It’s been a while since we last had any new Xbox One backwards compatible titles to cast our nostalgic minds back to once more, and in the few weeks since the last arrivals, releases in general have been a lot quieter than usual. But that all looks set to change with several new games hitting the store all in one go, and today seeing some fresh faces to the backwards compatible library too.
The thing is, are they worth the return or should they simply remain as nothing more than a memory forever more?
Street Fighter IV – Play
First up is the return of one of gaming’s beloved franchises as Street Fighter IV makes its return via backwards compatibility.
Given the new-found status of the Street Fighter franchise, with Street Fighter V currently tied down in an exclusive deal across the pond with PlayStation, fans of the arcade fighter may want to revisit old times with the grand arcade brawler now on Xbox One as there doesn’t seem to be much chance of the latest iteration arriving any time soon at least.
Street Fighter IV was a big hit when it arrived back 2009, selling 3.4 million copies before the release of extra DLC versions such as Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Ultra Street Fighter IV. With its strong roster of retro characters and fantastic arcade action, Street Fighter IV was a true rival to the Mortal Kombat, Tekken and more recently, Injustice titles. But whilst there isn’t much that can be said about Street Fighter that isn’t already well known by the arcade fighting community, it is worth noting that as per Street Fighter fashion, Street Fighter IV never fails to keep up with the competition with the feeling it never ages and without a doubt is one classic brawler you should be heading back to.
Luxor 2 – Ignore
The other titles making their way to Xbox One are arguably of the lesser known variety but just because a title may not be as popular, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be given a look in.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the next entry as Luxor 2 isn’t really a game with enough quality on offer to be seeing players move away from other titles in their back catalogue of unplayed titles.
That said, Luxor 2 isn’t exactly a bad game, with its simple action-oriented puzzle gameplay, Luxor 2 is worth a look for those looking to relax and play casually for half an hour or so. But with gameplay highly reminiscent of 10tons own Sparkle series, it’s hard to recommend when up against such stiff opposition.
Poker Smash – Play
Next up is Poker Smash, and whilst the game of Poker has been around for quite some time, Poker Smash isn’t your usual game of cards on the table type stuff.
Poker Smash has players faced with a stack of face cards arranged in five columns, with stacks constantly rising toward the top of the playfield and new cards added at the bottom. The objective is fairly simple, line up three cards in horizontal or vertical poker hands, such as three-of-a-kind, full house, royal flush and so on. Making a legal hand will cause those cards to clear from the board and any above them fall into the cleared gaps, with chips and score earned per legal hand.
Now whilst this may sound rather confusing to the average poker player, there’s no denying that constant repetition of the same general game has become stale in recent years, so the arrival of a different type of Poker game is certainly refreshing and definitely worth heading back to once more.
Madballs in Babo: Invasion – Leave
The last of the latest batch of arrivals comes in the form of Madballs in Babo: Invasion. Now this is a game that I remember all too well due to my sister constantly stating my sheer lack of taste for choosing to play Batman: Arkham Asylum and later on Borderlands rather than sink my time into Madballs in Babo: Invasion.
Since that point however, I have taken the time when playing through various games in my backlog to go through that game I was so badly badgered about playing, and have come up with the verdict that I made the right decision to ignore it when I did.
Although it’s worth noting that whilst I am not going to recommend you go back and play this title, the graphics were indeed rather impressive, but since then times have moved on and nowadays we have plenty of titles that offer top-down shooting. Many now come with their own set of impressive graphics as well as truly enjoyable gameplay, and that is the real key here, as whilst Madballs in Babo: Invasion is another game that isn’t terrible, it’s by no means one of the best either, and with so many games available it takes something unique and generally great to warrant a return. And this isn’t it.
The gameplay, for those still interested by its rather unique name and therefore disregarding my recommendation, is based on the Babos, with players rolling their Babo – a heavily armed sphere, around the various arenas whilst attempting to kill enemy players. There are ten Babos spread across two teams, each with its own unique stats and abilities. Unlocking others for use however requires a playthrough of the Campaign mode, but whether you actually gets that far will be anyone’s guess.
So, there we have it, the latest backwards compatible titles and our recommendations on what to play and what to ignore. Do you agree with our thoughts? Let us know in the comments below or via our usual social channels.
