There are over 400 backwards-compatible original Xbox and Xbox 360 games available to Xbox One owners (and growing). This includes many critically-acclaimed titles from the last generation but also plenty of lesser known titles that are worth a look for the curious. Performance is often improved or more stable, screen tearing is a thing of the past, and some original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles have even received enhancements on both the base Xbox One and X variant. With many older gamers keen to replay classic titles, and many new gamers experiencing the Xbox One as their first console generation, this weekend feature will look at some of the best backwards compatible games available. Halo Reach was my first choice for a number for reasons: it’s a prequel to one of Microsoft’s most iconic IPs, the last game developed by Bungie before handing over the reigns to 343 Industries, and it often feels like a “best of” collection of Halo moments. For those interested in the emulation technology, it was also the worst performing back-compat game on re-release in 2015, barely able to sustain 30FPS and often plunging into single digits. Thankfully, the emulator has advanced in leaps and bounds since then and it plays perfectly these days. Halo Reach serves a solid entry point for those looking to get into the series. As the last game from Bungie, it’s extremely polished and retains many gameplay features from Halo 3 (making the jump to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary admittedly a bit jarring), however, lore-wise, it introduces you to a lot of background information that was only drip-fed during the original trilogy. You’ll learn about the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), their seemingly hopeless conflict with The Covenant, and the Office of Naval Intelligence’s SPARTAN program, designed to create supers-soldiers. There’s also plenty of additional details for those who pay attention, such as internal conflict between the UNSC and rebel groups on the colony worlds, or the often troubled relationship between Spartan’s and their creators. The story in Halo Reach is fantastic, even if it often feels like Noble team is sent to the most important conflict points for the players benefit. For the first time, you could pick a male or female Spartan – both voiced for brief snippets of conversation – and you’re immediately thrust into the action, experiencing the fall of Reach first-hand and taking part in the events that led to the desperate escape of the Pillar of Autumn, setting up the events of the first game. You’ll attempt to stem the Covenant invasion, engage in ship-to-ship combat in high orbit, assist ODSTs in evacuating the capital city as it’s glassed from above, and eventually aid surviving ground forces escape from the planet. It’s also a surprisingly emotional journey as you watch both UNSC forces and your own team slowly fall around you, culminating in an incredible finale. Gameplay is pure Halo at its best. Speed, mobility, and adaptability are paramount on higher difficulties and the shooting, while relatively simple in comparison to many other shooters with hundreds of guns and attachments, is immensely satisfying. With both your own character and any tougher enemies sporting recharging shields, Halo has always offered an arcade-like shooting experience, with tougher foes requiring a protracted battle that forces you to use everything in your arsenal. You might lob a grenade into a crowd to kill off unshielded grunts, before shredding an Elite's shield with your assault rifle, and switching to the incredible magnum pistol to drop them with a headshot (or charge in a melee them). Many larger maps feature UNSC vehicles to commandeer or Covenant vehicles to hijack, while Spartan powers – ranging from a simple sprint to jet packs – further modify your combat options. Played solo, you’ll often have some ineffectual AI on your side but Reach really shines in coop. With local split-screen and online coop allowing for one to three additional players – the difficulty ramping up accordingly – you become a far more versatile team, with each player able to mix and match their weapon loadout and skill-set. Better still, most vehicles offer several seats and a dedicated gunner or driver makes for a far more effective assault. As with most Halo games, skull modifiers allow you to further tailor the experience, giving you an easier time, making things that much harder, or just adding fun modifiers - like extreme explosion force. By default, the respawn mechanics are forgiving, allowing players to fall and respawn near another out-of-combat player (keeping a sniper away from the frontlines is ideal). For more coop action, "Firefight" mode is a Halo’s take on a horde mode, tasking your team with holding out against waves of increasingly tough enemies. Competitive players can engage in free-for-all or team-deathmatch, as well as several capture-the-flag modes. Since the game became backwards compatible, there’s been a resurgence of players on the servers, so you can still find coop partners or competing players without too much of a delay (at least at the time of writing this piece). Reach can look a little rough in places today but, when the environments open up and you find your team battling hordes of Covenant while allied forces engage in the distance and cruisers slug it out above, it can still impress. The audio remains great and the score by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori is possibly the best in the series. The story, set pieces, distinctive Bungie gunplay, and accessible coop modes all make Halo Reach an in incredible introduction to the Halo universe and one of the best backwards compatible games you can pick up today.

