Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the last Call of Duty title released on Xbox 360 that has not been made backwards compatible with the Xbox One, not counting Black Ops III which launched for both console generations three years ago. There have been rumors that the game might be remastered with the same treatment that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare got in 2016 with Modern Warfare Remastered, but those who have kept their disc should be able go back to it. The game turns a decade old next year, so we will see if Activision decides to celebrate it with a remaster.
Modern Warfare 2 took the groundbreaking multiplayer of Call of Duty 4 and pushed it further with more weapons, perks, and killstreaks. There was even a secret killstreak at 25 kills that nuked the entire map, wiping out both teams and ending the game prematurely. The campaign was controversial with mainstream media when one mission, “No Russian,” had the player infiltrate a Russian terrorist cell and take part in a mass shooting at an airport.
Crackdown 2
The first Crackdown was a pleasant surprise, considering it was mostly overshadowed by the Halo 3 multiplayer beta that came packaged with the Xbox 360 title. It gave players an open city with a list of targets to take out in any order, characters and vehicles that change according to certain power levels, and 800 orbs scattered high and low to collect and hear that satisfying ding sound.
Crackdown 2 is not a bad game, but it is more of the same. The city and story are recycled with a few new enemies and weapons sprinkled in. The manic action and huge explosions are still there, which make it a good game to pick up for a few bucks when it goes on sale. Despite the first game being backwards compatible, the sequel might come alongside the release of Crackdown 3 scheduled for February 2019.
The Darkness
The Darkness follows hitman Jackie Estacado as he seeks revenge against his mafia crime family for trying to assassinate him, while dealing with the ancient demonic force called the Darkness that has consumed Jackie and gives him tentacles and other powers. The game, released in 2007, is based off the comic of the same name.
While The Darkness 2 is available through Xbox One backwards compatibility, the original title is still a fine game. It was most noteworthy for allowing you to watch full movies, such as To Kill A Mockingbird and The Man with the Golden Arm, alongside the protagonist’s girlfriend in one scene where they are sitting on the couch together and the player does not touch any of the controls. The sequel did expand on the franchise with more combat options, but this is a good game for those interested in the series who do not own an Xbox 360.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a weird omission from the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility list since the first game and sequel Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier are both on there. It is still a fantastic game featuring the series’ trademark tactical combat and direct control over AI teammates to issue commands like movement, attacking, or covering.
The game also had co-op missions for up to 16 players which was still supposed to beaten with tactics, but everyone just equipped grenade launchers and bombed the ever-loving crap out of objectives. It was still fun though, and that level of simple cooperative missions alongside a lot of players is not used much anymore.
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
One might think 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand was a shameless cash grab to benefit off of the hip hop artist’s name, but it is not the worst of licensed properties. It is not the best game ever due to repetitive action and mediocre gunplay, but it has a distinct style.
The synopsis is that 50 Cent and his crew G-Unit played a concert in an unnamed war-ridden Middle Eastern country, and the promoter could not pay them. Held at gunpoint by 50, the promoter decides to hand over a jewel-encrusted skull as collateral until he can make payment. Almost immediately after this altercation, the skull is then stolen by a paramilitary group and now G-Unit must raise hell across the country to get it back.
Certainly not the best story ever told, but there’s a certain charm to playing as 50 Cent or random G-Unit member in co-op as they curse up a storm fighting unnamed enemies while the group’s music plays nonstop. It deserves to live on with a new life like its publisher THQ, which dissolved but then came back after Nordic Games acquired the trademark to become THQ Nordic.
Bomberman: Act Zero
Bomberman: Act Zero is the gritty, dark reboot that no one asked for. Someone decide to take the lighthearted, cartoony party game and throw it into a dystopian future where the only colors allowed to exist are black and grey.
The game is not radically different from past titles since it is about placing bombs between pillars and trapping other players for points, though it did not do that especially well with a terrible camera and controls. It needs to be seen by more people, especially the trailer which poses the idea of existentialism in a Bomberman game.
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