Xbox Originals are not without issues
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Nov 14th 2007 at 12:26PM }
Universally, all Xbox Original titles will present with some choppyness during publisher logos as the games are cached into memory. Additional content like demos and trailers in games are unsupported by the service, and selecting them in an Xbox Originals title (such as Fable, Crimson Skies, and Fuzion Frenzy), will crash the system and require a restart of the console.
Issues like these make the entire service seem a lot less elegant, particularly with options in games that players will have to know not to select. Still, these things are bound to happen when a company tries to force-feed last-gen software to next-gen hardware. Users will be able to choose whether or not the slightly-less-than-perfect Xbox Originals will be worth the 1200 Microsoft Points each come December 4.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Nov 14th 2007 12:32PM
Are you kidding me? They're shipping these out with KNOWN crashers?
If true (and I don't really believe it), it's maximum weaksauce.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 12:37PM
yeah, wtf
you'd think they could take a little coding time and at least remove menu options that would crash the game
DWells55 @ Nov 14th 2007 2:30PM
Yeah, it's pretty bad they're shipping it with something that can crash the system like that. Here's to hoping some hackers find a way to exploit it somehow. I doubt it, but I can hope.
Seriously, how hard would it have been to edit the menus for the game? How about replacing the executables that the menus try to launch with shortcut executables that link back to the original game rather than an all-out crash?
Larz @ Nov 15th 2007 1:56PM
It's Microsoft, what did you expect?
"If you can't make it good, at least make it look good."
-Bill Gates
Jeff Smith @ Nov 14th 2007 12:32PM
But will they have Achievement points !? lol
robert @ Nov 14th 2007 12:36PM
not crashing the system will be an achievement
abu @ Nov 14th 2007 12:33PM
I'm just happy we can finally get Psychonauts.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Nov 14th 2007 12:38PM
It's been available on Amazon every day for 3 years now. Still is. Get it used, and unlike with the Live service, you can sell it when you're done with it and recoup much of your money.
lvl99ultrathug @ Nov 14th 2007 3:29PM
3 bucks at Kmart if you can find it there.
rockintom @ Nov 14th 2007 5:19PM
...It's also on steam, you know.
Deck @ Nov 14th 2007 12:34PM
Bleh, not that exciting in my opinion.
Plus, i'll be too busy playing Mass Effect anyway.
JodyAnthony (Good Eats Defense Force) @ Nov 14th 2007 12:34PM
wow, that sucks ass.
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 14th 2007 12:36PM
Why the Alton Brown avatar?
JodyAnthony (Good Eats Defense Force) @ Nov 14th 2007 1:00PM
because Alton Brown is a king among men
Jerk Face @ Nov 14th 2007 1:29PM
That was the best possible response to that question, LOL.
T @ Nov 14th 2007 1:34PM
At least the VC has the decency to outright remove a feature that it knows won't function properly in the download.
Wouldn't it be better at this point to just go to Gamestop, buy the used copy, and slide it into the disctray? Won't take up HDD space, and will have fewer issues (though I admit that I'm not familiar enough with the current Backwards Compatible list to know if all of these are on it)
Vidikron (FU) @ Nov 14th 2007 12:35PM
Well, the demos and videos obviously don't work because they removed them to reduce download sizes, but I would have thought they could have at least removed those menu selections or made them not work at all ("gray" them out)... just allowing the system to crash seems lazy.
Other than that, I would guess that the other various problems are likely the same ones you encounter when playing off a disc. It is emulation after all.
WiNG @ Nov 14th 2007 12:40PM
Yeah I have to say I am pretty glad the Wii plays all GCN games perfectly, no hitches. I guess the only downside is that you can't exit to Wii menu from a GCN game, and you can't use most GCN accessories.
Yeah yeah "duct tape". Save it.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 12:47PM
well most of the vc games are super duper old, people have had pure software emulators for years for them
wheras the xbox games still require quite a bit of powah to run
FidliousWong @ Nov 14th 2007 12:52PM
Wait, Mario Golf, Toadstool Tour works for you? It wigs my Wii out everytime. Sometimes it won't boot, other times it locks up, other times still my framerate is horrible and refuses to load from the memory card. Which is odd considering it's a mint copy and my Cube has no issues with it. That, and Odama occassionally hiccups.
WiNG @ Nov 14th 2007 1:49PM
You guys are illiterate.
I was talking about Gamecube games, not VC games.
Wow.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 1:59PM
well those are old too, i had a gamecube emulator on my computer like 6 years ago, that's how i played mario64
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Nov 14th 2007 2:09PM
Oh boy gonk, you set yourself up for what's coming to you...
