It seems my earlier piece on Xbox compatibility was remiss in its inclusion of Half-Life 2.
David wrote in to correct me, saying “only the first 20 percent of the game works. After that all bets are off. If you don't believe me go to Valve tech support (they make Half-Life 2).”
Thanks David, I do believe you. I was relying on Microsoft’s compatibility list, which it seems just isn’t always accurate.
Speaking of Xbox 360, Half-Life 2 will not run correctly on that platform, despite the fact that it appears on the compatibility list and does boot up and start playing. About a quarter of the way through the game, on a level called Water Hazard, I started running into inexplicable bugs, where the boat I was piloting would suddenly veer off and dive below the water, and the entire map. Once that happens, and it happens again and again on that level, you can't continue playing or get your boat back where it belongs. The silly thing flies through walls, the ground, whatever, and does so repeatedly. This problem was particularly vexing because I had played the game for 100 minutes before finally giving up. On the original Xbox, however, Half-Life 2 is rock solid, and I breezed through Water Hazard without any glitches.
Paul Thurrott’s Supersite for Windows
Related:
Reader Question About Xbox 360 Compatibility
Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues
Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links
Doug Lombardi, Half Life 2 Interview
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