Three brand new titles have been added to Microsoft’s slowly expanding list of Xbox One backwards compatible games. While they’re not fresh out of the water, so to speak, they’re still noteworthy.
First off is Remedy’s thriller-ish 3rd person shooter Alan Wake, where your enemies are afraid of the light, and then there’s the timeless classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Finally, there’s the ubiquitous Pac-Man, which comes in its original arcade form.
Alan Wake joins Microsoft’s ongoing promotional campaign for Remedy’s upcoming game Quantum Break, which will be released early next month. Every copy of the game will come with a full-game download for Alan wake for Xbox 360. Buyers will also have access to The Signal and The Writer, the game’s two add-on packs. That includes Microsoft’s Quantum Break console bundle, which will be going on sale starting tomorrow. Pre-orders also come with a full-game download of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare for Xbox 360, also backwards compatible with Xbox One, and that pre-order download is available now.
Since Microsoft revealed its initial list of backwards compatible titles back in November 2015 it has expanded from 104 titles to 141. Examples of games included in the first batch of backwards compatible games were Condemned: Criminal Origins, Fable II, and South Park: The Stick of Truth. Halo: Reach was one of the noteworthy titles mentioned to be on the way back then and has since been released. But other major titles like Halo Wars, Bioshock Infinite and Skate 3, among others, remain to be seen.
Microsoft is known for its slow pace of updating its list of backwards compatible games, and it’s also unclear how high the demand for these titles are. In the modern gaming industry, it’s common to simply re-launch titles in high-definition with crisper textures and, occasionally, some added functionality. But with that said, Microsoft was called out on some games that under-performed despite the high expectations of its consumers, including its very own Triple-A title Halo: Reach. It’s possible Microsoft has slowed down the pace to make sure the games run smoothly upon release.
