Papa Nier lives as original Nier and other RPGs are added to Xbox Backwards Compatibility

A new raft of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles has been added to Xbox One and Series S/X backwards compatibility - and the new additions include a handful of notable RPGs. The list of new additions was unveiled and added to Xbox's industry-leading backwards compatibility program as part of today's Xbox 20th anniversary celebrations.

Newly playable on modern Xbox hardware including the Xbox Series S & Series X as well as the entire line-up of last-generation Xbox One machines are Nier, Risen and Risen 2: Dark Waters, as well as Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Also likely of interest to fans of RPGs are the hack-and-slash action-adventure titles of the Otogi series - both the first game and its sequel hit backwards compatibility today. 

The addition of Nier to Xbox backwards compatibility is interesting, as while Nier recieved a remaster earlier this year with NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., that version of the game is based off the PlayStation 3 Japanese original - that's Nier Replicant, thus the name. The Western and Xbox 360 versions of the game were known as 'Nier Gestalt' and featued an alternative version of the story with an older protagonist and other minor tweaks. Rather than playing as a doting brother, you were cast as a gruff, desperate father - and so on. Backwards compatibility now gives fans a way to play the Gestalt version of Nier on modern hardware. 

You will be playing the original janky game without all those remaster bells and whistles, however - but performance should at least be smoother on modern Xbox hardware - especially since Nier is compatible with Microsoft's 'FPS Boost' technology.

Speaking of FPS boost, some previously backwards-compatible RPGs are getting some love. Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fable III, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII have all recieved the FPS boost treatment. These games will see frame rates doubled - perhaps up to as much as 60fps. 

Outside of the RPG space, the backwards compatibility additions are still impressive. The list includes the brilliant Beautiful Katamari, the Yakuza team's unique shooter Binary Domain, Red Dead Revolver, a couple of TimeSplitters games, a bunch of licensed Star Wars stuff, and the entirety of the F.E.A.R. and Max Payne series'. It also includes the cheesy but surprisingly good Gears of War clone 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand.