PSA: Original Xbox games' DLC already offline

by Xav de Matos on Feb 10th 2010 2:56PM

Plans to disconnect Xbox Live services for original Xbox games have apparently already begun, as DLC servers for Xbox titles have been quietly taken offline. According to numerous forum threads and our own tests of an assortment of Xbox titles, attempts to download original Xbox game content are now fruitless. Each title tested yielded the message: "Could not download content list. Please try again later." (The image above was taken from our test of Halo 2.)

Last Friday, Microsoft announced online support for original Xbox titles would be discontinued on April 15, but made no mention of disconnecting DLC servers earlier than that. Some forum users claim that the DLC servers for Xbox titles were taken offline as soon as the announcement was made last week. So, if you've continued to put off your infiltration of the Kola Cell in the original Splinter Cell, you'd better have already downloaded the mission.

[Thanks, Bren]

Tags: dlc, halo-2, Microsoft, original-xbox, psa, servers, xbox, xbox-1, Xbox-360, xbox-live, xbox-originals

Reader Comments (74)

Yeah, this happened the day of the announcement. Luckily I'd already redownloaded the Halo 2 maps, but now I can't get DLC for other games like Republic Commando.

I like how my hard drive transfer corrupted ALL Xbox DLC and saves, though. Jolly good, Microsoft.

Well looks like I'll be buying the disc then if I can find it, or was that someone tied to an single account? I still own Halo 2 (bought it used last year), and having the maps would be a nice bonus for those rare times I want to play splitscreen/LAN with a friend.

Also, I wonder what MS does when something like that (transfer corrupting hdd items) happens now that they no longer offer the DLC online. Kinda funny, seeing a story like this in the face of all the "DD is the future" posts.

Digital distribution: Good until the parent company thinks it's too much hassle to support it any more. :(

The disc wasn't tied-I borrowed one from a friend to put it on my original Xbox-but there were two new maps released in 07 from Certain Affinity that aren't on disc.

Microsoft probably doesn't care.

Darn, I just got yet another replacement xbox, never downloaded the maps yet. Are the game patches still working?

They did yesterday, but all content download is offline.

damn it.

I gotta get halo 2 off my brother before DLC quits working again

'Tis a sad day for Xbox owners....

Wont work online period, unless you use XBConnect or something.

@Ben

They will not play online at all, on any system.

Welcome to the world of planned obsolescence!!!!

Just wait till it starts effecting Bayonetta for the PS3 that shipped in a nearly unplayable state (ok it was playable but huge issues) When you want to go play it at some point in the future but you can't get the patch anymore because Sony doesn't care about it because they are well into the PS4.

If your lucky they will release an anniversary edition with the patch and you will get the joy of buying a game you already purchased. This is exactly why DLC and the subsequent Ship now Fix later mentality from developers that used to plague the PC market make the new generation of consoles so Fail.

And People just seem to eat it up.....

I'm surprised there's not a message on that screen stating, "Buy a 360, damnit."

Wait, nevermind. My comment makes zero sense.

Lol. I enjoyed your self-correction, sir

That's a bit a$$.

We still have 2 months. :(

It doesn't matter if you've downloaded it or not, you can't use it while you're offline.

Uh, if you download single player DLC, you are telling me you can't use it without the original Live servers up?

Single-player DLC, such as the Kola Cell missions, do work offline. On the original Xbox, Live isn't accessed unless you select multiplayer modes.

@ Xav - Except for the few LIVE Aware games (Fable, Riddick, PoP Sands of Time), which are online all the time if you chose.

Ladies and gentleman, proof that the older disc based expansion packs were better than DLC...

The resale value of the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack is sure to jump.

Yes, because SO many people are just craving for some old Halo 2.

You played Halo 2 lately? Good stuff, man.

Over 3,000-4,000 on weekdays alone!

Right now there are almost 500 people playing, and I'm betting on April 14th there will be at least 50,000 unique players.

There's just something about Halo 2...

On a side note, I played Republic Commando yesterday. One game server, five people...of course, it'd be busier on weekends, but...

Ironically, a friend of mine and I fired up some 1 on 1 in Lockout the other day during the blizzard, for old time's sake. When the game first loaded, it said that my dlc was corrupted and that I should try to re-download.

I would have done it right then, if I knew they were doing this. Say what you want, but I feel cheated.

@ J - Everyone should feel cheated, this was supposed to be supported indefinitely at least through the 360's lifetime. It's one of the only things that justified paying $50 a year anymore, the promise that it would always work...

This blows...

What a bunch of bullshit. I'm sort of pissed about this because I would have downloaded some of this stuff again to keep if I'd known they were just gonna yank it without any notice. There's some good DLC out there for the original Xbox games, like the Hurricane Packs for Ninja Gaiden, the extra missions for Splinter Cell, and the multiplayer maps for Halo 2 among others...

Like they couldn't have just waited two months to shut them down on the same date? I wanted to get some last Halo 2 action in before then but I guess I can't without those maps.

Luckily, Bungie found out about it and said they'd think of something before the April 14th farewell party, even if it's just rebuilding the playlists to not require DLC maps.

Brad, that doesn't do anything to get back the DLC for all the non-Halo games he just mentioned.

unless bungie found a way to pop a update to transfer to their servers?

It's time to move on anyway.

Why? Considering there were experiences that haven't been replicated this gen (Crimson Skies, Conker, Phantom Dust), why should we abandon the only way to get it?

that maybe true but Bungie is holding a farewell play day on the day before it all goes away and a lot including me would like to join

I don't have an issue with them shutting down legacy services to provide better support to new ones, I just have a problem with them pulling the plug on all the DLC the same day they made the announcement. That's the time when everyone hears about it and it gonna want to grab this stuff before it goes away for good. How hard is it to give people a little time?

Is that what you are going to say next time, when Microsoft pulls the switch on 360's LIVE content including Xbox LIVE Arcade games? They could have and should have segregated the community, and allowed Original Xbox support to continue concurrently as its own service at the very least (you know, like they had been for the past four years...).

This seriously sucks, taking away the option to download all the content just ads to the problem with them cutting OG Xbox LIVE support. And you know this is just precedent for them to do it again... I regret my years of championing DLC and online-only multiplayer. If this doesn't bring about some amazing change that greatly enhances Xbox LIVE, I'm done with it.

Showing Conker and Phantom Dust love, good form.

Man, when they shut down the Left 4 Dead servers I'm gona cry like a little girl.

But by then we'll already have Left 4 Dead 5... and it will have 30 zombie types, an AI director so smart it spawns two tanks before you leave the safe house, and 10 different ways people can die, each requiring it's own unique set of equipment to treat.

I kid, I kid. But by then we probably will have a suitable replacement game out.

I imagine Valve will put out another L4D game as quickly as they churned out L4d2 to me the sequel seemed to fill in the gap for microsoft since so many of their holiday 09 exclusives ended up getting pushed back and as much as I love Valve I can Imagine that if they're not in bed with Microsoft that they love to play footsy with them.

Yes it sounds paranoid but Microsoft seems to love throwing money at Devs especially since they cleared house/ let go of a lot of the studios they owned.

correction
*won't put out another sequel as quick

You bought the 360 version of a Valve game. That is your own fault.

mmmmm tasty dedicated PC servers *hugs self*

late reply but you missed my point.
its not when they pull the server for l4d1
but when they pull the plug for all of the l4ds altogether!

I'm just happy that Conviction comes out within a few weeks of this happening so I can tuck Chaos Theory away. I've been craving some new splinter cell co-op and sadly double agent for 360 was a huge let down on that front....

Has anyone at Ubisoft said anything about the Spy Vs. Mercs multiplayer making a return to Conviction?I'd be pretty bummed out if it didn't That's what got me into the Splinter Cell series in the first place.

They announced around Christmas that Spies vs Mercs is not going to be in Conviction because it didn't mesh with their new "last known position" and "mark and execute" gimmicks. And now with the Live servers going down, Spies vs Mercs will be killed forever.

that's ridonkulous couldn't they just take out those features for the mode? I guess since sam moves a bit differently from the other games I guess I can see where it could be an issue.

I'm gonna go cry to my momma now.

I think Bungie should put out some kind of Halo 1+2 compilation for the 360 to get their games back online after MS completely kills it.

That would probably be up to Microsoft, since they own the Halo series.

I know I'd buy it though. Imagine if they updated them to use the Reach engine! *drools*

I paid for those Halo 2 maps, and now you're telling me the next time my 360 RRoD's I can never get those maps back?

Wow, real cool.

PROTIOP: RRoD does absolutely nothing to the HDD.

Next time it RROD's just keep the hard drive. Now, if your hard drive goes kaput, that's a different story.

Actually, he would have issues with transferring licenses. You have to 'redownload' the title to complete the license transfer, and Microsoft probably wont leave Xbox authentication up. So you'd be stuck to playing it online.

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PSA: Original Xbox games' DLC already offline

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Posted: Feb 10th 2010 2:58PM Alan Smithee said

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