Newsflash, other writers: the 7th gen is in fact retro now. Adjust accordingly.
Chances are, if you’re into retro games, you’re probably not really using Game Pass to scratch that itch. But if you wanted to, you technically can now. Because Microsoft has tossed 50 of Activision’s retro titles from the 80’s and 90’s up onto the service, with plans to expand to over 100 titles over time.
The move comes as a collaboration with Antstream Arcade, and is available to all Game Pass subscribers globally. They claim this as a step in their “commitment to game preservation and backwards compatibility”. I’m side-eyeing that statement.
With Retro Classics, Game Pass members can expect a seamless gaming experience across console, PC, and on supported devices with cloud gaming. Whether playing on Xbox console, the Xbox app on PC, or streaming on supported LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, and Meta Quest headsets, Retro Classics offers a versatile and accessible way to enjoy these nostalgic titles. Game Pass members can access Retro Classics through their Game Pass membership by searching and installing the feature via their console or on the Xbox app on PC. Additionally, players can take on friends, rivals, or the entire world with unique challenges. For the achievement hunters, there are some great new ones to collect, and for newer players, the ability to save and reload your progress, a first for many classic titles.
The major catch is that these titles only seem to be available via cloud gaming. Which is odd, since Atari 2600 games, which make up the bulk of this first wave, aren’t all that big. I’m also not letting that game preservation bit go, either, as a bunch of games kept on a service at the sole whim of a massive multinational corporation doesn’t usually constitute as “preserved”.
Regardless, here are the games:
- Activision Prototype #1
- Atlantis
- Atlantis 2
- Barnstorming
- Baseball
- Beamrider
- Bloody Human Freeway
- Boxing
- Bridge
- Caesar 2
- Checkers
- Chopper Command
- Commando
- Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
- Cosmic Ark
- Crackpots
- Decathlon
- Demon Attack
- Dolphin
- Dragster
- Enduro
- Fathom
- Fire Fighter
- Fishing Derby
- Freddie Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
- Freeway
- Frostbite
- Grand Prix
- H.E.R.O.
- Kaboom!
- Laser Blast
- MechWarrior
- MechWarrior 2
- Megamania
- Pitfall
- Pitfall 2
- Police Quest
- Pressure Cooker
- Quest for Glory 1
- Riddle of the Sphinx
- River Raid
- River Raid 2
- Robot Tank
- Sky Jinks
- Space Quest 2
- Space Quest 6
- Space Treat Deluxe
- Spider Fighter
- Star Voyager
- Tennis
- The Adventures of Willy Beamish
- The Dagger of Amon Ra
- Thwocker
- Title Match Pro Wrestling
- Torin’s Passage
- Trick Shot
- Vault Assault
- Venetian Blinds
- Zork 1: The Great Underground Empire
- Zork Zero
Regardless, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has had a dalliance with retro games via the Xbox brand. Some might remember back in the Xbox 360 era that they put out an app called Game Room, which offered retro games for individual purchase, stored locally on your system. Which is wild considering Retro Classics requires you to stream a bunch of old-ass games even most pirates will download and likely never touch. I don’t know, call me crazy, but I think streaming a 4 kB game instead of a download probably burns more bandwidth and resources.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Source: Mashable via MSNBC
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