X-Box Backwards Compatibility

[Benji]

360 to play 200+ Xbox games

Microsoft confirms its next-gen console will play many games for its current-gen console, including Halo, Ninja Gaiden, KOTOR, Fable, GTA, and more.

After playing coy for months about the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility, Microsoft has finally come clean. The software behemoth announced late Friday that over 200 games from its current-generation console will play on its next-generation console.

As one might expect, Microsoft has made sure all the top Xbox games are supported, including Halo and Halo 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black, and the three Grand Theft Autos: III, Vice City and San Andreas. A total of 212 Xbox games will be playable on the 360 at launch, though Microsoft says that number will increase.

Friday also brought good news to Xbox Live addicts. Any of the backwards-compatible games will be playable cross-platform between the Xbox 360 and Xbox over Xbox Live. That means would-be Master Chiefs with a 360 can still own their friends playing on current-generation consoles--although the former will see the carnage in higher resolution.

However, there is a catch. To play an Xbox game on the 360, players must first insert the current-gen game into a next-gen console hooked up to Xbox Live. The system will check if the console has the latest emulation software. If not, it will automatically download said software, install it on the 360, restart, and load the original Xbox game. Obviously, a 360 hard drive--which comes with the Halo and Halo 2 software preinstalled--is required the backwards-compatibility software.

For 360 owners who either can't or won't log onto Xbox Live, Microsoft offers two other solutions. First, they can go to Xbox.com, download the emulators, burn them onto a CD, and then insert said CD into the 360, which will auto-install the software. The other option is to order a free CD from Xbox.com which will be mailed to the requestor for a "nominal" fee. However, the CD will be mailed out for free to Japanese 360 owners.

A complete list of the Xbox games that will be playable on the 360 when it ships on November 22 is below:

Alias

Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction

All Star Baseball 2003

Amped

Army Men: Sarge's War

Atari Anthology

ATV Quad Power Racing 2

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2

Barbarian

Barbie Horse Adventure

Batman Begins

Battle Engine Aquila

Battlestar Galactica

Blinx 2

BMX XXX

Brute Force

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Chaos Bleeds

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts

Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 06

Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005

Cabela's Deer Hunt: 2004 Season

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Casino

Catwoman

Chicago Enforcer

Circus Maximus

Close Combat: First to Fight

Colin McRae 4

Combat Elite

Commandos 2

Conflict: Desert Storm

Constantine

Crash Bandicoot: Twinsanity

Crash Nitro Kart

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Curse – The Eye of Isis

Dark Angel

Darkwatch

Deathrow

Digimon Rumble Arena

Dinotopia

Dead or Alive 3

Drake

Egg Mania

ESPN MLS Extra Time 2002

Euro 2004

F1 Championship Season 2001

Fable

Fable: The Lost Chapters

Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules

FIFA 2003

FIFA 2004

FIFA Street 2005

FIFA World Cup 2002

Fight Night 2004

Fight Night Round 2

Ford Mustang Racing

Ford vs. Chevy

Forza Motorsport

Freedom Fighters

Frogger

Futurama

Fuzion Frenzy

Genma Onimusha

Goblin Commander

Grabbed by the Ghoulies

Grand Theft Auto III

Grand Theft Auto Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.

Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder

Half-Life 2

Halo

Halo 2

Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone

He-Man: Defender of Grayskull

Hitman: Contracts

House of the Dead 3

IHRA Drag Racing 2005 Sportsman Edition

IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005

Jade Empire

James Bond 007: Nightfire

Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death

Jurassic Park Genesis

Kabuki Warrior

Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer

Kids Next Door: Operation VIDEOGAME

kill.switch

Legends of Wrestling

Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events

Loons Fight for Fame

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Manhunt

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2

Max Payne

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Medal of Honor 3 Rising Sun

Medal of Honor Frontline

Medal of Honor: European Assault

Mega Man

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

MicroMachines Odyssey

Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing

Monster Garage

Mortal Kombat: Deception

MTV Music Generator 3

Murakumo

MX World Tour - featuring Jamie Little

Namco Museum X Next Generation

NBA Live 2003

NBA Live 2004

Need For Speed: Underground 2

NFL Blitz 2002

NFL Blitz 20-03

NFL Blitz 20-04

NHL 2004

NHL Hitz 20-03

Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden Black

Outlaw Golf 2

Outlaw Volleyball

Pariah

Phantom Crash

Pinball Hall of Fame

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

Predator

Prince of Persia 4: The Sands of Time

Pro Evolution Soccer 5

Pro Race Driver

PUMP IT UP

Pure Pinball

Puyo Puyo Fever

Quantum Redshift

Rayman Arena

Raze's Hell

Red Dead Revolver

Red Faction II

RedCard 20-03

Robotech: Battle Cry

Rocky: Legends

Rogue Ops

Rugby 2005

Samurai Jack

Samurai Warriors

Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights

Scrapland

SeaWorld: Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures

Sega GT 2002

Shadow the Hedgehog

Shellshock:Nam '67

Sid Meier's Pirates!

Simpson's Road Rage

Simpsons: Hit and Run

Sneakers

Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945

Soccer Slam

Sonic Heroes

Sonic Mega Collection

Speed Kings

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

Splat Renegade Paintball

SpongeBob Square Pants:Battle for Bikini Bottom

Spy Hunter 2

Spyro: A Hero's Tail

SSX 3

Stake

Star Trek: Shattered Universe

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Clone Wars

Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter

Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic 2

Street Racing Syndicate

Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse

Super Bubble Pop

Super Monkey Ball DX

SX Superstar

Tecmo Classic Arcade

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Terminator : Dawn of Fate

Test Drive: Eve of Destruction

Tetris Worlds

The Great Escape

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer

The Thing

Thief: Deadly Shadows

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

Tony Hawk's Underground 2

Tork

Toxic Grind

Ty The Tasmanian Tiger

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3

Urban Freestyle Soccer

Vexx

Volvo: Drive for Life

World Series Baseball 2K

Worms 4: Mayhem

Worms Forts Under Siege

WWE Raw 2

XIII

Yourself!Fitness

[ROC]

I see no NCAA Football on that list. And frankly, it disturbs me. Seriously, you can play shit like Catwoman or the 8,000 shitty movie-based games on there but not NCAA? Microsoft has no logic...

[apsham]

At least we can all play BMX XXX into the next generation.

[The Dork Knight]

No more WWF RAW? That was one of the few games from Xbox I wanted to play on 360.

[abundant]

I see no NCAA Football on that list. And frankly, it disturbs me. Seriously, you can play shit like Catwoman or the 8,000 shitty movie-based games on there but not NCAA? Microsoft has no logic...

[The Kraig]

I can't believe there's no Doom 3. God damn PC gamers. Damn them!

Project Gotham Racing 2 isn't there either. No Star Wars Battlefront II either. I hope they get added. And Counter-Strike.