Two incredible cult classics come to Xbox backwards compatibility

Microsoft continues to add new titles to the backwards compatibility function of the Xbox One, and it’s one of the best things about the ecosystem. The company announced that a few new games were being added to the service, including Far Cry 2 and Driver: San Francisco.

I will add the small detail that these are two of the best games literally in the history of our hobby.

That’s not hyperbole, as Driver: San Francisco combines solid driving with a concept that’s wickedly strange. This is the only game I can think of that takes place both in a car and in a coma. It’s a game that lets you jump between cars due to a ridiculous conceit where all this happens inside the game’s logic.

It’s a bonkers way to create a racing game, but San Francisco leans into it so hard that it’s hard not to love it. This is the best Driver game in the series, and if you missed out the first time you should consider this your second chance.

Far Cry 2 is also considered one of the best shooters ever created by many critics and developers, and is a distinct entry in the Far Cry series. It’s not exactly a welcoming game, but it’s worth the effort to dive in. Arkane Studios’ Harvey Smith once wrote an op-ed about why the game is so good, and I’ll quote a paragraph here, but I urge you to read the whole thing.

“The reward for those who stayed with the game was potent,” Smith explained. “Some of the most interesting game design commentary of the year orbited the game, including the Permadeath experiments conducted by Ben Abraham and others, which I take as an indication of how thought-provoking and challenging (to video game conventions) Far Cry 2 was. The game stands as the shooter title that has given me the most compelling, player-driven moments to date.”

Grab these games, and play them. You’ll be richly rewarded for your time, and you’ll get to see some of the strangest, most rewarding mechanics in the past few decades.