fitness and Barbie weren't CHOSEN to be emulated over other titles, they simply work as a consequence of the work that went into other titles. Other more recent, more complex titles (SC: Chaos Theory for example) are much more unique in the way they utilize the Xbox, and will take additional time and work to get up and running.
LEARN, guys. LEARN.
Nick @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Hey, my wife and I use Yourself fitness regularily, no knocking that game.
And why it's compatible is because it uses parts of the engines that drive the half life games. Anyways, we all know the list will grow and I don't plan on playing anything other than halo 2 from xbox onto xbox360, yourself fitness is just a bonus.
djSyndrome @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
"MSFT also announced that every game will become back compatible in time."
So where do you plan on plugging in that Steel Batallion controller? How about those DDR pads?
Yup, until MS announces an XBox->X360 controller adaptor, at least a dozen games will forever remain unplayable, if for no other reason than you won't be able to plug their dedicated controllers into the 360.
Slo-Mo-Shun @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Man, I can't even enjoy DOAX in all full 720p glory? This is bull****.
Maguus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Just more negativity towards the Xbox 360 launch. It seems like that is all I read on here anymore. Launch titles are all single threaeed on one processor, PGR3 is not true HD, Shortages Shortages Shortages, MS is do a shortage as a marketing tool, etc etc.
Just another shot at the 360.
Jeremy Wright @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Yawn. Rhetorical questions you've already answered in previous accurate reports, phrased in such a way as to make you seem like you're asking an intelligent question (when you're actually contradicting your own reporting) ... is getting boring.
The Shizzlenit @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Wow these people are stupid. If MS said that they are going to try and make every Xbox1 game backwards-compatible, then they will at least fix a couple of the titles, at least the most requested ones, it's not like this list is final and that's it. They will add some games to the list, I'm not saying that all games will be BC, but that list is definitely NOT FINAL.
These guys are so stupid, I wonder how they can even use a computer, let alone run a website.
D @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
However you break it down, there's only a handfull of games that really matter, the other ones are either overplayed, "classic", or don't have enough gameplay left in them. Here's my six that either i haven't played or are too good to not have emulated.
Beyond Good and Evil - Ubi Soft
Burnout 3: Takedown - EA
Chronicles of Riddick - Vivendi Universal
Full Spectrum Warrior - THQ
Need for Speed Underground - EA
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - Ubisoft
nojok3 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
they forgot madden 06 for xbox
Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
12:
Dammit, I just bought the friggin' Steel Battalion controller this weekend!
Someone better still be playing Line of Contact by the time I get good...please?
me @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Way to go Microsoft! Make 7/8 of your game library obsolete! Haha! I pitty the fool who would buy the new Xbox 360 (er rather, the Xbox 1.5)
Matt @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Like why, might I ask, why do you badger us with inaccurate information? Microsoft already said that the list was just for the games available as of now, not the only games that were going to be availble to play on 360 forever. You probably have no idea how hard emulation is from a system like the xbox to the 360. For lack of better words..it's hard as hell. Just give it time and you'll see your game on the list. I suggest that you do your homework before whining to us about stuff that isn't even true.
CtrlAltDelete @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Alright, dig this: I've noticed a lot more cats commenting nothing but anti-Joystiq jibes on articles posted in the past couple weeks, what gives?
What happened in the past couple weeks?
I like Joystiq, man; if you don't, why keep posting here?
Jeremy Wright @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
CAD: Because I LIKe Joystiq. And seeing it get all stupidly anti-MS all of a sudden is disheartening. It's cool to hate MS. But I don't come here for cool. I come here for real. Cynicism's alright. This is overkill.
The1 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Stop the MADNESS.........
martin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Joystiq was great. But theres been a pretty big dip in the quality of some of these posts. This one in particular reeks of 360 bashing, especially in light of posts which already contradict what it's saying. I used to visit joystiq daily but somewhere along the line it turned from intelligent discussion of gaming/consoles to suspicious re-posting of other peoples articles... Joystiq branded that 1up 'story' about Dreamcast/360 similarities/differences as brilliant, iirc. It was nonsense, and hardly news worthy. What the?
Todd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Err…umm...I don't get it. If you read joystiq for any length of time then you'd know that they gripe about every system out there. However, when they post something that negative about one, all these people come out of the woodworks saying that Joystiq suddenly hates that one for some reason.
I guess the old blog logic still applies "If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps is the one that got hit".
