Video Games

After playing coy for months about the Xbox 360's backward compatibility, Microsoft has finally come clean. The software behemoth announced late Friday that more than 200 games from its current-generation console will play on its next-generation console.

As one might expect, Microsoft has made sure all the top Xbox games are supported, including Halo and Halo 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black, and the three Grand Theft Autos: III, Vice City, and San Andreas. A total of 212 Xbox games will be playable on the 360 at launch, though Microsoft says that number will increase.

Friday also brought good news to Xbox Live addicts. Any of the backward-compatible games will be playable cross-platform between the Xbox 360 and Xbox over Xbox Live. That means would-be Master Chiefs with a 360 can still own their friends playing on current-generation consoles--although the former will see the carnage in higher resolution.

However, there is a catch. To play an Xbox game on the 360, players must first insert the current-gen game into a next-gen console hooked up to Xbox Live. The system will check whether the console has the latest emulation software. If not, it will automatically download said software, install it on the 360, restart, and load the original Xbox game. Obviously, a 360 hard drive--which comes with the Halo and Halo 2 software preinstalled--is required to store the backward-compatibility software.

For 360 owners who either can't or won't log onto Xbox Live, Microsoft offers two other solutions. First, they can go to , download the emulators, burn them onto a CD, and then insert said CD into the 360, which will auto-install the software. The other option is to order a free CD from Xbox.com, which will be mailed to the requestor for a "nominal" fee. However, the CD will be mailed out for free to Japanese 360 owners.

A complete list of the Xbox games that will be playable on the 360 when it ships on November 22 is below:

Alias
Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction
All Star Baseball 2003
Amped
Army Men: Sarge's War
Atari Anthology
ATV Quad Power Racing 2
Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2
Barbarian
Barbie Horse Adventure
Batman Begins
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica
Blinx 2
BMX XXX
Brute Force
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Chaos Bleeds
Cabela's Dangerous Hunts
Cabela's Outdoor Adventures 06
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005
Cabela's Deer Hunt: 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Casino
Catwoman
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Colin McRae 4
Combat Elite
Commandos 2
Conflict: Desert Storm
Constantine
Crash Bandicoot: Twinsanity
Crash Nitro Kart
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse ' The Eye of Isis
Dark Angel
Darkwatch
Deathrow
Digimon Rumble Arena
Dinotopia
Dead or Alive 3
Drake
Egg Mania
ESPN MLS Extra Time 2002
Euro 2004
F1 Championship Season 2001
Fable
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
FIFA 2003
FIFA 2004
FIFA Street 2005
FIFA World Cup 2002
Fight Night 2004
Fight Night Round 2
Ford Mustang Racing
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport
Freedom Fighters
Frogger
Futurama
Fuzion Frenzy
Genma Onimusha
Goblin Commander
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
Half-Life 2
Halo
Halo 2
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts
House of the Dead 3
IHRA Drag Racing 2005 Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005
Jade Empire
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
Jurassic Park Genesis
Kabuki Warrior
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
Kids Next Door: Operation VIDEOGAME
kill.switch
Legends of Wrestling
Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events
Loons Fight for Fame
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Medal of Honor 3 Rising Sun
Medal of Honor Frontline
Medal of Honor: European Assault
Mega Man
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines Odyssey
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Monster Garage
Mortal Kombat: Deception
MTV Music Generator 3
Murakumo
MX World Tour - featuring Jamie Little
Namco Museum X Next Generation
NBA Live 2003
NBA Live 2004
Need For Speed: Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 20-03
NFL Blitz 20-04
NHL 2004
NHL Hitz 20-03
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden Black
Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Volleyball
Pariah
Phantom Crash
Pinball Hall of Fame
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Predator
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver
PUMP IT UP
Pure Pinball
Puyo Puyo Fever
Quantum Redshift
Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction II
RedCard 20-03
Robotech: Battle Cry
Rocky: Legends
Rogue Ops
Rugby 2005
Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors
Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SeaWorld: Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
Sega GT 2002
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shellshock:Nam '67
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Simpson's Road Rage
Simpsons: Hit and Run
Sneakers
Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Mega Collection
Speed Kings
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Splat Renegade Paintball
SpongeBob Square Pants:Battle for Bikini Bottom
Spy Hunter 2
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake
Star Trek: Shattered Universe
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic 2
Street Racing Syndicate
Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball DX
SX Superstar
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Terminator : Dawn of Fate
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds
The Great Escape
The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Thing
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tork
Toxic Grind
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Vexx
Volvo: Drive for Life
World Series Baseball 2K
Worms 4: Mayhem
Worms Forts Under Siege
WWE Raw 2
XIII
Yourself!Fitness