Backwards Compatible Rebellion Games..

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

Do you think we'll ever see any Rebellion games go backwards compatible on Xbox? There's a bunch I'd want - Rogue Warrior, AVP, NeverDead, Sniper Elite V2, even ones like Sniper Elite 3 which we have superior Xbox One versions of, but I think it's cool to preserve these things!

A few of those might have licensing issues to work out, Dick Marcinko would have to sign off on Rogue Warrior, Whoever owns the AVP licence would have to ok AVP (I think Sega still owns the Aliens licence so I think that's helpful), as for NeverDead I'm not sure what the situation is there, Konami published but I think they were also somehow involved in development, so I don't know what they own. I assume the Sniper Elite games would have no problems?

Oh and that's just 360, lets not forget Sniper Elite 1, Dredd Vs. Death and Rogue Trooper on the original Xbox! 

[Keef Monkey]

I'd be really happy if AvP went backwards compatible, I still dig it out for a playthrough now and then (the short campaigns mean it's easy to jump in and play through one of them depending on whether I'm on a Predator or Aliens binge at the time). Dredd vs Death would be great too, just because otherwise I don't really have a way to play it on console anymore.

Oh and wouldn't mind Neverdead too, I played through some of that game but hit a tough spot and put it down for a bit, by the time I wanted to pick it up again I'd moved to XB1. Feel like I've got some unfinished business there.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

Yeah AVP was top wasn't it, loved the campaigns. I enjoyed the multiplayer too, It'd probably get a player boost if it went backwards compatible so I'd definitely pop my head in online. The one weird thing about that game is that Marines could melee, block and counter aliens physically, seemed a strange choice but was actually quite fun! You bloody needed it on Nightmare! Block, counter, shotgun If I remember right not only did it give you a window to shoot with impunity but it put the Alien at a distance where it's blood wouldn't hurt you when you shot it.

I think NeverDead stands up if you go back to it, I played through it a year ago or so ago and had plenty of fun. It was a little rough around the edges sure but I really enjoyed the novel mechanics, nice looking game too. Some great 2000ad easter eggs in there!! I'll be taking screens and captures of them if it gets the BC treatment

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

Wooo! Sniper Elite V2 has gone backwards compatible on Xbox One today, many thanks to the Kingsleys and Rebellion!

[Keef Monkey]

Excellent! Hopefully still have my 360 disc knocking about, otherwise might grab it digital for a revisit. Backwards compatibility is ace.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/9kt2bp/alien_vs_predator_bc/


Saw this on reddit, got everything crossed that it's true and dropping soon! A whizz through the campaign and some multiplayer will be on the cards (assuming it gets a population boost so we can find a game!).

[Keef Monkey]

Excellent news! It's been number one on my BC wishlist for a long time, will be great to be able to hop back into it without wheeling out the old 360. Hope the multiplayer is still up and running, and that it going BC gets people online playing it again.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

https://twitter.com/majornelson/status/1068187922485006337

It is done!!!

You beautiful bastards. Need to go dig out my physical copy! I'll snag a digital copy too next time it's on sale, liking a digital library these days. Woop Woop!

[Keef Monkey]

https://twitter.com/majornelson/status/1068187922485006337

It is done!!!

You beautiful bastards. Need to go dig out my physical copy! I'll snag a digital copy too next time it's on sale, liking a digital library these days. Woop Woop!

YES! Top of my BC wishlist has come true. Still got my disk but yeah, now that it's BC I definitely want it digital next time it's cheap.

Last time I booted it up was to play through the Predator campaign on whatever the crazy nightmare difficulty was which was a fun challenge, was going to do the other campaigns on Nightmare too but just became too much faff to dig out the 360 (and I can't remember if it's died or not) so this is fabulous news. Happy days!

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

YES! Top of my BC wishlist has come true. Still got my disk but yeah, now that it's BC I definitely want it digital next time it's cheap.

Last time I booted it up was to play through the Predator campaign on whatever the crazy nightmare difficulty was which was a fun challenge, was going to do the other campaigns on Nightmare too but just became too much faff to dig out the 360 (and I can't remember if it's died or not) so this is fabulous news. Happy days!

Oh nice! I'd save the Marine Nightmare campaign for last, it's definitely the hardest! Totally doable though, I remember thinking the last boss would be an actual nightmare but it wasn't that bad at all.

Off topic but related - do you think they will ever port AVP Classic 2000 that came out on PC to consoles? That'd be cool, I feel like with all the remasters and rereleases these days that'd fit right in. Shame that the grand daddy of them all is stuck on the Atari Jaguar, too! Wonder what the ownership is like with that one.

[Keef Monkey]

I'd be really into that yeah, I actually just bought it for PC last week on GOG because I watched this video and realized I'd never played it! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YERrs7FYkxo

I thought I had, but I think I was mixing it up with the Alien Trilogy on PS1 maybe (or Alien Resurrection, I definitely played a couple of Aliens games on PS1!). Was the Jaguar game a different thing to AvP 2000 then? Hadn't realized they made so many AvP games back then.

Thanks for the advice on leaving the marine campaign, did the first level of the Alien campaign at the weekend and think it'll be more doable, seem to remember it being the shortest of the three and on the harder difficulties playing as a marine I would always get caught out by an acid splash insta-death! So hard to keep enough distance to shoot them pesky xenos safely.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

Haha it does get a bit much, if we include non-FPS games there must be more than 5 games just called AVP. AVP (Classic 2000) is great though you're in for a treat. So is it's sequel AVP 2 which is the only main entry in the AVP FPS games not made by Rebellion afaik, it's made by Monolith. The Jag one is the very first one yeah and it has an engine like Doom which is cool (the enemies are 2d sprites and whatnot, also like Alien Trilogy in fact) and even back then it had great atmosphere. A collection of all these in a bundle would be great, AVP Jag, AVP Classic 2000, AVP 2, and the most recent AVP.

Alien Trilogy and Alien Resurrection are great games too though now you mention them! Playing through Resurrection again at the moment actually. I'd LOVE to make an FPS with a low-poly, pixelated PS1 style but with cool lighting and atmospherics - and Alien Resurrection is exactly that. Shame about the film though!

Acid deaths from close-range headshots are a problem. I mentioned it before but the key on Nightmare really is to abuse the heck out of the melee system if they're close. If they're winding up a big unblockable melee attack, whack 'em with RB, otherwise block with LB and RB and when they use a fast attack, RB them when they bounce off your block. Both ways will end up with them on the floor at a safe distance struggling to get up, a sitting duck! It neutralises the threat so well you can just use the pistol a lot of the time if you fancy saving ammo. You can use it just to buy you space and time too. I just finished a play through and it still works like a charm!

[Keef Monkey]

Nice, I'll try and keep the melee tips in mind and only fire when I've got that bit of distance from them then, provided I don't just panic when they're in my face and start firing wildly (I can go full Hudson if I feel crowded in that game)!

Will be keen to try AvP2 as well in that case, love Monolith games and they seem like a really good fit for that.