Besides I'm not sure I'd trust MS to strive to get every game backward compatible.
Shoox @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Stupid, ignorant, uninformed article. Having your own website, I would assume you can read and check your story before posting. I was wrong.
Black Ops @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Whenever there's a negative article about the 360, I can always count on the author being Conrad Quilty-Harper
roy179 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
People, you forget that Joystiq doesn't produce their own their own content. They prowl the web for articles, and then feel they have to justify posting with a little 'insightful commentary' so this is what you're going to see.
Also, like any form of media, they pin sides against each other to see if they get a reaction. If they did, then they did their job. Every longtime Joystiq surfer will know that they bash every console, developer, publisher etc. There is no bias, it's whatever gets more clic$.
It wouldn't be so bad if there was some GOOD news interspersed with the BS. Makes it seem like the site is run by a bunch of hateful adolescents. Remember the average age of gamers is now late twenties. There is a f***ton of gaming news aggregators out there with just the facts so you can come to your own conclusions. I suggest those that are unhappy here vote with your mouse.
Embassy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
yeh this is already contradidcted by a previous article..and to people thinking MS wont go thorugh with the rest of the list...MS has pretty much delivered on everything else they've announced so far about xbox or the 360..i dont see why they'd stop now when they need the support/sales the most...
now SONY on the other hand....
and yes joystiq is an equal oppertunity fire-starter...but usually it has more substance than this...
Jason Bell @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Funny stuff-- guy will fly out then camp out for your Xbox 360 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8234236091
ARParks @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I own an Xbox as well as a Gamecube. I know Microsoft's stated position is to get 100% BC. I just don't see how that's possible with games like Steel Battalion, Karaoke Revolution, XBox Music Mixer and DDR. I plan on buying the 360, I just hope that most of my remaining 45 titles that aren't on the current list will get some luv from the 360.
Paul Atreides @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
The 360 heats up like a volcano and then these fans kick in that are just shockingly loud. Like a plane taking off or something...it's unbelievable!
HighDef Edition @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
You Pricks @ Joystiq just write articles to stir a reaction. So here's one. Micro$oft said in it's press release - that you[Joystiq] received. They found-out that many games were easier than some to Emulate and because of similarities between games - mainly due to the Developers - these games were coded together. If you pricks love playing your XBox games so much then play it and don't buy the 360. Cry Babies.
Tommymang @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Yeah, why this post??!! More games will be added the following months...
Daniel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
ARParks (#32): Karaoke Revolution probably wouldn't be so hard since the 360 has headset support. Maybe there will be an official microphone for the 360 too? If a karaoke game comes out for Xbox 360, this seems likely.
As for the other games with custom controllers, there are two possibilities:
1. They release official Xbox-to-USB converters so you can just plug the controllers into the 360's USB ports, and set up the emulators to use those ports. (The Xbox plug is just USB with an extra wire to power the rumble motors.)
2. They won't release the converters, and you won't be able to play Steel Battalion or DDR on your 360. Unfortunately this seems more likely.
Aaron @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Will CyberTiger Golf work?
Nico @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I love watching the fanboys battle. They blame everyone but microsoft.
They blame popular culture(ITs COOL to hate MS!!)lol?,
they blame Sony(SONY SUX! Theyre gonna do even worse!),
they blame joystiq(Joystiq SUX! Stupid OLD article Why do you post this crap!?),
they blame Nintendo(Nintendo is GAY!!1).
Its like watching a drowning man desperatly trying to find something to hold onto.
funkonaut @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
How much you wanna bet that a lot of these posters that are defending Microsoft are employees of Microsoft? With their whole pro-viral marketing crap it's hard to tell who's a real person and who's a plant.
Anyway, keep it up Joystiq. It's refreshing to see a site that points out the flaws in ALL companies, be they console manufacturers, software developers, or media companies.
Terry @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
How does a Microsoft press release explaining the procedure for adding backword compatibility "contradict" this list? Seems like they co-exsist just fine... the PR says the list may shrink in the future, but that's the list as it is now, and the 360 is already shipped, so the only way it'll change is via dowloaded patches.
Now, why in the heck would any company bother? It's not going to move more copies of whatever old game they have, it'll cost money but won't make any money. I'd like to be wrong, but MS saying they're shooting for 100% compatibility sounds like a snow-job to me. They just don't stand to loose enough to make it worth their while.
