Zone of the Enders HD Collection is now backward-compatible on Xbox One
As is Rumble Roses XX.
Microsoft has clapped its hands and magically expanded its Xbox One backward-compatibility line-up yet again, this time adding Zone of the Enders HD Collection and Rumble Roses XX to its ever-growing list.
Zone of the Enders HD Collection released on Xbox 360 in 2012 and was an attempt to spruce up Kojima Productions' beloved 2001 PS2 mech adventure Zone of the Enders and its sequel Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner - which debuted on PlayStation 2 back in 2003.
As far as the games themselves go, the original Zone of the Enders - which was directed by Noriaki Okamura, with Hideo Kojima producing - was relatively well-received. However, it wasn't until the sequel arrived under the watchful eye of director Shuyo Murata that the seres' striking blend of third-person shooting and hack-and-slash action truly managed to shine.
Unfortunately, Konami's initial attempts to deliver an enhanced HD port of Zone of the Enders was so staggeringly poor, saddled with abysmal frame rates and other presentation issues, that the HD Collection ended up getting an extensive patch from an entirely different porting studio.
Doubly unfortunately, that patch was PS3-only, never making it to Xbox 360. Once again then, as was the case with the recently Xbox One backward-compatible Silent Hill HD Collection, this mightn't be your best option when it comes to experiencing a classic series.
Today's second backward-compatible offering, Rumble Roses XX, regrettably doesn't quite make up for disappointments elsewhere. Yes, it might elicit a few nostalgic pleasures, but Konami's 2006 female pro wrestling game isn't exactly what you'd call a fighting masterpiece. Rumble Roses XX goes big on the titillation, but that can't mask its uninspired wrestling action - and the game earned itself a 5/10 when Eurogamer reviewed it on release.
If you've an original Xbox 360 disc copy of either Zone of the Enders HD Collection or Rumble Roses XX, you just need to pop it in your Xbox One for the console's backward-compatibility magic to kick in. Alternatively, you can download Rumble Roses XX on the Xbox Store for £11.99/£14.99 USD. Zone of the Enders HD Collection isn't currently available.