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360 backward-compatibility update rereleased

[UPDATE] New, briefly withdrawn patch supports most current-gen Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and Rainbow Six games.

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When Microsoft first released the backward-compatibility list for the Xbox 360, many gamers were shocked by some names that weren't on it. Nowhere to be found were three of the top franchises for the original Xbox: Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and Splinter Cell.

Late last night, Microsoft updated the backward-compatibility list with eight games from the trio of Tom Clancy-inspired series. Software emulators for Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon 2, Ghost Recon 2 Summit Strike, Rainbow Six 3, Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory all became available for download.

However, within hours of the new update's release, reports began to circulate that it was causing problems with Halo 2. Several GameSpot editors discovered that when they inserted Halo 2 into their 360 consoles, a prompt appeared saying that a software update was needed to play the game.

However, after the update was installed, Halo 2 would only play in the standard 4x3 TV dimensions, not the 16x9 letterbox format used by high-definition televisions. Also, the game's graphics appeared compressed--a dramatic shift from its previously crisp, HD textures.

When contacted by GameSpot, Microsoft reps confirmed the problem and said a new, Halo 2-compatible version would be available shortly.

[UPDATE] Sure enough, late Friday, a bug-free version of the backwards compatibility update was available on Xbox.com and Xbox Live.

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