Xbox Live Deals with Gold offers up another good mix of AAA and indie titles, across a range of genres: - Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition (R97.35) - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Digital Deluxe Edition (R139.80 – the base game and some great expansions) - Life is Strange: Before the Storm Complete Season (107.60) - The Technomancer (124.75) - Shape of the World (R199.20) Backwards compatibility fans should consider two of PlatinumGames finest: Bayonetta (R49.75) and Vanquish (R49.75). The Microsoft Publisher Sale is a stark reminder of the lack of big exclusives, however, there are still some good games on the list, many of which are “Play Anywhere” titles, available on both console and PC: - State of Decay 2 (R291.85) - Gears of War 4 (R267.60) - Gears of War Ultimate Edition (R151.60) - Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (R84.50) - Quantum Break (R209.50) - Halo Wars 2 (R299.50) - Halo: The Masterchief Collection (R336.75) - Sunset Overdrive (R108.57) There are also plenty of excellent backwards compatible titles worth considering: Mistwalker’s RPGs Blue Dragon (R49.75) and Lost Odyssey (R62.25), Lionhead Studio’s Fable Trilogy (R149.75), and all the Gears of War games (R79.60 each). PlayStation Network The Deal of the Week is Call of Duty: WWII - Gold Edition (R469). It’s getting close to an acceptable price for just the campaign but, of course, Activision have removed the base game, slapped on a single DLC, and renamed it the “Gold Edition“ to keep it high. The Ubisoft Publishers Sale is the place to go for open-world shooting, open-world stealthing, and even open-world driving. That said, there are also some decent RPGs and platformers on sale too: - Assassin’s Creed Origins (R549) - Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (R289) - Assassin’s Creed Triple Pack: Black Flag, Unity, and Syndicate (R399) - Far Cry 3 Classic Edition (R329) - Far Cry 5 (R629) - Watch Dogs 2 (R289) - Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands (R329) - The Crew 2 (R549) - Child of Light (R49) - Grow Home (R49) - [i]Grow Up (R69) - Rayman Legends (R159) - South Park: The Stick of Truth (R329) - South Park: The Fractured but Whole (R329) The Games Under R330 promotion is a mixed bag of variable quality but has some highlights across all genres: - Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (R219) - Phantom Trigger (R209) - Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition (R329) - The Shadow Warrior Collection (R319 – the single-player Shadow Warrior remake and coop-focussed Shadow Warrior 2) The Games Under R160 promotion is worth a look if you’re after some cheap indie titles or planning on a retro gaming session: - Mr. Shifty (R109) - The Deadly Tower of Monsters (R69) - Rogue Trooper Redux (R129) - Canis Canem Edit (R119 – i.e. Bully) - Manhunt (R119) - Max Payne (R119) For classic Tomb Raider fans, all the PSOne Classic versions: 1, 2, 3, The Last Revelation, and Chronicles are all going for just R19.80 each. The “70% off when you buy 2 games” promotion continues from last week. Nintendo eShop The eShop Weekend Deals offer a selection of indie titles on Switch, covering several genres: - Hand of Fate 2 (R321.60) - Wizard of Legend (R178.50) - Yoku’s Island Express (R157.20) GOG The “Let the right ones in” Weekly Sale is dominated by the excellent, retro-styled, point-and-click adventures from Wadjet Eye Games but there’s also some first-person puzzling and platforming to be had: - Q.U.B.E. 2 ($22.49/R322) - Blackwell Bundle ($2.99/R43) - Gemini Rue ($1.99/R29) - Shardlight ($2.99/R43) - Technobabylon ($2.99/R43) - A Boy and His Blob ($2.49/R36) The “RPG Fix” Special Promo is a mix of isometric action-RPGs, narrative- and choice -driven RPGs, and classic dungeon-crawlers: - Torchlight ($3.74/R54) - Torchlight 2 ($4.99/R72) - Tyranny: Commander Edition ($15.29/R219) - Might and Magic: 6-pack Limited Edition ($2.49/R36 – from 1986’s The Secret of the Inner Sanctum to 1998’s The Mandate of Heaven) The Divinity Special Promo is a great way to catch of on all of Larian Studio’s games as they evolved from Diablo-clones to hardcore, turn-based RPGs: - Divine Divinity ($1.19/R17) - Beyond Divinity ($1.19/R17) - Divinity 2: Developer’s Cut ($1.99/R29) - Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition ($9.99/R143) The Electronic Arts Weekend Sale only offers up DRM-free version of their older games but there are some excellent titles to choose from: - Clive Barker’s Undying ($1.49/R22) - Dead Space ($2.99/R43) - Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition ($4.99/R72) - Dungeon Keeper 2 ($1.49/R22) - Jade Empire: Special Edition ($3.74/R54) - Medal of Honour: Allied Assault War Chest ($2.49/R36) - SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition ($4.99/R72) - Theme Hospital ($1.19/R17) There are also discounts on all the Ultima RPGs ($7.14/R103 for the entire series) and the Wing Commander games ($13.72/R197 for the entire series) Steam After a brief lull in sales numbers that left me concerned I might not have anything to play, Steam has returned to form with 2498 “games” listed on the Specials page. The Focus Home Interactive Publisher Weekend is considerably easier to browse: - Vampyr (R435.46) - Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition (R199.98) - The Surge (R147.98) - Call of Cthulhu (R494.95 – pre-order) Other games of note discounted this weekend include NieR: Automata (R349.50), Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition (R334.50), Nioh: Complete Edition (R161.40) If you want to take advantage of the Xbox Live Gold deals this week, AWX is stocking 3- and 12-month subscriptions vouchers here. They also have PlayStation Plus subscriptions and PSN currency vouchers available here.

In the vast, unexplored ocean that is known as my backlog of games, I stumbled upon a title that I’m glad I recently got the opportunity to not neglect and play through to its end. Developer Ready At Dawn’s The Order 1886 is a bit of an anomaly in the gaming world, and looking back at its massive backlash, it undeniably made me hesitant to ever give it a chance. After spending a healthy amount of time exploring the game’s eye-catching world, awe-inspiring visuals, and occasional fights against some hairy foes, I’m more than happy to call it one of the most underappreciated games of this generation. Knights of the Round Table The Order 1886 is set in a fictional historical representation of London, albeit with some supernatural liberties taken. Her Majesty’s Order of Knights aims to keep the civilians safe from an outbreak of Lycans that have ravaged the unsuspecting communities. We follow and take the role of Sir Galahad, one of the Order’s knights who stumbles upon some earth-shattering revelations that could threaten to destroy the very foundations of the royal order and question everything we know about who – or what – is actually “protecting” the people. Before we dive into the rest of the article, a little disclaimer is in order: I will be discussing major spoilers from here on out. You have been warned. Diamond in the Rough The Order 1886 has a lot going for it. The grim Victorian setting melded with the supernatural may have been realized a bit better in Bloodborne, but here, it’s presented as close to reality as possible so that it comes across as authentic – thus, the Lycans become a far more intimidating presence. One complaint against the game is the Lycan battles themselves, but I’ll get to that in a bit. I’d like to first highlight everything that the game gets right, and when it does, it shines brightly. The visuals, for instance, blew me away. After playing graphical juggernauts like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Doom, I didn’t think that a game could surprise me anymore, at least aesthetically on a console. The Order 1886 features some of the most incredible visuals I’ve ever seen on a console, and that’s saying a lot considering it was actually released before Uncharted 4. The fluidity in the animation and the mind-blowing attention to detail drew me in from the first second to the last. From an immersion standpoint, there are very few games that are able to suck you into the world through pure visual fidelity alone. For a large majority of the game, it felt like I was an integral part of a big, polished Hollywood blockbuster with excellent cinematography and CGI. The Order 1886 features some of the most incredible visuals I’ve ever seen on a console, and that’s saying a lot considering it was actually released before Uncharted 4. Secondly, even though the game tends to play out like a movie, driving one plot point forward after another without much in the way of exploration, it features plenty of gripping combat sections. This is further enhanced by the crazy arsenal at your disposal, lovingly crafted by an awkward Nikola Tesla. The game features a lightning gun that turns enemies into a cloud of blood, while the thermite gun sends out puffs of thermite can easily be ignited with a flare, dealing tons of widespread damage. If you opt for the stealth route, you can rely on your knife to do most of the work until you get your hands