Whether the idea of dusting off that library of Xbox 360 games for a spin once more is for you or not, the fact that there are now almost 400 titles available to play through backwards compatibility is certainly impressive. Nevertheless, for many gamers, more is better and now we see five new titles made playable on Xbox One.
But are they worth heading back to once more, or should we stick with the abundance of new titles gracing the Xbox Store in recent weeks.
Assassins Creed 3 – Play
Assassins Creed may just be one of the longest running series available on console, and with another expected later this year it may seem hard to believe you’d want to head back to such an old title in the series. But with that said, Assassins Creed 3 isn’t just any old title, it’s one of the best in the entire series. In a series with so many titles available, that’s certainly something to be proud of.
Assassins Creed 3 places you into the shoes of Assassins working to uncover the secrets of a mysterious Precursor Vault that will purportedly protect the Earth from an upcoming solar flare.
Whilst the story may not be something you’d expect from an Assassins Creed game, the gripping tale and engaging gameplay is certainly a showcase for the series, and is more than worth heading back to now it’s arrived on Xbox One.
With a free download available with next month’s Games With Gold, it’s the perfect opportunity to head back into one of the best assassin titles available.
Ilomilo – Play
Ilomilo may not quite be that big blockbuster addition, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t welcome it with open arms.
The goal is quite simple – reunite Ilo and Milo, two friends that meet daily in a bizarre park for companionship. Each day, as they return, the park becomes even more difficulty to navigate, and it’s up to you to bring them back together.
As I mentioned before anyone looking for an in-depth blockbusting experience won’t find any reason to dive into this quirky puzzler. But if you’re after something to pass the time and give you a little afternoon brainteasing, then there isn’t many better choices amongst the backwards compatible options than Ilomilo.
What are you waiting for? Go get stuck in.
Matt Hazard: BBB – Ignore
Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is the 2D sequel to Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, the 3-D third-person shooter widely known amongst achievement hunters for it’s easy Gamerscore.
Unfortunately Matt Hazard: BBB wasn’t as popular due to its difficult achievements and the feeling that the series had taken a step back from its predecessor. With a wide variety of action platformers already available on Xbox One, we see no reason to recommend you head back to an already unloved title.
Sorry Matt, maybe next time. Or maybe not.
Shadow Assault/Tenchu – Ignore
Bomberman meets Tenchu. That’s the general jist of what’s going on with this one, and the result was as uninspiring as you would expect.
Tenchu may well be a widely-known and beloved fighting game that has been about for generations now, but mixing such a well-loved series with something completely different is always going to require something sensational to pull off. Unfortunately Shadow Assault: Tenchu wasn’t that.
In the end both fans of Tenchu and Bomberman were left to head back to their own separate sides of the gaming world to get their fill, and Shadow Assault: Tenchu drifted off into many gamers unfinished backlogs. We may only have a few Bomberman titles to choose from on Xbox One, but it’s fair to say this still isn’t something we’d recommend you head back to any time soon.
Shinobi – Ignore
Shinobi puts you in the shoes of a ninja who is tasked with stopping a criminal organization called Zeed, who themselves have kidnapped the children of the Oboro clan. With five missions of increasing difficulty you must make your way to Zeed’s headquarters to free the hostages and defeat the infamous Ring of Five.
Disappointingly, gameplay wasn’t half as exciting as the plot for Shinobi. With shocking visuals and boring gameplay, Shinobi became another of gamings many ‘could have been’ titles.
Whilst there isn’t much on the market too similar to this forgotten blunder, that isn’t a bad thing, and with so many new titles that are begging to be played, there is no reason to ever go back to something so dull.
So, there we have it, five new additions to the beloved Xbox One backwards compatible library and our recommendations on which ones deserve your time once more. Will you be heading back to any of this week’s new arrivals? Let us know in the comments below or via our usual social channels.
Don’t forget that all of the backwards compatible entries work via both disc or digital download, and if you haven’t yet got your copy of a much loved title, you can always head on over to the Xbox Games Store to grab yourself a download under the Backwards Compatible section.
I don’t think the author knows what Shinobi is. Sega? Arcade machines? The Genesis/Mega Drive? A lovingly upgrade to a classic game? No? Oh well. Also, praising Assassins Creed 3 is still a questionable thing to do. It was the worst in the series at the time of release, and has even been considered worse than some of the games that came after it. The characters are dull and uninteresting, and the plot is based on the world ending at the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012. Outdated and laughably stupid. The depictions of historic figures is questionable at best and downright slanderous. King Washington DLC?! Really???The native American segments are insulting and border on racism. But it’s ubisoft, and they give great free goodies to those who review their products positively.
When I saw that Shinobi was backwards compatible I jumped on it, it was one of my favourite games from back in the day. £3 well spent in my eyes.