You can't just patch a game to have XBOX LIVE features/multiplayer. The original XBOX release was never meant for online play so it'd be quite a task to add online multiplayer.

 I think this downloadable game service is an excellent idea, over here in the UK it's become increasingly difficult to find retaillers still stocking original XBOX games. I have been looking for a copy of Burnout 3: Takedown(IMO best game of the series) for a while with no success. I don't want to buy second hand as the discs are usually full of scuff marks so this downloadable game service is very welcome to me.

 I know of a few Halo 3 players that never played the original and will now be more inclined to buy it due to the ease of simply downloading it to their console.

 For those that use the service, just pray that the console you buy the game on doesn't die otherwise you'll have to be logged onto LIVE to be able to play it!

 If the service or price doesn't cater to your needs DON'T USE IT and stop moaning about it!

Microsoft obviously did a cost/benefit ananlysis of whether or not they would make more money by updating games with new features such as live support, Hi def, and achievements; or just releasing a crap ton of games with no updates.  Looks like they think a crap ton of games with no bells and whistles will sell more in the long run, and I'm sure they are right.  As much as a ton of us would buy Halo with Live support and achievements, but won't bother with it with nothing new; there are a ton of people who will just buy a crapload of old games to fill up thier 20gb hard drives.

In my opinion anyone would be better off buying a hard copy of any old games they want to play.  It is cheaper, you can sell it when your sick of it, and it's yours forever if you want to collect it.  I am very wary of buying expensive downloadable games that no longer work if your system breaks or you get a new system and your not connected to live.  Microsoft already ripped my off on a bunch of Arcade games I downloaded with my first xbox, (which broke a long time ago).  They will not work at my house on my new box, and Microsoft refuses to take care of it.  So really I paid to rent those games, not buy them.  So when a new Xbox comes out, Microsoft is going to make you buy all of these games again to play on that system.

Stick with hard copies unless they are going to be enhanced with achievements and live support. 
I will be renting Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix when it comes out though.  That has enough enhancements that it is worth the value.

The only thing i'm saying is that I was hoping MS was going the same route XBLA went with such classics as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat & Castlevania and make them online enabled.

Oh well, I still got an unopened copy of Halo:CE that I got for $5, i'll have to pass.

But downloading the single player games like Indigo Prophecy, well, I'll give that a shot.

RELEASE DATE SCHEDULE???

---

Who was it that said great things come to great men? Well that CL4P-TP lied to us. There's nothing here but a wasteland.

When is Pro Fishing Challenge coming?

 

I wouldn't buy a new version of a game I have on disk (well, maybe Halo if it had widescreen support) but I suppose I might if it's a game I don't have (like Burnout). Then again I'd probably take the time to check it out in store, because if it's the same price or cheaper, a disc is probably the way to go, for all the various reasons already mentioned in this thread.

And because I haven't (yet) become so lazy that I can't get up off the couch to swap games in and out of the console.

Who cares if I have to mess with a disc or not. For the cost of 15 bucks, I can take the time of oh 30 seconds to find and load my dvd. Why hasn't there been any confirmation of achievements?  That could be a huge selling point but its still all hush hush.

In Europe it has become almost impossible to find games for the original Xbox, so I think this is a great idea (and I would even gladly pay this amount for games I already own, for the convenience of playing these games directly from the hard disk ). Also, this gives Microsoft a strong incentive to keep working on the backward compatibilty, so much-needed games like Otogi 1&2, Beyond Good & Evil, etc. will become playable on the 360.

No achievements = no purchase.  I have already played or own these great games, and there is no incentive to stroll down memory's lane w/out upgrades like achievements.  Like others have said, the bargain bin is cheaper for the same game.

 MightyMango wrote:

Who cares if I have to mess with a disc or not. For the cost of 15 bucks, I can take the time of oh 30 seconds to find and load my dvd. Why hasn't there been any confirmation of achievements?  That could be a huge selling point but its still all hush hush.

 

Hahaha...MightyMango....didn't expect to see you here.

I agree that I think MS is *** this up again.  These people want Achievements and with games like Halo it's obvious that MP would be a wanted addition.