on the satisfying crossbow later on in the game, which pretty much turns you into the Solid Snake of the 19th Century. Of Monsters & Men The Lycan battles were prominently featured in the marketing leading up to launch, but unfortunately they’re quite sparse in the game. There are a few tense scenarios that have you fighting against two or three Lycans at a time, though the real meat of the battles happen in the boss encounters with the more aggressive types. Some haven’t been kind to the fact that they’re degraded to nothing but quick-time events, but I personally didn’t mind them at all as they gave you enough control in the fights to not seem like you were pressing button prompts for a cutscene. Once you’ve got the hang of how these encounters work, there’s something oddly rewarding about overpowering an eight-foot werewolf with nothing but a blade. Crumbling House of Cards Of course, I have to shed some light on the story. Despite The Order of Knights having several dozen members, we’re only (wisely) allowed to get attached to a few of them. Galahad is a great protagonist because there’s depth to his character; he starts off as a proud and loyal knight before slowly spiraling into rage following the death of his mentor, Perceval. This leads him to discover that the rebels they’re painting out to be the bad guys are, in fact, trying to expose darker secrets beneath the Knighthood. The head of the Knights, Lord Hastings, turns out to be a Lycan himself, who is secretly trying to build an army of vampires (yes, I know, Underworld comparisons need to inevitably be made). This causes friction between Galahad and his partner, Isabeau, who may or may not be his love interest. She is also one of the more endearing characters because, unlike most love interests in games, doesn’t base her decisions and actions on her feelings, but rather aims to uphold the moral values of the Knights – even if it means going against Galahad. Despite The Order of Knights having several dozen members, we’re only (wisely) allowed to get attached to a few of them. The story, for the most part, isn’t anything new or revolutionary, but the way it’s told manages to keep you invested throughout. I was constantly on the edge of my seat after each chapter and revelation, which made me want to keep playing the game to find out more. It all culminates in an exciting third act that infuriatingly ends way too abruptly, which brings me to my final point: this game is in desperate need of a sequel. The Order 1887 After the events of the game force Galahad to go rogue, it introduces a concept that’s absolutely brilliant for a sequel. London goes into lockdown (like The Purge), leaving the Order of Knights to mop up the Lycan-infested streets – only this time, there’s some hidden agendas and secrets yet to be uncovered about the true nature of the authoritative powers that be. Galahad is set on a quest to bring this house of cards crumbling down, but he has plenty of unanswered questions too. How will Galahad reconnect with Isabeau and convince her of the Knighthood’s lies? What will become of the vampire initiative? Are there more boss Lycans out there besides Hastings? How deep does the betrayal in The Order go? While it's certainly great to imagine how a sequel would improve upon the game, we shouldn't hold our breaths just yet. Reportedly, Ready At Dawn is already hard at work on their next title that will be an original IP, and not this sequel. However, there's potential buried beneath the grievances that people may have with The Order 1886, and a sequel would be the perfect way to fix those issues while building upon what they've already established - and it can only be for the better.

Nexus will be hosting auditions for our exciting upcoming Nexus O2 YouTube Channel; this is especially important if you haven't gotten a chance to submit your video audition yet! It will be an open call, so anyone and everyone is invited to audition. Time and Date: Saturday 29 September, 11am – 3pm Where: The Nexus Hub 21 Harley Street, Randburg "If you haven’t gotten round to showing us what you can do on camera then come through to the Nexus on Saturday 29 September to show us what you’re made of. We’ll be hosting open auditions from 11am – 3pm. No previous experience needed! You need to be a geek at heart, over 18 and be studying or working as this is a part-time gig. Don’t be shy; come with a friend… this could be your chance to star in our brand new YouTube Channel!" If you'd like to find out more about this initiative, all the necessary information can be found here. We look forward to meeting you!