TxdoHawk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I'm going to have to agree with the naysayers here. Anyone who actually believes all, or even most of the Xbox library will be ported over might want to rethink how much faith they put in the words of PR managers.
Personally, I find the situation pretty disappointing, but with the unrelated hardware, it's just not reasonable to expect 100% backwards compatibility. Still, I think a lot of people (myself included) are going to wind up buying a 360 later than they would've if they could trade in the original Xbox towards one with no worries.
Regardless of what happens, I have little doubt in my mind that I will eventually own a 360. I highly doubt that I'll be trading in my Xbox when that day comes, though.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Is it just me, or has no one brought up the fact that Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (xbox version) is not being supported on the 360? what's up with that? Is MS and EA trying to stick to consumer so we have to go out and buy the 360 version of BF2:MC? What gives MS?
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
.
So... Microsoft posts a little list and says 'we will add more in due time' and all you guys yelling at Joystiq are OK with that? Like, you aren't the slightest bit disappointed and discouraged that for the last 8 months you hear that the 360 is 'backwards compatible' and then one month ago when the list comes out you see that only a handful of good, popular games are on it?
It's not allowed to be called "360 BASHING" if it's TRUE:
From a GamesIndustry interview from early summer:
"At launch, Xbox 360 will be backward compatible with the top Xbox games," Xbox PR manager Michael Wolf told GamesIndustry.biz today. "Our goal is to have every Xbox game work on Xbox 360. You will NOT need to purchase a new 'version' - your original games will work on Xbox 360."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8996
Now, I guess you can technically use the term 'the top Xbox games,' as Halo2 and GTA: San Andreas together make a plural. But the transition compatibility is far thinner than I expected and it's a LET DOWN.
I appreciate Joystiq and others keeping this as a major topic, and keeping Microsoft on watch - it's very promising to think the old games can have new life breathed into them by upping the resolution and adding wide-screen, and myself and many others are waiting for more "TOP GAMES" to be added.
So all of you hating on Joystiq for pressing the issue can sit back and support this and wait, and look like all those guys on 360 forums who slob on Microsoft and say things like 'good job guys' and 'take your time' (and I'll admit it truly was an acheivement getting Halo2 on the 360, I'll say 'good job guys' too but honestly I don't get into Halo) but the fact is, I am disappointed with the lack of IMPORTANT backwards compatibility. I am excited to see HD uprezzed 360 BC-versions of games I still enjoy on my Xbox.
No, fellows, before you type it, it is not as simple as leaving my Xbox connected.
Yes, I still have it connected. But the graphics are pretty shoddy looking compared to my new 360 titles on my HDTV, and when you see Halo2 up-rezzed and happening, you get excited and think, "cool, when does Chaos Theory make it?" "Where's the OTHER 'top games?'"
My personal theory is that games that have a 360 sequel about to drop probably won't happen. Another thing I've speculated is that some games that never really supported wide-screen on the Xbox probably won't happen anytime soon either.
I'm sure that games I love (Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon2, Burnout 3, etc.) are squeezing everything they can out of the Xbox and emulation on the 360 is difficult. So what? Halo2 works. Get back to the lab and deliver on what you said! You fanboys get so thrilled when Sony drops the router function from the PS3 but this Microsoft contradiction is acceptable?
Yeah, I know - 'Barbie' was probably a convenient 'side effect' of getting a certain aspect of Halo2 running - but I fear that this list is telling us Microsoft has hand-picked a much smaller selection of 'Top Games' to ACTUALLY make work than they implied before launch. "Amount of games compatible" is not as important as "Which games are compatible."
You people being negative about Joystiq and other sites bringing up this important aspect (at least before the launch) of the 360 don't make sense - It's something Microsoft told us will be happening (see the above link), let's show them it's still important to many of us. It's OK to expect more, and let them know we'd like it sooner than later. It could mean longer life for great games, after all, if they do make GREAT games compatible before the lame ones - who can be mad at that?
Unless you're happy playing Barbie and fitness games.
And to people like 'TheShizzlenit' 'Down,' and 'HiDef Edition,' you should mellow the fuck out, bro. Backward compatibility is important to a lot of people. Yes, we all saw the press release with the list - you probably read about it HERE, so yeah, I think Joystiq understands the press release.
.
Bluntman @ Dec 31st 2005 6:15AM
"Dammit, I just bought the friggin' Steel Battalion controller this weekend! Someone better still be playing Line of Contact by the time I get good...please?" See you on the battlefeild Alkaiser. :D