Also...someone said that all the other games were second tier.  What an idiotic statement.  Psychconauts, Fable, Burnout 3...some of the best games on the original Xbox.  All three of which I found to be a better game than Halo.

http://www.x3h.com

Yeah, well the achievement issue is really bugging me and I , as well as many others, would like an answer.  Funny that I'm getting noticed everywhere.

well, call me old fashioned, but I'd gladly mess with a disc, since I'm as much a collector as I'm a gamer, so for me, this service is a big  "I don't give a rat's tail", I'd rather track down the games on disc, provided that I didn't already had all the xbox games I ever wanted. I'd get interested, if they had achievements, I mean, It would be cool to replay and unlock all the stuff in Panzer Dragoo Orta and be rewarded for it by some sweet gamer points. Also the HDD space and the download times are concerns for me, since I live in mexico where XB360 hard drives cost you an arm, and the best speed for residential broadband connections are 2Mb at about 60 USD.

The main reason why Halo: CE was such a huge hit was the multiplayer, not adding live functionality to a game that launched xbox's success is rediculous. Microsoft is just shooting themselves in the foot with this one.

Messing with a disk? It takes less than a minute to swap disks. Plus I'm willing to bet that a vast majority of xbox owners already have Halo: CE on a disk and don't need this.

I can live without the multiplayer as I imagine that would be pretty tough to add to a game like Halo, but if it doesn't have achievements there is no way I'm downloading it. For $15 I would rather have the disc so I can play it on both my consoles (only one is online).

---

Gears and Beers is not a clan, it's a way of life.

So, here's a question for you. Living in the UK, I can't play Halo CE using my VGA cable due to the Euro disc running at 50hz, and the VGA calbe only allows 60hz. If I download it, will it be the American version, which does run at 60hz, so I can play it on my 360? If the answer is yes, you have a sale right here!

And if no-one knows the answer, I don't suppose you know someone who does?

nellus:  See if this Xbox Support article will help your situation.

---

Microsoft Tablet PC MVP - Forums Moderator
This posting is provided as is; with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 trixie360 wrote:

 WhiffleBallTony wrote:

Will Halo have Xbox LIVE functionality? Please, tell me! I need to know!

No, this isn't a new or updated game with new code. This is the classic Halo: Combat Evolved. The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE--you don't have to mess with a disc.

Well, that's a shame, because having Xbox LIVE there would bring in big money for Microsoft. All I know is that I'm not buying it now, so that's too bad for you guys and us.

---

Say goodnight.

Great point, I've got Halo:CE on disc but will gladly pay 1200 if it will work without the fuss of 'swapping the wires' as well as 'fiddling with the disc', as I too use VGA. Will they give us a choice for a 60hz version please?

I would have thought Multiplayer would too hard to put in, but I would have thought dropping some achievement markers in the game would be possible, as would upping the resolution and widescreen support.

C'mon Microsoft - here's a chance to really please the fans!

The original xbox games run on the 360 using an emulator, this takes up a  lot of system resources and that's why you can't use your guide in-game or stream music from your HDD.

 The difference in the way a 360 and original xbox works means that it's quite impressive that they get the games to run as well as they do. If you started trying to bump up resolution & change the aspect ratio you'd see that minor framerate dip on Halo: Combat Evolved turning into a game breaking, crawling, stuttering frame rate.

 I see no reason why the downloadable version of Halo on the UK marketplace can't be the U.S version and run at 60hrtz though.

Honestly, I prefer the disk.  Although there's no guarantee, I think each new system will have some backwards compatibilities and its nice to have a disk backup of the games for the next gen system.  Thats why I bought the Oblivion GOTY edition even though I bought the original and downloaded the expansions.  In a few years when the next Xbox comes out, I'll have my favorites on disk all ready to pop in and revisit.

If they added achievements to Burnout 3, I'd be first in the virtual line to buy it...

---

Victim of the E74 error - Xbox 360 #3, comin' up.

 trixie360 wrote:

 WhiffleBallTony wrote:

Will Halo have Xbox LIVE functionality? Please, tell me! I need to know!

No, this isn't a new or updated game with new code. This is the classic Halo: Combat Evolved. The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE--you don't have to mess with a disc.

no xbox live multiplayer & no Achievements= very poor sales and alot of people pissed at microsoft
"cough"atleast make some kind of patch for us to play xbl multiplayer"cough" ask bungie or something idk

 trixie360 wrote:

 WhiffleBallTony wrote:

Will Halo have Xbox LIVE functionality? Please, tell me! I need to know!

No, this isn't a new or updated game with new code. This is the classic Halo: Combat Evolved. The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE--you don't have to mess with a disc.

So for the low, low price of just $15 I can save my self from getting up to change the disk!? WOW bargain!

