April proved to be a fantastic month for backwards compatible arrivals, with some of the most requested Xbox 360 games finally being made playable on Xbox One, all through the power of emulation. A new month means more titles and this week sees the first of May’s BC titles bringing a double whammy for one popular series amongst the masses this week. Are they worth taking a look at?
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 – Play
Geometry Wars has been a dark horse on the Xbox console since it first appeared as an Xbox 360 arcade title.
Whilst there are many hundreds of titles available on Xbox 360, one series that struck pure gold was Geometry Wars. You take control of a small ship, geometrical in form, and race around an arena in an attempt to rack up a huge score, all whilst blasting away at the many enemies trying to gun you down.
With wave after wave of increasingly challenging foes, you will need lightning reactions and supreme skill to gain those envious scores and leave yourself sitting atop of the leaderboard.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions – Play
Much like the previous entry, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions brings more classic shape shooting gameplay but with an upgraded twist. Rather than 2D arenas, Geometry Wars 3 brings three-dimensional shapes into play, therefore expanding the arenas and making for even more tension building moments.
With a great set of challenges attached to each of the campaign levels and an abundance of extra modes, Geometry Wars 3 builds on the series spectacular assets and makes for a near perfect game that should be enjoyed by everyone. Whilst those with an Xbox One copy won’t have much reason to head back, anyone without should definitely check out this classic top down shooter.
Harms Way – Ignore
Xbox 360 saw a series of free ‘sponsored’ games come to the store, with the likes of classic titles such as Doritos Crash Course.
Harms Way however didn’t offer quite the thrill ride that it could have with repetitive gameplay and a dull multiplayer making the Death Race-like freebie more of a bore than it should have been. Of course, being a free title there wasn’t too much to complain about as those that found the experience uninspiring didn’t have any outgoing costs, but with many other titles currently available that offer a better if slightly different experience, there is no reason to bother with downloading this one once more.
Band of Bugs – Ignore
I love a good strategy game and Band of the Bugs is indeed a strategy game…but unfortunately not a great one, and certainly not one that deserves any more time spent with its questionable gameplay.
Band of Bugs sees you battle against bugs and spiders through some family friendly tactical combat. But when a game wishes to be an in-depth masterpiece for genre fans, it takes much more than basic content to keep them occupied and unfortunately, Band of the Bugs tried to please everyone, and in-turn pleased very few.
If you’re a fan of tactics and strategy, we suggest waiting for Command & Conquer to arrive, otherwise head to the store in pursuit of the brilliant Halo Wars. Just don’t bother with this.
Bullet Soul – Play
Bullet Soul represents one of the best reasons to marvel at Xbox One’s backwards compatibility program. Games that were once region specific titles are now playable all over the world thanks to the region-free capabilities provided by Xbox One and this means classic titles we were once locked away from are now playable.
Bullet Soul is one game that was given such fate and should be picked up and played if you’re one of those who didn’t get chance first time round. With some of the finest top-down combat to appear on Xbox 360, Bullet Soul was a pure gem. With fantastic Space Invaders like gameplay and enough colour to brighten the senses, Bullet Soul is a worthy addition to the Xbox One Store.
Bullet Soul: Infinite Burst – Ignore
Whilst Bullet Soul was an incredible game, it’s sequel didn’t quite bring the same excitement. Sure, it still had the great vertically scrolling and addictive gameplay as the original, but with an extra splash of bright colours and the ramp in difficulty for its bullet-hell gameplay, things always felt a little too much.
Whilst other fans of the original will likely be shooting daggers my way, I recommend you stick with the first outing, especially if it’s classic and enjoyable gameplay you’re after…without the headache afterwards.
So, there we have it, the latest backwards compatible titles that you can find on Xbox One, and our recommendations on which ones deserve your time once more. Will you be heading back to any of the latest entries? Let us know in the comments below or via our usual social channels.
