Adventures in Backwards Compatibility

One of the reasons I thought the Xbox 360 would be a good purchase for me is because I don't own an Xbox, so even if the 360's library is a bit thin right now, I could delve into the offerings in their backwards compatibility. Only now am I realizing that all is not fluffy clouds and perfect pixels when playing an Xbox game in your 360, whether or not it's supposedly compatible.

My "fun" actually began at the EB Games, and the frequent trips this harkoning back to the days of Xbox would lead me to. I decided to pick up Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. I have the first game on PC, and it's an incredible marriage of high quality RPG storytelling and play mechanics with that of the Star Wars universe. If you haven't played it and are a fan of either Star Wars or RPGs (or especially both) then go out and get it right now. So I've suddenly developed an insatiable craving for more of that which was given to us in the first title. EB was having a used games deal, so I got Sith Lords as part of it, knowing that it's listed on the Xbox 360's list of backwards compatible titles. I open the case later that evening only to find that I was given the right manual, but the wrong game disc. I was given the first Knights of the Old Republic instead.

So the next day after work I head over to the EB Games again, and it's the same clerk. He asks if anything was wrong with the games and I told him no, but I was given the wrong disc. So he kindly hands me the correct disc, and i go home a happy gamer. Later that night I pop it in, and am treated to that great LucasArts logo. ...then 30 seconds later, I'm still being treated to that very logo. I reset the system, and try two more times. It doesn't get more than a few seconds into the game before freezing. I take out the disc and look at it, and notice that it is pretty smudged up, with some actual scratches around the outer edge. Figuring the scratches must be the culprit, I figure I'll get a new copy the next day.

So the next day (today), I stop by there on the way home from work, and once again it's the same clerk, and by this point I kinda feel like a jackass to keep on having to come back. They don't have any other copies of the game, but tell me to go up to Gamestop and see if they do. So I do, and they do. I inspect the disc, which is all shiny and very well-kept.

Quite excited to finally play the sequel to this sweet, sweet amalgamation of geeky culture and geeky gamedom, I race home and pop the disc in. I hold my breath as the LucasArts logo fades in...and fades out! The title screen at last, I've made it! I start a new game and take some time to work at my character's stats. Satisfied with my new Jedi identity, I start my game. The loading screen comes on, preparing to send me on my journey into a galaxy far far away...and freezes. I reset the system two more times, making two more characters, each more rushed than the last, but every time it freezes at the loading screen. So I go online and search through the forums, but most people just seem to have audio problems when playing this on a 360, so that was no help. I immediatly drive to the nearest Gamestop, as I can't bare to once again show my face to that clerk, and return the game, opting instead for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow on the DS, a fitting title to match the sorrow experienced on my first forray into Xbox backwards compatibility.

So one of the big reasons I thought a 360 would be a good purchase, and my first attempt has left me very hesitant about continuing in the backwards compatibility trek. Which is a shame, because one of Rare's two Xbox titles, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, has just been made compatible today. At any rate, Knights of the Old Republic II seems to be going for $15-20 new for PC, so I think I'll just stick to that for now.