Xbox Originals Closing Up Shop

[Keane Ng]

Xbox Originals Closing Up Shop

Microsoft will cease updating its Xbox Originals service, which allows users to download Xbox 1 titles like Ninja Gaiden Black over Xbox Live, in the near future.

Xbox Originals never really took off. Despite having a somewhat decent line-up of Xbox 1 games to download onto your 360 over Xbox Live, the service never really seemed like a high priority for Microsoft or Xbox users. Psychonauts, Ninja Gaiden Black, Jade Empire, Indigo Prophecy. All games I played for the first time via Xbox Originals. I guess I was the only one.

Now Microsoft is cutting off the service, saying that they've "finished its portfolio" of Xbox Originals titles, and will be releasing only one more Original and then that'll be it for new Originals. That last game will probably be Halo 2, considering it's a perennial favorite and will probably garner a few "oh man I LOVE that game" downloads from eager impulse Spacebuck spenders.

The move comes not as a result of the service's lack of popularity or otherwise, but because Microsoft is moving toward it's "on demand games" service that it revealed during Monday's E3 press conference. The service will make select past and future 360 retail games downloadable over Live.

I have a feeling Originals would have been a bigger hit if the games offered had been spruced up in some way, with Achievements or maybe even just cost a little bit less. As it is they were just straight-up ports that didn't always work perfectly, anyway.

[Via IGN [http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/990/990070p1.html]]

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[Frank_Sinatra_]

I have a feeling Originals would have been a bigger hit if the games offered had been spruced up in some way, with Achievements or maybe even just cost a little bit less. As it is they were just straight-up ports that didn't always work perfectly, anyway.

So your saying that they charged full price for the game? That is a rip off, achievements would be a good incentive to get them.
I wish Sony would add trophies to their PS1 Classics.

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

It's closing?! But I still need Area 51!

Wait, does this mean I can't redownload some of the ones I temporarily deleted to make room?

I have a feeling Originals would have been a bigger hit if the games offered had been spruced up in some way, with Achievements or maybe even just cost a little bit less. As it is they were just straight-up ports that didn't always work perfectly, anyway.

So your saying that they charged full price for the game? That is a rip off, achievements would be a good incentive to get them.
I wish Sony would add trophies to their PS1 Classics.

Actually they charge around 12-15$

 

[Sir Ollie]

Not a huge surprise I can pick up Stubbs for feck all these days.

 

[SamB2604]

I've known the service was there but never really given it a second look. Not a major loss I don't think!

 

[Keane Ng]

It's closing?! But I still need Area 51!

Wait, does this mean I can't redownload some of the ones I temporarily deleted to make room?

Well, it sounds like they're just going to stop updating Originals is all. I can't tell if they're going to shut it down entirely. I'd re-download the ones you really care about just to be safe.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

So your saying that they charged full price for the game? That is a rip off, achievements would be a good incentive to get them.

They weren't full price. They were 1200 points (roughly US$15) each.

I'd have bought more, but I already owned so many of the titles they had available and didn't have one I really wanted, Beyond Good & Evil. I guess being limited to keeping the titles to ones that'd work with Back Compatibility cramped the selection alot.

Oh well.

-- Steve

 

[scotth266]

I don't really care... especially since they've got that new service coming up that will serve the exact same purpose.

 

[Dale Cooper]

Should have had Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame.

 

[Valkyira]

to add achievements or trophies to original games, the developers would have to completely edit the game thats why there are none

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Aaww... As long as they put up Halo 2 on the Originals service, I'm a happy monkey.

Other than that.... Guess I have to Flash my 360's DVD drive if I want to get my hands on a game I can't find.

 

[new_age_reject]

Not a huge surprise I can pick up Stubbs for feck all these days.

I have an old copy of that lying about somewhere and I don't even have an xbox

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

to add achievements or trophies to original games, the developers would have to completely edit the game thats why there are none

Well, in the last interview with Microsoft I read they said it was because they wanted to "preserve the originality" of the original Xbox games and that adding achievements would take that away.

Or some other shit like that.

 

[Ben Legend]

Sorry, but I don't care. The price they were asking in my opinion was too high for my liking.

Adding acheivements would seriously boost sales I think. Maybe that would be worth while.

 

[Valkyira]

to add achievements or trophies to original games, the developers would have to completely edit the game thats why there are none

Well, in the last interview with Microsoft I read they said it was because they wanted to "preserve the originality" of the original Xbox games and that adding achievements would take that away.

Or some other shit like that.

That too but they would have to program them into the game which would take a lot of time and a waste of money as most people don't buy originals off the marketplace

 

[sneak_copter]

to add achievements or trophies to original games, the developers would have to completely edit the game thats why there are none

Well, in the last interview with Microsoft I read they said it was because they wanted to "preserve the originality" of the original Xbox games and that adding achievements would take that away.

Or some other shit like that.

That too but they would have to program them into the game which would take a lot of time and a waste of money as most people don't buy originals off the marketplace

Program them into the game? You don't have to program them in, as I remember being told how you can "create" homebrew achivements.

 

[Valkyira]

to add achievements or trophies to original games, the developers would have to completely edit the game thats why there are none

Well, in the last interview with Microsoft I read they said it was because they wanted to "preserve the originality" of the original Xbox games and that adding achievements would take that away.

Or some other shit like that.

That too but they would have to program them into the game which would take a lot of time and a waste of money as most people don't buy originals off the marketplace

Program them into the game? You don't have to program them in, as I remember being told how you can "create" homebrew achivements.

You can't just add achievements to a game willy nilly you actually have to re-write the coding so the achievements unlock once you have done the specific task.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

Kinda of a shame for me as I don't own an original Xbox and I have no knowledge of how Xbox games work on a 360.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Program them into the game? You don't have to program them in, as I remember being told how you can "create" homebrew achivements.

Yeah, it's just as easy as tightening up the graphics on Level 3.

/facepalm

Firstly, Xbox1 games weren't built with Achievements in mind so the triggers and reporting mechanisms aren't there. Secondly, a lot of the games (Halo and Stubbs, for example) weren't even built with Xbox Live in mind... so even networking might not be there. Rebuilding the game to put those in isn't going to be easy.

So exactly how much extra work are they supposed to put into rebuilding a game that sells for $15?

-- Steve

 

[mattttherman3]

Couldn't they put the games on Xbox Live Arcade? I mean it makes sense, they have games from 2 generations ago so why not 1?