When I started reporting on Backwards compatible to the Xbox One news, I had a simple premise. Here are 131 games that I voted on through Microsoft’s service; how much of a chance do they really have of being made backwards compatible. Four percentages were assigned, 99% (It’s going to happen), 75% (It most likely will happen), 50% (maybe, could happen), 25% (probably not going to happen), and 1% (not going to happen, but never say never). I was probably more positive than most. Well, a year later, 89 of these are still not part of the Backwards Compatible program. I figured a re-visit was in order and to examine how many of these still have a shot. Maybe deep down, I’m too pessimistic this time around. Maybe after watching the releases for the last year I finally started to understand what Microsoft and the Developer/Publishing companies are really pushing to the BC program. Find out more inside.
Link to spreadsheet can be found here if you just want the numbers as the saying goes.
What’s interesting about my lack of optimism is that of the 89 games, only 2 at this point are near certainties, another three are decent certainties, seventeen are at the 50% mark, another twenty seven are at 25%, and a staggering forty are in the no way jose club. Comparatively back in November of last year, twenty were near certainties, eight were decent certainties, twenty three were at 50%, thirteen were at 25% and twenty five were not going to happen. Or in raw stats, in November my average score was 46%, or about half. In November 2016, my average score? 22%. My optimism has dropped by more than half.
Now, by no means am I saying the program is a failure. I think honestly its a success but most of my picks were retail games and what has the program mostly been? Digital only games. We have seen an uptick within the last few months or more for retail disc games but the digitals are still out weighing the retails every week. It’s a simple fact, one that took me sometime to swallow. But now I have swallowed that bitter pill.
As one could guess, I am not going to try and provide analysis for all of my ninety six remaining titles. Some such as the 18 that are victims of the re-mastering trend need no analysis. Warner Bros (Batman: AC/AA), THQ (Darksiders 1/2), and Activision (Deadpool, Prototype 1/2 and others to come) and others have decided they want to re-release their games and make more money. Some of them are good, some of them are completely pointless. I mean they remade the Assassin’s Creed 2 games (2, Brotherhood and Revelations) for the Xbox One…and all I could do is shake my head. Anyway, here we go. Highlights and Low-Lights.
Certainties:
Dead Space 2 99%->99% – I had this at 75% up until today but with Dead Space Ignition being announced, it is now a near certainty. The support is there and EA has continued to prove that they are 100% on board with BC with even it extending to their EA Access App.
Fable Anniversary 99%->99% – Fable or rather Lionhead Studios was dropped like a bad habit this year by Microsoft. Most people think any new game involving Fable is years off now. So the only way to recoup those losses on Lionhead Studios would be to push existing digital & physical inventory. The only major Fable game that is not backwards compatible at this point is Fable Anniversary. It will sell the few remaining physical copies and it will sell plenty of the digital kind as well. It’s happening.
Near Certainties:
Burnout Paradise 99%->75% – When the backwards compatible program first came out, one of the first companies to come out and go yeah our game is coming out for BC? Criterion with specific reference to Burnout Paradise. Ten months later. No Burnout Paradise and you have to wonder if they jumped the gun without other parties involvement. I still think it’s going to happen but its far from a certainty.
Dead Space 3 99%->75% – I nearly put this at 99% to match Dead Space 2, but there is a chance this gets left out in the cold. Not much mind you, but enough to put this at 75%.
Tales of Vesperia 75%->75% – Namco has been really good about BC releases. Even though they have done a few remasters like PacMan, DigDug and Galaga (among others), they follow it up with making the 360 copy backwards compatible. That’s why I fully support their titles even if its the same PacMan they have been pushing for years. Tales is a much bigger title but I still have confidence in Namco that they will push this out. Also add to the fact that there was just a sale last week for the title digitally.
Coin Flip:
Bioshock, Bioshock II, and Bioshock Infinite 99%->50% – Of course, a few weeks ago the Bioshock collection hit the streets for X1/PS4 and basically put the three Bioshocks, all of their DLC, snazzed the graphics, upped the sound and removed the multiplayer of the second game (good call). This should probably be at 1% if it weren’t for one thing. Microsoft actually announced that these three would hit BC at some point. Confirmed it. Promoted it as part of their program. Promises mean something even if they take their sweet time about it. My guess if it happens is that it goes on the program sometime in the first-second quarter of 2017. The rest of the year is to promote the re-mastered collection and get every dollar they can out of it. Then next year in a show of good faith, they do the deed in all one fell swoop. Then Bioshock 4 comes out or is announced (or maybe we can get Bioshock: Telltale or something). It is how things work.
Dragon Age 2, Origins, Alice: Madness Returns, and Crysis 99%/75% -> 50% – These five are good to place together because they all fall under the Electronic Arts umbrella. However, they are complete coinflips to make the backwards compatible program. They all would add to their EA Access program but how much I’m not sure. The Dragon Age’s probably have the best chance but even their chance is somewhat muted in the grand scheme of things. Maybe a bone will be thrown and Crysis (since its digital) will be released. We’ll see.
Shadowrun 99%->50% – Most people know I have a huge soft spot for all things Shadowrun. I buy novels, rpg books, support Kickstarters, and at least try any Shadowrun game that I can get my hands on. Shadowrun for the 360 has been shown in a few montage type pictures when it comes to backwards compatible titles but has yet to be made official. It should have been a slam dunk at this point, but you have to wonder what they are waiting for. Now doubt is setting in and it might never happen.