FidliousWong @ Nov 14th 2007 2:26PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Golf:_Toadstool_Tour
Who's illiterate?
ackmondual @ Nov 14th 2007 3:52PM
@[b]Gonk[/b]
u must mean n64 emulator. 1) Super Mario 64 is for n64, NOT GC. 2) GC came out around late 2001. It takes at least a vid game generation to come out with an emu for it. They sure as hell did NOT have an _usable_ GC emu for the GC the same time it came out. n64 can be emulated very well, but even now, AFAIK, GC emus can't run any commercial games decently.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 5:02PM
right right, i mistyped n64 as gc :(
Digi Smalls @ Nov 14th 2007 12:41PM
these are just the same issues as putting in the old discs. emulation has its good points (enhanced rendering of geometry) and its bad points (hiccups & glitches), luckily i don't think people are fiending for trailers of xbox1 games..
Vader582 @ Nov 14th 2007 12:42PM
Far be it from MS to actually wait until things are running smoothly before launching a new product...
lvl99ultrathug @ Nov 14th 2007 6:55PM
oh no you di'int!
h0mi @ Nov 14th 2007 12:46PM
Here's a crazy idea MS... how about fixing these issues? Either disabling the uber-buggy features or fixing the bugs so it doesn't crash? I think I can live with choppiness...
And please please please.... achievements in Halo 1 and 2.
arrrgh @ Nov 14th 2007 12:50PM
bitch move MS
MRKisThatKid @ Nov 14th 2007 12:56PM
You can probably get most of these games on ebay for less than the "Microsoft Points" they want for filling up much needed HD space with the download.
Boss Tempo @ Nov 14th 2007 1:02PM
So spend some time and clean them up, remove the extra crap that crashes the games and release them a few at a time! Why take the risk NOW that they finally have a handle on the RRoD issue by releasing a crap-ton of content that will potentially be buggy and crash boxes? Public perception is too volatile right now to take the gamble.
Just hurry and get Psychonauts out there and scrap the rest ok?
rikimaru @ Nov 14th 2007 1:05PM
Well this just makes it easier to not care about this feature... I am really not that interested in downloading XBOX 1 games for MS points, when I can just buy them used for way cheaper, and sell them later if I choose.
I would however, be interested in some of the better, older console XBLA games like Castlevania:SOTN, Which was a Playstation 1 game, and is awesome on XBLA Thank you Konami!
rikimaru @ Nov 14th 2007 1:11PM
I want to add that, Although I am more inclined to buy used Xbox games I just wish they would Freakin' work on my 360! I was so excited to bring home Riddick from a yard sale only to find its not on the damn BC list!
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 1:44PM
i did that too :(
Mike-453 @ Nov 14th 2007 1:06PM
Wow, even the downloadable titles have many issues? Then why would I spend 1200 points to play a game with issues when I have a perfectly good Xbox that will play them games with no issues at all.
People would have to buy the larger HDD, but why? You can buy an Xbox for cheaper than that AND the games for cheaper.
Obie @ Nov 14th 2007 1:10PM
Screw...that.
They ain't seein' a DIME outta me!
XDragon @ Nov 14th 2007 1:12PM
Great idea, bad implementation.
Griffin83 @ Nov 14th 2007 1:20PM
Awwwww ... but I really wanted to pay $10 more than what I could pay at a used game store (non-Gamestop of course) to play 5 year old games on an hdtv that emphasizes the amazing jaggyness of the original xbox titles ;-)
John @ Nov 14th 2007 1:19PM
Ill only buy halo 1 if they fix the Pal 60 over vga issue.
Draco @ Nov 14th 2007 1:31PM
so of the 7 games coming out, 5 have problems, some with serious (no 720p on psychonauts) ones.
that doesnt bode well if these are the games they chose to highlight the new feature.
SuiXide @ Nov 14th 2007 2:13PM
No 720p on Psychonaughts?! Wtf! Though, now that I think about it I believe the PC version didn't go past 1024 x 768, but I could be mistaken. Still though, that just killed the purchase for me.
SoulBlade @ Nov 14th 2007 1:49PM
if you're going to rip off the VC, at least do it properly.
Rask @ Nov 14th 2007 1:58PM
Psychonauts will be a day 1 purchase.
Your Ad here 555-1923 @ Nov 14th 2007 2:06PM
Hey here is a question
After the update are we going to be able to use XBOX original controllers? because I was playing MK:A the other day and I coulnd't throw or anything thanks to the lack of the buttons Black and whitein the XB360 controller.
tcc3 @ Nov 14th 2007 2:33PM
Back and white map to the right and left shoulder buttons. The 360 controller has the same number of buttons (minus the jewel button of course).
ogvor @ Nov 14th 2007 2:11PM
OH NO! WHATS THAT XBOX DOING TO THE 360!?
deaftly @ Nov 14th 2007 2:15PM
at least they are acknowledging the problems before hand, i know another company that wouldn't even give a shit (take a guess who!)
robert @ Nov 14th 2007 3:27PM
nabisco?