I find that offering this service is great, but they are charging more per product than they do in stores.  $15 compared to $9.99 at Best Buy/Wal-Mart/Circuit City/Gamestop/etc. for Halo?!?  I find that XBOX Marketplace is overpriced overall, considering Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (with Knights of the Nine content) costs $29.99 in stores, but would charge you over $50 for every download on Marketplace.  Make the classic games run from 800-1,200 MS Points and you'll begin to make a little more sense.  However, kudos for making available classic games and I cannot wait to see which titles you bring us next (bring on the Conker!).

Without online capabilities this will lose thousands upon thousands of sales.

by releasing buggy unaltered (why none of the "manditory features" achievements, background music that capcom and everyone else has to include with their arcade games?) MS is throwing away the quality that LIVE used to represent... if this is the future i might as well go join PSN...

 

on a sidenote: there is nothing "cool" about being able to download something straight to my xbox so i never ever have to leave the house and interact with another human being... i will say this is much more convenient

---

"The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE"

-MS understanding coolness since 2007

This topic really begs the question...

 

Why just copy the Wii? When you could have up-ed the stakes!

 

I also realize that "Trixe" prolly doesn't have the answers to our questions, and it's not as if (X) amount of us reply and ask for XBL support for halo, then Trixie snaps her fingers and we get it. Face facts it wont happen, no amount of forum activity will convence who ever is in charge of this operation to commit the required resources to make this happen.(And dont tell me they can't...you can play COOP JOUST! COOP DOOM on XBL, why couldn't they add XBL support? I can still play on XBconnect, if they wanted to they could) It's just a same, they really could have out done both nintendo and sony, instead they decided that just offering the same thing as them is "good enough". XBL is what MAKES XBOX.  Without it I know I wouldn't be here, and by $15 bucks isn't going in your little grubby hands...not for a game I already paid for...

 

/end rant.

---

Blaze On~
K1NDBUD

[AoR] Homepage

 trixie360 wrote:

 WhiffleBallTony wrote:

Will Halo have Xbox LIVE functionality? Please, tell me! I need to know!

No, this isn't a new or updated game with new code. This is the classic Halo: Combat Evolved. The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE--you don't have to mess with a disc.

I know you're not exactly given a lot of freedom to respond the way we'd like you to on this, but that's really not a good deal. £10.20 for a non-physical version of a game I can get cheaper in the shops? Who is this supposed to sell to?

---

Formerly known as Walshicus. I've been here for years, so you can stop talking to me as if I was born yesterday.

 jimferno wrote:

The original xbox games run on the 360 using an emulator, this takes up a  lot of system resources and that's why you can't use your guide in-game or stream music from your HDD.

 The difference in the way a 360 and original xbox works means that it's quite impressive that they get the games to run as well as they do. If you started trying to bump up resolution & change the aspect ratio you'd see that minor framerate dip on Halo: Combat Evolved turning into a game breaking, crawling, stuttering frame rate.

 I see no reason why the downloadable version of Halo on the UK marketplace can't be the U.S version and run at 60hrtz though.

 

Actually, you CAN stream your music while playing original Xbox games on the 360. You just have to start the selected playlist before putting in the disk. The only problem with this is the game's music won't be shut off while streaming from the Drive and if the game doesn't have a way to turn down the music (which Halo does not), you're stuck listening to your favorites songs and the Halo theme at certain sections overlapping which is just plain horrible. Also, you obviousely can't change it mid-game.

For any game that lets you turn down the sound, however... you can throw in your own music.

On topic: this is rather pointless. Unless you've never played the original Xbox, there isn't a reason to re-download these without achievements. I don't think MS will be selling as many games as they think. Maybe for 400 MSPoints but deffinately not 1200. That's just absurd and MS really must be a bunch of morons if they think that feeding laziness is the only selling point.

So, MS! NO ACHIEVEMENTS = NO SALE!

---

Moderator @ x360a.org.

For $5 they managed to give me Doom on the harddrive with achievements and multiplayer.  Why they cant do that for Halo at $15 boggles the mind.  How hard could it be to turn LAN support into WAN support?

 trixie360 wrote:

 WhiffleBallTony wrote:

Will Halo have Xbox LIVE functionality? Please, tell me! I need to know!

No, this isn't a new or updated game with new code. This is the classic Halo: Combat Evolved. The coolness is that you can download it over Xbox LIVE--you don't have to mess with a disc.

How awesome is that?  So awesome.

I mean, God forbid Bungie expend any effort into this.

Because effort isn't cool, right?