Condemned 2 & Outpost Kaloki X 25%->50% – Two of the few titles that my outlook has improved on. Condemned 2 should happen because the first one is BC and this is Sega we are talking about. It should happen but it’s not that popular of a game. Outpost Kaloki X is actually a Ninjabee title owned by Microsoft. Microsoft has been slowly releasing any title that it had a hand in publishing. These things take time though and I would imagine Kaloki X as much as it is a diamond in the rough; it is probably at the bottom of the list.
If the Winds Blow in the Correct Direction:
Batman: Arkham Origins 99%->25% – Unlike Arkham City and Arkham Asylum who have joined the re-mastered club, Arkham Origins is strangely missing from the pile. However, WB isn’t exactly high on the title and has pretty much ignored it after the game worn out its welcome. They are even closing the online server in December. The only time you see any mention of it is when we get a WB sale and they hock out the season pass for $5 (which I bought a while back). But yet, City & Aslyum will be re-released soon and what better way to push the game than with a quiet BC release of Origins. Players feel a little bit of that good faith, buy the re-master in return and everybody wins.
Elder Scrolls Oblivion 99%->25% – This also falls under the same logic as Arkham Origins. The Skyrim remaster (with MODS) is out now and since everybody and their dog wanted Skyrim to be part of BC, they might still be happy with Bethesda if they extend some happiness to Oblivion and the program. It’s a tiny window of possibility.
Kingdom Of Amalur: Reckoning 75%->25% – This is another I revised my thoughts before I published this column. I want this one very badly to come out on BC, but alas I don’t think the rights are there exactly. The whole Curt Schilling/Rhode Island debacle is probably going to hold this up for years and even though there are about 1.5 million copies (physical or digital) in existence, it most likely can’t be put into BC for legal reasons. See Too Human and NCAA Football 14 for similar reasoning.
Mafia II 99%->25% – I was ready to put this at 1% due to the licensed music and the delisted digital game & DLC. But then recently, the digital game showed back up on Xbox Live. Mafia III is out and doing decent so this would be a nice piece to throw out. Again, small window of possibility but it’s there.
Darkness/Darkness II & Overlord/Overlord II 50%->25% – As much as I love the Darkness games, I have to come to the realization that maybe it’s not going to happen. These are the kind of the games that get forgotten no matter how interesting they were. I want to be wrong, but I’m probably right. By the same token, the Overlord games hold onto some sliver of hope (if nothing more to understand what a good Overlord game looks like) but that’s rapidly fading.
Magna Carta 2, Outrun Online Arcade, and Stranglehold 1%->25% – These all jumped up a little bit but for slightly different reasons. Magna Carta is a Namco title who has been doling out the BC releases but this isn’t exactly the top of anybody’s list. Outrun Online Arcade is a Sega title and its delisted too. But that hasn’t stopped Sega from releasing the original Golden Axe arcade & delisted title. By the same token, Joust was released to backwards compatibility recently and was a Midway & delisted title. Maybe Stranglehold, another former Midway title has a scrape of hope? Maybe, probably not.
No Chance, No Chance *sigh*:
NCAA Football 14 50%->1% – All the Snoop Dogs in the world won’t get this one released to backwards compatibility. It’s just a near certainty at this point. Would it be awesome? Absolutely. But that window is closing and then it will be slammed shut. The college football season is already happening (since the end of August) so if this doesn’t happen by bowl season, I think it will be a non-conversation from here on out.
Gun 1%->1% – This one saddens me but I have no reason to believe that Activision is going to bestow anymore good faith on its players when it comes to Backwards compatibility after releasing the various Call of Duty titles not named Black Ops 2. Most of the people voting for it were doing so because they loved the wild west. But with Call of Juarez: Gunslinger and Red Dead Redemption already on the BC train, nobody seems to be asking for Gun anymore. All we see are a bunch of tumbleweeds passing this game by. And it’s a darn shame (it’s a darn good game) and perhaps not the kind of unhappy note to end this column on.
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga & Star Ocean: The Last Hope 50%->1% – At one point, I thought this was going to get some play as there was an existing Xbox One sequel and there was a following. But nothing has happened and the only Atlas game to BC at this point is Guwange (at least that was within the last two months). Star Ocean’s excuse is that the name doesn’t mean as much as it used to. It’s a good property, but JPRG’s on the Xbox One are a niche at best.
Two Worlds I & II 25%->1% – Another pair of interesting titles that I would like to see on Xbox One via BC. A poor man’s Skyrim (okay very poor) would probably be the best way to describe these two. If nothing else, it would give me an excuse to crack open my “Velvet Edition” of Two Worlds II. (Go Google it.) The problem is, Divinity and Star Ocean have a great following compared to these two titles and nobody seems to care about those either.
Parting Words is such Sweet Sorrow
That covers about a third of the games that I re-evaluated. Add that in with the re-masters that need no explanation and that number becomes half of the titles mentioned. If there are any of the remaining ones that you need explained, simply list it in the comments below. Or if you have your own personal favorite that you want my analysis on, I’ll come up with a few words or a paragraph.
Oh, and before you ask…Black Ops 2 is coming, maybe. Since Skate 3 came out, this is the next most likely BIG title to come out. Just calm down, Christmas is coming and it should happen. Now hit my theme music. Out.
