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With the latest backwards compatibility update occuring this week, I thought it might be interesting to see how many of the best reviewed Xbox games are backwards compatible on the Xbox 360.

I took the 300 best reviewed Xbox games as scored by Metacritic (a website that collates reviews) and then checked to see which games are backwards compatible on the Xbox 360.

Of the top 300 reviewed Xbox games, 82 (or 27%) are backwards compatible.
Of the 21 new additions to the the bc list, 8 are in the top 300 best reviewed list.

Below, I have crunched the numbers a bit further.
Look, it's a chart!



Top 300
BC: 82 (27% BC)
Not BC: 218


Top 250
BC: 67 (27% BC )
Not BC: 183


Top 100
BC: 32 (32% BC)
Not BC: 68


Top 50
BC: 21 (42% BC)
Not BC: 29


Top 25
BC: 14 (56% BC)
Not BC: 11


Top 10
BC: 8 (80% BC)
Not BC: 2

Clearly, it must be no small undertaking to make Xbox games BC on the 360.
Of the top 100 reviewed Xbox games, Microsoft has only been able to make 32 backwards compatible.

I think CAG epobirs summed it up best when he said,

Originally Posted by epobirs Seriously, if it were just a matter of wanting it, Microsoft would have every Xbox title ever release running on the 360 with enhancements. This is not a trivial undertaking and the testing involved for the games is very time intensive. They're recreating much of the playtesting cycle these games already passed through before they were originally released. The more desirable recent Xbox titles are the result of develoeprs who've been honing their Xbox skills for five years. The likelihood of those games containing the kind of coding techniques that make for the most difficult items to make run under emulation is very high. As more and more of the older titles become compatible the probability a newer titem will pass the testing phase is increased. But there is no getting around the laborious testing process.

I wonder if Microsoft is wishing it never promised backwards compatibility in the first place.

Digg this story!

I really don't think they care, which is fine, because I don't either.

I bought a 360 to play 360 games.

Oh snap, we're doing charts now. I'll be all over this mind-blowing, macro-writing Excel skills.

So it looks as though roughly 30% of the top 100 are BC. Coincidently, that's close to the same percentage of games (29%) that are BC from the entire US Xbox catalog.

Now that Cheapy is a "video game consultant" he has to do these things to stay legit. Hey, what's better for Cheapy is better for us. Where's the Kool Aid!?!

Seriously, this is an interesting breakdown. No doubt we'll see the story lifted word for word on Kotaku or Joystiq in a day or two - with no reference or credit, mind you.

Thanks for the stats, Cheapy!

Jeremy

Great/interesting post, the last sentence really makes you think. Microsoft was definately put under pressure to include backwards compatibility, I'd say it's comparable to Sony's tilt-sensors.

I'd rather they choose BC by review scores than sales numbers .

I don't want to play 50 Cent Bulletproof , or any other crap like that .

Originally Posted by Richlough I'd rather they choose BC by review scores than sales numbers.

I'm sure it has more to do with what the Microsoft team is able to do technically, than either of those two factors.

Originally Posted by jrutz No doubt we'll see the story lifted word for word on Kotaku or Joystiq in a day or two - with no reference or credit, mind you.

Nah, those are two sites you never have to worry about getting credit for a story. They are really good about that stuff.

Bc is very important for me and i seriously hope they do add to the bc list

Originally Posted by CheapyD Fancy chart.

Between this and Bloomberg, I'm beginning to think you are the smartest man alive.

Interesting stuff. Precisely the reason I bought a backup Xbox for my Xbox games, I'm not going to rely on the 360 to be able to play all of them.

Originally Posted by CheapyD I wonder if Microsoft is wishing it never promised backwards compatibility in the first place.

I know I wish they never said it...although I probably wouldn't have bought a 360 as soon as I did - which shows why they did say it in the first place.

Nah, those are two sites you never have to worry about getting credit for a story.

I've only had a 50% success rate getting stuff I submitted credited...although I've only sent two things.



Anyway...

I know it's "difficult" to get certain games working with BC. You'll have to forgive me if I don't sympathize and come rushing to the defense of one of the largest companies in the world that has near limitless resources.

Originally Posted by KaneRobot I know it's "difficult" to get certain games working with BC. You'll have to forgive me if I don't sympathize and come rushing to the defense of one of the largest companies in the world that has near limitless resources.

Snap.

I agree with Zewone though. Buy an Xbox 360 for 360 games. If you don't think they warrant buying a 360 on it's own, then hold off for a year or so until the 360 library gets built up. Be wary if Microsoft starts boasting of the 360's library due to backward compatibility... that's what Atari and others did before the big crash.

Great post, Cheapy. I wonder where the rest of the BC games rank. It would be interesting to break down the average rating range and the number of BC games in that range. I wish I had the time.

Originally Posted by zewone I really don't think they care, which is fine, because I don't either. I bought a 360 to play 360 games.

But I own something like 100 Xbox games (many never played ).

My big problem is space . . . I don't want to add a 360 to my Xbox, PS2, and GC . . . the PS3 and Wii can just replace my current system.

I may end up with a 360 but it has to be much cheaper and the library needs to shine.

For now, I will stand with my current systems. I might get a Wii -- only because it will be cheaper and my kids will love the games.

I think that my collection falls in line with the chart. That means that I have to keep a big ass system that I would like to get rid of. I do have the space, it's just that I would like to get rid of my xbox just like I got rid of my Playstation and my GBA SP. Kind of in those lines.

Originally Posted by MaskedPlague I wonder where the rest of the BC games rank.

His chart lists 224 BC games out of ~240. Those last 16 must be what we call 'outliers.' Those games that didn't stand a chance in hell of being intentionally made BC, but were circumstantially so due to the similarity in code compared with other BC games. Barbie's Horse Adventures, for instance. I think it uses the "Doom 3" engine.

Of course, I think someone already pointed out that high reviews don't mean high sales. I'd like to see how a similar chart stacks up using sales as an independent variable instead.

The reason i bought the 360 was cause i was hoping to have most of the games i own and play them on the 360. What about Panzer Dragoon Orta, Sudeki, Soul Calibur 2, Kingdom under fire 1, 2, samurai showdown v. I have the space but also I don't want two systems from the same company in my tv. Also they have such deep pockets.

Originally Posted by schultzed But I own something like 100 Xbox games (many never played ). My big problem is space . . . I don't want to add a 360 to my Xbox, PS2, and GC . . . the PS3 and Wii can just replace my current system. I may end up with a 360 but it has to be much cheaper and the library needs to shine. For now, I will stand with my current systems. I might get a Wii -- only because it will be cheaper and my kids will love the games.

This is exactly how I feel. Well, I plan on having fun with the Wii too, but other than that, word for word.

typical empty MS hype promise. Imagine what the sales of the 360 would be had they announced what the real numbers of BC games would be. Those top 100 numbers are just flat out insulting.

When I bought a 360 I had no intention of ever getting rid of my original XBox anyway, so this doesn't bother me. As far as the "limitless resources" argument goes, it's not really a matter of money, but time. In epobirs post, he states that the playtesting process has to be completed again for each individual game; BC isn't something we can expect overnight.